NL East

At 9-6, the Pittsburgh Pirates have gotten off to their best start since 2002. After sweeping the first place Florida Marlins this week, things are looking pretty good in Pirate-ville right now.

I understand when a player is so incredibly talented that a team must find a way to make him a starter even when there isn't room for him.

Alfonso Soriano moving to left field in the majors comes to mind, but were talking about a player who is an all-star and Silver Slugging award winner.

Washington D.C. schools are a mess and people have been trying desperately to improve them over the years. Even the public school supporting the Obama family passed them up in favor of a private school.

But apparently the problem goes beyond the schools, to the interior of the Washington Nationals ballpark. A ballpark that is, ironically, located near one of the traditionally poorer sections of the Nation's capital.

The company that supplies their jerseys decided the team did not know how to spell their own name, and rechristened them the "Natinals."

Sure, the Mets can't hit in scoring position to save their lives, but wow, these guys can hit .300!

Based on some stats from ESPN.com, the Mets are on pace to leave 10 men on base per game this season.

Ten men a game.

That's over 1,600 men left on base for the entire season. And you wonder why we missed the playoffs? I've been a major voice in saying the Mets issues last season were with the bullpen. Fix the bullpen and you'll fix the issues. But now I'm questioning myself.

With two weeks behind us in this young baseball season, there are a high number of what could be called "surprise teams" in baseball right now. There are also a number of teams that are underperforming expert expectations. Allow me to come to your aid and provide hope to the hopeless and rain on a few parades.

1. Florida Marlins

If not being able to hit with men on base isn’t enough to anger Mets fans, then the decision from Mets management to remove an impromptu signature by Dwight Gooden on the wall in the Ebbets Field Club at Citi Field will absolutely infuriate them. And who could blame them?

We have quite the tough business here. First of all, we have all of these hopes in the young side armer Darren O’Day, and the Mets decide to offer him back to the Angels so they could call up Nelson Figueroa to make a start for the injured Mike Pelfrey.

I thought the Mets would have been better served either placing Pelfrey on the Disabled List to be safe, or they could’ve used Brian Stokes, who has made starts before for the club. But instead, the Mets decided to offer O’Day back to the Angels.

When the Mets drafted Phil Humber back in 2004, I was thrilled. Even though my baseball knowledge was still in a prehistoric state, I had read enough about Humber to get excited about the prospects of the Mets drafting him.