Very retro. Like formica. I like it.

And in instances in which two teams from the same division are guaranteed to make the playoffs, MLB does not use a one-game playoff, instead relying on head-to-head records to break the tie.

Am I wrong, or is there a hanging deixis in the last sentence? That "two teams from the same division" seems equally to apply to either of the pairs in the first sentence, and I have no idea what the author is attempting to say. Except that the stupid White Sox clinched the AL Central, for reasons esoteric.

The short version is this: Say the Red Sox, Yanks, and Indians end up 95-67. The Sox and Yanks would have a one-game playoff to determine who gets the division title.

Say the Yanks win:

New York 96-67
Boston 95-68
Cleveland 95-67

Cleveland would be one game ahead of Boston in the loss column and would be the wild card. This is because a division or wildcard playoff count as part of the REGULAR SEASON standings. There is no provision for a situation like this in the current rules, something that MLB, the MLBPA, and fans have known since we went to the three-division alignment in 1994.

The easiest solution would be to not have a division playoff, instead awarding the division pennant to the team with the best head-to-head record, with the second-place team dropping into a wild-card playoff. Unfortunately, this wasn't addressed in the 2002 labor pact, but a "nightmare scenario" where one of the Sox or Yanks gets left out would probably bring about a reasonable solution.

There's been talk, too, that Selig wants to go to a 10-team playoff where two teams would play one game to determine the wild card. There isn't a lot of support for that in the baseball community.

Betsy, don't let Toyota hear you call your car that. They started the Scion line to be cars that adults don't want to drive, so younger drivers could feel all trendy and differentiated and shit, and then subliminally become addicted to the rest of the Toyota offerings. They'd trade you for a 21 year old in a second.

When I was in LA, I was shocked at how many cars actually had flames on them, up to and including a minivan. We don't have that here.

Maybe in the case of the minivan, the flames were ironic.

Whatever they were, they were hilarious.

Also, I am super happy right now because I bought some frozen Goya taquitos last night, and not only are they yummers, they came with salsita!!

Vaughn=priest on TNT right now!

I think I've said this about every guest this week, but I think Jerry O'Connell on Ellen might be the cutest thing ever. Adorkable!

Jerry is always adorable on Ellen!!!

Not a surprise, but I'd be verra pleased to see Nathan on Ellen.

How worrisome is it that I have a lump on the rim of my eyelid that wasn't there this morning? It's small and hard and slightly painful to the touch.