1
I've ALWAYS preferred a gloriously embarressing swing-and-a-miss (which could have turned the fate of the contest) to the meek groundout to second. If you're going to fail, fail big--and if you're going to win, win big.
The path to contention is pretty narrow for these M's, but it's not closed. They're going to need to be bold, creative, and probably a little bit lucky. But they can make some noise if they choose to do so.