NL East

Sorry that it's taken a while, but I found out that I have something to do when I move to Washington D.C. so I've been packing and getting ready to move.

We now move to the inferior national league. I know, I know, I'm a snob, but the NL just can't compete with the AL. I truly believe it's time for the NL to get the DH rule. I don't have any problem with the DH, in fact I think that pitchers in the AL are the cream of the crop (one of the reasons I'm nervous about one Jake Peavy pitching for my White Stockings...gulp). The pitchers job is to throw the ball and prevent the other team from scoring. Not hit the ball (part of the reason the Cubs keep having injury problems with one crazy-ass Carlos Zambrano (and really, he is a psychopath)), and I personally love to watch guys like Roy Halladay, Mark Buerhle and AJ Burnett pitch against guys like Jim Thome, Kendry Moralas and Vlad Guerreo (although only Thome is a full-time DH) because it's the best pitchers against the best hitters (yes, Pujols, Adrien Gonzalez and David Wright are all better hitters than the guys I just listed and all play in the NL, but I think my point is the same).

All of this DH/American league line up talk is actually a perfect intro to the best team in the National League and the current World Champion Philadelphia Phillies. I saw them some into Wrigley Field the other day when they crushed the Cubs (and that's just a statement of fact, the Phillies beat the Cubbies to death (I was actually in Wrigleyville for a few of the games, watching from the really tall building that looks into Wrigley and could hear the beatin' taking place)), and that Phillies team is probably (along with the Yankees) the most complete team in baseball. Rollins, Utley, Howard, Ibanez, Worth, Fransisco and Ruiz....man, they can just pound the baseball all over the yard. Hammels and Lee atop the rotation...ouch. Really...just ouch is all that's necessary.

The Mets are broken. And overrated. Period. And that new CitiField sucks. It's dimensions are so large that poor David Wright (the best looking player in the Majors, hands down) can't hit for power anymore. The Mets have one of the 3 best starters in baseball (Johan got a raw deal in the NL Cy Young voting in 2008, he really did) and a great closer, but everything else great about their team is broken (Beltran and Delgado, and lesser parts like Jose Reyes (who would fall into the category of 'overrated')).

The Braves...HA! Take it from me, Atlanta. If you are counting on Javier Vasquez to step it up down the stretch and help carry you into the playoffs....don't. He'll just wet the bed like he did in Chicago, when he wasn't viewed by ANYONE as the best pitcher on his team, he was looked at only as a guy who the Sox needed to be better than usual for a few weeks and totally wet his bed. Enjoy that, ATL.

And for a town with a large Cuban population (Miami) I just don't get why the Marlins don't have a bigger fan base. Cuba is supposed to be this baseball hot bed, where everyone from that island loves the game. Why can't the marlins get even 20,000 people in that damn place? What's up in the MIA?! You're team is good this year too! I thought at the begining of the year the marlins were due for one of their go-crazy-win-the-World-Series-than-blow-up-the-team runs, but they signed Hanley Ramirez to a long term deal 2 seasons ago (the only number I remember is $70 million...man I wish I could play baseball....(sigh)) and clearly don't look like a playoff team, despite nice (really nice) seasons from Josh Johnson, Cody Ross and Dan Uggla (also in the category for best-looking player in the majors...he's got those eyes...just dreamy...(another, different kind of sigh)).

Well, gotta finish packing, I move to D.C. in 3 days!!!!













Oh......right...there is a baseball team in the Nation's capital (and my future home...did I mention I'm moving there?) They just happen to be the worst team in baseball. For one simple reason: pitching. The Nationals have none of it. The top of their batting order (1-5) I actually like a lot...Nejer Morgan can flat out fly (and has been a Godsend defensively since coming from Pittsburg), Christian Guzeman has developed into a pretty decent player, and one really can't help but like Ryan Zimmerman (who signed a long term deal to STAY in D.C....now that's loyalty). Adam Dunn, looking at stats like VORP and WARP is one of the best offensive players in all of baseball (I don't have them handy, and I apologize but again...moving my life halfway across the country...) the problem with Dunn is that he cannot field. Anything. At all. He can't even mow the lawn (why the Tigers didn't trade for him and make him their DH, like I suggested a few weeks ago....(cough)).

NL Central's a comin', and I actually have nice things to say about the Cubbies, who I STILL think will win that division.