As we’ve seen twice in the last 4 months in professional sports, just get in to the postseason and anything can happen. The New York Giants were 7-7 and had just lost 4 straight games. The usual late season implosion was underway and the “Fire Coughlin” talk was rampant. Then the first two of their six straight wins made them division winners followed by four more wins that made them league champions. They’re the first 9-7 team to win an NFL title. Football’s wildcard teams have won the Super Bowl 6 times. The ’07 Giants, ’05 Steelers, ’00 Rams, ’97 Broncos, ’80 Raiders (over my dear-in-the-headlights Eagles) and the ’69 Chiefs weren’t what would be considered the “best teams” entering the post-season but came away with the Lombardi Trophy. In baseball last season, The Cardinals were 9 or 10 games out of a playoff spot with a month to play, got into the playoffs as a wildcard (with help) on the last day of the season and rode the momentum and some David Freese magic to a World Series crown. The ‘o4 Red Sox, ’03 & ’97 Marlins and the ’02 Angels also won the World Series but weren’t the favorites going in. Hockey, where all kinds of whacky stuff happens come the postseason with favorites being ousted in round 1, had the Flyers beat the Rangers in a shootout on the last day of the season just to make the playoffs in ’10 and they went all the way to the Finals ultimately losing to the Blackhawks. The only sport where you don’t see this as much is in basketball, where the better team with the go-to-guy (or two of them) wins almost every time. The moral of the story? Just get in, baby!
-Kranny, http://www.wornbutnotforgotten.net