Good job Steelers....let's go Phils

Super Bowl XLIII had a pretty sweet finish and personally, I think that Santonio Holmes' catch was greater than the last year's catch by David Tyree. Not only was it a textbook receiver catch (securing the ball and then tapping both feet down perfectly), but it was the game winning touchdown. Tyree's catch was amazing, don't get me wrong, but it did not win the game. It only prolonged their drive to the Plaxico Burress touchdown. Holmes' catch was fantastic because with under a minute to play from inside the 10 yard line, Ben Roethlisberger rifled a pass to the back of the end zone past three defenders. THREE DEFENDERS! Even Big Ben said he thought he blew the game. That pass was almost as good as the Joe Montana pass to Dwight Carter against the Cowboys or Randall Cunningham to Jimmie Giles on MNF vs. the Giants. Those pass plays were quite memorable and the Holmes catch will join them as top plays in history. (In case you didn't see Holmes' catch.... http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d80e84a39)

Anyway, now that football season is over it is time for us to look at baseball, which means we are going to look at what happened last season. THE PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES WON THE WORLD SERIES!!! When talking about baseball it is very hard for me to stay objective when the Phillies are the topic. So I will get this out of the way early...I love the Phillies and everything that has to do with them and they are better than your team, no matter what team you like. The Phillies are the best team in all of baseball...hands down. Ok, now that you know that lets talk America's favorite pastime.

Since the Phillies are World Champions, let's talk the NL East first. The Phillies ended the season with a 92-70 record. Pretty respectful if you ask me seeing as the NL East is one of the tougher divisions in the MLB. The biggest problem this off season, as much as I hate to say it, was losing Pat 'The Bat' Burrell. The man was as fast as a sloth but he was a big contributor to the morale of the team. He was the face of the Phillies for many years and he is now a member of the Tampa Bay Rays. Good thing we won't have to see him until a possible World Series rematch. The loss of Burrell won't be felt in the field but his bat will be missed. I really like the pickup of Chan Ho Park from the LA Dodgers. He is a pretty solid starter and does anyone remember the fight he got into?
Can you say bad ass? He will definitely fit in this city and look for the Phils to repeat as NL East Champs (Really? If the Phillies starting lineup were eight women over the age of 90 and had a donkey as their ace I would have still picked them to go the distance.)

As for the Mets, they picked up K-Rod, Francisco Rodriguez in the off season. I am sure New Yorkers are excited about this pick up, but remember, nearly every player the Mets have picked up in the last five years had their best season the year prior to joining the team. Look for Rodriguez to join that club and bomb as he faces the hearts of the Phillies, Braves, and Marlins lineups. Hope you learned the Heimlich in the off season Jerry Manuel because remember that your old Uncle Charlie two hours south of you is going to out-manage you again this season. Look for the Mets to pull up lame in third or fourth this year.

The Florida Marlins are always a team that plays spoiler late in September with their young talent (nine straight wins at one point last year in the fall), and this year should prove to be different. I believe that the Marlins acquisition of Scott Proctor and their usual young talent will make them contenders come August or September. However, I still don't think they will make the playoffs falling into third or fourth as well (whichever spot the Mets don't fit into).

The Atlanta Braves may have lost Mark Teixeira but that is not where they needed their most help. The Braves pitching staff has not been what it once was. The names like Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz are etched into their history forever but they currently they have no big names. That was until the signing of Derek Lowe. He had 147 strikeouts last year which is better than all of the Braves pitching staff. I believe that he will help the Braves get into second place and a wild card berth this season.

As for the Washington Nationals...they did next to nothing in the off season and I can not imagine them doing anything but being a thorn in the side of a team trying to make a run at repeating as World Champs (Let's go Phightin's). So don't look for them in the playoffs but make sure you are aware for them at the end of the season. They were the worst team in the league last year so maybe they will catch that Tampa Bay Rays fever and get first place, but I wouldn't put the house on it. Look for them to maybe ruin the Phillies, or Braves chances of making the playoffs.

So that is it for the NL East. Next I'll be working on the AL East and quite possibly the Yankees selling their soul to the devil may pay off for them this year. But I can not wait for Spring Training and Opening Day (Sunday April 5th!), and if all else fails at least I know I will be enjoying a dollar dog, and the Phanatic this year at Citizens Bank Park.