When Richard Daley was the fabled mayor of Chicago, he was simply that – Mayor Daley. Well, maybe he was also Boss Daley. But for all of his power and his influence and his rigid rule, he had nothing on what Lou Piniella would be if the Chicago Cubs win the World Series later this month.

Piniella, the manager of the Cubs, would be the Monarch of Michigan Avenue, the Rajah of Rush Street, the Sultan of State Street. He would be King Louis I. And even that title wouldn’t do justice to the way Cubs fans would embrace him. They would deify Piniella as a baseball god, a baseball god who was sent to the north side of Chicago to liberate the Cubs and their fans from a century of purgatory.

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Now that certain matters have been decided in another scintillating season, it’s time to acknowledge some mistakes. Two in particular stand out. Readers with better memories than I may have others in mind.

Let’s talk about the Mets and the Rays.

In June, when the Mets were flailing about in their most underachieving way, I said to their general manager, Omar Minaya, and in July wrote that if the Mets won 12 games in a 15-game stretch they would win the National League East championship. From July 5 through July 23 they won 12 of 15 games.

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There really is a reason they play the games. Several teams have once again demonstrated the reason, some that were widely expected to be playing games this week but won’t be, some that were not expected to be playing but will be.

Those assessments were made before the season began. Others, involving different teams, developed during the season, and they have been affected, too, by the necessity to play all 162.

If I had to pick one team that most belied its status in each of the first two categories, I would designate the Detroit Tigers and the Tampa Bay Rays. The Tigers, after adding Miguel Cabrera, Edgar Renteria and Dontrelle Willis last winter, were all but conceded a spot in the World Series. The Rays, after 10 dismal seasons, were considered improved but were relegated to the scrap heap nevertheless.

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