While it is hard to think about baseball with three feet of snow on the ground, pitchers and catchers are beginning to report to spring training.

It's a better sign that spring is coming than that silly groundhog.

So, trade in the shovel for a bat. Ditch the mittens for a catcher's mitt. Stop chucking snowballs and start chucking baseballs.

The green grass is under that snow. Honest.

And so are plenty of baseball storylines:

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What do you get if you are a Pittsburgh Pirates fan?Absolutely Nutting.As if things weren't bad enough for Bucco fans, principal owner Bob Nutting refused to entertain offers from the likes of Mario Lemieux to buy the club.Instead, Nutting said he hopes the Pirates will be in his family for generations.Not good news.The consecutive-season losing streak is old enough to drive now. Soon, it will be old enough to vote and to drink.If Nutting gets his way and his family retains the team for generations, the streak could start receiving Social Security.•

Which of the Spendthrift Five will win the World Series this season?We all know the truth. Only five teams — the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, Dodgers and Phillies — have a legitimate shot at winning the championship. All five made the playoffs last season and all five were among the highest payrolls in baseball.So much for parity.The Tampa Bay Rays were an anomaly. Building from within will give a team a shot about once every five years. After that period, good young players become eligible for arbitration or knock on the door of free agency, forcing the club to unload them for unproven prospects that may or may not pan out.See: Indians, Rays, Rockies, Diamondbacks, Marlins, Twins, etc.•

Are we finally past the steroids era?Short answer: no.Is it better? Yes. But until there is a lifetime ban for getting caught with the stuff — instead of the 50-game farce that now is on the books — there will always be questions when a dude goes on a dinger binge.•

When is the McCourt reality show going to debut on the MLB Network?The Dodgers ownership mess makes for some good entertainment.After the Dodgers' loss to the Phillies in Game 5 of the NLCS on a Wednesday, owner Frank McCourt fired his wife Jamie as the club's chief executive on a Friday and then she filed for divorce on a Monday.•

What will the Indians do with no Cy Young winner to trade?CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee were dealt the past two seasons for a bunch of prospects and Cavs tickets.It's hard to believe that just 28 months ago, the Indians were one win away from the World Series.Now, they are the American League version of, gasp, the Pirates.Mike Kilroy is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.