There is no better day to take a leap of faith than Feb. 29.

So, here it goes ... the Pittsburgh Pirates will finish 81-81 this season, the first non-losing campaign in 19 years.

Stop shaking your head.

OK, I admit two decades of embarrassing baseball will damper optimism when spring training rolls around. But hey, the Pirates are undefeated, full of hope and have already produced a good story this spring.

A.J. Burnett, a starting pitcher acquired via trade from the New York Yankees earlier this month, wanted to wear No. 34 for the Pirates, a number occupied by Daniel McCutchen. This often comes up in sports and a financial settlement between players can usually be reached to complete a swap.

Instead of throwing cash at McCutchen, Burnett is opening a college fund for his new teammate’s unborn daughter who is expected to arrive in May.

It’s a refreshing look toward the future, much like the perspective of blindly loyal Bucco fans.

Football players making the leap from college to pros put their track and field skills on display at the NFL combine this week.

Much of the buzz in Indianapolis swirled around quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, expected to be the top-two selections in April’s NFL Draft.

There’s plenty of reason to believe they can be franchise cornerstones, but it’s hardly a sure thing like many NFL scouts are declaring.

After all, they’ve been wrong before.

Over the past 15 years, there have been 19 QBs selected with a top-five overall pick. Six times — nearly one out of three — they have been complete disasters.

JaMarcus Russell, David Carr, Joey Harrington, Tim Couch, Akili Smith and Ryan Leaf were all top-three picks and fizzled out faster than the Pittsburgh Pirates in August.

It’s far from an exact science.

Some guys have what it takes, others don’t, and the answer won’t be revealed until they’re thrust into the teeth of an NFL defense.

Two franchises are going to push all-in with either Luck or RG3 in April, and despite their spectacular reviews, history says neither is a guaranteed success.

The same can be said when teams swap players, which is probably why Penguins general manager Ray Shero decided stay put before the NHL trade deadline.

The Pens were one of just three teams to not make a trade in February, but Pittsburgh also faces a unique circumstance: The best possible addition is already on the team — an injured Sidney Crosby.

With so many teams in contention for a Stanley Cup playoff spot, there wasn’t a ton of talent to go around at the deadline. Shero could have hit the panic button and mixed it up by making a deal to help fill the indefinite void left by Crosby.

Just because you can make a move doesn’t mean you should.

The Penguins are contenders as presently constructed and there wasn’t much that could be done to evolve Pittsburgh into favorites without mortgaging the future.

There’s no reason to take that kind of leap.

Jason Orfao is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.