At the All-Star break in 2003 the Twins found themselves 44-49, 8 games back of the Royals who were at 52-41. One week later, Kansas City was at 55-45, going 3-4 over the week. Minnesota was at 50-51, 6-2, and 5.5 games back. The writing was on the wall.
Most importantly, by the end of the season the Twins were 7 games up on the Royals, a swing of 15 games in 10.5 weeks; 1.4 games/week. Now the team finds themselves 12 games behind with about 10.5 weeks left. Needing to gain 1.1 games/week to make up the difference on a team with a strangely successful firecracker of a player’s manager who has somehow been overseeing a team that is winning despite all statistical odds. Sound familiar?
That 2003 team was expected to play quite a bit better than they had over the first half of the season. Perhaps the bubble had burst now that they were being expected to “prove it.” The 2005 team looked great on paper, especially with some unique potential offensively. Yet the first half found the fellas down by a lot.
How do you look at it? Looking back at KC’s players, even .500 seemed to be over-achievement. Yet it could be argued that Chicago has farther to fall than KC did. It’s just a question of if they fall this year or next year. Or do the Stockings make an acquisition that improves them to a paper level matching their actual level, stopping the bleeding before the cut?
Holes can be punched all over. That KC team had a lot more young’uns than the ChiSox. Obviously the comparison isn’t exact, but it lends hope. I think Gardy is right (perish the thought) when he says he doesn’t want to think about the wild card. Unless the Twins drive for that division and forget about the log jam in wild card creek, there is no way they are going to pull off the lesser playoff task. Climbing toward that high mountain pass appears to be the only way the team will cross to the other side, even if it results in finding a shortcut tunnel along the way.
Stranger things have happened.
