The NL Season So Far
We just passed the one-third mark of the season. Let's look at what most people expected from each team heading into the season and what has happened so far. This week, we evaluate the National League by division (listed in order of current standings ... and next week, the American League).

NL East

	Sheffield

Atlanta Braves -- The Braves figured to be a bit better offensively with the addition of Gary Sheffield and OK defensively. But many expected the gradual decline of Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux to begin; plus, there were huge question marks in the bullpen. Well, Sheffield has been hurting, but Glavine has been sensational and Maddux seems recovered from an early-season back issue. The defense has been spotty. But the bullpen is long and set-up relievers have been excellent: Chris Hammond had been out of baseball for two years, Kevin Gryboski was in Seattle's minor-league system for seven years, and Darren Holmes had been out of the game for more than a year. But those three have been terrific. Mike Remlinger has been great, and John Smoltz has 15 saves sandwiched around a couple of meltdowns. Pitching has always been Atlanta's strength; in 2002, much of that strength is in the pen.

Florida Marlins -- Florida's young pitchers were supposed to fulfill their promise, but they've been extremely inconsistent -- they lead the majors in walks allowed. The offense is underrated. Mike Lowell, Cliff Floyd, Kevin Millar, Luis Castillo and Preston Wilson have all produced. The loss of shortstop Alex Gonzalez to a shoulder injury has hurt, but if the pitching finally comes around, the Marlins might be a pennant-race factor.

New York Mets -- The Mets were supposed to be vastly improved on offense and extremely solid at short and second on defense, with some pitching question marks due to starters coming off injuries. Surprise, surprise: As in 2001, the Mets have struggled to score, while Rey Ordonez and Roberto Alomar struggled defensively early. Meanwhile, the pitching is the only reason they still have hope.

Montreal Expos -- The Expos were supposed to be in chaos, in view of all the contraction rumors and MLB taking over the club. But they've been competitive, and Jose Vidro might be the most underrated player in the majors. Manager Frank Robinson and GM Omar Minaya have done terrific jobs. I just don't think they have enough pitching to contend in the long run.

Philadelphia Phillies -- The Phillies hoped to capitalize on their second-place finish in 2001 and step forward. Instead, they've fallen and can't seem to get up. Pat Burrell is providing power, but the rest of the offense and pitching (except for Vicente Padilla) has been less than stellar.

NL Central
Cincinnati Reds -- The Reds were supposed to have perhaps the worst starting pitching in the majors, but a good bullpen. The offense -- with Adam Dunn, Ken Griffey Jr. and Sean Casey -- was expected to be respectable. Lo and behold ... the Reds' starters have the sixth-best ERA among MLB's 30 teams. Elmer Dessens is the Jose Vidro of pitchers: no respect but darn good numbers. Chris Reitsma has been terrific, and Joey Hamilton and Jimmy Haynes respectable. Jose Rijo gave the Reds a lift for a while, but is now headed to the bullpen with an iffy shoulder. The pen has been as good as advertised, and the hitting has been augmented by contributions from Austin Kearns, Juan Encarnacion and Todd Walker. Griffey missed 41 games and the Reds never missed a beat. They've been the biggest surprise in baseball during the first third of the season.

	Ankiel

St. Louis Cardinals -- If Cincinnati was supposed to have the weakest pitching, St. Louis was supposed to have the deepest. Seven potential starters heading into spring training. Then Andy Benes, Rick Ankiel, Garrett Stephenson and Woody Williams went down with injuries. The savior has been Italian Olympic pitcher Jason Simontacchi, plus the second-best bullpen in the majors (which goes seven deep). The offense and defense have been about as expected.

Pittsburgh Pirates -- The Pirates weren't expected to be much better, but the best thing one can say about them is that they haven't lost any games they should have won. Their bullpen has been terrific, and Mike Williams has been nearly perfect in save situations.

Houston Astros -- The Astros' young pitching was expected to allow them to contend despite the loss of Vinny Castilla and Moises Alou in the lineup. Adam Everett was touted as a potential Gold Glover, while Morgan Ensberg and Daryle Ward were thought to be ready to step in at third base and left field. Well, Everett and Ensberg are back in the minors. Ward has hit decently, but not with the expected power. The bullpen has been a major culprit in the Astros' 3-10 record in one-run games. Wade Miller's injury didn't help, as it made a thin bullpen thinner. The offense has been OK, but losing Mike Jackson and Mike Williams to free agency hurt the depth. T.J. Mathews and Scott Linebrink are on the DL, and Tim Redding has replaced Miller as a starter. Also, Octavio Dotel has not been as effective as he was in 2001.

Chicago Cubs -- The Cubs have been a disaster. With Moises Alou coming aboard, people expected the middle three of Sammy Sosa, Fred McGriff and Alou to light up the scoreboard. It hasn't happened because Alou and McGriff struggled mightily early, and no one besides Corey Patterson and Sosa have been hitting. Much like the Astros, the Cubs' bullpen also has contributed to the disaster. Kyle Farnsworth just returned after missing nearly two months with a broken foot. Flash Gordon has no return date. David Weathers and Todd Van Poppel left via free agency, Jeff Fassero has been ineffective, and Antonio Alfonseca has been spotty. The pitching potential is still there with Kerry Wood, Jon Lieber, Mark Prior and Juan Cruz. But the horse might be out of the barn.

Milwaukee Brewers -- The Brewers were supposed to be bad ... and they are. The only hope they have is in developing pitching. Ben Sheets has been solid, but Nick Neugebauer has been hurt again and Jamey Wright is just coming back from injury. Ruben Quevedo has had some good moments, but the light at the end of the tunnel for the Brewers is still the oncoming train.

NL West
Arizona Diamondbacks -- Arizona was supposed to be Johnson and Schilling and anyone willing, plus a questionable offense. The Unit and Curt have been sensational while the rest of the rotation is iffy. But the offense has gotten many pleasant surprises from Junior Spivey, Craig Counsell and Danny Bautista (before his devastating should injury). Arizona will be OK unless one of the Big Two suffers a major injury. There has to be concern over Johnson's low strikeout totals of late; most feel it's related to a back problem.

	Green

Los Angeles Dodgers -- The Dodgers thought they had good starting pitching, improved defense, a workable offense and a major closer question. Despite the continuing physical problems of Kevin Brown, the pitching has been excellent, the defense improved and the hitting workable (especially when Shawn Green is contributing). Plus, Eric Gagne has been a dominant closer.

San Francisco Giants -- The Giants thought Reggie Sanders would give the offense a big boost, but other than Barry Bonds and Benito Santiago, nobody has been hitting (although Jeff Kent has just begun to get hot). Pitching and defense have kept them in the race to this point.

Colorado Rockies -- The Rockies had many question marks, including how long manager Buddy Bell would last. It turns out he lasted long enough to witness the club's 6-16 start. Then Clint Hurdle brought a new energy to the club, and putting baseballs in a humidor at Coors Field brought scoring down in the Mile High City. The Rockies are no longer patsies at home. Since Hurdle took over, Colorado is 17-5 at home. The bullpen -- with Kent Mercker, Todd Jones, Justin Speier and Jose Jimenez -- has been superb.

San Diego Padres -- The Padres figured to be their usual competitive selves despite the lowest payroll in the division. The big "if" was health, as they lack depth. They lost Phil Nevin and Sean Burroughs to the DL along with starters Kevin Jarvis and Brian Tollberg -- and they're beginning to show signs of wear.

NL Standings Surprises
Let's close out this look at the NL with a big-picture look at the standings. The big surprise in the East is the Phillies' disappointing performance. In the Central, the Reds are the biggest overachievers, with the Astros and Cubs the most disappointing. Out West, there are no surprises. Stay tuned ...

On The Horizon
Interleague: Giants-Yankees (three-game series in New York begins Friday)
This series marks the first time Barry Bonds will play at Yankee Stadium. So a guy who's writing his own history now gets to play in baseball's most historic park, the home to more incredible memories than any other venue in baseball history. You can be sure that Bonds' visit will generate lots of excitement in New York.

Bonds' visit raises a hypothetical question: How many home runs would Bonds hit if he played at Yankee Stadium? Or try this version: How many home runs would Bonds have hit last year if he played at Yankee Stadium? Last year, Pac Bell Park yielded the second-fewest homers in the majors (only Detroit's Comerica Park yielded fewer). Visiting teams hit 57 home runs at Pac Bell, while Bonds hit 37 of his record-setting 73 homers at home. With the short right-field fence at Yankee Stadium, would Bonds have hit 80-plus? Who knows, but it's fun speculating about it.

The Yankees have the advantage because they're at home and can utilize the DH. The way the Giants are hitting, they'll have a tough time finding someone to DH (it might be Damon Minor). Meanwhile, if the games are close, it'll be fun to see two of the best closers in baseball (Robb Nen and Mariano Rivera).

Interleague: Diamondbacks-Red Sox (three-game series in Boston begins Friday)
In the premier pitching matchup of this series -- and one of the best matchups of the year -- Pedro Martinez (7-0) will face Curt Schilling (11-1) on Saturday. After seeing how Schilling pitched the Yankees in the World Series, I'm sure Boston's hitters are looking forward to the challenge. While hitters don't want a steady diet of Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, they do like a good challenge. And each team's hitters will have one Saturday.

Schilling, meanwhile, will face the team that signed him; the Red Sox traded him to the Orioles early in his career. I'm sure Schilling will also enjoy the challenge of facing the Red Sox, who are first in the majors in batting average (.292) and second in runs scored (325).

Pedro has been hittable early on occasion this season, so my guess is that the Diamondbacks' scouting reports will alert their hitters to this. They'll want to get to him before his arm loosens up and he gets in a groove.

Ballpark Focus: Yankee Stadium, New York
Based solely on baseball history, Yankee Stadium is the most historic park on the planet. The Yankees have played in 38 World Series, winning 26. They played at the Polo Grounds in their first two World Series in 1921 and '22. So 36 World Series have been played in Yankee Stadium. Fenway Park has its own special place in baseball history, but it can't rival the postseason history of the Stadium.

	Historic Yankee Stadium has witnessed 36 World Series.

Memorable Stadium moments include Don Larsen's perfect game in the '56 Series and Reggie Jackson's three home runs on three consecutive pitches in the '77 Series.

When Tony Gwynn played at Yankee Stadium in the '98 World Series, he had an awesome sense of the history of the place. He took time to go visit the monuments beyond the center-field wall and soak it all in. Hopefully, Barry Bonds will get the chance to do that in his first visit to the Stadium this weekend.

Like any park, Yankee Stadium has its idiosyncrasies. Before it was renovated in the mid-'70s, they were obvious: the monuments and the flagpole were in play just in front of the center-field wall, which was 461 feet from home (earlier it had been 490 feet). The current left-center and center-field dimensions are 430 feet and 417 feet.

Another idiosyncrasy was a pronounced sloping of the infield -- for drainage -- from the pitcher's mound toward both the first- and third-base side. Infielders chasing pop-ups toward the line were almost running downhill. And baserunners coming around third needed to be careful. Most infields at newer stadiums are flat because the drainage is better. The Yankees added a new drainage system prior to this season, and that has allowed them to make the field "flat" like the new stadiums.

Another element is the crowd. The Yankee bleacherites have unique chants for visiting stars, and I imagine they'll have one ready for Bonds this weekend.

The Stadium is known for its short right-field porch, which has benefited left-handed Yankee sluggers from Babe Ruth to Reggie Jackson to Jason Giambi. Earlier in this column, I addressed the question of how many homers Bonds might hit if he played there -- which reminds me of a story.

Birdie Tebbetts, the former Red Sox catcher, once said to legendary Yankees manager Joe McCarthy, "If Ted Williams played at Yankee Stadium, he would've broken Babe Ruth's record." Joe looked at him and simply replied, "Lou Gehrig didn't." Now, if Ted had played in Yankee Stadium and not lost four years to the service, I'm pretty sure he would have broken Ruth's record.

Again, that's speculation, but it's also one of the greatest things about baseball -- the conversations over the water cooler. Everyone has an opinion. Determining who's right is nearly impossible, but fans of the game love to speculate and debate.

All speculation aside, I'll close with this thought: It's always interesting to visit Yankee Stadium -- especially in October.

Editor's Note: All statistics are through Wednesday's games. Dave Campbell, who was an infielder for eight seasons in the major leagues (1967-74), works as an analyst for Baseball Tonight and ESPN Radio.