White Sox. Twins. Tonight. For The Playoffs. Be There.

Introducing the only player in the majors whom we're sure isn't on steroids. Powered by Alexei Ramirez's sixth-inning grand slam and the encouraging signage of a large hunk of 1970s shag carpeting, the White Sox extended the American League regular season one more day with a 8-2 win over the Tigers. (Remember the Tigers, and how back in March we all thought they were going to win 120 games? Good times). It all sets up a play-in showdown with the Twins tonight to determine baseball's final playoff berth, opposite baseball's traditional juggernaut, Tampa Bay. Tickets for tonight's affair at The Cell sold out in about 10 minutes, and are now going for a very reasonable $100 each to sit in the outfield. Oh, and also it's a blackout! So wear your Oakland Raiders clothing. By the way, ever wonder why this game isn't being played in Minnesota? The Twins lost two coin flips a couple of weeks ago. Tonight it'll be Chicago's John Danks, working on three days' rest for the first time this season, vs. Nick Blackburn, who has given up 12 earned runs in his past two road games, but will be highly motivated tonight. That's because of these recent Ozzie Guillen quotes, the first culled from the last time Chicago faced him.

''I don't give credit to the guys that don't deserve credit,'' Guillen said of Blackburn. ''Believe me, I give credit to the pitcher when they deserve it. We didn't get the clutch hit, it wasn't because of the way he pitched.'' And here's what he said Monday about Blackburn: ''I'll take my chances against him if he pitches the way he pitched against us last time. He didn't pitch well. When you've got the bullpen warming up in the second inning ... we just don't approach him in the right way.''

Now if only we could get Ozzie to Washington to use his diplomatic skills to iron out this financial bailout mess. Final question: Are there ANY Twins fans within the sound of my voice? If so, make some noise! Write in and support your team. If you could just cough ... All Tied, And Tide Has Turned [Chicago Sun-Times]