Twins, Angels wish upon a star, dreams come true

Take that Bud Selig. The Minnesota Twins delivered the beleaguered MLB commissioner a virtual punch in the face on Sunday when the team that just barely avoided contraction last offseason completed its improbable run to a division title. The Twins clinched their first postseason berth since 1991 after their 5-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians coupled with the New York Yankees 8-4 drubbing of the Chicago White Sox.

While the Minnesota Twins might be the little team that could, on Saturday Derek Lowe completed his emergence as the little pitcher that could when he won his 20th game of the season _ though at 6'6", Lowe really is not all that little. After a dreadful 2001 season in which Lowe could not warm up in the Boston Red Sox bullpen without being booed, the right hander lost his closer role and was inserted in the starting rotation. Ignoring a Red Sox nation full of doubters, Lowe fired a no hitter, started an all-star game, won 20 games and molded himself into a legitimate Cy Young candidate with his 20-7 record.

Continuing a trend of heartwarming September stories, something that seemed virtually impossible just over two weeks ago when it appeared the players would go on strike, is the daily screening of Disney's Angels in the Outfield. After Sunday's 13-4 win over the Texas Rangers, the Anaheim Angels were winners for the 16th time in the past 17 games. Even more remarkable for Anaheim, a franchise which has never won a playoff series, is the fact that the win gave it sole possession of first place in September for the first time in four years. The victory also happened to be the team's 94th of the season to set a new club record. With a magic number of six to clinch a playoff spot, it appears that Darin Erstad, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and friends are finally experiencing a little of that long elusive Disney magic.

However, despite the success of the Angels, the Twins and the Oakland A's _ three of the four teams most likely to make the AL playoffs _ everyone knows that the road to the World Series runs through New York. For that reason, teams from outside New York must have salivated upon hearing that there is some discord in the Yankees' clubhouse. Usually a model of professionalism, the Yankees suffered the first locker room scuffle of Joe Torre's tenure on Saturday when Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez allegedly punched battery mate Jorge Posada in the face. Could this event signal the demise of a franchise which has competed in five World Series since 1996, and won four of them? Get a grip, Hernandez is a number five starter at best and besides Torre is a master of personal relationships. If he says the spat is over and done with (and he does), then it's not even an issue. Anaheim, Minnesota, and Oakland beware.

With the AL playoff participants (Minnesota, New York, Oakland, Anaheim) all but determined, the big races are now for the individual awards. The MVP is a two-man race between a pair of slugging middle infielders, confuse A's shortstop Miguel Tejada and Yankees' second baseman Alfonso Soriano, who break two stereotypical baseball molds. First, middle infielders are not supposed to hit homeruns and second, in today's game many of those who do hit home runs are steroid induced sluggers ?  la Jose Canseco. Rest assured that no one would confuse Tejada or Yankees' Soriano with a Mr. Universe contestant. Soriano is bidding to become the fourth 40-40 man in MLB history and is the Yanks' most exciting player since Rickey Henderson (who can be seen finishing his career on the Red Sox bench over the next few weeks). Tejada replaced Jason Giambi as the A's number three hitter and seem likely to supplement him as the A's perennial MVP candidate. The shortstop is third in the AL in RBIs (120) and tied for eighth in homeruns with 34, while batting .309.

As far as the Cy Young race goes, two Red Sox and an Oakland A are up for the award. Although the Sox will miss out on the playoffs as usual, they stand a 66 percent chance of having one of their own win the Cy Young award. Pedro Martinez, Lowe and Oakland's Zito are the three candidates. So who is going to win? Well all you need to know is Red Sox' history _ 1918, Bill Buckner, 1975 World Series, etc. _ to figure it out. Answer: Zito