2002 National League Preview: early calls have the Cardinals, Mets and Diamondbacks as N.L. division champions with St. Louis as the team to beat for the pennant.

ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS ABOUT BASEBALL IS THAT the game itself generates debate, be it over strategy, the merits of modern players vs. old-timers or the validity of offensive records in this age of eye-popping statistics.

Two of the oldest tenants of baseball still remain true, however:

* Good pitching will beat good hitting, almost every time.

* You have to score runs to win.

The Arizona Diamondbacks showed just how far two dominant pitchers can carry a team in 2001 when the dynamic duo of Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling led them to a World Series victory over the three-time defending champion New York Yankees. Johnson and Schilling accounted for all four victories against the men in pinstripes and were rewarded as co-MVPs of a true Fall Classic.

But scoring runs--or the inability to do so--was the primary reason the New York Mets were unable to defend their National League crown. The Mets' woeful offense scored the fewest runs in the league (642) and ranked 15th among the 16 teams in home runs (147).

Under the circumstances, it was a near miracle that the Mets finished with a winning record (82-80). But general manager Steve Phillips decided enough was enough and made it his No. 1 off-season priority to upgrade his offense. That's why you'll find Robbie Alomar, Mo Vaughn, Jeromy Burnitz and Roger Cedeno wearing Mets uniforms this season.