Twins won’t win Central in 2005
By: Larry Fitzgerald
Minnesota
Spokesman-Recorder
Originally posted mm/dd/2005
I have seen enough, and
what I’ve seen has made it clear to me that the
three-time defending AL Central Division Twins will not
win a fourth straight Division title this year. The
Chicago White Sox -- the runaway leaders -- will,
because they have the best team in baseball.
Two reasons why I’m
convinced: First, the White Sox have the best record in
all of baseball at 61-29. That’s 32 games over the
.500 mark. They have the best pitching staff in
baseball, a team ERA of 3.57, and they lead the Twins by
12 games.
The Twins have 13 games left with
Chicago in August and September, so it can be done, but
it’s not likely that the Twins will win all 13 games.
We still have a long way to
go, but it’s clear to me that although the Twins are
good (49-41), they are not a dominating-type team. And
this team is not as good defensively as some of their
recent teams.
The loss of third baseman
Corey Koskey and shortstop Christian Guzman are two
reasons why -- their hitting woes! They could sure use
World Champion and All-Star slugger David Ortiz, who
they gave away two years ago.
The Twins started the second
half of the season at home last Friday against the
first-place Los Angeles Angels and lost three of four
games. They are not hitting at all; they lost three
games to the Angels over the weekend by scores of 3-2,
3-2, and 2-1. They wasted three great pitching
performances because they are not hitting a lick.
Right now, the Twins are in a
race for the Wild Card with several teams: Boston, New
York, Baltimore, Texas, Oakland and Cleveland. Over the
next three weeks -- that’s 20 games — the Twins play
Baltimore, Detroit, New York, Boston and Oakland.
If the Twins are going to make the
playoffs for the fourth straight year, it will likely be
decided in the next three weeks.
Tiger Woods wins Open
Championship
In the shadow of the emotional
final Major Championship of the great Jack Nicklaus, at
historic St. Andrews, the birthplace of golf, Tiger
Woods captured his second Major title of the year,
winning the Open Championship by five shots over native
son Collin Montgomerie.
Woods won his tenth career
Major title and his second this year; he is the first
player ever to win 10 or more Majors while in his
twenties. Tiger is just 29 years old. Nicklaus won 18
career professional Majors; he did not win his tenth
career Major until he was 32 years old.
“When I first started
playing the tour, I didn’t think I’d have this many
Majors before the age of 30,” Woods said. “No one
ever has. Usually, the golden years are in your thirties
for a golfer. Hopefully, that will be the case.”
Woods won his fourth Masters
in April; he is now only the fourth man in history to
win two Open (British) Championships at St. Andrews.
And, he and Nicklaus are the only Americans to have won
twice at St. Andrews and have achieved career Grand
Slams twice.
That means winning the
Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championships
at least twice. Woods shot 66-67-71-70, 14 under par,
274 total. He led the Open wire to wire, the first in 32
years, and never trailed over the last 63 holes. He has
also clinched the PGA Player of the Year honors.
“I’ve been criticized for
the last couple years,” said Woods. “Why would I
change my game? This is why: first, second and first in
the last three majors. That’s why.” Woods is the
first player since Mark O’Meara in 1998 to win the
Masters and Open Championship the same year.
It was his fourth win this year,
best on the PGA Tour and 44th in his career. He is tied
for seventh with Walter Hagen on the all-time list, and
Hagen’s 11 career majors is next. Woods is the
greatest closer in history; he is now 32-3 on the PGA
Tour and 10-0 in Majors when he has a 54-hole lead.
History note
With Venus Williams winning the
Wimbledon Women’s Tennis title and Woods the Open
Championship this summer, it’s the first time in
history that two Blacks have held the greatest tennis
and golf championships in the same year.
