9/23/08

If the Mets make the playoffs, will you be happy?

For me, yes. But it will be so bittersweet.

It looks as if the NL East is slipping away quickly. That leaves the Mets to contend for the Wild Card. A two team tango begins tonight, with the Mets and Brewers each having six games to play to finish out the regular season.

The Mets have a one game lead heading into tonight, with three more against the Cubs, and another three against the recently eliminated Marlins. The Brewers play three against the Pirates, starting tonight, and another three against the Cubs.

I still think the Mets can back into the playoffs. The Brewers have dominated the Pirates this year, and will look to win their 10th game in a row over the lowly Bucs. CC Sabathia was a blown call away from a no-hitter last time he faced Pittsburgh.

The Mets need the Pirates to play spoiler, and this would be the perfect team to do it. They've been held down long, so the Brewers might get a little complacent playing them. If they can come out strong and put up a fight, it might be enough to break the young Brewer team, especially with a new manager at the helm.

Even with a one game lead, the Mets shouldn't even worry about the Brewers, they have enough problems of their own. The Mets can't seem to get enough pitching together to get through nine innings of baseball, and can't seem to buy a win.

What the Mets need to do, for maybe the one millionth time I've written it on this blog, is win. Just win.

If they win, it won't matter what the Brewers do.

A strange case, something I am half-wishing for, is a one game playoff at Shea Stadium. That would only happen if the Mets and Brewers are tied at the of the regular season. Since the Mets won a coin-flip last week, the game would be hosted at Shea.

Could you even begin to imagine how crazy Shea would be that day?

If the Mets get to that point, and I half hope they do, and if they can pull off a win, it might be just the sort of momentum they need to roll into the playoffs.

Wishful thinking, I guess. The Mets still have to get to that point.