Of Post-Nasal Drips and Postseasons

I've been fighting off a cold for the past week. I thought I had vanquished it over the weekend, but just like a bad horror movie villain that everybody thinks is dead, my cold came back to life for one last showdown yesterday. It's me or the cold and I swear I won't let a nasty post-nasal drip bring me down, even if it is wearing a ski mask and wielding a chainsaw.

Part of my relapse might be attributable to the hiking I did in Monterey this weekend. While I would like to believe rambling through a county park helps the body and mind rest and recuperate, it probably isn't as effective as some actual rest and recuperation, but I must admit it was nice to be outside while the denial lasted.

Besides hiking and sniffling this weekend, I was paying attention to the last games of the baseball season being played in the National League. As of Saturday, four teams were still fighting for two playoff spots.

There was the exciting tie in the East between Philadelphia and New York that needed to be settled. I was rooting for the Mets to clinch the division, but after a certain Mr. Glavine gave up seven runs in the first inning to the Florida Marlins, I stopped rooting for them out of fear that I would put the game completely out of reach. The Marlins trounced the Mets anyhow and the Phillies clinched the division.

(Not that I'm unhappy Philadelphia made it to the postseason. Although it's the team of Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard, it still feels like the team of Lenny Dykstra and John Kruk to me.)

There was also the close Wild Card race up for grabs. It came down to a tiebreaker game between San Diego and Colorado. Despite the fact that I was rooting for them, the Rockies managed to beat the Padres in 13 innings. It's a good feeling and a nice change of pace when I don't jinx the team I want to win.

Tomorrow, the Rockies and Phillies face each other in the first round of playoffs. I don't know who I'm jinxing rooting for yet. Maybe I'll alternate teams every inning to keep things interesting.

Now I think it's time to take a decongestant to ward off my chainsaw-wielding cold for another four hours.