Here's what our pena had to say.

43.3% Minnesota + Boston
28.0% New York + Boston
15.9% Anaheim + Minnesota
12.7% New York + Anaheim

Yes, you should root for the Yankees in the first round of the playoffs. And a host of other suggestions that might seem incomprehensible at first ...

Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse.
When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble; give a whistle!
And this'll help things turn out for the best...

And so it comes to an end. Soon, 161 games will be in the books, and then it'll all finally be over: the disappointment, the frustration, the heartache, the anger, the finger-pointing, and the general unpleasantness. And that was just the Game Threads. [rimshot]

But still it's farewell
And maybe we'll come back
To earth, who can tell?

I guess there is no one to blame
We're leaving ground
Will things ever be the same again?

The Canadian Press reports that John Cerutti was found dead in his hotel room Sunday morning.

No details of the death have been given at this time.

We at Batters Box pass on our condolences to John's friends and family. This is shocking and horrible news.

now I can't see anything.
I made a mistake, chalked it up to design.
I cracked through time/space, godless and dry.
I point my nose to the northern star,
and watch the decline from a hazy distance.

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays beat Detroit last night, a victory no doubt celebrated with champagne in the front office at Tropicana Field. With the win, the D-Rays assured themselves of escaping the AL East basement and finishing fourth for the first time in their brief history. The win also guaranteed another fact: with their worst record in 23 years, the Toronto Blue Jays are going to finish Dead Freakin' Last in 2004. They will choose either 4th, 5th or 6th in next June's draft, depending on the Expos and Brewers' final weekend performances. Welcome, in other words, to rock bottom.

Now, for Jays fans, this indisputably stinks. But if you're the kind of person who likes to find just one thing to feel positive about: try this: this is only the second time Toronto has finished last in any full season since 1982. Since then, the DFL position has been apportioned thus:

Well it's all right, if you live the life you please
Well it's all right, doing the best you can
Well it's all right, as long as you lend a hand

As October begins, the Blue Jays return to Toronto to start their last home series of the year. Less than six months ago, they were about to start their first Skydome series of 2004, against the lowly Detroit Tigers. Attitudes and expectations could not be more different today than they were then.

The Alley Cats were the Blue Jays Low-A affiliate in the South Atlantic League this year. Next year, the low-A affiliate will be the Lansing Lugnuts of the Midwest League. Charleston drew 1,842 fans per game, well below league average, to old Watt Powell Park; they will be playing in a newly constructed stadium beginning next year.

A bird to bring my message home
Carry my obituary
My coffin doesn't have a phone

The Jays hope to salvage a split in the 4-game series and retain a faint hope of catching the Devil Rays for 4th place. The Rays were smoked by the Detroit Tigers 8-0 this afternoon and are tied 4-4 in the 8th of the second game of their doubleheader. The Jays sit 2 games behind Tampa Bay with 4 games to go.

As of Monday, Vernon Wells has 307 putouts, with an estimate of 334 balls in his "zone of responsibility". Zone rating (ZR) is simply balls caught per opportunity.

The play-by-play scorers make a note of exactly where in the field every ball landed or was caught using this grid: