Game Seven

As Mike Greenburg said this morning, "The two most magical words in sports are 'game. Seven.'" To which I reply: no, no, the two most magical words are "super...bowl."
But that is just one man's opinion. However, I do love game sevens, especially in baseball where one pitch can change the dynamic of a game. Of the three "major" types of game sevens, in NBA, NHL, and, of course, MLB, game seven in baseball always has the most drama attached to it.
I can remember the opening shot of game seven of the 2001 World Series, Yankees at Diamondbacks, when the camera panned from the upper deck fans towards the field, the stadium music was blaring, and literally every fan with and arm was waving a white towel in celebration of the diamondbacks success in coming back to Phoenix after losing three straight in the Bronx.
They were rewarded with Gonzo's bloop single off arguably the most dominant post-season closer of all time that scored the winning run.
Game sevens are about everything sports are supposed to be about. Give it your all. There is no tomorrow. Leave everything on the field.
How does a game seven differ from any other playoff elimination game? Simple, the build-up. You've had six previous games to create the drama of this moment. In the NFL, which I love, you still don't have the kind of extensive history that can be created when you go a full regular season and then play a team 7 straight games in less than two weeks. This is what baseball lives for. The stats, the build-up, the history. A game seven is like a 3-2 pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth - Times 100.
Tonight's game seven will have a lot of drama in it, especially since the two starting pitchers are not the biggest names on their team, they're playing in what will surely be a rocking New York stadium, and there hasn't been any baseball for several days besides these two teams battling in this rain-extended series. All the focus has been Mets/Cards, and now it will culminate. Can you write a better script?
Sure, it could be a World Series instead of a LCS. We could have two big-name pitchers on the mound. It could be the Red Sox/Yankees! Wait, this is the National League. It couldn't be the Sox/Yanks. Scratch that one.
Back to the point! Game seven is sports nirvana. It may only happen once or twice a year, if that, and when it does the eyes of the sports world are focused almost exclusively on it. I know tonight is Thursday Night College Football. I know there are NBA and NHL games to watch. Heck, there is probably golf or some other nonsense on as well.
But it doesn't matter.
Mets. Cardinals. Game. Seven.