Yeah, this is way too late (or early) for logical reasoning on this topic. But, hey, when has that ever stopped me before? Beth will have something up soon to supersede this post, and after that, everyone will be watching basketball anyways. So, after that segue, here we go into the preview.
New York Mets: On paper, the Mets look like the top team in the East. But they 
also have a pitching staff that could be described as brittle. Or fragile. It depends on what kind of vocabulary you want to use. The fact is, after Johan Santana, there aren’t any sure things in the rotation. And on offense, they are relying on Carlos Delgado and Endy Chavez to be regular contributors. They look like the best bet now, but the division could very easily slip away from them.
Philadelphia Phillies: I definitely like the Phillies infield better than the Mets’ save for the third base situation, but the Phils are going with a fairly unproven (save for Jamie Moyer) rotation who could have some troubles, and the outfield looks to be very streaky. But even in the bad times, at least Philadelphia fans are known for being patient and supportive, so it shouldn’t be a huge issue.
Atlanta Braves: The Braves have pretty much the same pitching staff as they did in the mid 90’s with Glavine and Smoltz in there and they replaced Greg Maddux with Tim Hudson and added some guy named Jair Jurrjens, who I believe was an extra on Star Wars. They didn’t add anything to a sometimes woeful offense, and Mark Teixeira can’t drive in additional runs if there isn’t anyone on base. Fun fact: I dated a girl with the exact same name as someone on the Braves roster. That’s right. My exes name is Yunel Escobar.
Florida Marlins: As it turns out, I make more than half the people on the Marlins roster. The advantage they have is a couple of young pitchers and the modestly talented Josh Willingham, Dan Uggla and Hanley Ramirez. The rest of the team is crap. Even you Luis Gonzalez. This all means that, of course, the Marlins will probably win the World Series this year.
Washington Nationals: The good: Nice uniforms! The bad: The only pitchers I recognize on the roster are the closer Chad Cordero and relievers Jon Rauch and Luis Ayala. The ugly: Lastings Milledge, Elijah Dukes and Dmitri Young in the dugout! What could go wrong? Well, lets end this on a high note… They have one of the best back up shortstops in the league in Felipe Lopez. So there’s that. Just look at him bunt!
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