State of the NL East

4th and 26 is home from school and back to work. The Sixers had a good run, and the Flyboys are one game from being finished (but they won't go down easy). But it's time for some baseball.

State of the NL East
    Every talking head in the baseball world had in their predictions that 40 games into the season, the top of the NL East would be, in some order, the Phillies, Braves, and Metropolitans. World Series predictions abounded for the three franchises, considered by many to be the class of the National League. Have they disappointed? As all three of them are .500 or better, you could argue that they haven't. But look who's sitting on the top of the standings in mid-May: the Florida Marlins. All the previews of the Marlins focused on the fact that A-Rod made more money than their entire team and the D-Will/Cabrera trade. Nobody focused on the outstanding, young, cheap, talent the Marlins always seem to accumulate from out of the blue. There's a reason this team, in its infancy as a franchise, has already won two World Series titles with entirely different nuclei. They start young and cheap, build a contender through sell-high trades, develop through the farm, and take the world by storm. Then, after they win a championship, they blow up the team, pawning off World Series-caliber players (Beckett, Willis, Cabrera) in preparation for another run. But is this another incarnation of the Cinderella fish? 4th and 26 says no. I am thoroughly impressed by this team, make no mistake- Hanley Ramirez is a once-in-a-lifetime talent, and Dan Uggla is a card-carrying beast- but a good start does not equate into a championship. This team will fade and show its youth as the season wears on, with all due respect to their phenomenal 23-16 record. Watch out for this team in years to come.
    And in second and third place, it's the best of friends- Phillies and Mets. With all the trash talking going on before the season, you would figure these were the only two teams on the planet. Neither has played poorly, and I fully expect these two teams to be the last two in the hunt for the NL East crown come October. For the Phillies? Chase Utley is the greatest player in baseball right now (.327, 13 hr, 1.081 OPS). Pat Burrell is finally earning his contract (in a contract year.. how convenient. Google Jerome James for further dissection of this topic). Rollins and Howard have been hurt and slumping, but think of how this team will be when they get back to their MVP forms in the fall. Cole Hamels and Brad Lidge are anchoring the mound, and as always, Philly is in a constant search for relief. The Phillies will win this division again, as the Mets will again choke down the stretch and will fight injuries as the Phils hit their stride.
    The "Amazin's" spent quite a bit of money on Johan Santana, and he has been worth it. He and Maine have been solid. With all the stars on this team (David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran), raise your hand if you thought Ryan Church of all people would be this year's Met's offensive leader. No one? I thought so. The man is batting .319 and proving his worth. That said, the Mets have to fight off nightmares from last years epic collapse and choke job, and 4th and 26 says they don't have it in them. Plenty of names and numbers on this team, not enough heart.
    Quiet, Braves fans, I can hear you whining from here. "What about us? Where's the respect? Waaah!" Please, look elsewhere for that. This is not ESPN.com, you won't hear constant preseason blathering about the Braves, or their top player, "Chipper" Jones.
(What kind of self respecting man calls himself "Chipper" voluntarily? Interesting fact that has nothing to do with the sport: You know his real name is Wayne Jones? Look him up on Wikipedia, he even has a random 'Larry' in the front for no apparent reason. Larry Wayne Chipper Jones, 1999 NL MVP. Hmm. But I digress.)
    Chip's hitting .410! Yes, no typo, .410. Look out, Ted Williams. A man named "Chipper" may bat .400 and steal your thunder. Seriously though, he's on fire. Look for him to flame out and show his age come fall. Tim Hudson's been a monster, with an ERA hovering around 2.5. After him and Jair Jurrjens, though, the rotation gets a little shaky. If it were 1996, I would be terrified of a Glavine-Smoltz one two punch. But it's 2008, and eventually, they'll break down, as will this team's title hopes.
    And last but not least.. actually, both... The mighty Expos, ahem, Nationals. Um.. they have a GORGEOUS new ballpark. And nobody batting at or over .300, with a combined team average of a meager .238. Hooray. Go Nationals.

Current Standings: 1. Marlins 2. Phillies 3. Mets 4. Braves 5. Nattys
4and26sports.com predicted order of finish: 1. Phillies 2. Mets 3. Marlins 4. Braves 5. Nattys