Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Nationals, Americas New Teams

The public in the United States of America is a sucker for the underdog story. We like it at the horse track, we like it in movies, and we especially like it in the sports world.

For most casual fans of a sport, it is hard to not get behind a team and jump on the bandwagon as they rise from the bottom of the standings to the top.

As a New York Yankees fan, I have always had little vested interest in the National League, and as shown by the last eight seasons of inter-league play, have thought it was not up to par with the American League.

Yet, there are now not only one but two NL teams that I can't help but root for, and I actually think I may get more genuinely excited when I hear that they won than when I hear the Yankees do.

The two teams I am referring to, are of course, the Washington Nationals and Pittsburgh Pirates.

To give you a frame of reference for how bad these teams have been in the past, let me throw you some numbers.

The last three years one of these two teams have been the worst team in all of baseball. Also in the last three years both of these teams have finished last in their division. The Pirates have actually finished last in their division the past six years, and the last time they were not on the bottom was when the Nationals were actually the Montreal Expos. In the same time frame the Nats have finished last in the NL East five of six times.

To say these teams have been bad, and bad for a while, would be an understatement.

Yet when you look at their records now, you find that not only are both not in the bottom of their division, they are actually both above .500, and could easily contend for a playoff spot. Pittsburgh is only two games back of St. Louis in the NL Central.

What makes both these teams even more exciting is that the best is still yet to come. The Nationals have future stars in Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper, while the Pirates have Andrew McCutchen.

As someone who lives in the DC metro area for most of the year, and have attended a Nats game more recently than any other MLB game, I can tell you I am very excited to watch the Nationals games down the homestretch. I'll also be following along with the Pirates, who have a much better chance of doing the unthinkable and making the playoffs.

I know both these teams have gained my attention, and the sports media pack is starting to pick up on it too. The big question will be can these teams sustain this effort through the second half of the season. I sure do hope so, both for my personal pleasure but more for the fans that have stuck it out with their team for so many years and it has now been made all worth it.

Tune Into the Yankees' Games, Cause Jeter Is Reaching 3,000 Soon

A brief minor league appearance may have delayed Derek Jeter, but he now sits just four hits away from reaching the magical 3,000 hits.

Jeter's pursuit has become a national story, as he is one of the few players, and one of the very few New York Yankees, to have made it through his entire career without a tarnished reputation due to steroids, women, and the such.

The fact that Jeter has hit a few bumps in his path to 3,000 should make it that much more exciting when he does hit the number. The Yankee captain really struggled through the first part of the season, and suffered a calf injury that slowed him down.

I thought a cool idea would be to have people share their favorite Derek Jeter memory, so spread the word and add it in the comments section.

Chris' Quick Weekend Sports Recap

Hey folks, was in Albany this weekend so I was not able to get anything up here. Hope you enjoyed Mike's posts on the NBA draft, I know I did.

Just wanted to hit on some of the big sports topics of the weekend, in an extremely brief bullet point form.

It's Baseball Season, Baby

Because no one cares about the NHL and its Canadian thugs, and because no one cares about the NBA playoffs six weeks before Kobe will win another title, we should all be excited for the return of America's pastime: baseball. And by pastime, I mean America's second favorite sport. And by sport, I mean a game played by guys who look like this.

Although only about 15 games in to an impossibly long 162 game schedule, there are still lessons that can be gleaned from the first two weeks of action. And, of course, there are stupid predictions to be made from these lessons. Without further ado, here are six bold, random observations/predictions that will inspire debate (and page hits!), but will prove absolutely true:

• Don Mattingly has already proven to be a better manager than Joe Torre.

Being a Yankee fan all my life, I've been conditioned to love Joe Torre. I've been taught to love and admire his zen-like approach to the game, his calm, easy-going demeanor, and his subtle nose picks that seemingly always are caught by the camera. But, being a manager involves two things: managing games and managing egos. Torre was the best, maybe ever, at the latter. He could not do the former.

The former Yankees, Mets, Braves and Dodgers coach notoriously blew out relievers arms by overworking them and never knew how to juggle his lineup. His batting ARod eighth in the 2006 ALDS ruined the third baseman's confidence and the team's chances. Likewise, his treatment of Matt Kemp has bewildered even the biggest Torre supporters.

Kemp is arguably the best outfielder in the National League and has been among the elite for a few seasons. Yet, during Torre's reign, Kemp repeatedly batted at the bottom of the lineup, usually eighth.

This year, led by Mattingly? The league's best center fielder has batted cleanup every game. As of games up to April 18, he's clubbing an incredible .474 (27/57) with 3 home runs, 12 RBIs, and 3 steals.

• Derek Jeter will never completely return to form. But, he’s still the most indispensable Yankee.

Being a Yankee fan (and a human being), I'm an enormous fan of the Yankee captain. Jeter's always been a class act, a great leader and a fantastic baseball player, but New York fans must come to this sad realization: he is not a steroid user. Before Barry Bonds and Mark McGuire and the like came along, players actually got worse as they aged. The shortstop will be 37 in June, and 37 year-old non-juicers don't hit .320 with 25 home runs.

Nonetheless, let's be real: Jeter can continue to hit .241 and show little to no power and the Yankees will still most likely make the playoffs. And when October rolls around, he will continue to prove he's the most clutch player of his generation. The Yankees need him for a month, not a season; let's let him deal with his struggles and admire him again in October. Or, we can admire him for this now.

• Carl Crawford (.127, 0 home runs, 1 RBI) will be just fine.

Red Sox fans, I get it, really. I've dealt with Mark Teixeira for the past two seasons. I know Crawford's .127 batting average, 0 home runs and measly 2 steals do not scream success. But, Crawford's still adjusting - remember, he's played his entire career in Tampa Bay. While the rest of the country got word of his prowess, I tend to believe Tampa Bay still isn't aware it has a baseball team. Crawford is now playing in an excellent lineup that can protect him and in front of an inspired, if hostile, fan base. Once he comes to terms with the radically different atmosphere, he will be the best left fielder in the American League.

• The Angels dramatically improved their chances this season by replacing Fernando Rodney with Jared Walden at closer.

Here's my biggest gripe with modern day closers: once one becomes a closer, he is forever a closer. The Fernando Rodneys and Brandon Lyons of the world are baseball's answer to the shitty, over-the-hill teachers who cannot be fired because they have tenure. The only reason Rodney was awarded the spot during spring training was because he had been a closer before. Just his being a closer was enough; the fact that he has largely failed as a closer was ignored. The Angels have already rectified their mistake, which is perhaps a testament to Mike Scioscia's brilliance. Walden is a young, up-and-coming reliever who, while untested, has loads of potential. Rodney, when tested, has continually failed the test.

• By not being God awful thus far, Gavin Floyd has assured himself a big year.

Floyd, the former highly-touted Philadelphia prospect, has found a nice niche for himself in the White Sox rotation. His overwhelmingly average 1-1 start with a 4.29 E.R.A. does not usually warrant a mention, except when when you consider his past - Floyd's an infamously slow starter. His career 6.01 E.R.A. in April is by far his worst, but after struggling out of the gate, he normally turns his season around. The warmer the weather, the hotter he tends to get, even boasting a 2.95 E.R.A. in June. If the trend holds true and his 4.29 E.R.A. is his worst month, he's in store for a breakout season.

• Pittsburgh will make a run at the wild card.

The Pirates have long been bottom-dwellers in the National League Central and for good reason: they possess the longest streak of losing seasons in professional sports with 18 (and counting). And yet, for once in a Buc's fan's life, there's hope. Andrew McCutchen and Jose Tabata form the most potent 1-2 outfield punch in the NL. If you don't know who Tabata is, learn his his name now. Thus far, he's the 9th rated player in Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball sporting a .320 batting average, 3 home runs and 8 stolen bases. McCutchen's begun cooler, batting .250 with 3 home runs and just 1 steal, but he's too talented for those numbers to continue. Neil Walker, their young second baseman, is also turning into a nice offensive player. Their pitching remains an issue, but with a solid defense and up-and-coming offensive talent, Pittsburgh will be a force to be reckoned with.