And so I accept the defeat of the Boston Red Sux on Wednesday night and happily go on with the business of celebrating the New York Yankees' ninth consecutive division title.

I believe it was the late, great Jackie Gleason who so eloquently coined the phrase that is apropos every year around this time in the Bronx: "How sweeeeeet it is!"

During the post-game locker room celebration, Kim Jones asked Derek Jeter if "it ever gets old." She asks this every year when spring training begins, on Opening Day, and when the Yankees clinch another Al East title. Of course it never gets old, you dingbat. The only thing that gets old is that dumb question. (Has anyone ever said, "yes?" Why ask the damn thing?)

Some Notes on the Division Title:

• So much for the depleted farm system. Chien-Ming Wang, Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera were invaluable this season, as was Scott Proctor, who began his Yankees career, after a trade from the Dodgers, in Columbus. They join Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Bernie Williams as Clippers alums. We also acquired Alex Rodriguez in a one-for-one trade for former home-grown star Alfonso Soriano. Still trying to think of minor-leaguers we traded away that turned into superstars, without getting one of the greatest left-side infielders of all-time in return.

• Even I doubted the Yankees' ability to come back this season. A-Rod was doing his slump thing, Randy Johnson couldn't protect four-run leads, Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield were out indefinitely, and there was a time when nearly every regular was missing games with fluky injuries. We were completely outclassed by the Mets in May, got dropped, 19-1, by the Indians on July 4, and I didn't think we had the horses. And here we are, after dusting the division, including a Blue Jays team that reloaded in the offseason, and I couldn't be prouder of the way everyone stayed the course.

• There's no question this week's Sports Illustrated cover story on A-Rod is being overblown to the point where Terrell Owens is getting jealous. What were the bombshell revelations, that Giambi cursed when he told Alex his hits were shit in Boston? But here's why there is a story there, albeit a mild one: the Yankees have never, ever circled the wagons and told someone to get the fuck off Alex. During the postgame celebration, Kim Jones said to Jeter, "I just saw you and Alex have a hug. A lot of people never thought they'd see that." Knowing the news of the day — the SI piece was ESPN's lead on the 6 p.m. SportsCenter — and given an opportunity to say A-Rod is an equal part of a 25-man team that fought through plenty of challenges this season, Jeter said, "We've hugged before. We've been together awhile." Uh, way to defuse the situation, Captain. I really think a lot of guys just plain don't like A-Rod.

• I don't know if it's a testament to Rivera's amazing consistency over the years, of if the sports media is just a bunch of idiots, that the A-Rod thing is a huge story, while it hardly gets mentioned that the person everyone considers to the most valuable Yankee pitcher of the past decade is suffering from lingering arm trouble.

• Bobby Abreu. Holy crap, what a pick-up. I thank all Yankees fans, the most numerous in baseball and the real "nation," for helping me provide the funding for such a difference-maker. Yeah, tickets are expensive, and beers are expensive, but it's worth it, no? I mean, it beats paying the highest ticket prices in baseball to sit on top of a wall to watch a second-class franchise.

• For awhile, I didn't even want to read about the possible returns of Matsui and Sheffield. I felt like it was a tease, and that, even if they did return, they weren't gonna be the same. But it looks like Matsui is doing OK up there, and maybe we can get Sheffield enough at-bats to see where's he's at. My god, we really could have a guy like Posada (20 HR, 85 RBI) hitting last in the lineup come the ALDS.

• The only bad thing about making the postseason? Not being able to prepare for Bernie's final home game. I assume the regular-season finale, Oct. 1 against the Jays, will be his final start in Yankee Stadium's center field. I hope to be there sporting the pinstriped No. 51 that's been with me for years.

• Thanks to fans all across the country who once again made the Yankees the biggest road draw in baseball. It was fun beating you to a pulp once again.

• Someone, anyone, beat the Mets, please.

• Defense wins championships, they say. And so I anoint the Red Sux champions of non-playoff teams. Learn or hit or pitch (um, starting and relieving) in 2007, and you might have a shot. You could always hold try-outs at Fenway in October. From what I hear, it's not scheduled to be used.

• Red Sux fans, I'll hear from you in April. Have a safe offseason.