Shea boo birds should give these Mets a break  —  Luis Ayala of the Mets kneels on the mound after giving up a home run in the 10th inning.  (Newsday/David L. Pokress / September 24, 2008)  —  The challenge for the Mets in the next four games is to find a way to make the playoffs despite …

Jays might be better off without Burnett  —  A.J. Burnett, in possibly his last game as a Jay, salutes the home crowd.  “It was storybook,” Burnett said of the sendoff on Sept. 24, 2008.  —  If last night's game indeed brought down the curtain on A.J. Burnett's Jays career …

Short rest a gamble  —  Guillen stakes season on top three starters  —  Give Mark Buehrle a ton of credit.  —  He made the biggest pitch he had to in a 121-pitch stress test, sawing off Justin Morneau with a 2-0 cut fastball that ran in on his hands in the second inning.

Part 2: Winter moves may hit M's hard at plate  —  There is one distraction Raul Ibanez has been unable to block out as he puts together one of his finest seasons.  —  Ibanez compares himself to “a racehorse with blinders on” because of the way he can focus on nothing more than the task ahead.

Unconventional Wisdom: Breaking down the Mets bullpen … If the Mets miss the playoffs this year, they'll remember Aug. 2 as the day their season irrevocably turned.  In the ninth inning of a game against the Astros, interim manager Jerry Manuel summoned Billy Wagner to protect a 4-2 lead.

Cakes on Moose  —  We debated last week, right here at The School of Roch, whether Mike Mussina belonged in the Hall of Fame.  —  Who better to ask than a Hall of Famer who's seen him pitch plenty of times?  —  I just got off the phone with Jim Palmer, not realizing that he's on the West Coast …

Ten thoughts about the free-agent market  —  For eight teams and more than 200 players, the season will go on past Sunday.  For 22 teams and some 600 players, the season ends on Sunday, which is why there is already lots of underground talk about the offseason to come.

Cabrera greases his exit by calling out teammates  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Give Orlando Cabrera credit: Between hands of Texas Hold 'Em, playing dominoes and mastering the art of the five-minute change, shower and dash after games, the White Sox shortstop has found time to set the stage for his exit from the South Side.

The worst general managers in sports history  —  We may have a contender for best fan reaction to a sports event, ever.  From ESPN.com's story on Matt Millen's firing:  —  “I've been a season-ticket holder for 28 years and because they fired Matt Millen, I'm going to renew,” said Detroit Lions fan Eddie Gates.

Game 159: Yankees at Blue Jays  —  YANKEES (87-71)  —  Carl Pavano (4-1, 4.99) vs. the Toronto hitters.  —  Roy Halladay (19-11, 2.81) vs. the New York hitters.  —  Notes: The Yankees have won seven straight and 10 of 11. ...  The Yankees are four games ahead ofthe fourth-place Jays with four games to play. ...

Chances of a Tie  —  Looking at the Postseason Odds Report this morning...  Tampa leads Boston by three games with four to play.  There is a 4.03% chance that the two teams finish in a tie.  If they do, Tampa will be the division winner and Boston will be the wild card, thanks to the Rays' 10-8 victory in their season series.