Here is the whole article on the NL East.

 

I love they way they downplay what we did last year. "late-season run" yea if you count from may on late-season. "Squeaked into the wildCard" this guy sounds like a Phillies fan.

 

Florida Marlins (Last season: 91-71, Wild Card)

 

Player to watch: Dontrelle Willis

Much of the Marlins' success last season can be attributed to Willis' amazing first-half run. When one pitcher is 10 games over .500 for half the season you're on a great pace.

 

However, the second half brought Willis back to earth. This season, he has to prove himself all over again.

 

Burning question: Will Josh Beckett turn October into his stepping stone?

The Marlins feel they are getting no respect when pundits pick against them this season. But a great late-season run does not equate to full championship season. A team that barely squeaked out the wild-card round has lost two of its offensive stars over the winter, Pudge Rodriguez and Derrek Lee.

 

The Marlins are banking on their young pitchers, mainly Beckett, to notch it up over the course of the full season to make up the difference.

 

 

Jack's Predicted Order of Finish

 

1. Philadelphia

2. Atlanta

3. Florida

4. New York

5. Montreal

It's easy to pontificate when you ignore the facts.

We'll show them. We'll show them all!!!! :mad :

What does Mcdowell know?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

nada

If you thought that was bad, check out the Washington Post's preview section:

3. Florida Marlins

? 2003 Finish: 91-71, 2nd.

? Manager: Jack McKeon (13th season overall, 845-782).

? Ace: Josh Beckett is the No. 1 -- for years to come. Dontrelle Willis was rookie of the year -- or rookie of the half-year, considering he went 5-5 with a 4.60 ERA after the all-star break. Beckett (9-8, 3.04) was World Series MVP and had a 2.11 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 421/3 postseason innings.

? Best Young Arm: The Marlins can choose from among Beckett (23 years old), Brad Penny (25) and A.J. Burnett (27) -- all throw in the mid-nineties. And imagine if Willis (22) rebounds.

? Closer: Armando Benitez. In 1997, the Marlins traded most of the team a few months after winning the World Series. Signing Benitez means the Marlins went a more subtle route to ensure there would be no back-to-back titles this time.

? Key Acquisition: Hee Seop Choi came from the Cubs and is the only power-hitting left-handed batter in the lineup.

? Core Question: Did they really beat the Yankees?

? Projected Finish: Third, unless that annoying Cubs fan helps them out again. There isn't offense and Benitez as closer will be the downfall for this team and its dozens of loyal fans.

 

It always pisses me off when people bring up Willis' struggles in the second half. He had one bad month (August) when he had three bad outings.

f*** everybody i hate these haters. why can't they accept the fact we have a good team. Did we really beat the yankees, f*** yeah or didn't he see it in october. f***ing dumbass. Excuse my foul mouth, but i'm sick and tired of these people saying that we're not that good. All they do is pick the phillies over us and now the braves you got to be kidding me.

Projected Finish: Third, unless that annoying Cubs fan helps them out again. There isn't offense and Benitez as closer will be the downfall for this team and its dozens of loyal fans.

 

 

Lol....this guy obviously nkows nothign about our team. What do you expect he is no better than any of those fans from the Cubs that are saying the same nonsense.

4 1/2 months = "late-season run"

:jackass

Hah ! this was the same guy that said we had no chance against The Giants, The Cubs, and the Yankees in the Playoffs on his Yahoo Sport Articles.

He was wrong all of last season. He was wrong down the stretch. He was wrong in the playoffs.

 

The Phillies are a very solid team...NONE OF US will argue that. The Phillies made good acquisitions in Wagner, Worrell and Milton...NONE OF US will argue that.

 

But this is a Phillies team that has yet to show they have pitchers capable of winning THE BIG GAME. Down the stretch they didn't just lose to us, they lost to everyone including the Pirates who swept them in a September series. If they wanna pin this all on Mesa, so be it.

 

Penny, Pavano and Beckett proved to be big games pitchers and unless the Phillies run away with the division they will need the same kind of pitchers to win.

 

Until proven otherwise Millwood, Wolf, Padilla, Myers and Milton are not big game pitchers. Beckett, Penny and Pavano are and even Willis took on the mighty Yanks and held his own.

 

You tell me this first series with the Phillies next weekend isn't gonna be great!!

they're entitled to opinions, even if they are wrong