Are the Mets the 2006 Cardinals?

Talk about coming full circle. I had the epiphany this afternoon the the 2008 Mets are quite possibly the Cardinals of '06. If you remember the Cardinals had a decent lead in the division that year and basically limped their way into the playoffs by being fortunate enough to have the teams beneath lose just enough games that final week to allow the Cards to squeak in.

The Cardinals that year also had some bullpen issues that forced them to use a starting pitcher, Carlos Beltran's favorite Adam Wainwright, as a closer. The Cards also got production from some unlikely sources, like Yadier Molina, and a young infielder named Eckstein became the catalyst for the club.

There are a lot of similarities between the Mets of '08 and the Cards of '06. The biggest difference is the Mets haven't made the playoffs yet. Yet. That's a big word for only having three letters.

But if they do make the playoffs, you never know what could happen. But you gotta get there.