UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!

Listen closely. Can you hear it?

That strange sound that you hear emanating from the direction of New York City is the sound of the greatest choke in the history of professional sports.

Yes, the New York Mets, who had a seven game lead with seventeen to place, proceeded to reel off a dozen losses in those seventeen games, all against teams with records less than .500. Today, of course, was the clincher.

Future Hall of Famer Tom Glavine, he of the 300+ wins and three Cy Young Awards, never made it out of the first inning today, giving up 7 runs in 1/3 of an inning. The game was over by the end of the first. The Mets lost 8-1 again to the Marlins.

And then, the Phillies–they of the horrific pitching–won 6-1, behind the ancient lefty, Jamie Moyer, who twirled five wonderful innings, meaning that they won the National League’s Eastern Division outright.

What a fold by the Metropolitans…it puts to shame the fold by the 1964 Phillies (6 game lead with twelve to play, finished second) and the 1969 Cubbies, who folded up a twelve game lead and lost to the same Mets.

It is THE greatest choke in the history of professional sports. Congratulations, Mets on your extraordinarily dubious accomplishment.

The greatest irony of all, of course, is that this was the season wherein the Phils carded the 10,000th loss in their franchise history, but yet they were the team still standing when the dust settled. Go figure.

It certainly looks like Jimmy Rollins was right last winter when he said that the Phillies were the team to beat in the National League East. And Rollins put his money where his mouth is by having an MVP-caliber season.

As for this life-long Phillies fan, today is a very sweet day. Let’s go, Phightin’ Phils…..