I'm pretty sure this one doesn't need a setup (click for larger). Thanks to SF for the pic....


Shame on you, Mark Buehrle!!!

Mark Buehrle threw a perfect game this afternoon, and while that feat is amazing in its own right, the play that kept it going in the ninth was even more amazing. The first batter of the ninth, Gabe Kapler, sent a drive to the centerfield wall, and Dwayne Wise went up and robbed the would-be first baserunner of the game. Here's your look at the play and the final out....

Just unbelievable performances by both Buehrle and Wise, and an absolutely amazing ending to the 18th Perfect Game thrown in Major League history.

See, the Rays have some celebrity fans. I'd take Paul Azinger's support any day.

Natch, there's other stuff besides football today, and if you're gonna spend a good chunk of your day on TBS watching baseball, share with us! The Dodgers finished off the Cubs, and Tampa Bay, Philly, and Boston have the opportunity to do the same to their opponents today.

Philadelphia Phillies at Milwaukee Brewers (Game #4, 1pm)- Brian Anderson, Joe Simpson, John Smoltz and David Aldridge
Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox (Game #3, 4pm)- Don Orsillo, Harold Reynolds and Marc Fein
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Boston Red Sox (Game #3, 7pm)- Chip Caray, Buck Martinez and Craig Sager

After seeing Sager's lime green sport coat/yellow tie with pink flowers get-up on Friday, I'm curious to see what he can dig out that's louder as far as fashion goes.

Man that was a heck of a game. Sure it was low scoring, and a pitching duel, but the crowd at the Cell made every out and every pitch that much more intense. Here's the way it ended and if you haven't seen it yet....I won't ruin it for you (just don't read below until after you watch)....

Sure walkoffs are amazing, but a great defensive play like that with a relatively fast runner up....takes a ton of balls. We're glad to have you White Sox, and Chicago is going to be rockin' this October.

One of the great benefits of working from home is being able to watch daytime events, like Playoff Baseball and the NCAA Tournament, without having to come up with new lies every year to tell to your boss. I always love to help those out who are stuck at work, or don't have access to the game, so this spot will serve as your goto for updates, quotes and videos of the game.

Dave O'Brien, Orel Hershiser and Steve Phillips are on the call for the game airing on ESPN2 and your pitching matchup is Freddy Garcia against Gavin Floyd. Leave your predictions and thoughts in the comment section and I'll update this spot throughout the game.

Update: The tarp is on the field and we're looking at a bit of a rain delay. Dave O'Brien promises Baseball in a few, so I'll update you when I know what the start time is.

Update #2: It's 5pm and we're underway! Orel Hershiser is talking about energy bars and eight track players for some reason. They must have gone stir-crazy during this three hour delay. If anything exciting goes down I'll be sure to grab the video and put it up in this spot. If not, I'll see you for Monday Night Football.

Update #3: Alexei Ramirez broke a 2-2 with a grand slam in the sixth and the White Sox are currently batting in the bottom of the 8th. I'll have video of that and the final few outs up shortly following the game.

Update #4: The Sox win it 8-2 and there will be a one-game Playoff tomorrow with the Twins coming to Chicago. The game will air on on TBS at 7:30pm.

CC Sabathia gave up one run and four hits in his seventh complete game since being traded to Milwaukee, got a 2-run homer from Ryan Braun in the 8th, and then watched as the Mets' bullpen gave up 2 solo homers in the eighth to lose to the Marlins. Thus, the Brewers will be heading to Philadelphia to take on the Phillies, and the Dodgers are on their way to Wrigley for a series with the Cubs.

That leaves the AL Central yet to be decided, because both the Twins and White Sox won today. The Sox host the Tigers tomorrow; if Detroit wins, the Twins will head to Tampa Bay to take on the Rays. If Chicago wins, there will be a play in with the Twins on Tuesday.

As for the Mets themselves......blarrrgghhh. That stupid bullpen was going to be the death of them, and honestly, I'm shocked that Jerry Manuel could get them that close to a playoff spot with a pen that blew saves with that kind of regularity. As a fan, I don't think we need to change too much offensively -- a few more clutch hits wouldn't hurt anyone -- but Omar Minaya needs to spend money to revamp the pen.

Our condolences, Mets fans....and goodbye Shea....

Hey, it's NFL Sunday, but we can't ignore baseball today because we have some DRAMA!!!! for you! The Mets are finishing up against the Marlins on TBS today (if the rain lets up), and the Brewers take on the Cubs an hour later for NL Wild Card rights (those of you with WGN on the cable or satellite or the appropriate Fox Sports channel will get to see this). Both teams wins, both teams lose, it means a play-in game.

Hopefully Oliver Perez can be as "gangsta" as Johan Santana was yesterday. LET'S GO METS!

The AL Central's a bit more complicated. Minnesota is a half game up on the White Sox, so if the Twins beat the Royals and the White Sox lose to the Indians, it's done. If both teams win or the Twins lose and the White Sox win, the South Siders host Detroit for a make-up game, which could lead to a tiebreaker game.

Treat this as your baseball open thread.

Over the years, Hawk Harrelson has some crazy things when it comes to his White Sox. Being the most homerific announcer in Baseball doesn't help things and neither does blaming the teams road woes on varying sound waves within certain stadiums. From Sox Machine via Big League Stew

Hawk (revealed his) totally insane theory on how home field advantage is grounded in the way that sound waves affect the subconscious minds of players.

According to Hawk, who stated that he has been formulating this theory for thirty years, the subconscious 'eats whatever the conscious feeds it,' and when the sound waves in a stadium "bounce around" the inside of a player's skull, it creates "positive vibes" or "negative vibes," depending on whether that player is home or away. There you have it folks--the science of home field advantage.

Now I don't know the intricacies of how these elements (vibes, sound waves, the conscious and subconscious mind) interact — perhaps I wasn't listening closely enough — but Hawk rambled on about this for the duration of half an inning. The hilarious part is the fact that this wasn't enough for DJ, who, after a commercial break, brought it up again and asked Hawk to delve deeper into his theory. "Now I don't know anything about sound waves," Hawk clarified before summarizing his theory once again. Really, Hawk? No formal training in acoustics? He was probably too busy studying how the conscious "feeds the subconscious." Whatever, though. I was just waiting for Hawk to command DJ to board the Spruce Moose at gunpoint.

Wow. I don't even know where to even start with that one. I mean noises can obviously distract players, but "positive and negative vibes" whether you're on the road? That's a little too "New Wave" for me. Hopefully Steve Stone can rein Hawk in a bit next season before he starts wearing tin-foil hats into the booth.

Hawk Harrelson believes 'sound' is key to winning and losing (Big League Stew)
Four goats feeding on plastic grass (Sox Machine)

So if you are/were a Cubs/White Sox fan that was either watching Playoff games this October at a Wrigley/Cell-area bar, or heading to one after you attended the game, what is the worst news that I could pass along to you? (Think about it for a second and then move onto the next paragraph)

Chicago's Mayor, Richard Daley, is seriously asking that bars near both parks cut of alcohol sales after the 7th inning of series-clinching games during these upcoming Playoffs. No, not at the ballpark like they've always done....at EVERY surrounding bar as well. Via Chicago Breaking News....

Mayor Richard Daley said today the city will ask bars near Chicago's baseball stadiums to voluntarily cut off alcohol sales after the seventh inning of home games where the Cubs or White Sox could clinch a playoff series.

While other city officials cautioned that they had yet to discuss the plan with bar owners, the mayor said it was a no-brainer.

"What we're asking is common sense. You can drink as much beer for seven innings as you want," Daley said. "Give me a break. This is common sense, that's all it is. We're asking for the cooperation of everyone."

Asked what he would tell business owners who fear a loss of business, Daley replied, "I'll have somebody buy their place tomorrow ... If you've been drinking for five hours and you're laying on the floor, don't give that person another beer.

"I mean, give me a break ... It's not going to cost them any business. They made enough money all year, I'm sorry. We're just talking about common sense."

Ummm....no. That's not common sense actually. The only thing this plan will accomplish will either be, a riot, or assuring that your ass isn't going to get re-elected. If people want to drink, or continue to drink, they're going to find a way. Pissing off business owners, and Baseball fans, by doing this seems like a very bad idea if you ask me, but I'm not paid to make decisions like this. Thank god because I would probably try and make booze free or something, which could ultimately have the same effect.

Ballpark area bars could go dry after 7th (Chicago Breaking News)

This video via Franky at Denseland just had me rolling this morning. A squirrel got loose on the field during the ninth inning of the White Sox- Indians game yesterday and proceeded to amaze and entertain for most of the frame....

That little guy had to be on acid or something, but I really want him as a pet. Hell, the Indians should turn him into a version of the Rally Monkey and start selling little plush versions of him at the ballpark. Oh and the announcer's comment about him playing third in the shift was hilarious. Good times.