Will the Yankees win the East and go on to the World Series, or will they get the wild card then beat the Red Sox in the ALCS to get to the World Series? Or maybe it will be the Red Sox going to the Series after winning the East or coming out of the wild card.
Either way, there appears to be two divisions in the American League. One has the Yankees and Red Sox. The other has everyone else.
The Yankees and Red Sox figure to win and place, but who will show? Does it matter? Does anyone believe a team other than the Yankees or Red Sox can win the American League?
The A's might have the best pitching in baseball. The Angels, who were champions just two years ago, signed Vladimir Guerrero in the offseason. The Mariners always seem to find a way to work themselves into contention.
But if you want a real reach, baseball's example of the little engine that could, then go to the AL Central. If the East is steak-and-lobster and the West is fine Italian, then the Central is pure franks-and-beans.
The Central is the little guy. They are small market, low payroll. Yeah, okay, the White Sox come from Chicago. But that town is ruled by the Cubs, and the White Sox truly represent the neighborhood they play in: hard-working and far from extravagant.
The rest of the division, too, clips coupons and shops for bargains. The Twins, Indians, Royals and Tigers are low-spending teams trying to win what can be called the weakest division in baseball.
The Twins are going for a third consecutive division title while the Sox limp along without their best pitcher, Bartolo Colon, who split for the big bucks of Anaheim. The Tigers lost 119 games last season, and they might be better than the Indians, who are rebuilding after their run during the 1990s.
But even with two new banners hanging from the roof of the Metrodome, the Twins are not overwhelming favorites. This division doesn't have such a thing.
The Twins traded their catcher, A.J. Pierzynski, to make room for former No. 1 pick Joe Mauer, already being touted as a rookie of the year candidate. But the Twins lost two key relievers: set-up man LaTroy Hawkins and closer Eddie Guardado. Eric Milton, once considered the ace of the staff, was traded to Philadelphia, and utility man, not to mention team leader, Denny Hocking is gone.
Yet manager Ron Gardenhire, who is 2-for-2 in division titles as skipper, can't wait to get going.
"I think this year is really exciting because we're trying to do something very special here, win a division for the third time in a row and with a lot of new players," Gardenhire told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "We'll see how it all works out, but we're excited about this baseball team. We think we can play a little bit. If we go out on the field and prove it, it's going to be a lot of fun."
Remember, though, even with the players they had last season, the Twins had to come from 71/2 games back midway through the season to outlast the mediocre Royals and White Sox.
Also remember this division is so topsy-turvy that the Royals, who lost 100 games in 2002, spent much of last season in first place.
