Bombers sweep Sox, clinch AL East crown  —  The Yankees finally can christen their new home with Champagne after they clinched the American League East title and home field advantage in the playoffs Sunday afternoon against - of all teams - their bitter rivals, the Red Sox.

Mets 4, Marlins 0: Dress-up time  —  Pat Misch shut out the Marlins on the one-year anniversary of the last time a Met blanked a team with a complete game, when Johan Santana had a shutout against Florida in the second-to-last game at Shea Stadium.  And Jeff Francoeur homered and took away a homer with a leaping catch.

Keeping Uribe seems obvious  —  (09-27) 21:23 PDT San Francisco — There exists a player who sounds as though he wants to be a Giant next year.  This year, he is hitting .299 in 378 at-bats.  Project his numbers over 500 at-bats and he would have 20 homers and 70 RBIs.

Don't the Dodgers need to sign Colletti long-term?  The answer is Blowin' in the Wind  —  I'm usually loathe to start any bit of prose with a question.  But with the Dodgers having clinched the playoffs for the third time in the last four years, is it not time for management to re-up Ned Colletti?

Leader's choice: Yanks decide ALDS setup  —  With league's best record, New York determines length  —  NEW YORK — The Yankees have clinched.  Now they must choose.  —  For the third consecutive season, by virtue of winning the All-Star Game, the American League team with the best record …

Nats Lose to Braves Again, Drop 51 Games Under .500  —  It is the bleakest form of theater, watching the 2009 Washington Nationals in their final days, seeing them slump and stumble and lose almost without exception.  They lose even when they can't quite figure out why.

Bullpen issues led to 1964 Phillies collapse  —  JACK BALDSCHUN was the Brad Lidge of a generation that still bears the psychic scars of the most infamous collapse in baseball history.  I heard Ray Didinger say on WIP Saturday that the trauma of what happened to the 1964 Phillies nearly caused …

Realistic way to re-tool Mets  —  I think the Mets have a Polyanna problem.  —  They are overly susceptible to seeing the glass as half full.  That is how you could spend an offseason with a rotation of Johan Santana and question marks, and still arrogantly tell agents and other organizations …

PIRATES RALLY LATE, PREVENT DODGERS FROM CLINCHING NL WEST  —  PITTSBURGH — Right-fielder Andre Ethier misplayed Lastings Milledge's two-run single for an error that allowed the winning run to score, and the Pittsburgh Pirates rallied for four in the ninth inning to beat the Dodgers 6-5 …

Rockies tip Cards … DENVER(AP) Clint Barmes had the wind knocked out of him and a big welt on his forehead.  —  A small price to pay for a game-saving catch in the middle of a tight playoff race.  —  Colorado's second baseman made a diving grab in shallow right field to start a game-ending double play …