I think that over the course of the past two years, I’ve made myself pretty clear- I’m a die-hard Cubs fan, and there is nothing that can change that. With that being said, there is one thing that drives me crazy about our team and our fan base. Not every year is the year, and that’s the bottom line.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the unconditional positive support and the never-say-die attitude, but one thing that my life and my love of the Cubs has taught me is to be realistic. The fact that us fans can look at every season, year after year, and repeatedly believe that this is the year, not last year, not next year, not two years from now, but this year, is the year for the Cubs to win the pennant and make a run at the playoffs is just unrealistic. At the end of the day, it makes us look dumb and it provides an opportunity for other, inferior fan bases to make fun of us and our love for the Cubs.

While this may contradict everything that I just said, if any recent year had to be the year for the Cubs, this year has potential to be the year. I get it, I know I sound like a ridiculous hypocrite, but I’m not just blindly saying that. Based on the way the Cubs have begun this season, if it keeps up, this will be the year.

This season is the first time this decade that the Cubs have had a winning record heading into May. In 2010, the Cubs were 11-13 through April. In 2011, the team was 12-14 heading into the second month of the season. In 2012 and 2013, the team was 8-15 and 10-16 respectively in the season’s first month. And last year, the Cubs started off their worst in recent years with a 9-17 record in April. The Cubs, who are currently 13-10, are playing at a level which hasn’t been seen in years.

So far the team is hot, and the Cubs aren’t even playing at their best. Pitcher John Lester, who the team acquired from Boston, has high expectations and I’m not convinced that he’s reached his best. I think his transition is going to take some time, so I’m not worried. He has 28 strikeouts in 28 innings pitched, and I think that he’ll start to pick it up and transform into what people want him to be right around the All-star break. And once he does pick it up, the Cubs will start winning more as well.

Anthony Rizzo, the Cubs’ main slugger, is currently leading the team with a .321 batting average and 18 runs scored, but he still isn’t swinging the bat as well as he wants to be. I know he’s red hot, but it doesn’t take a genius to tell you that the big guy isn’t hitting the ball out of the ballpark as much as he would like. At this point, Rizzo only has three homeruns, but like Lester, I think he’ll start to pick it up as the season progresses and with more homeruns will come more run production.

I still think the Cubs have a few changes to make. Growing up, shortstop Starlin Castro was a hero to me, and my favorite player, but at this point, it’s simple: he’s trade-bate. I think the best possible infield for the Cubs would be Kris Bryant at third, who is playing well so far, Addison Russell at shortstop because he’s a shortstop at heart, and minor league player Javier Baez at second base. At this point, I think we should cut our losses with Castro and see what we can get for him. On the other hand, Russell would be a nice addition to the left side and would make a noticeable difference compared to Castro’s usual lazy style of play.

So while we are playing well and this season looks promising, the Cubs still have a lot to work on before I can wholeheartedly believe that this is the year.