I'm wondering...

[Scar]

... if there are any Philly fans out there that will give me odds this year.

No posts for a couple of days... had to say something.

[gerald72]

Anything less than World Champions will be a disappointment.

[Hammer]

... if there are any Philly fans out there that will give me odds this year.

No posts for a couple of days... had to say something.

Yeah, everyone was afraid to post after my last post (even though I made valid points). People are way too all or nothing...

Speaking of all or nothing, people in Philly have short memories. I heard so many people say after winning in the World Series in 2008 that the team and Charlie had a 10 year pass. Well, that did not last more than a year...

By the way, Jimmy's prediction of 100 wins is in line with Vegas odds at 96.5.

[Scar]

I don't mean odds on the Phils winning, I mean betting odds that The Mets will win the division. ;)

[Hammer]

I don't mean odds on the Phils winning, I mean betting odds that The Mets will win the division. ;)

Hey, hope springs eternal, right?

[PopPhan]

Right now, they (the Mets) have the same chance as the Braves, the Marlins the Nationals, and the Phillies...1 in 5....

Nobody has anything wrapped up yet. Even with the Phils pitching rotation, they still need to field and hit...you're not going to see 162 shutouts!! LOL

Being a lifelong Phillies phan, I would like to say that the Metropolitans have very little chance and that they are playing for the Wild Card already, but "that's why they play the games"...

I would predict the finishing order in the NL East would be:
Phillies
Braves
Mets
Nationals
Marlins

with the possibility of the Mets and Braves switching places. The Nats have an opportunity to move up if all they young players step up. The Marlins just don't look like a team that wants to win. The Braves may be in for a down season under their new manager -- it generally takes some time for a team to adjust to a different managing style. The Mets just need to step up and play to their potential...they need a spark...

[gerald72]

1 Phillies
2 Braves
3 Nationals
4 Marlins
5 Mets

[giroux28]

1 Phillies
2 Braves
3 Nationals
4 Marlins
5 Mets

My thoughts exactly. The Phils obviously have the most talent and experience, regardless of Utley playing or actually being done. The Braves are always a threat and will be the biggest contender in the division. The Nats HAVE talent, just not much big time experience (Other than Werth). They have some hitting with Werth and Zimmerman, speed with Morgan, fielding with Werth and Zimmerman, and some good pitching with the other Zimmerman and the hopes of next season having Strasburg back. The Marlins have some pieces, but its hard to be successful when you are playing in front of an empty park night in and night out. And the Mess, I mean Mets, are just a total disaster right now. It seems like no one wants to play there as well as being in devastating financial trouble. That, my friends, is my view on the NL East. :beer:

[Ian]

I'm being very cautious about the Phils ... it all looks so good on paper, but ya know that team almost never wins it all.

Really, I mean how often does the team that looks the best on paper really take home the crown? Almost never. In all sports (except the NBA, of course) there's almost always some surprise team that gets hot at the right time and cruises through the playoffs.

Look at the last five WS winners ... how many of these teams were pre-season predictions to win the Series?

2010 - Giants ... no way
2009 - Yankees ... probably, but only because they're the Yankees
2008 - Phillies ... no way
2007 - Red Sox ... maybe ... they were a pretty good team
2006 - Cardinals ... no way
You could say the same for football ... who thought at the beginning of the season that the Pack would win it all?

[Scar]

And the Mess, I mean Mets, are just a total disaster right now. It seems like no one wants to play there as well as being in devastating financial trouble.Well, I agree about Mess. In fact my cap of choice now is one with a big Mess logo right in front (although it's kind of sutle and I have to tell most people to look closer.) And I've had it for 7 months, way before the lawsuit when they were saying everthing was fine.

But I disagree about no one wanting to play there. They have some decent young talent that want to prove. The only ones that you might say don't want to be there are Beltran, Reyes, and Rodriquez, and they are playng for contracts next year so let's hope they play hard for that at least.

I'm making no prediction on this team this year. They could be anywhere from 2nd to last. They would need everyone to have very good to great years with no injuries (including Santata for the 2nd halve) and have the Phils just totaly blow it to finish first.

[princessgirls]

No predictions here!!

I don't even pay attention to numbers until after the All-Star break...then things get interesting.

Julie:mickey:

[Ramblingman]

I say it's going to be another close race to the finish with the Phillies and Braves fighting for the division. Whoever has the least amount of injuries to key players will come out on top with the other one taking the Wild Card.

I would say the Marlins and Nats fighting for 3rd and 4th with the Mets falling to the cellar.

The Braves are not going to have any problems adjusting to Fredi. He's ensuring a good continuity. After all, he learned under Bobby.

The Phils have deep starting pitching, alright. But the Braves have a better pen and bench, and their rotation is nothing to sneeze at.

It's going to be fun. Play Ball.