National League water torture

Well, it's October, and that must mean that once again the Astros sail into the playoffs with one of the top pitching rotations in the land, ready to taunt their fans with the fleeting prospect of finally reaching the World Series only to run aground on the treacherous shoals of anemic hitting. The fact that the Astros are a trendy pick to beat the Braves and perhaps win it all only adds to my sense of impending doom.

We've been here before, in 1980, 1981, 1986 (I still hate the Mets), 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2004... The pitchers Houston has burned through--Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettite, Doug Drabek, Joe Niekro, Randy Johnson, Daryl Kile, Mike Scott, Mike Hampton, Billy Wagner, Roy Oswalt, Brad Lidge... the list goes on and on. It's really painful to look at, to tell you the truth. Is there any hope that Pettite, Clemens and Oswalt can force a break with team history? Probably not. But there is the fact that this team, given up for dead back in June, has rallied to make the playoffs--and history--in a way that no team has since 1914:

"If history is any indication — and history usually shows the way in baseball — the Astros are plugged to an EKG machine this morning," he wrote. "The pulse is weak, and some in the family are preparing the obituary."

The Astros were 14 games out of first place. Only one team had ever trailed by that many games on June 1 and made the playoffs.

You know... hmm. There's that whole "Choke City/Clutch City" history with the Rockets, and now the Astros have that tombstone to rally around. You know, maybe this year is their year! No, no, somebody please stop me. That kind of thinking leads to madness...

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