This is probably the fourth or fifth time that I’ve posted about the start to a baseball season and how we always overreact to the beginnings of the season. Over the past few days I’ve been reminded countless times that we’re only 18 games or 20 games into a long 162-game season and that nothing’s been settled yet.

Obviously 12.5% of a season does not a season make. Let’s be clear, Rays fans aren’t pretending their 19-3 record is a fluke. The national media isn’t even willing to concede the start isn’t natural. It’s really only the people involved in the failing teams that make these claims.

I read a letter to the editor from a lifelong Cubs fan who suggested savoring every win as they come and not as a part of something (like a full season) bigger. It’s easier to be forgiving when your team has recently (only 7 years ago) won it all. Quasi-winners are supposedly better able to be gracious. The point is valid though. Why not enjoy your team’s early season successes because over the course of a 162-game season, reality is going to bite you in the butt.

One of the better and more surprising positive stories of the nascent baseball season is the Pittsburgh Pirates and their 15-7 start. 110% of fans and the media did not have the Pirates on top of the NL Central-even for a moment. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who thought they could string together 7 in a row, but they have.

The one thing Cub fans, Brewer fans and Cardinal fans could agree upon is the winnability of the NL Central. Of course that didn’t account for Pittsburgh being competitive. We all assumed the Pirates would be an easy victory for any and all of the above teams.

It’s quite possible that the Bucs will be back in the cellar in October, but it’s also a possibility that they’ll compete for most of the season. Regardless, it’s been fun seeing the Jolly Roger raised more than a few times already.

If anyone cares to hear that it’s still early, listen to a manager whose team is stinking up the joint right now. Merely pointing to past examples of teams staging mid-season comebacks isn’t enough because there is always a larger number of teams that don’t respond favorably.