I'm Done Doubting Them

I'll say it right now: THE MINNESOTA TWINS ARE GOING TO WIN THE 2006 WORLD SERIES. Laugh all you want - I did for most of the past several months. But this team has the magic, the amazin', the whatever it is that teams of destiny possess. The 1987 Twins had it. The 1991 Twins had it. Those teams did not have the most talent, the best records or the best arms. But they had "IT," whatever "IT" is. And this team has it to. They just believe in themselves like nobody's business.

How else do you explain a starting rotation that has lost Brad Radke and Francisco Liriano, an outfield that has lost Shannon Stewart (remember him?) for the entire season and Torii Hunter for a large chunk of it. How else do you explain an infield that started with Tony Batista and Juan Castro on the left side (and we thought: Terry Ryan, you CANNOT be serious!) and now features Nick "Ty Cobb" Punto, as Ozzie Guillen calls him, and Jason Bartlett, a guy who couldn't hold onto the starting shortstop job two seasons in a row? And yet Bartlett has hit well above .300 this season and played incredible defense. Punto walks around with an ice pack surgically attached to his hip, rattles opposing pitchers, plays flawless defense and snaps like the little piranha he is.

How else do you explain a team loaded with Triple A lifers like Jason Tyner and washed up veterans like Rondell White and Phil Nevin hitting so well?

How do you explain Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau being so good so fast? Or Michael Cuddyer not only finding a position, but finally cashing in on that first-round draft pick potential and blasting 25-30 homers and topping 100 RBI?

How else do you explain Carlos Silva having the worst season of his career for several months, then suddenly flipping a switch and turning into the effective No. 2 starter the team so desperately needed, just when the Twins needed him most?

How do you explain a starting rotation where three of the five pitchers - Boof Bonser, Matt Garza and Scott Baker - are all essentially rookies?

Did I mention Johan Santana yet? He is going to carry this team to the title on his back, just like Frank Viola in '87 and Jack Morris in '91.

I'm telling you, it is meant to be. Nobody is going to stop the 2006 Minnesota Twins. They are a team of destiny.

Apologies to the fast-fading Tigers and waffling White Sox, but that's how it is. Even the Evil Empire (NYY) will not have our playoff number this year. Nor will Oakland or anybody else. The National League will surely find a solid team (probably the Mets) to represent, but it will not matter. I can already see somebody like Jason Bartlett or Jason Tyner going Mark Lemke in the 1991 World Series or Buddy Biancalana in the 1985 series and playing 10,000 feet above his normal talent plateau.

Any questions?