Too early for the wild-card watch

I saw the baseball wild-card standings somewhere earlier today.

I apologize for not remembering exactly where but that isn't the point. The point is Aug. 9 is way too early to be focused on the wild card for any team.

There is no hard and fast rule about when to start watching. Jay Buhner went ballistic in August 1995 when the people at Seattle's Kingdome rearranged the pennants used for the AL West standings according to the wild-card standings.

Following Buhner's eruption, the Mariners went on a roll that not only landed them the AL West crown, but saved baseball in Seattle.

As for when it's permissible to watch the wild-card standings, my vote would be for the day after Labor Day.