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Magic - mag·ic (n.)

You can ask the Google or your fancy new decision engine, but its still hard to find a defined answer as to why the baseball pundits call the number of games a team must win or the number of games the second place team must lose (or a combination of both) a magic number. I understand the concept. When the number is achieved, the team at the top clinches a spot in the playoffs - or the division as the case may be. By that reasoning, the baseball gods could have called it a clinch number. Or perhaps a postseason number. But literal language is thrown out the door in the sports writing world. A world in which writers have created a theater of the mind for generations of fans to find themselves in. They must use words that not only describe the action on the field, but paints a picture that tells their audience everything from the break on the ball; the ballpark smell in the air; and the sound the crowd makes when cheering or chiding in unison.

So how to describe the possibility of playing in the playoffs. The chance to secure a spot in October to battle the best in the league for the right to be called World Champs. It's not just about extending the season. It's about the possibilities, the memories to be made, a time of year in which the intricacies of the national pastime are exposed to the nation in a way that makes even the most casual fan care about a sacrifice bunt, the concept of middle-relief or simply the actualization of a childhood fantasy for so many in backyards and driveways across the country. A situation that could be described in four short words: Bottom of the ninth. Bill Mazeroski, Joe Carter, Aaron Boone and of course, Kirk Gibson have all been there and turned their moment in the spotlight into something more. More than just a home run. More than just a victory. Because when those moments occur in October, they're not simply special - they are magic.

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