A bone headed move by the Rays manager caused the outcome. But a win is a win.
Rays pitching is a mess right now, and it is looking more and more like they'll settle for the wild card.

The postseason is the postseason. Getting there is what counts.

If the Yankees hang on and win the division I think they have to play Texas in the first round. While it is tough being a wild card, in this case the second place team in the AL East may have an easier time of it in its first round.
Rays will fade after this season. Carl Crawford probably going to the Yankees, and because of poor attendance and a stadium controversy, the owners are cutting the payroll. If that happens Carlos Pena will also go, and Evan Longoria wont be far behind. Those are the core of this team, and if Boston doesnt shell out some $$ for youth, the AL East will belong to the Yankees for the foreseeable future.

Of course I want my boys to take it, but it's nice to see the Rays in the race. I'm so sick of the NY/Boston thing. I had the opportunity to see Miami play the Braves back in July. The Braves are playing so well, and I would have loved to see them, but we got hit with Tropical Storm Betsy (or was it Betty?) and didn't go.

I like to see new and different teams mixing it up.

That's REALLY coincidental, Babe.

Last month we took my daughter up to BC and we had tickets for the Red Sox-White Sox game, but that was the weekend of that big hurricane warning on the Atlantic Coast, so we blew off the game and had dinner at a nice Portuguese restaurant in Boston Common. Of course the whole storm blew out to sea by the time it got up north, but dinner was great .

I've been to Sun Life Stadium in Miami plenty of times, and you guys didn't miss anything. It's an awful place to see a baseball game. It was built for football, no matter what they try to tell you. I can't wait for the Marlins to get their own stadium in two years. It should be great!

We did get a fair amount of rain that day, and we went up to the Sawgrass Outlets instead. It seemed like a good day to spend some indoor time. All the trips we've made down there, I have yet to go to the Aventura Mall. My husband won't put up with spending time in a mall when he's paid for us to go to sunny Florida.

To get back on topic, the Yankees are ahead of the Rays right now. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Hoping for a split 2-2 series, and then hoping the Red Sox come to town and deliver a beating to the evil empire. BTW nice, tasteful monument to Steinbrenner.

The Red Sox? Doubtful. It's September, which is not usually their best time of year.

The Yankees usually take some time to build up a head of steam, and that's why they do so well in August and September when the rest of the teams are fading. They played so well earlier in the season that the opposite is true now.

Did I mention what a classy, tasteful, not over the top, not tacky "monument" to Steinbrenner is?

Rays won last night because after the rain there were only a few thousand fans in Yankee Stadium, and they thought they were playing a home game. I'll take a win tonight and a 2-2 series split and RUN!

Oy, are the Yankees getting their heads handed it to them right now! Good for your boys, DT!

You may have mentioned something about the tasteful monument.

M-E-T-S, METS! METS!! METS!!!

Great to see the Jedi defeat the Evil Empire!

Now THAT really would take a miracle!

To be fair, it was his stadium.

I didn't know the Rays lost!

Got free tickets to the game tonight

If they beat Boston tonight, they at least clinch for the Wild Card, right? Of course, considering how badly they've had their asses beaten this last week, that's not exactly a given.

RAYS CLINCH!!!!!!!!

Yankees, too!!!!!!!

Congrats, DT. See you in the playoffs.

And whoever emerges victorious wins an ass kicking...South Philly style.

You WISH!

You WISH! [/quote]

It's officially ON.

Could someone please tell me how the Yankees ended up in first place without even playing? That's a rhetorical question, btw. I don't need anyone to actually explain it to me.

And, Klyd, the Phillies' ass is grass and the Yankees are a lawnmower.

Let's skip the playoffs and get to the main event.

How about we actually end up in first place before a comment like that?

Well we were in first place yesterday when I wrote that!!!!!

The Rays did the Yankees a favor by winning the division, because Texas would have destroyed them. I have a feeling the Rays and Yankees will meet again in these playoffs. And the Rays will win because they have better pitching (C.C. cannot pitch every day) better speed, and they are younger.

According to YES, Sergio Mitre and Dustin Moseley were added to the Yankees' ALDS roster. Javier Vazquez, Chad Gaudin and Royce Ring did not. A.J. Burnett will be available out of the bullpen.

I think I'd almost rather have Vazquez in the pen rather than Burnett at this point.

ALCS rotation: CC, Hughes, Pettitte, Burnett (ugh), CC, Hughes, Pettitte

A little scary with AJ, but I guess it makes sense to save Hughes and Pettite for possible 6/7 games.

And the good thing is we should only have to face Lee twice (Games 3 & 7).