The Best And Worst Beat Reporters In Baseball: NL East

With the trading deadline a day away and with the MLB season sliding headlong into third, it's time we all start paying attention to baseball again. Where to turn? For the next week, we'll be posing the question to you: Who's the best beat reporter for each MLB team?

You can approach this from any direction. Who writes the best game stories? Who gets the best locker-room stuff? Who's the most tolerable tweeter? Who gets scoops without carrying water for Scott Boras or Howard Rubenstein? Who isn't a management stooge? Who isn't stupid about stats or drugs or Derek Jeter?

We'll do this in the discussion below, going division by division. Today: NL East. We've organized the threads by team. Jump in there and tell us why your favorite/least-favorite reporter is the best/worst. Note: This is not an exercise in rewarding homers and cheerleaders. Those people should be shamed. We're trying to determine here who provides the best and smartest coverage for each team.

We'd prefer to focus on beat reporters. That can include television reporters, but it shouldn't include columnists—unless that columnist really is the best person covering a certain team. The lists below are by no means exhaustive. If we missed someone, let us know in the comments.

NL East: [ Mets] [ Braves] [ Phillies] [ Nats] [ Marlins]

NL Central: [ Cubs] [ Cards] [ Reds] [ Pirates] [ Brewers]

NL West: [ Dodgers] [ Giants] [ Diamondbacks] [ Rockies] [ Padres]