NL East

In their 49 years of existence, the Mets have had trouble filling some positions: They never really boasted an outstanding shortstop before Jose Reyes, and David Wright became the best third baseman in team history the moment he eclipsed Howard Johnson-- which, truthfully, wasn't that hard.

According to reports, manager Jerry Manuel and GM Omar Minaya will not be returning to those roles next season. Jon Heyman of SI.com released the news.

This should not be a surprise of anyone around baseball as the two men have been under fire last past two seasons. With yesterday’s loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, the Mets are assured a second straight losing season.

Catching the baseball.

Many consider this the basic feature of America's pastime. However, knowing our beloved Mets, they usually seem to screw it up.

Tonight in the Mets 9-2 loss to the Brew Crew, Jose Reyes dropped a pop up with two outs in the fifth inning. Dillon Gee had only given up two runs up to that point, with the Mets trailing 2-1.

Part 3 of 7

Although the Phillies have a league-wide reputation as an offensive powerhouse, their numbers were down across the board this season. Appearances can be deceiving. 

A peek at the rankings suggests that the Phillies might take a back seat to other playoff teams in terms of offensive output.  

For a guy that was signed as a Minor League Free Agent prior to the 2009 season, Brooks Conrad sure has accomplished a lot for the Braves in 130 games.

In addition to accumulating a ton of nicknames ("Raw Dog" and "Dirt" being the most notable), the Magic Man from Monte Vista (that one is mine) has been involved in some of the more memorable moments in recent Braves history.

The Philadelphia Phillies are in a good place. It's a place most young kids, high school standouts, and college athletes covet.

The sporting pinnacle.

You're on a team—your own team—that you helped build with your own hands and you are enjoying success year after year.

This is what Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and the rest of the gang are experiencing now.

They've clinched four straight National East crowns, and they find themselves standing alone at the top of the mountain as the hottest team in the MLB.

With his 97-pitch complete game shut out of the Washington Nationals, Phillies starter Roy Halladay sent the Phillies back to the postseason for the fourth straight year.

Soon after, pitching coach Rich Dubee announced that Halladay would be the Phillies Game 1 starter in the NLDS, it will mark the first time in Halladay's career that he pitches in the postseason.

Desperate for an option over the final few days of the season? It’s certainly worth looking under the radar, especially for those in deeper formats.

I don’t think you can get much further under the radar than Mets outfielder Lucas Duda, who has silently emerged as a viable option.

Living in New York City and listening to the countless New York Mets and Yankees talk on the radio and on TV, I probably don’t appreciate the Philadelphia Phillies as much as I should. This group or core of Philly players is a very, very special group.

The Phillies clinched the National League East division title with an 8-0 win over the Washington Nationals on Monday night. It’s their fourth division title in a row.

With only four games remaining in the 2010 campaign, venerable manager Bobby Cox is making his last push for the postseason.

We all know that...and knew (or hoped) that this would be the case from the first side-sessions down at the Disney Wild World of Sports Complex in Orlando.

But, the fact that Cox is in his final stretch brandishing a cap with a fancy "A" is starting to feel "real," if you will.

After all, if the Braves manage to lose grasp of their current Wild Card advantage in the season's final series, No. 6 is gone for good.