Four days. That's all it took for the Cubs' dream season to turn into a nightmare. Sure, the Cubs have let us down before, but this time it feels worse.

Last year was disappointing. The Cubs didn't show up to play at all and the Diamondbacks swept them. Of course, the Diamondbacks had the NL's best record and home-field advantage, so it wasn't totally unbelievable that they won it. What hurt most about last year's Cubs was that they played like they didn't care. This year the Cubs had everything going for them. They had the NL's best record. They had home-field advantage. They had an opponent that only made the Playoffs because they played in a weak division. Somehow, they found a way to look helpless against the Dodgers. I'm still boggled by it. How could the best Cub team of most fans' lifetimes possibly screw this one up?

I feel like I did after the collapse of 2003. I'm angry. I'm hating the Cubs right now. I'm wishing they'd missed the Playoffs altogether rather than get our hopes up for nothing. Seriously. Swept? By the 84-78 Los Angeles Dodgers? How does a mediocre team suddenly look unbeatable against the league's best team? If I ever have children I'm not raising them to be Cub fans. No one deserves this type of heartbreak.

Unless they go back to the Brooklyn era, Dodger fans don't know heartbreak. Cub fans do. We Cub fans needed our team to win that series. We needed to know that our organization could produce a team that would win in October. Instead, we have to endure another year of talk about black cats, billy goats and Steve Bartman. Now the idiots in the media can remind us daily that the drought reached triple digits. Dodger fans needed their team to win that series like Bill Gates needs to win the lottery. 20 years without a World Series title is nothing.

On the bright side, the Cubs have now made the Playoffs two years in a row. Maybe next year they'll actually win a game or two when they get there. A friend of mine pointed out that in 2003 the Cubs came out of nowhere and weren't expected to beat the Braves in the first round. The past two years there's been more pressure on the Cubs because they've played opponents many (if not most) people expected them to beat. Cub players say they don't think much about the 100 years, but you have to wonder if subconsciously they put too much pressure on themselves to win it for all us longsuffering fans. I believe the Cubs can build off this year's success, but they'd better play it smart in the offseason.

I'm already depressed about the rest of the Playoffs. I know, the White Sox are still in it, but they look like they're about to lose too. If so, it's back to playing Adopt-a-Team. If the White Sox don't advance I'll be hoping for a Rays-Phillies World Series, but with the luck my rooting interests have had lately you might as well put your money on a Red Sox-Dodgers World Series right now. Won't that be exciting? A rematch of 1916!

I hope the Phillies or Brewers beat the tar out of the Dodgers in the NLCS. I'm not looking forward to more hot air about how Joe Torre (hey, did you know he used to manage the Yankees?) is the genius behind the Dodgers' success and how Derek Lowe and Manny Ramirez (hey, did you know they used to play for the Red Sox?) are carrying the team with their play. Just to go on a quick rant, the collective media man-crush on Manny Ramirez disgusts me more and more every year. I'm tired of hearing about "Manny" all the time. Since when are we on a first-name basis with him? No announcer should ever refer to a player by his first name only unless it's a hometown player on a hometown broadcast. Ramirez is a lazy, selfish ballplayer and for some reason they expect us to adore him. Seriously, I don't need to see repeated shots of his ugly mug on the bench for the remainder of the inning every time he hits a home run. The Phillies are my best hope for sanity this postseason, as I don't think the Brewers have the pitching to make it to the World Series.

I'm going to try to put the Cubs' Playoff performance out of my mind now. I just hope the Cubs are smart enough to get a good shortstop and not to overspend on anymore mediocre free agents this offseason. They can't let this happen again next year.

What a season it's been. We saw some great races, some great games and a great one-game playoff. With the final regular-season game in the books and the postseason about to start I have many thoughts on my mind.

The American League leader in home runs? Miguel Cabrera with a grand total of 37. The last time a league leader in home runs had fewer than 40 was 1992, when Fred McGriff led the NL with 35. The last AL leader with fewer than 40? Also McGriff, with 36 in 1989. Home runs totals have been inflated since the steroid era, but once in a while we see a year where they come back down to earth.

Are the Marlins the ultimate spoiler franchise or what? For the second year in a row they've knocked the Mets out of the Playoffs on the last day of the season. They've qualified for only two postseasons in their entire history and won the World Series both times. During those postseasons they beat the Giants in the first round twice (who've been waiting for a World Series title since 1954), the Cubs in the NLCS (who've been waiting since 1908) and the Indians in the World Series (who've been waiting since 1948). They barely have a fanbase, but they remain one of the best-run organizations in baseball and have managed to stay competitive on a small payroll. Does anyone besides me hate them?

Congratulations to the Brewers and Rays. They've become the latest franchises to see their first Playoffs since the advent of the three-division format in 1994. The only franchises that have yet to qualify under the current system are the Blue Jays, Nationals, Pirates and Royals.

Has this been a wild year for the White Sox or what? No one picked them to make a run for the divison title at the beginning of the season. They've gotten surprisingly good years out of John Danks, Gavin Floyd and Carlos Quentin, none of whom looked like anything special as of last year. They've also dealt with a blowup doll controversy, the loss of their best hitter down the stretch, and a three-game sweep near the end of the season that knocked them out of first place. Somehow they've managed to hang tight and finish in first place. I'm proud of this team.

You want Playoff predictions? Here are mine for the Divisional Series:

Cubs over Dodgers. I'm wary of getting too hopeful for my Cubs after the Diamondbacks swiftly crushed their dreams last year, but this year's Cub team is much better than last year's. The Dodgers' pitching staff has great numbers, but they also play in baseball's weakest-hitting division. I don't think the Dodgers will go quietly, but I do think the Cubs are the better team and should ultimately win this series. This is the best Cub team since their last pennant in 1945, so if they can't get past the first round the defeat will be extra heartbreaking for the Wrigley faithful.

Phillies over Brewers. This should be an exciting series featuring two slugging teams, but I'm picking the Phillies to win it because they have the pitching advantage. C.C. Sabathia has been a workhorse for the Brew Crew, but all the pitching on short rest has to be catching up with him. Ben Sheets isn't even on the Playoff roster due to injury. The Phillies have a healthy ace and the game's best closer, so preventing runs won't be as much of a struggle. As a Cub fan I'm hoping the Brewers can pull out a miracle, but I don't think it's likely.

Rays over White Sox. It pains me to say it as a White Sox fan, but I think the Rays will take this series. I've had fun watching the Sox get this far, but the Rays right now look more complete and in better shape to win. I have this odd feeling that the Sox could pull off an upset here, but with no justification for it I'll stick with the Rays as my pick for this series.

Red Sox over Angels. It's no secret that I despise the Red Sox. I don't particularly like the Angels, but I'll certainly be rooting for them in this series, even if it's a losing cause. The Angels have had the AL's best record all year, but they also play in a weak division and outperformed their Pythagorean W-L by a whopping 12 games. The Red Sox also have the Angels beat in other advanced metrics like OPS+ and ERA+, which tells me that Boston should be favored here. If the Angels have some intangible quality that's allowed them to win more than they were supposed to I hope it helps them in this series, because Boston is the only true villain in this year's Playoffs.

I won't try to predict how the subsequent series will play out until I see how many of these I get right. The Playoffs are exhausting to follow when you're a baseball fanatic like me, but it's so worth it.

Only a select few ever get to play professional sports; even fewer ever get to experience the ultimate reward: playing on a professional sports championship team. Many great players have come up short in their attempt to reach that goal, but there's something especially heartbreaking about cases where the team wins a championship immediately after a longtime player leaves or is traded. One can only wonder what might have been.

With our most recent Super Bowl champion having lost its star player to retirement last offseason, I thought I'd compile a list of the top ten pro athletes who just missed getting to be part of the celebration. The focus of this list will be players who spent a considerable amount of time with the team before they left, not players who were only there for a few seasons preceding the championship. I'm also excluding players who ended up getting a ring with another team and ones who are still active. Now that we've established those criteria, let's get to the list.

10. John Vanbiesbrouck

Detroit-born John Vanbiesbrouck played his first full season as a goaltender for the New York Rangers in 1984-85. He wasn't the biggest goalie in the league, standing only 5'9", but he made up for it with his quick reflexes and aggressiveness. He had the best year of his career in 1985-86, when he won the Vezina Trophy, was named to the All-Star First Team and helped the Rangers reach the Conference Finals despite their losing record during the regular season. The popular goalie (known as "Beezer" to the fans in Madison Square Garden) required surgery for a lacerated wrist during the 1988 offseason. It was thought that he would miss several months of the 1988-89 campaign while recovering, but he ended up playing in the season opener. In the early 90's he teamed with Mike Richter to give the Rangers one of the league's best goalie duos.

Believing Richter could handle the goaltending duties on his own, the Rangers traded Vanbiesbrouck to the Canucks after the 1992-93 season. Just four days later he was taken by the Florida Panthers in the expansion draft. While Vanbiesbrouck helped the new team in Florida to a respectable inaugural season (and was named to the All-Star Second Team in the process) the Rangers went on to win their first Stanley Cup in 54 years. Vanbiesbrouck's popularity continued in the Sunshine State, and he played in three All-Star Games while a member of the Panthers. He helped the fledgling franchise reach the Stanley Cup Finals in 1996, but they were swept by the Colorado Avalanche. He made it back to the Finals in 2001 as a backup for the Devils, but once again his team fell to Colorado.

Vanbiesbrouck retired in 2002 holding the NHL record for most victories by an American-born goaltender with 374. He also tied Frank Brimsek with 40 shutouts, most among American NHL netminders. In 2007 he was inducted into the American Hockey Hall of Fame.

9. Billy Cox

You've heard of the famous Brooklyn Dodgers infield, right? Hodges-Robinson-Reese-Cox? All were great players, but one of them never got to be part of a World Series winner, and that was Billy Cox. A shortstop with the Pirates, the Dodgers acquired him after the 1947 season and moved him to third base. He was a dazzling fielder at the hot corner who once inspired Casey Stengel to say: "He ain't a third baseman. He's a [bleep]ing acrobat." The World War II veteran wasn't much of a hitter (lifetime .262 batting average, 66 home runs, .698 OPS), but he had a reputation for coming through in key situations. Cox played in three World Series with the Dodgers, but each time they lost at the hands of the New York Yankees.

The Dodgers traded Cox and Preacher Roe to the Orioles after the 1954 season (coincidentally, the same trade that had originally brought Cox to the Dodgers was the same one that had brought Roe). In June of 1955 the Orioles traded him to the Indians, but he chose to retire rather than report to his new team. Four months later the Dodgers finally beat the Yankees to win the franchise's first World Series title.





8. Paul Reinhart

In 1979 the Atlanta Flames used the 12th overall pick in the NHL Draft on a young defenseman named Paul Reinhart. Though defense was his primary job, Reinhart was also a strong puck handler who was versatile enough to play any position on the ice, and he developed into one of the best all-around defensemen in the game. With the Flames (who moved to Calgary after his rookie year) he had two Playoff hat tricks, made an All-Star appearance and helped them to the 1986 Stanley Cup Finals. For all his success, he might have accomplished even more had he not struggled with injuries throughout his career.

The Flames traded Reinhart to the Canucks before the 1988-89 season. At the time of the trade he was the last remaining player from the franchise's days in Atlanta, and he held most team records for defensemen. Despite playing in pain, he made his second All-Star appearance that year and helped the Canucks to a first-round Playoff matchup against his former team. The underdog Canucks stunned the Calgary crowd by winning Game 1 in overtime, with Reinhart scoring the deciding goal. The two teams battled their way to seven games, but the Flames ultimately weren't going to be denied their first Stanley Cup that year. Reinhart played one more season in Vancouver before his back problems forced him to call it quits at age 30. He finished his career with 133 goals and 427 assists in 648 games.

7. Wilbur Cooper

Wilbur Cooper was a pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates during the Dead Ball and early Live Ball Eras. He once played for a minor league team owned by future U.S. President Warren G. Harding, and legend has it that Harding himself recommended Cooper to the Pirates. The left-hander had great control, a good pickoff move to third and was a solid hitter as well. The Pirates weren't a very good team early in Cooper's career, but as Cooper developed and the team around him improved his numbers got better. For eight straight seasons he won at least 17 games. The Pirates were annually in the first division, but the NL pennant always eluded them.

After the 1924 season Cooper was traded to the Cubs. The move was unpopular in Pittsburgh, and Cooper himself was disappointed to be leaving the Pirates. After winning 20 games the year before, he was nothing more than an average pitcher for the last-place Cubs, which translated into a losing record. Meanwhile, his old teammates took up residence on the opposite side of the standings, eventually winning the pennant by an 8½ game margin and overcoming a 3-1 deficit against the Washington Senators to win the World Series. 1926 was Cooper's last year in the Major Leagues, but he continued his career by pitching in the minors for several years after that. He remains to this day the Pirates' all-time leader in wins with 202.

6. Tiki Barber

Tiki Barber was a running back drafted by the New York Giants out of the University of Virginia. For the first three years of his career he was used mainly as a return man, a third-down back and a receiver out of the backfield, so his rushing numbers weren't particularly impressive. When he became a full-time starter in 2000 however, he emerged as a star and helped the Giants reach the Super Bowl, where they lost to the Baltimore Ravens. It would be Barber's only Super Bowl appearance. He built up an impressive résumé over the next six seasons, which included three Pro Bowls, three All-Pro selections and the franchise record for most rushing yards.

In 2006 Barber announced that he was retiring at the end of the season. Though still in his prime, he said that his passion for the game had decreased and that he was ready to move on. It came as a surprise to many fans, but he was committed to his decision. The Giants had an up-and-down year in Barber's last season, but their Playoff hopes were still alive going into their final game against the Redskins. With his team needing a win, Barber rushed for a franchise-record 234 yards to lead them to a 34-28 victory. After the Giants lost their Wild Card matchup with the Eagles and he made his final Pro Bowl appearance, Barber hung up his cleats just like he said he would.

The Giants went 10-6 and qualified for the Playoffs the next year. Though most observers didn't see them as a threat to take home the Lombardi Trophy, they did just that, winning three Playoff games on the road and then upsetting the undefeated Patriots in the Super Bowl.

5. John Franco

The Cincinnati Reds were a perennial second place team during the mid-80's, but those teams are mostly forgotten today. One of the players who helped them stay in the race every year was closer John Franco. After two years finishing games part-time, Franco became the Reds' main closer in 1986. For the next four years he was one of the best in the game, finishing in the NL's top five in saves each time and being selected to three All-Star teams.

After the 1989 season the Reds traded Franco to his hometown Mets for Randy Myers. Myers would join with Rob Dibble and Norm Charlton to form the "Nasty Boys" bullpen corps, and the Reds would win the World Series. Franco would spend the next 15 years in a Mets uniform, and he finally experienced his first postseason nine years after the trade. The Mets made it to the NLCS in 1999 and the World Series in 2000, but both times their season ended with a loss. Franco signed as a free agent with the Astros in 2005, but he was released in July of that year and hasn't returned to the Majors since. His 424 saves are currently 4th all-time.

4. Don Mattingly

Don Mattingly was called up by the New York Yankees in September 1982. Despite coming off a pennant-winning season the Yankees were struggling. The next year Mattingly would get some significant playing time and the Yankees would improve to third place. In 1984 he took over as the full-time first baseman and a star was born. For the rest of the decade he would be an All-Star every year, win five Gold Glove Awards, finish in the top 5 in MVP voting three times (winning it in 1985), finish in the top ten in batting average five times (including the 1984 batting title), lead the league in doubles three times, and win three Silver Slugger Awards. 1987 was notable for two accomplishments: he set a record (later tied by Travis Hafner) for most grand slams in a season with six, and he tied a record held by Dale Long with home runs in eight consecutive games. The Yankees were usually in contention during the 80's, but they always fell short of the Playoffs.

1990 was when things started to go downhill for Mattingly, as he started suffering from back problems. He had the worst year of his career and the Yankees finished in last place. Though he (and the Yankees) rebounded over the next few years, he never reached the levels he did in the previous decade. The only awards he won during the 90's were four more Gold Gloves.

In 1995 the Yankees made the postseason for the first time in Mattingly's career by virtue of the Wild Card. They had a hard-fought five-game series with the Mariners, but in the end Seattle prevailed. Mattingly's .417 batting average and 6 RBI made him one of the hitting stars of the series, but it ended up being his last hurrah. Mattingly decided to sit out the 1996 season due to his recurring back problems and the need to spend time with his family. It was poor timing, as 1996 was the year the Yankees finally got over the hump and won the World Series. In 1997 he officially announced his retirement from baseball, and the Yankees retired his #23. He is the only Yankee with his number retired not to play for a World Series winner.

3. Bruce Armstrong

Can you name the only player who wore the current Patriots uniform design as well as the classic red uniforms with "Pat the Patriot" on the helmet? The only Patriot to play for both Raymond Berry and Bill Belichick? That would be offensive tackle Bruce Armstrong. Armstrong was New England's first-round draft pick in 1987 out of Louisville. He started his career at right tackle and moved to his more famous spot on the left side in his fourth season. He was a warrior, committed to playing every game he could. He started all 12 non-strike games his rookie year despite sustaining a shoulder injury in training camp that required surgery after the season. In fact, the only affliction that ever prevented Armstrong from playing came in a 1992 game when he tore three of the four main ligaments in his right knee. He was out for the entire second half of the season and his career appeared to be in jeopardy, but he came back next year and started all 16 games. Recognized leaguewide as one of the best, Armstrong was named to 6 Pro Bowls and 7 All-Pro Teams between 1988 and 1997.

After the 1999 season Armstrong was released by the Patriots due to his declining skills and his refusal to accept a pay cut. It was seen by many as a classless move, as Armstrong had played through the second half of the previous season with torn ligaments in his right knee, but new coach Belichick saw it as necessary. Armstrong eventually agreed to a one-year deal with the Patriots, but it was clear his time in New England was running out. Though Armstrong wanted to play one more season after 2000, the Patriots didn't re-sign him and he officially announced his retirement in September 2001. The Patriots honored him by retiring his #78 and inducting him into the team Hall of Fame. He remains New England's all-time leader in games played. A few months later the Patriots would win the franchise's first Super Bowl and begin a run that would lead to them being considered the Team of the Decade.

2. Nate Thurmond

One of the most underappreciated big men in NBA history, Nate Thurmond was considered the best defensive center of his era by many opponents. A backup to Wilt Chamberlain as a rookie, he helped the San Francisco Warriors make it to the NBA Finals in the 1963-64 season. The Boston Celtics were unstoppable in those days, so needless to say it wasn't the Warriors' year. Still, Thurmond played impressively enough to earn a spot on the All-Rookie Team. The Warriors traded Chamberlain in the middle of the next season, making Thurmond the new starting center. He finished the year averaging 18.1 rebounds per game and set an NBA record in February with 18 rebounds in one quarter. Over the next five seasons he would never average fewer than 17.7 rebounds per game, including two years averaging more than 20. He helped the Warriors get back to the NBA Finals in 1967, but once again they ran into an unstoppable team, this time the 68-win 76ers. Though Thurmond never reached another NBA Finals with the Warriors, his personal accolades with the team included two All-Defensive First Teams, three All-Defensive Second Teams, and seven All-Star selections.

After the 1973-74 season the Warriors traded the aging Thurmond to the Bulls for the younger Clifford Ray. While Ray didn't quite put up the numbers Thurmond did, he was valuable to the Warriors for his defense and his unifying effect on the team. Thurmond joined a Chicago team that had made it to the Conference Finals the previous season. They were an aging bunch, but they still had one good year left in them. In Thurmond's Bulls debut he racked up the first quadruple-double in NBA history (22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 blocks) and set the stage for the franchise's first division title that season. The Bulls made it back to the Conference Finals and ended up facing Thurmond's old Warrior teammates. The series went seven games with the Warriors emerging triumphant in the end. The underdog Warriors went on to sweep the Bullets in the NBA Finals to win the franchise's first Bay Area title. Thurmond was traded to the Cavaliers in the middle of the next season, where he was part of yet another run to the Conference Finals, this one ending against the Celtics. He retired after the 1976-77 season with career averages of 15.0 points and 15.0 rebounds per game. His #42 was retired by both the Warriors and the Cavaliers, and he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985. In 1996 he was named one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players.

1. Elgin Baylor

Elgin Baylor was drafted by the Minneapolis Lakers out of Seattle University with the #1 pick in the 1958 NBA Draft. The Lakers franchise was struggling at the time, but Baylor gave them a superstar that restored their fortunes. With averages of 24.9 points and 15.0 rebounds per game, he easily captured the Rookie of the Year Award. The Lakers had been the NBA's worst team the year before, but he took them to the Finals that year, where they lost to the Celtics. In 1960 the Lakers moved to Los Angeles, where rookie Jerry West joined with Baylor to form what would be one of the NBA's greatest duos for the next decade.

Though Baylor never won an MVP or scoring title, his list of accomplishments is long. He was named to the All-NBA First Team ten times, the All-Star team eleven times, and averaged more than 30 points per game three times. He finished in the top ten in scoring ten times, the top ten in assists six times and the top ten in rebounds nine times. In 1960 he scored a then-NBA-record 71 points in a game. About the only thing he couldn't do was win an NBA Championship. Baylor's teams made it to the NBA Finals a total of eight times, but they lost each one. The Lakers made it to the Finals in 1965, but Baylor didn't play because of a knee he injured in the first game of the Playoffs. The injury carried over to next season, as Baylor had the worst year of his career to date. Fortunately, he bounced back. While he didn't play at quite the same level as before, he definitely reclaimed his status as one of the game's best. Injuries limited him to two games in 1970-71, but he attempted to keep playing.

Early in the 1971-72 season, after Baylor got off to a slow start, the Lakers asked him to relinquish his spot in the starting lineup to a young forward named Jim McMillian. Rather than accept a bench role (and the fact that he wasn't the player he used to be), Baylor retired. As soon as he was gone the Lakers went on an NBA-record 33-game win streak. They finished the season with 69 wins, another NBA record which stood for 24 years. The Lakers made it back to the NBA Finals, but this time they did something they hadn't done during Baylor's career: they won. Baylor finished his career with averages of 27.4 points and 13.5 rebounds per game, and the Lakers retired his #22. He earned induction to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1977, and in 1996 he was named one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players.

Sometimes that elusive championship is so close and yet so far. These players may not have won championships, but none of them should ever be forgotten.

The American League has widely been considered the stronger of baseball's two leagues for the past few years. Indeed, the AL Playoff races were wrapped up fairly uneventfully, with each team having a decent-sized lead and their clinchings being mere formalities by the time they happened. The most dramatic moment that clinched anything in the AL was the Orioles coming from behind to tie the Yankees and winning on a bases-loaded bunt in extra innings. This brilliantly-executed play assured us that the Yankees would be reduced to Wild Card winners rather than AL East Champs, little more than a small victory for Yankee-haters everywhere. Any of the four teams in the AL Playoffs (Angels, Indians, Red Sox, Yankees) will be favored to win the World Series once we know which one will be playing in it.

The National League is much poorer than its younger counterpart. The NL's best team finished with a 90-72 record (worse than any of the AL Playoff participants) and allowed more runs than it scored during the season. There's so much parity in the NL that no team finished more than 19 games out of first place. While there's no denying that the NL is the weaker of the two leagues, there is one thing it provides more of than the AL: excitement.

That 90-72 team, the NL West Champion Diamondbacks, came out of nowhere to win it. The Padres and Dodgers were most people's picks to win the division before the season began, but the D-Backs stayed above .500 all year and eventually took first place in the last two months. It still isn't quite clear how they did it. On paper they don't appear to be that great a team, but you can't deny their success. Now the question is if they can continue it against the Cubs in the Playoffs.

The Cubs themselves had a pretty exciting year. The Brewers got off to a hot start and looked like the only team that wanted to win the NL Central early on. The Cubs, despite spending a lot of money in the offseason, struggled during the first two months and looked destined for another disappointing season. After Lou Piniella had his now-famous confrontation with an umpire (once again I'll brag about it...I was at that game!), the Cubs suddenly started getting back on track. As their rise coincided with the Brewers' collapse, the Cubs eventually found themselves in first place in late August. Even when they had a 3½-game lead with six games left it wasn't over. They got swept in a three-game series with the last-place Marlins and the Brewers still had a shot. Fortunately, the Cubs got back on track and clinched the division title in their final series with the Reds. They now have a shot at winning their first pennant in 62 years and their first World Series in 99 years.

The NL East had one of the most memorable races in recent times. Going into the season most people picked either the Braves or Mets to win the division, and a lot of people picking the Braves had the Mets as the Wild Card. Those two teams battled for first place during the early months while the Phillies got off to a slow start. The Mets eventually took first place and it looked like they would never relinquish it. Then, with 17 games left and the Mets holding a 7-game lead over the Phillies, the unthinkable happened. The Mets went 5-12 to finish out the season while the Phillies went 13-4 over the same span. In the end the Phillies won the division by one game and the Mets were out of the Playoffs altogether.

Then there's the Wild Card. The Padres battled the Diamondbacks for the NL West lead most of the second half. When the Diamondbacks established themselves as the division leader the Padres looked like they'd end up settling for the Wild Card. Not so fast. The Rockies, who'd stayed around .500 most of the year but never stepped it up to make a real postseason drive, suddenly went on a tear. They won 13 of their last 14 games to force a one-game playoff with the Padres which would determine the Wild Card winner. What a game it was. Both teams fought the whole way, and it eventually went 13 innings. In the top of the thirteenth the Padres got a two-run homer which looked like it would clinch the game. The Rockies didn't give up though, scoring three runs in the bottom half to earn the title of NL Wild Card.

These NL Playoff teams are a motley crew. None of them made the Playoffs last year, and the one that made it most recently was the Cubs in 2003. It's hard to believe that one of these four is going to be playing in the World Series this year. The AL, on the other hand, has the three teams with the league's highest payrolls playing this October (Angels, Yankees, Red Sox), and only one that has some underdog appeal (Indians). Except the Indians, all were in the Playoffs as recently as two years ago, and all but the Indians have won a World Series this decade. Truthfully, once you get past the Indians it's hard to root for any of the AL teams.

The AL may be stronger. One of their teams may end up hoisting the World Series trophy at the end of this month. They may be representative of what great baseball teams truly look like. Why would we follow sports though, if there were never any excitement? If the same teams always won easily it would be boring to follow them. If you simply want to marvel at greatness, the AL is there for you. If you want thrilling races, determination and never-say-die dramatics, the NL is the far superior league.

We're down to the last two months of baseball season. The trade deadline has passed, and by now we (mostly) know who's in it to win it and who needs to start preparing for next year. The races are heating up, and several teams are still vying for one of those coveted eight Playoff spots. It's about time for baseball fans to start thinking about who they're rooting for in the quest for October. If you're a big fan like me, you probably also have a few teams you're rooting against. I don't know who's going to win, but here's what I'm hoping for:

American League West:

I'm pulling for the Mariners. They've been a surprise team all year, and there seem to be a lot of loyal Mariner fans out there even though you don't hear much about them. While they seem to have been playing above their heads all season (their pitching and run production have been mediocre at best), they deserve credit for staying in it this long. They surprised me last season too, as I predicted that they'd lose 100 games and they ended up finishing close to .500. While conventional wisdom says the Angels are going to win it (if I had to give an official prediction I'd pick them), I'm hoping Seattle has enough left to battle it out and overtake them for the division title.

Since the Angels are the only team posing a real threat to the Mariners at this point, I'm rooting against them. I just have a hard time getting excited about the Angels. Besides, they won the World Series in 2002 and the Mariners never have. While it's hard for me to imagine the Mariners winning the World Series this year, they deserve that chance to play for it a little more in my mind.

American League Central:

If my White Sox were still in the race there's no question I'd be pulling for them. As they are not, however, I'm pulling for either the Indians or Tigers. Both teams have fanbases that I think deserve a winner, and I really don't hate either one even though they're both division rivals of my Sox. I hope one of them wins the division and the other wins the Wild Card. It doesn't really matter which, though I think the Tigers look more likely to win the division.

The team I'm rooting against is the Twins. While they seem to have a fairly loyal fanbase and the underdog factor that comes with playing in a small market, I just don't like them. They don't interest me. Also, some of that underdog appeal has been lost since they've won four division titles in the last five years. Last year it looked to be a two-team race between the White Sox and Tigers in the Central, but the Twins came from behind to win it, relegating the frontrunning Tigers to the Wild Card. I don't want to see it happen again.

American League East:

I've never made any secret about the fact that I hate the Red Sox. The way their "history" and "tradition" get shoved down our throats has gotten rather sickening. That said, I'm rooting for them to win the East this year. Why, you ask? It's all because of the team I'm rooting against.

I hate the Yankees. I want to see them win even less than I do the Red Sox. They're a thorn in the side of baseball fans everywhere. No matter what, they always find a way to make the Playoffs. Even when they were mired in a slump earlier this year I kept saying they were going to be playing in the postseason. Now they're only a few games out in the Wild Card race and within striking distance of the Red Sox. I still think they'll find their way into the Playoff picture, but (as I often find myself saying) I hope I'm wrong. If they do it's likely that either they or the Red Sox will be the Wild Card, and the Playoffs will be much more enjoyable if we don't have to hear about a potential Yankees-Red Sox ALCS.

National League West:

This is a division where I don't feel very strongly. The Giants are the only team at this point that has no real shot of winning it. If I had to choose the team I really wanted to see win it I'd say the Rockies, but of the four contenders they seem to be the one that's having the most trouble breaking through. I also kind of like the Padres, so I'd have no problem if they won it. Neither team has ever won the World Series, so there's not much to hate about them.

While I'm not actively rooting against the Diamondbacks, they don't particularly excite me. I haven't found myself rooting against the Dodgers either, but they seem to have the most to root against. Big market, six World Series titles, fans that leave the games early...yeah, I guess if I'm rooting against anyone in this division it's the Dodgers. Still, it's hard to hate them completely when you have a father who grew up rooting for them on the side.

National League Central:

I'm a Cubs fan. Take a wild guess who I'm pulling for. Is this finally "next year" for the Cubs? We can always hope, but the Cubs have to make the Playoffs first. It's a shame that the they're contending in a year where the team they're battling for first is the Brewers. After all, Brewers fans haven't had much to cheer about in recent times. It's not that I hate our friends up in Milwaukee, it's just that they're blocking my team's path to the Playoffs. If the Cubs can overtake them for first I hope the Brewers win the Wild Card. I could even live with it if they won the division and the Cubs won the Wild Card, but it's cooler to say your team is the division champion.

The team I'm rooting against is none other than that bunch who won the World Series last year. While the Cardinals admittedly look horrible this year, teams that you count out can come back to bite you. While I'm not too worried about the old Redbirds I still root for them to lose every game...just in case.

National League East:

One of my favorite teams in this division has always been the Phillies. Of the 30 Major League teams they're one of seven that hasn't made the postseason since the switch to the three-division format. They're right in the thick of things, so hopefully this year we'll be able to cross their name off that list.

There are two other contenders in this division, and they're known as the Braves and Mets. I've hated the Braves ever since they won the 1995 World Series, and the Mets I hate just because they're from New York. While I don't hate either of these teams as much as say, the Yankees, I can't really root for either one in good conscience. The truth is though, that these two teams currently look like the ones to beat in the National League. If Philly's going to pull it off it'll be an uphill battle.

To sum up, my ideal Playoffs look like this:

National League:

West: Colorado
Central: Chicago
East: Philadelphia
Wild Card: Milwaukee

American League:

West: Seattle
Central: Detroit
East: Boston
Wild Card: Cleveland

I know that they likely won't look this way (especially the NL), but what's a pennant race without something to hope for?

My nightmare Playoffs look something like this:

National League:

West: Los Angeles
Central: St. Louis
East: New York
Wild Card: Atlanta

American League:

West: Los Angeles
Central: Minnesota
East: New York
Wild Card: Boston

It's almost scary how much more realistic my nightmare scenario looks, but that's just life when you root for the underdog.

Anyway, that's what I'm hoping for. How about you?