The Curtain Falls on the Bronx...and No One Notices.

This weekend, on the way to their fifth postseason in six years, the Red Sox have the chance to do something that hasn't been seen since 1992. With a little help from the Toronto Blue Jays, the Red Sox could cement the New York Yankees into fourth place in the American League East. But surprisingly, the Yankees' demise and the closing of Yankee Stadium are not the top stories leading into the final week of the regular season. The buzz of the baseball world eminates from -- get this -- St. Petersburg, Florida, home of the (still) first-place Tampa Bay Rays.

I'm not exactly sure how we've gotten here. All of my baseball know-how and experience tells me that the Rays should've collapsed weeks ago, and the Red Sox should've taken their rightful place atop the division. Experts analyzed their schedule, pitching rotation, seemingly amateur lineup and the effect of life on extended road trips and surmised that Tampa Bay would go through an eventual decline that would see them slip into baseball obscurity once again. But we sit here on September 22nd with the Rays still holding a game-and-a-half lead over defending World Champion Boston. Not only that, they've already clinched a postseason berth. That's right, the Rays are going to the playoffs. No joke. The kickstart, young, vibrant team led by an unproven Joe Maddon -- whose Rivers-Cuomo-glasses make you wait for him to burst out in a chorus of "Say It Ain't So" -- has gone toe-to-toe with the league's giants. They've played the Red Sox six times over the past two weeks -- three in Boston, three in St. Petersburg -- and won each series. They've established an eight-game lead over the mighty bombers from the Bronx. They've positioned themselves to host a Divisional Round series, seeing as how they hold the second-best record in the league. Some pundits -- granted, the same ones who predicted their "inevitable collapse" -- are picking them to reach the Fall Classic. Let that sink in for a moment.

It's not that the Rays are undeservedly stealing this glory. A characteristic of a championship ballclub is resiliency, and these no-name dirt dogs are as resilient as any team in recent memory. In the two aforementioned series with Boston, the Rays took heavy defeats in both opening games. How did they come back from those crushing losses? In Game 2 at Fenway, they sparked a ninth-inning rally against Jonathan Papelbon. Game 2 at Tropicana Field? The Rays overcame eight innings of one-run ball from Sox ace Josh Beckett and won in walkoff fashion against young righty Justin Masterson. These rallies have been led by less-than-household names: Andy Sonnanstine, Eric Hinske, Evan Longoria, Carlos Pena and Dioner Navarro come to mind. They don't exactly strike the same fear as an Alex Rodriguez would. Then again, Mr. Rodriguez will be playing golf this October.

I'm not sure how far this surge of improbable domination will carry Tampa Bay. Logic tells me that the unstoppable Ray-train will run out of coal in the Divisional Round, either against the White Sox or Angels. The furnace can only burn so hot for so long. But the Rays have been defying the odds all season. They were supposed to collapse in July, then August, then September. We're a week away from the end of the regular season, and still waiting. And while one of the most hallowed grounds in all of sports -- Yankee Stadium -- closed its doors last night, the eyes of the baseball world were still glimpsing a bit further south. It shouldn't be this way, right? It seems so surreal that the mighty franchise from the Bronx could be overshadowed by a team that draws less attendance than most Yankee spring training games. It seems so improbable that it borders on preposterous. That's exactly what the Rays have been feeding on all season.

Posted by Dan Zappulla, VendorBall Columnist.