Sportsview: National League worst is the worst
(AP)
Updated: 2005-09-28 09:24

The ball was in Brian Giles' glove, Trevor Hoffman's hands were raised in victory and fireworks were going off at Petco Park.

The San Diego Padres, it turned out, were celebrating a bit prematurely in a game they would go on to lose Monday night to the Giants.

But who really could blame them?

They know by now that nothing — especially winning — comes easy in the National League Worst.

That's where the Padres occupy the penthouse, despite playing like dogs in the appropriately named Petco Park. Incredibly, four other teams in the division have somehow found a way to play even worse.

Under baseball's rules, one of them has to make the playoffs, though you could make a case for Bud Selig declaring a walkover in the first round to save everyone from the embarrassment of actually playing.

As it is, it's going to be embarrassing enough.

Baseball is already assured of having its worst team in the playoffs since the 1973 New York Mets won the NL East despite winning only 82 games.

And now it's becoming increasingly likely that a team will have a shot at winning the World Series after losing more games than it wins for the first time ever in a full season.

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