FINALLY!

***YANKS CLINCH PLAYOFF SPOT***
Held in check for about a week by the tight grip on the reins by manager Joe Girardi, the Yankees finally allowed him to take a deep breath last night in Toronto. You could see the look of determination on the face of CC Sabathia as he took the mound in the 1st inning, as he simply overpowered the Blue Jays for 8 1/3 innings. Rivera finished up to continue the tradition of Mo' getting the last out in a clinching game. I think they also wanted to test the corrections Eiland made to Mo's mechanics. The results were indecisive.
CC is their Ace, the Stopper, the Big Gun in the Yanks' rotation, hearkening back to the hallowed names of Ron Guidry and Whitey Ford, those pitchers you KNEW would win the critical game for the Yanks.
No major blasts, no 5-run innings, just a few timely fly balls, some speed on the base paths and a couple of helpful calls by the home plate umpire, Mark Carlson. After watching CC's first inning, the feeling was that the Yanks were in no danger of losing and the game never really felt as close as the score.

***WHAT'S THE BEST POSITION?***
1st place or the wild card? It's really hard to say at this point. I thought all along the Yanks would be better off playing the Rangers because of their inexperience in post-season competition and the fact that their best hitter, Josh Hamilton, was hurting. Of course, there is always Cliff Lee lurking in the shadows. To play them however, means finishing 1st.
On the other hand, the Twins have a lot of health problems right now. Morneau is likely done for the year, Mauer is hurting, as is their SS and Jim Thome. Two of their starting pitchers aren't up to par either, and the Twins are weak in that department anyway. But don't count out Gardenhire; he always seems to find a way to get the best out of what he has. Not having to worry about winning the division allows Girardi to rest his oldtimers (and there are a few) and set up his rotation for the playoffs.
Picasner says: Go for the Twins.

***THE RAYS MOUTH OFF***
David Price and Evan Longoria have publicly stated that they are "embarrassed" by the lack of support of the Tampa Bay fans. It's not a good idea to lambaste the people who pay your salary, but the players are right. In a stadium holding 36,000+, less than 18,000 fans showed up to watch the Rays clinch a playoff position last night. Vod claims the stadium is beautiful, the seats are all good and the attendants are friendly and helpful. What's the problem? If Tampa's front office decides that they can't afford certain players this winter, the fans must shoulder some of that responsibility.

***ONE RACE LEFT***
San Francisco, San Diego and Atlanta are battling for the last two playoff spots. It appears that San Fran will probably win the West and Atlanta will garner the wild card. However, none of the three figure to last very long in the post-season.

***ON THE LIGHTER SIDE***
Janice Hough (Left Coast Sports Babe) outdid herself yesterday:
"Tonight, temperamental Chicago hurler Carlos Zambrano stepped up big time and the Cubs hung on for a 1-0 win over the San Diego Padres. Grateful Giants fans are considering sacrificing a water cooler in Zambrano’s honor."
Also from Janice: Bill Littlejohn says:
“Stanford’s FB/LB Owen Marecic became the first player to score both ways at Notre Dame since a 1976 campus visit by David Bowie.”

From RJ Currie, Sports Deke.com:
"A group of paleontologists said this week they've discovered a dinosaur with a horn on each side of a protective head covering. Okay, raise your hand if you thought of Brett Favre."
And one more from RJ (pay attention, now):
"Pittsburgh officials voted last week to level the Penguins' old home, Mellon Arena. In a related story, Life & Style reports Heidi Montag wants her size G implants removed."

From the King of the punsters, the "Great" Dwight Perry:
"The Seahawks released offensive lineman Mansfield Wrotto on Tuesday.
There went plans for a Wrotto Rooters fan club."
Yeah, I know.

CP-