Each day, the fifth line in my daily notes contains the Modesto Nuts magic number to clinch. This is the number that I use on broadcasts. This is the number we use on the radio, that I give to the opposing announcers, any members of the press, post on the internet, and that our season tickets holders (who receive a copy of the game notes) read in their seats.
Going into tonight, the Nuts magic number is two. That means, if they win, they're going to the playoffs.
But I have this massive fear that my number is wrong ... the Nuts will win, celebrate, and then I'll realize they haven't clinched just yet.
It's not wrong, don't get me wrong. I double check every day. I ask Brian VanderBeek of The Modesto Bee to check every few days. But I still worry about it. I'm not used to being the PR guy who provides the information. I'm used to being the reporter who has the PR guy tell me the number.
What makes it tricky is there's two different races going on. The Nuts are one victory away from this wild-card berth, and also chasing the second-half title. So there's two different wild-card numbers. And there was one day last weekend when it became mathematically possible (although very very very remotely possible) for it to appear like the Nuts had clinched a "wild card" berth, but then still choke away the second-half division lead -- and in the process would end up not winning the wild card after all. It sounds impossible, but it really was possible.
In order to illustrate how this was possible, I pretended it wasn't possible and told nobody. Sometimes, less information really is more.
OK, now I'm going to triple check the magic number yet again for today.
We're live on the radio tonight, start to finish, and I really hope we clinch it tonight. Then I only have to worry about one magic number.
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