Welcome to the Mild, Mild West
Posted August 1, 2005, 1:53 PM ET

We have made it to August, and perhaps the most amazing stat and fact of the Major League Baseball season is what is taking place in the National League West. On August 1st, not one single team is over .500...how weak is that?

Forget about the red-hot Astros and A's as they make it fun with the wild card races...forget about the typical Yankees-Red Sox showdowns...forget about the Braves pulling away, looking for their fourteenth straight NL East title...it is all about the the mediocrity that exists out west in the National League.

It is hard to believe that the Padres, D-Backs, Dodgers, Giants and Rockies can't get over the .500 mark...and we've played over 100 games on top of that!

The last time a team flirted with such a dubious distinction of making the playoffs while hovering around .500 was back in 1973. That season the NY Mets finished three games above .500 (82-79). There has never been a team to make the playoffs while sporting a losing regular season record.

And with that said, it should be an automatic rule in all of pro sports that you can't make the playoffs with a sub .500 record. How can you justify that type of play and reward that team with a postseason spot in the playoffs?

While basbeall comes down to the last two months of a grueling season, it will be fascinating to watch what develops in the National League West. Surely one of these dogs can put together a stretch run of winning 15 of 20 games...but maybe that is asking too much of these teams. One thing is certain: other than the Rockies...if a team can get hot for a short extended period of time, they are liable to run away and hide from the rest of the bunch.

So while the rest of baseball goes about its business, be sure to keep an eye on the National League West...not for the baseball, but for some comic relief.