Condolences...

...to New York Mets fans. Having been in a similar position the last two seasons (missing the playoffs on the final weekend), I can sympathize.

The Rockies, Mets and Padres have all finished with better records than the Chicago Cubs, yet only one of the three teams will play in the postseason.

I'm surprised that this oddity doesn't receive more attention from sports writers.

Incidentally, here's my 2002 plan for improving major league baseabll.