That Time, It Counted

As I watched Trevor Hoffman's improbable meltdown in the top of the 9th inning just now, I couldn't help but recall a Murray Chass piece I'd read in the New York Times earlier in the day.

Here's what Chass wrote (a link to the entire article is available by clicking the headline above) when discussing Major League Baseball's policy of assigning home field advantage in the World Series to the team representing the league that wins the All-Star Game:

"If there’s one viewer out there who has watched any of the past three games or plans to watch tonight because the winning league gets the World Series home-field advantage, please send me an e-mail message at mchass@nytimes.com. Include your telephone number so I can call and ask if you’re gullible about other things as well."

Now I like Murray Chass' work. He's one of the best in the business, and I want to make it clear that Chass' article is not about the now 4-years-old policy. Nor is it about how nobody cares about the policy.

But I couldn't help but recall this passage unfavorably tonight. The truth is that for fans like me, last night's game meant a lot more because of MLB's much-beleaguered policy.

Fans like me? Yeah, you know, fans of the Tigers. Fans of the Padres. Fans of the White Sox, the Red Sox, and, dare I say it, the Yankees. Fans of teams like the Mets: teams that have a chance at the playoffs, a chance at the World Series.

I am now acutely aware that the Mets will not have home field advantage in the World Series. That sucks on a couple levels.

Most obvious is that we would have to go in to the opposing team's house for the first couple games. You run the risk of an early 2-0 deficit, which requires beating the opposition in 4 of the next 5 games. Always difficult.

It also occurs to me that unless the Mets can win the World Series in 5 games, they won't be celebrating their first championship since 1986 in front of the home town fans.

Winning a World Series is all I ever ask for, but it's always more special to win it all in front of the home town fans, when the celebration takes place in front of 55,000 screaming, elated fans rather than a sorrowful mass of "there's always next year" losers.

But I should slow down. I'm getting ahead of myself here with all the Mets in the World Series talk aren't I? I'll quit it for now, but I will say that the World Series was in the back of my mind yesterday as I watched the Midsummer Classic.

I used to think the "This Time It Counts" business was just a gimmick. And for about 20 teams out there it still is. But for the 10 or so teams with realistic dreams of a playoff berth, last night meant a lot more.

And for the fans of the 5 or so teams in the National League with reasonable playoff hopes, well, if those fans are as much like me as I think they are, they'll remember last night's result when playoff time rolls around, and they'll be acutely aware that October got a little harder for their team one wet, soggy night in Pittsburgh back when the days were warm and the daylight wasn't so scarce.

- A.F.O.M.G.