NL Observations

Dave Paisley

Wow, should I be a Vegas tipmeister or what? No sooner do I guarantee an Astros win in game 2 or 3, than they come through for me and take care of business right away. No thanks to Billy Wagner, but, hey, they all count. As predicted, Shane Reynolds was a lot sharper than Andy Ashby, although the game was still tight when Ashby left after a mere four innings of work.

It should have been a routine inning for Billy Wagner, but playoff demon Jim Leyritz worked his magic again to tie the game in the top of the ninth. Now, I've never particularly liked Leyritz, especially as he was the bulldog on the '95 Yankees that my beloved Mariners ultimately beat in storybook fashion, but surely to God someone can find a regular job for this guy.

Carlos Hernandez continues to hit inexplicably well for San Diego, but buried at the bottom of the lineup with Gomez and the pitcher hitting behind him, that's been mostly wasted. The Killer B's went 3-for-11 with 4 RBI and 3 runs scored, so I they should relax a bit.

Anyway, it's on to Hampton vs. Hitchcock, presumably to be followed by a Johnson-Brown rematch. Expect Johnson to be intending to close out the series, and expect him to do so handsomely.

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Meanwhile, the sad-sack Cubs are at it again. The poor guys limp into Atlanta and give up the first game, only to come back and get a fabulous performance from Kevin Tapani, who outdueled Tom Glavine. However, the spectre of the lame Cubs bullpen kept Tapani in for one inning too long, enabling the hated Braves to toe the game 1-1 on the home run by Javy Lopez.

After a dumb caught-stealing ended the Cubs' 10th prematurely, it was only a matter of time before the Braves put the poor Cubbies out of their misery. The coup de grace was quick in coming, as Chipper Jones drove in Walt Weiss.

The Cubs, with their one last heroic effort to make the playoffs, have paid the ultimate price -- stumbling into the playoffs like a drunk the morning after six bottles of tequila.

So where do we go from here? It looks like a well-rested/sore-armed Kerry Wood faces off against Greg "The Mild-Mannered Dentist" Maddux. Wouldn't it be great if Wood rose from the ashes of an overworked season to beat out the maestro himself? Sure it would, but this is one time I am definitely advising you not to bet the paycheck on that happening.

Goodbye Cubs. Hello Braves and, probably, Astros.

about the author

When he's not jet-setting across the country as if he was in a bad '60s film, Dave Paisley is writing about the National League playoffs. Check him at drdjp@strikethree.com.