And so it begins...

John Russell, why do you hate me?

Depending on your opinion of Andy LaRoche and Brandon Moss, other than Jack Wilson, who has certainly been tried plenty of times in the past, could you put two worse guys at the top of this lineup?

The three best batters (read: the people who make the least amount of outs) on the team should be in the 1, 2, and 4 spots. By my estimation, those three are probably Nate McLouth, Ryan Doumit, and Adam LaRoche, until Andy proves otherwise. I get that you don't want to bat one of those three in the leadoff spot, so bump Doumit to fifth and find someone (ANYONE) to get on base in front of McLouth, whom you are now using as the fifth best hitter in the three spot instead of one of the best hitters in the 2 or 4 spot. It's not rocket science, people: Making outs is bad. Not making outs is good.

I get to start using this familiar refrain again: Freddy Sanchez belongs nowhere near the top of the batting order.

Ye gods.