MIAMI — Here’s the thing about actually working for a team that’s in a pennant race as opposed to simply rooting for one, no matter how passionately, no matter how much you may be invested:
What you call a jinx, they call a job.
What you might describe, fretfully, as presumptuous is actually preparedness.
It’s true: The Mets haven’t wrapped anything up yet. The only guarantees they had about their own status heading into Wednesday night’s finale at Marlins Park were twofold: 1) They still controlled their own destiny, as long as they keep winning; 2) They will arrive in Philadelphia on Friday no worse than tied for one of the two wild-card slots.