A Weekend to Remember

Now that my heart has stopped palpitating, I can write without the jitters. Tomorrow night begins wbat, as a baseball fan, is a wet dream. And as a Mets fan, it's a heart attack on a platter that will turn into either a wet dream or a cold corpse.

Indulge me on the crazy math and possibilities here. The Amazins' are one game behind Philadelphia for the NL East division title. They are tied with the Milwaukee Brewers for the NL Wild Card. The past 159 games do not matter right now. The 2008 season, as far as three teams in the National League are concerned, is three games long. Let's go from worst case to best case, shall we?

1. If the Mets win fewer games than Milwaukee and Philadelphia, they will be playing golf on Monday.
   
   
2. If the Mets win fewer games than Milwaukee and the same number of games as Philadelphia, I will commit suicide with David Wright's putter on Monday, because this is the best possible outcome we can have without actually getting anything.
   
   
3. If the Mets win the same number of games as both Milwaukee and Philadelphia, the Phillies are the division champs. Mets and Brewers play at Shea on Monday to decide the wild card.
   
   
4. If the Mets win the same number of games as Milwaukee, just one more game than Philadelphia, and the Phillies win one fewer game than Milwaukee, we have ESPN's and the media outlets of New York, Philadelphia, and Milwaukee's wet dreams. A three-way tie for two spots. This works as follows:
   
   The Mets and Phillies play in Philadelphia on Monday to duke it out for the division:
   
   4a) If the Mets lose this game, the Phillies are division champs, and the Mets play the Brewers on Tuesday at Shea. Winner is the wild card champ.
   4b) If the Mets win this game, they are the division champs and the Phillies play the Brewers in Philadelphia for the Wild Card.
   
   
5. If the Mets win one more game than Milwaukee, they are in the playoffs no matter what. This creates a wild card berth for the Mets if the Phillies win one more game than them.
   
   
6. If the Mets win one more game than Milwaukee and Philadelphia, the Mets finish tied in the standings for the NL East with Philadelphia. BUT since the Mets have a better head-to-head record against the Phillies this season (10-8), the Mets are the division champs without having to play a tie-breaker.
   
   
7. If number six above occurs, and the Phillies also win one more game or the same number of games as Milwaukee, the Phillies win the wild card, with the Mets still the division champs.
   
   
8. If number six above occurs, and the Phillies win one fewer game than Milwaukee, the Phillies play at home against the Brewers on Monday for the wild card, with the Mets still the division champs.
   
   
9. If number six above occurs, and the Phillies win two or three fewer games than the Brewers, Milwaukee is the wild card champ and the Mets are still the divison champs.

So there you have it, boys and girls. Nine scenarios. Quiz in five minutes. Lets go Mets.

I've calculated out each and every scenario, because I'm beyond obsessive. Eight-six scenarios exist, in which the Phillies make it 73 times (84.9% probability), the Brewers make it 45 times (52.3% probability), and the Mets make it 54 times (62.8% probability).

Only two can make it. WHO WILL THEY BE?!