Major League Baseball, perhaps saddened by the loss of their marquee teams from this year’s World Series (which starts on Wednesday night, for some reason), might be open to expanding their postseason format, according to the new head of the players’ union. Baseball, which expanded its playoff tournament to 8 teams in 1994, still admits fewer teams into its postseason than any other major professional sport. Including NASCAR.

“Certainly some of the players have said either we should shorten the regular season because the regular season’s too long, or we should shorten the regular season to accommodate expanded postseason,” [MLB Union head Michael] Weiner said, adding that would have “revenue implications for the industry.”

“That is one of the ideas that they are kicking around. But having said that, we understand that a proposal to reduce the length of the regular season will be viewed one way by the owners as opposed to a proposal to expand or modify the structure of the postseason.” –Y! Sports.

Just admit everyone. How else are the Pirates gonna have another chance to win a playoff series? This will just be the first step toward a 11-month regular season. Hey, it’s gonna happen. Just wake me up when they get to the metal bats; I can’t wait for every sport to have its own concussion issue.

Texas Rangers pitcher and Yankee-killing mercenary Cliff Lee gave his team a 2-1 lead in the ALCS last night after totally skullf:cking the Yankees high-priced lineup. Lee took the mound to start Game 3 and went eight innings, striking out 13 and surrendering only two hits. And as if that wasn’t enough, the Rangers scored six runs in the ninth inning to lock up the win.

From a career of humble beginnings, he’s starting to run with men such as Koufax, as Gibson, as Hershiser. At 32, Lee reached his prime just as his ballclubs began reaching October, and the result is eight playoff starts, seven wins and a 1.26 ERA. Over three starts and 24 innings this postseason alone, he’s let in two runs, struck out 34 and walked one.

I get that if you want to field a team in New York City and expect people to come out to see it, you have to get elite talent, just like Broadway acquires the best stage actors, or how Skeezy Pete’s on 145th Street gets the finest hos. So I’m not bothered by the $200-million-plus payroll that the Yankees have. But that won’t stop me from waving that number in the faces of Yankees fans if their team doesn’t reach the World Series. Stop laughing, Phillies fan. You’re next…

Believe it or not, people make fun of Florida a lot, like we’re all a bunch of gun-toting, white trash, religious zealot, Tebow-worshiping, orange farmers who don’t know the difference between a butterfly ballot and Casey Anthony (Hint – butterfly ballots don’t kill babies… allegedly). But what my beloved state’s critics don’t realize is that the one thing we have going for us is a big, macho, naturally tanned governor that won’t put up with people making fun of this great state. Especially while he’s trying to get elected to the U.S. Senate. Nope, there will be no making fun of Florida on Charlie Crist’s watch.

Especially not with any video of him throwing the first pitch at last night’s Game 2 of the American League Divisional Series between the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and the Texas Rangers at Tropicana Field. No sir, there wouldn’t be any reason to make fun of Charlie after the jump.

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The Philadelphia Phillies put together a strong opening to their postseason; they scored four runs in the first two innings against a young Cincinnati Reds team. Oh yeah, and their ace Roy Halladay threw the second no-hitter in playoff history. It was Halladay’s first start in any playoff series.

“It’s surreal, it really is,” Halladay said. “I just wanted to pitch here, to pitch in the postseason. To go out and have a game like that, it’s a dream come true.”

Don Larsen is the only other pitcher to throw a postseason no-hitter. He tossed a perfect game for the New York Yankees in the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers. The 54th anniversary of Larsen’s gem is this Friday. –Y! Sports.

More baseball: The Yankees came back to beat the Twins and somehow the Rangers got past the Rays for 1-0 leads in those respective series, the latter of which I find surprising. But one would be foolish to overlook a team whose manager says he only did cocaine once and somehow got everyone to believe him. The layers of magic involved in that are almost unquantifiable.

The thing that impressed me about Philadelphia’s celebration of the Phillies’ second straight NL pennant was that it seemed so exuberant, as if they hadn’t even won the World Fuggin’ Series the year before. But then these gentlemen decide that they’re ready to go home and they decide to actually get ON the cab instead of IN it. But then those two hotties pull him out of the street, and I think, “Hey, maybe this guy’s onto something here.”

More badass Philly vids at The Fightins.

Major League Baseball recently concluded an investigation regarding an SB Nation report that Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera was caught spitting on the baseball during his appearance in Game 3 of the ALCS yesterday. Rivera was seen spitting in the general direction of the ball before the camera cut away to Angels manager Mike Scioscia. Emphasis added:

he initial reaction by the league had been that the video plus still pictures they have of the incident were inconclusive if Rivera actually spit on or near the ball. But after further review of what it had, the Commissioners Office determined that Rivera was not spitting directly on the ball.

On still pictures in MLB’s possession, it apparently looks as if Rivera is spitting near, but not on, the ball. Also, as even the league office is aware, Rivera is a player who spits constantly while in action. NYPost, via SB Nation.

Whatever. Pitchers that cheat are the ones that really do a disservice to the game. You think I want to spend three hours watching a 1-0 game? Actually, I do like those, but the girls I take to the game can never sit still through them. I blame the lack of offense. Or maybe it’s crabs. vid from Deadspin.