The Jays might not be first, or even second, come september. But they surely won't be easy pickings for the Yanks and Sox, either.

Speaking of the Red Sox ring ceremony. I absolutely loved the crowd reaction to Mariano Rivera being introduced - a standing ovation. Even better, Rivera tipping his cap and grinning to the Fenway Faithful. With that small gesture he gained a little bit of respect in my eyes. Most of his Yankee teammates just stood there stonefaced.

And what about Pedro telling the Sox to take his ring and shove it? Think that had anything to do with the mysterious delay during the Mets/Astros game yesterday, when (about the time the ceremony was starting in Boston) a big Shea Stadium billboard with Pedro's face on it got stuck mid-rotation. Was the sponsor who paid for the other side of the billboard that adamant about stopping the game and fixing the glitch? Was there a higher power at work here?