Tampa Bay Rays clinch American League East Division title 3

I'm a long time (very long time) Red Sox fan, but I'm pleased to see the Rays win the division. Perennial doormats, I like other fans and some sportswriters picked them to improve this year, but I never imagined anything like this. They had a least a share of first since back in June or so, and fought off every challenge mounted by a powerful and experienced Sox team. Its noteworthy that since the advent of division play in 1994, the division has sent 24 teams to the playoffs (14 winners and 10 wild cards, no playoffs in 1994) 13 of those have been the Yankees, 8 of them the Red Sox, 2 of them the Orioles, and finally the Rays. As to division winners, its been the Yankees 10 times, the Sox twice and Orioles and Rays once. The last time that any team other than the Sox or Yankees made the playoffs out of this division was 1997. Maybe its no big deal, and maybe the Rays will fold in the playoffs, but I like seeing a change in the old order. And I particularly like it being at the expense of the Yankees missing the playoffs after 13 straight seasons.