MLB

Futility against the Phils appears to be in the rear-view mirror.

In only about five weeks, the Atlanta Braves have matched their 2008 win total against the Phillies with their 4-2 win on Sunday.

Despite two debacles, one from Jo-Joke Reyes and another from the (at the time) "suckpen", the Braves have performed admirably against the World Champions.

Perhaps the key to these performances has been the presence of the true four and five hitters on the Braves, McCann and Anderson.

The Mets defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates by the score of 8-4 at Citifield today, and they completed their three game obliteration of the Pirates, outscoring the feeble opponents by a 25-8 margin.

The win was the Mets’ seventh straight, and they are just red hot right now.

Eight men in the starting lineup had at least one hit, and leading the way with two hits a piece was Jose Reyes, Luis Castillo, and Omir Santos. Castillo, Beltran, and Santos also led the way with two RBIs each.

After the announcement of the renaming of the Florida Marlins to the Miami Marlins, I can’t help but feel a bit alienated.

The Florida Marlins have always played in Miami-Dade County, but near the county line. Over the last decade, the embracing of the latin-inspired Miami culture has been apparent. Don’t ridicule me—I may be a gringo, but I’m all about juevos rancheros and salsa dancing.

By renaming the Marlins, the franchise is sending out a message to Broward and Palm Beach County fans. We’re not as important.

A lot has been made of the Mets struggles on the mound early in 2009. It's true, they have had some inconsistencies from any pitcher not named Johan.

But they have the best bullpen ERA in the National League, and the second best batting average in the NL coming into action on Sunday. So while they might be having troubles in the rotation, the lineup is certainly picking up the slack.

What I find intriguing about the Mets' lineup is that even if a superstar like Jose Reyes is slumping, another member of the roster will step up and perform.

Despite being over .500 (15-14) coming into today's series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers, much has been stated about the San Francisco Giants' anemic offense.

Granted the Orange & Black are 26th in average, 29th in slugging, 29th in on base percentage, 28th in doubles, 29th in hits, and last in both home runs and runs scored, they are still one game over .500 and in second place in the wide open National League West.

Baseball is not just a game, it can also be the point of some very good humor.

This is the first volume of my favorite baseball quotes. I hope you get a kick out of them as much as I did. I am still laughing at the Satchel Paige quotes.

The one about Aaron's advice to Dusty Baker when facing Bob Gibson is one of the funniest things I've ever heard.

Take a look and have fun with it.

When the rumors were flying last year of CC Sabathia becoming a Brewer, everyone wondered which young stud from the Brewers farm system would be traded: Matt LaPorta or Mat Gamel.

As we all know, LaPorta was the center piece of the trade that brought Sabathia to Milwaukee. The Brewers went on to make the playoffs for the first time in 26 years and the Indians got one of the top hitters in the minor leagues.

I have just finished my series listing the best 10 players at each position who are eligible for the Hall of Fame but have thus far been disrespected by the BBWAA and or The Veterans Committee of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

That being said, this is a recap showing each winner at his position. It has been fun compiling the lists.

On Friday, the Marlins announced that Dolphin Stadium will now be known as LandShark Stadium. This comes off of the Marlins business relationship with singer Jimmy Buffet, who owns a brand of beer call LandShark Lager.