the Cubs and the National League

I do not often write about sports despite being a season ticket holder to both the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago Bears but with the Cubs being the first National League team to assure themselves a playoff spot I really should comment on today's games. Today is the final day of the regular season and still the Cubs are the only team in the National League to win their division. Today the Phillies and the Mets are tied in the Eastern Division with one game to play and the Padres are one game behind the Diamondbacks in the West going into the last game and the Padres have one more win than both the Mets and the Phillies.

If both the Mets and the Phillies win and the Padres lose, the Diamondbacks win the West. As an added bonus the Mets and the Phillies would have to play a tie-breaker on Monday (I am not sure where they would play but that was decided weeks ago with a coin flip) and the loser would play the Padres on Tuesday to decide who would be the winner of the Wild Card berth, that team would head out to Phoenix to play the Diamondbacks on Wednesday. The winner of a possible Mets - Phillies game would host the Cubs on Wednesday. If one of those teams loses while the other wins the winner wins the East and hosts the Cubs While the loser goes home.

If the Padres win and the Diamondbacks lose those two teams would play a tie-breaker on Monday and the loser would win the Wild-Card berth. If the Padres lose or the Diamondbacks win the Diamondbacks win the West and play the Wild-Card team. If both the Diamondbacks and the Padres win the Diamondbacks win the West and the Padres win the Wild-Card berth and play the Diamondbacks in Game 1 of the Divisional Playoffs on Wednesday in Phoenix.

UPDATE: I apparently wrote this post too early Sunday morning as I was reminded during the day that the Wild Card team does not play a team within their division during the first round, thus the Cubs play Phoenix on Wednesday. Doh!

What a day of baseball. Good luck to you fans!