I thought I had witnessed the greatest postseason play I'd ever see last year when
Juan Uribe dove into the stands in the bottom of the ninth in Game 4 of the World Series to record the second out of the inning.
I was wrong.
Nothing against Juan, but
Endy Chavez's home-run robbing catch-turned-double play was nothing short of miraculous. Given the context (tie game, Game 7), the degree of difficulty (extremely hard), the timing/execution (perfect), and the end result (not only an out, but an inning-ending double play), I think that one's going to hold the title of Greatest Catch I've Ever Seen In Real-Time for a little while.
Watching last night's game makes me glad I've never had to experience a do-or-die game as a Sox fan. Between New York and St. Louis, I couldn't care less when it came to who won -- and even then, my palms were sweaty.
The last Game 7 in any sport where I had a dog in the fight was when the
Bulls went the distance with the Pacers in 1998, but basketball's an entirely different experience. When Michael Jordan's on your side, chances are you're going to win. On the other hand, Albert Pujols is the closest thing to Jordan in baseball right now -- basketball-playing Jordan, not
baseball-playing Jordan -- and the Mets made him a non-factor. At that point in baseball, it's nearly a purely random event.
Perhaps when we look back at the 2005 White Sox, we should be most thankful that they didn't jerk us around. It's one thing to go to Game 7 having won championships in five of the last seven years; it's another one entirely to be within spitting distance of snapping an 86-year-losing streak, only to see the chance disappear with one swing of the bat.
It's gotta suck to be a Mets fan right now, especially one who's 20 years old.