161 Down, 1 To Go

How bizarre is it when the entire baseball season comes down to one day?

So many seasons in April and May when teams suffer a tough loss or a string of them, the cliches come out in full force.

"It's still early."

"It's a marathon - not a sprint."

"You've got to take them one game at a time."

After a six month season where so many teams have battled so hard, for the fans of the New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers, it all comes down to one game - or possibly two.

You see, the NL Wild Card has yet to be determined and if one of those two teams wins tomorrow while the other loses, the winning team makes the playoffs. If they both win, they play on Monday to determine who makes it in.

The Mets are far from my favorite team. I still recall the Gooden/Strawberry years with a bit too much disgust and that debacle from a few postseasons ago rings all too fresh in my mind. Hell, I bought my first HDTV to watch that series and got to see all three games in HD - even when two guys got tagged out at home on the same play, a play I still believe ripped the heart out of the team for the rest of the playoffs.

But I digress.

On an ordinary day, I'd root for Milwaukee to make the playoffs to show that you don't have to be the Yankees to succeed in MLB.

But... I really have no desire to play the Cubs in the NLDS. I'd much rather play the Phillies. So, unfortunately, I have to root for the Mets to win the Wild Card.

It makes me a little ill - not as ill as days when I have to root for the Giants but still...

Good luck, Mets. Try not to suck too badly tomorrow.