With the cold and the wind and the rain and the snow, it's easy to see how we can look ahead to the baseball season.

Of course, a day earlier and the weather would have been more ideal, but baseball always has its share of trouble to open the season.

The Pirates found a way to win, staging a down-to-their-last-strike, four-run ninth-inning rally to defeat host St. Louis 6-4.

Granted, it doesn't mean the Pirates can be penciled in for the National League Central Division title, but it's a good way to start.

A win, especially like this, is a good way to think maybe things can be turning around. I understand it won't happen overnight, but the mind-set has to change if this team is going to reverse its fortunes.

A loss right off the bat, particularly one in which the Pirates had four hits in the first two innings and nothing to show for it, including a bases-loaded scenario in the first inning, would have been tough to swallow. The players would have been down, wondering, 'Oh no, here we go again.'

I've not been one to be overly optimistic about the Pirates over the past several years, but I like the direction things are going and I believe that will translate into a better clubhouse this season.

The trades that sent Xavier Nady to the New York Yankees and Jason Bay to the Boston Red Sox and that netted the Pirates pitchers Jeff Karstens, Ross Ohlendorf and outfielder Brandon Moss will begin to show positive results this year.

Players, such as outfielders Andrew McCutcheon, Jose Tabata and third baseman Pedro Alvarez, are on the cusp of coming up and will infuse some life into a team in desperate need of some.

I still say the biggest key will be the pitching staff. With a team ERA of 5.10 last year, among the worst in the team's history and we're talking more than 120 years of Pirates baseball you would think things can only get better. And it will.

The biggest acquisition could be pitching coach Joe Kerrigan. The Pirates have needed a type of coach that is wise in his craft. Remember former Pittsburgh pitching coach Ray Miller? All he knew was pitching and he was instrumental in players such as starters Doug Drabek and John Smiley and relievers Bill Landrum and Jim Gott. among others. in establishing themselves as highly productive players.

Kerrigan has had a lot of success as a pitching coach, especially with the Red Sox. He will keep the staff going and will be a teacher, which is something it has needed.

Most pundits are picking the Chicago Cubs to win the division, and the Cardinals are a little more than an afterthought. I'm leaning toward St. Louis, but I don't think this division will rely on just those two. Cincinnati has shown a lot of promise, Houston can always be competitive and Pittsburgh will be a spoiler along the way.

My original thought about the Pirates' record was a hopeful 80-82, which would still give Pittsburgh its record 17th consecutive losing season. I've dropped it back to 78-84, but it should be a more enjoyable season.

Pittsburgh won't be a pushover and you'll finally start to see the much-awaited progress this city has been waiting for.