I became a Red Sox fan in '67 and sometime in the mid to late '70's I remember hearing either Ned Martin or Jim Woods on the radio mention that the Sox were the only team to finish at or above 0.500 from '67 up to that point. Since then finishing 0.500 has been the Mendoza Line for a season for me. There have been seasons where we've seen them blow past the 81 win mark around Labor Day, there have been years where they'd need a 10+ game winning streak starting around September 20 to make it, and there have been years where it comes down to the final week. This year could still be one of those final week years. Nothing beats a World Series or even a playoffs year, but is finishing 0.500 a worthwhile goal or a trivial pursuit?