With the NBA and NHL neatly wrapping up their seasons last week, it's time for a brief moment of reflection on the previous three major professoinal sports seasons. Perhaps we can learn something about the current baseball season as well. Pay attention, now:
- In January, the Broncos lost in the AFC Championship game to the Steelers, ending the Broncos' season. Two weeks later, the Steelers won the Super Bowl.
- In May, the Nets lost in the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Miami Heat, ending the Nets' season. Two days ago, the Heat won the NBA Championship.
- In May, the Devils lost in the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Carolina Hurricanes, ending the Devils' season. A few days ago, the Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup.
What does this all mean? Naively, it means that my sports teams are pretty damn good right now, but not quite good enough. I worry that all three of them might be a bit worse this coming year, though I am a big fan of Javon Walker.
In reality, though, it means that every baseball fan out there should be rooting hard for my Mets. If you're a Red Sox or a Yankees fan you want to be facing the Mets in the World Series. If you're a fan of the Phillies or the Astros or any other National League team, you want to be facing the Mets in the NLDS or NLCS. If this pattern continues in October, I'm not sure exactly what sort of slam you'd call it, but it surely wouldn't be a very grand slam.
But beware, all you aspirers to baseball supremacy. The Mets aren't going down this year without a fight.
I'll be at all three Mets–Red Sox games next week at Fenwy. After Tuesday's appetite-whetting matchup of Alay Soler vs. Jon Lester, the other two games feature dream matchups. Pedro returns to Boston against young star Josh Beckett on Wednesday, and if things hold the course until then, the series wraps up with Tommy Glavine taking on Curt Schilling on Thursday. Let's go Mets!