NL East

With any luck, the NL East might provide me with a team that starts and finishes it's games early.

NY Mets
They're the Mets. What else needs to be said? They do deserve at least one argument on their behalf. I could spend the entire season quoting Apu from the Simpsons when he says that the "Ny Mets are my favorite squadron."

Washington Nationals
I already wasn't wild about them and then they signed that one guy to a huge deal. They should be mired in mediocrity for a while.

Philadelphia Phillies
They landed Cliff Lee and have one of the top teams in baseball. Of the big-spenders, they are probably in best position to legitimately contend for a World Series. They should be a pretty good team, but I can't imagine they would be much fun to root for. I haven't heard many flattering descriptions of the city of Philadelphia, either.

Atlanta Braves
They are the National League Twins. That World Series win was a long time ago. Otherwise, they have a history of early playoff exits. Heck, this year was a surprise that they even made it that far. For as much as a like a crusty old character like retired manager Bobby Cox, he was probably a bit of a Gardy. Now he's gone, so perhaps the Braves are free to explore what happens without him. They brought in some lousy left-handed reliever that the Dodgers didn't want. I have heard mostly good about the city of Atlanta. ESPN's Page 2 columnist Bill Simmons raves about the ladies in Hot'lanta and his readers and my brother confirm this. I have also heard good things about Chick-fil-A. Atlanta will definitely be among the contenders, but I do not know that I can excited myself about the baseball team enough to actually pick them.

Florida Marlins
I already have a battle-worn hat. My roommate introduced me to this audio clip of a confused Harry Caray. Every time I hear somebody mention the Marlins, I blurt this out like a reflex. I could really enjoy a full season of this:

Announcer: Two outs and a runner on for the Marlins ...
Me (to myself): The Marlins?!?!? Who the hell are the Marlins?!?!?

I've always admired their "Fire Sale" strategy, but they don't seem to have employed it in some time. I do like that shortstop who fired the manager last year. They could assemble a solid squad this season. Then again, they play in the only state to have it's own tag on Fark.com. I'm not sure I'd like the humidity of south Florida either. I'm sure Miami has it's girls, but it's probably too much a party town for an early-to-bed sort like me. Altogether, the Marlins are a strong contender. The Marlins? Who the hell are the Marlins?