NL East

According to ESPN's Jayson Stark, Philadelphia lefty Cole Hamels is officially out of consideration for opening night versus the Atlanta Braves.

After injuring his pitching elbow a few weeks ago, Philly "phans" were sure their ace was going to be good to go on Apr. 5.

However, after allowing 10 hits against the pride of Philadelphia's farm on Mar. 30 in four innings (he also walked one and Kd five), pitching coach Rich Dubie said the Philly Phenom's control just wasn't good enough for the season's first game.

I usually don't like predictions because I am really bad at them. These are just numbers, not backed up by statistics from last year because, frankly, I don't give last year much thought. Especially because I'm a Mets' fan.

So I made these extraordinary picks. Not too many surprises, that's why I still have three out my four final four picks still in there.

I'm all for nostalgia, so I have my two favorite teams to relive some brilliant baseball history, and after another drug-filled offseason, I think everyone would agree that we need some excitement this season.

I have to say, I really do not see a lot of teams competing for the National League Championship this year.  Many of these teams look good, but I cannot see them going deep in the playoffs.

Starting with the west, you have teams with very good pitching.  The Diamondbacks have a great one-two punch with Brandon Webb and Dan Harren.  After them, it gets shaky.  A lot of these starters really don't make batters nervous.  

Under Omar Minaya the Mets have done an outstanding job of finding and signing talent in Latin and South America.  Wilmer Flores and Jefry Marte might be the two latest big finds for the Mets organization. 

Wilmer Flores - SS (for now)

Wilmer created quite a buzz as the youngest player in rookie ball at Kingsport.  Then a 16-year-old, he let loose something people are not used to seeing from a kid in professional baseball—power. 

My 2009 predictions based on the 2008 season article unleashed a plethora of insults (some community....).

Basically, 2008 was a wild season because of the Rays going from the worst record in baseball in 2007 to the World Series in 2008.

And because the Washington Nationals had the worst record in 2008, the system had them going to the World Series in 2009.

When the word survivor comes up, immediately you think of the television series.

By definition, survivor means to prosper spite of opposition.

It just seems fit to call Chris Coste the "Ultimate Survivor" as he once again proved all the doubters wrong - like he has in the past.

Coste's back-up job seemed to be in jeopardy when the Phillies traded for catcher Ronny Paulino this past offseason, except that experiment failed when the Phils traded Paulino to San Francisco for Jack Taschner - Paulino was then spun to Florida.

Washington Nationals 2009 Preview

The biggest signing during the 2008 offseason was Adam Dunn. Dunn had been phenomenal throughout the World Baseball Classic, but will he provide enough offense to a lineup that struggled so mightily in 2008? Most likely not.

The Nationals also acquired Josh Willingham (trade, Marlins), Daniel Cabrera (Free Agency), and Scott Olson (trade, Marlins), which should help their depth problem going into 2009.

When I think of the perfect baseball player, I envision a guy who goes out there every day, plays his best, and most of all, does it just for the love of the game. Names like Willie Mays and Cal Ripken, Jr. come to mind.

These were guys who were icons for the sport during their career. They led their respective teams to World Championships, became a fixture on All-Star teams, and were among the best in the game in both their offense and defense.

The New York Mets open up the season on the road April 6th against the Cincinatti Reds.  They play three games in Cincinnati and then a three game set with the Marlins in Miami.  Then they arrive at their new home to face the San Diego Padres for the their long awaited opener. 

Enough is enough. There have been as many Mets and Phillies articles as there are children of Brad and Angelina.

They multiply everyday (the kids and the articles).

So why don't we end this now? This rambling about who has the better bullpen, closer, infielders, fans, and clubhouse carpets has to stop.

I thought about how we could stop this finally came upon an idea sometime last week. What better way is there to end a disagreement, or clear some of the air up, than a debate?