This has to be one of the most exciting finishes to the baseball regular season; as of yesterday, seven teams in the National League had a shot at the four NL spots in the playoffs. It’s a story of excitement if you’re a team like the Phillies, utter and complete disconsolation if you are the Mets or a fan of theirs. I mean, the Mets had a seven game lead with two weeks to go. Sorry to break it to you, Mets fans, but that’s not the kind of finish to a season you want in a team. I can imagine if the Mets did squeak into the playoffs, they would get demolished in the first round. Their confidence had been shot for a few weeks, they were already a beaten team.

So we say hello to the Phillies after a long playoff drought, and good bye to the Mets. We also say hello to a potential tie in the NL wild card picture. The San Diego Padres had two chances to clinch the wild card but have lost today to open the door for the Rockies. Colorado holds a 4-2 lead in the ninth inning of their game with the D-backs right now, and if they hold on, they’ll be playing tomorrow against the Padres for a shot at being the wild card representative in the NL. The way they’re playing, they certainly seem to deserve a shot, and I’m a big believer in momentum going into the playoffs.

These are certainly exciting times, moments that test your mettle. Someone will be celebrating, and someone else will go home after coming this close after 162 (or 163) games.