Declaring that “the Astros have no chance now”, Newsday’s Ken Davidoff is pretty convinced that the NLCS is already over.

The list of teams that takes this type of October punch and recovers is nearly nonexistent. In recent history, at least, I can think of only one remotely similar example, the 1998 Padres, who imploded in Game 5 against the Braves before recovering to prevail in the NLCS. And even that Padres club melted down in the eighth. They didn’t allow the clock to tick down so low.

On the other side, you have the 1986 Angels, who blew a 3-1 lead in games to the Red Sox after Dave Henderson took Donnie Moore (above, right) deep, and then the 1986 Red Sox, of course, who led the Mets by two with no one on – the exact same scenario as last night – before Gary Carter, Kevin Mitchell, Ray Knight and Mookie Wilson teamed to ruin Bill Buckner’s life in Game 6 of that World Series

And don’t forget last year’s Yankees, who came within three outs of an ALCS sweep before their dominant closer, Mariano Rivera, turned things around, allowing the Red Sox to tie up Game 4 and begin their mind-blowing comeback.

Throw in the Astros’ own tortured history – such close NLCS calls in 1980, 1986 and last year – and, well, sorry, but Cardinals manager Tony “Steroids? What are they?” La Russa should start reading his White Sox scouting reports right now.