That beeping sound is the Cubs backing into the playoffs

Nothing like closing the regular season out with a loss hundreds of miles away, huh?

The Red Sox officially locked down the AL East for the first time since 1995 with a 5-2 win over the Twins coupled with a New York loss to Baltimore. The Cubs are back in the postseason in their yearlong attempt to destroy my pending nuptuals with a 6-0 win over the Reds and the Padres taking care of business in Milwaukee in a 6-3 win.

While both teams have had their ups and downs this year, Cub fans can't feel too confident about their chances in October, while Boston seems to have weathered the storm and won't face New York until the second round of the playoffs, assuming both teams advance.

This means that the American League is squared away now with Boston, Cleveland and Los Angeles winning their divisions and New York picking up the Wild Card.

The National League is still a bit murky, with the Cubs clinching the Central and Arizona locking up a yet-to-be determined spot. San Diego leads the Wild Card race by two games and the Phillies are up by a game in the East.

While there will be plenty of time to pick apart the matchups when the season concludes this weekend, everyone can prepare their favorite excuses about why the goat is a stupid curse, how two NL West teams actually have a shot at making the playoffs and why the AL East is primed for a fall.

Until then, enjoy the inner peace, Wrigleyville - this is the least stress you'll feel for at least a week. Maybe you should get out and get some sunshine or something this weekend.

Update: It will be Red Sox/Angels (like in 2004) and Yankees/Indians.

(Image from MLB.com)