While most of us will probably sleep well tonight, with visions of gonfalons dancing in our heads, two neighboring skippers are likely to lose sleep over the prospect of their seasons coming to an abrupt and unpleasant end.  But which one needs the Nytol more: Dale Sveum or Ozzie Guillen?  Below I have outlined some pros and cons for each.

Dale’s Pros:

The Brewers are tied for the wildcard, which means that three of the four possible outcomes of tomorrow keep the team alive.  With the Cubs likely playing Frankenstarter tomorrow (with a bullpen that looks less-than-invincible of late), his guys should have at least a fighting chance to get some hits in against a team that would rather keep everybody healthy for Wednesday than risk injury for a win that means nothing to their post-season chances.  Since the Mets start an hour earlier, the players will have a scoreboard to motivate them.  And he can’t really be blamed if the Brewers fall out, since he managed to stop the skid that Ned was (apparently) responsible for; if they do get in, he probably still has some sort of job next year if he wants it.  And (oh yeah) the Mets set a precedent for choking last year.

Dale’s Cons:

The Cubs win in Miller Park when they visit.  I don’t see Brewer fans (or management) being very forgiving of failure (hope you locked your car… in a garage… south of Kenosha).  The Cubs win in Miller Park when they visit.  Since the one game playoff would be in Flushing, a tie-breaker means travel on short notice.  The Cubs win in Miller Park when they visit.  The starting rotation for the post-season (if they get in) is still very much in the air until after they clinch.  And (in case you didn’t know) the Cubs win in Miller Park when they visit.

Ozzie’s Pros:

Any after-season games will be played at the Cell, and …um… no one seems to mind him badmouthing his players in the media?  (Seriously, I tried for an hour to think of something else… anybody?)

Ozzie’s Cons:

Invader Zim-worthy SCENARIO of DOOM where the Sox win tomorrow while watching the Twins lose, then lose to Detroit on Monday and the Twins on Tuesday to slide 1.5 games and back out of the playoffs AFTER the season is over (fun!).  ANY situation which gets them in at this point requires them having to play the make-up with Detroit and, if Minnesota wins tomorrow, would also require the Tuesday tie-breaker.  Provided he can get the team there, his rotation is going to be toast.  And (whoops) they're a half game back to start the day.

I say Ozzie is up all night practicing ripping his guys a new one and thinking about what to do this October.