Three weeks ago everything was as cool as Sam Malone in Boston, Mass.

The Sawx were winning, cruising toward an American League East title, or at the very worst a wild card spot.

The clam chowder was thick and steamy. The Fenway Franks plump and juicy.

Then something happened, something crazy, unpredictable and unfathomable.

It was called “baseball.”

Baseball is perhaps the most unpredictable of all the major sports. Some would argue the NFL earns that title, but the season is shorter, relatively speaking, than the MLB and therefore, less shenanigans can occur.

Plus, baseball is all about the odd and the weird.

Even Fox Mulder and Dana Scully couldn’t figure this out.

Just look at the final night of the regular season for an example of how unpredictable the sport can be:

• Dan Johnson was the hero for the Tampa Bay Rays when he hit a two-out, two-strike solo home run in the bottom of the ninth against the N.Y. Yankees to force extra innings.

Yes, the same Dan Johnson whose last hit before his dramatic home run came on

April 27.Yes, the same Dan Johnson who had a batting average of .169 over the previous three seasons before that clutch homer.A more legit hero emerged for the Rays a few innings later against the 11th pitcher the Yanks trotted out to the mound. Evan Longoria homered off of Scott Proctor minutes after the Red Sox blew a one-run lead with two outs and no one on in the ninth against the Orioles.Go figure.• The Red Sox weren’t the only team to suffer a Three Mile Island-like meltdown.The Atlanta Braves also coughed up a nine-game lead in the wild card race.How the Braves lost their grip on a playoff spot was just as bizarre.Rookie closer Craig Kimbrel toed the rubber in a save situation with a one-run lead against the Phillies in the ninth Wednesday night. The right-hander had 46 saves and a 2.00 ERA, so this sort of thing was old hat.He had 127 strikeouts and only 32 walks this season and hadn’t issued a free pass since Sept. 12.So, what does he do? He chucks 12 wide ones to load the bases and eventually blew the save.The Phillies went on to win in extra innings.• Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon hadn’t lost a game all season — until game No. 162.He coughed up a one-run lead after striking out the first two Baltimore Oriole batters he faced in the bottom of the ninth.If this was the first course, who knows what kind of feast the playoffs will offer us this October.Mike Kilroy is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.