By Geoff Walter / SNY.tv

 

From here on out, it gets interesting. From here on out, baseball fans in New York will be cemented in front of their television sets, have their ears pressed to their radios, or their eyes glued to their computer screens, dissecting every pitch, hit, and play like never before. Why? Because the races in the East haven't been this close in a long time. And it's interesting to see just how those two respective camps, AL and NL, deal with the pressure. Of course, their positions are polar opposites, with one feeling the stress and the other applying it, one in freefall and the other grasping for the mountaintop.

 

I'll admit I wasn't as interested in the games when the Mets were up by nine over the Braves and the Yankees were down by 14 1/2, but I still tried to do my due diligence and watch as many games as I could. Now I admit I'm hooked again, checking the out-of-town scores, wondering how the Phillies and Red Sox did and repeatedly hitting the refresh button on my browser.

While fans are content to take a comfortable multi-game lead and coast into the playoffs, it's absolutely boring for the writers. Think about it: win, win, win. It gets dull after a while. Where's the drama? Where's the tension? How did the Yankees do today? They won. The Mets? They won too. See what I mean? It's then that you start reaching for the remote and wondering what the new fall lineup looks like. You need that unease, that anxiety that sweetens a victory. Where are the crossed fingers and prayers to the baseball gods for a miracle? They're making a comeback along with the Yankees and Phillies, and I couldn't be happier.

Wanna argue with the Ref? Don't like the call? Go ahead and make your own!