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Sep 6, 2006


WASHINGTON - Last week we covered National League playoff races. This week,
it's the American League.


This was the year the Yankees were supposed to be overtaken. The Red Sox
brought in Josh Beckett and Coco Crisp. The Blue Jays signed A.J. Burnett and
B.J. Ryan. In the beginning of July, the Yankees trailed Boston by four
games. Everyone was calling for the heads of Joe Torre and Brian Cashman.

And now? The Yankees have made up 13 games on Boston and all but clinched the
AL East.

The key reason for the Yankees' success has been the offseason signing of
Johnny Damon. Not only did they pry away the catalyst from the rival Red Sox,
they added a savvy veteran. He vastly improved the outfield defense in
addition to being one of the game's best table setters. The addition of
Damon enabled Torre to move Derek Jeter to the No. 2 spot, where his tools
are better used. Jeter can thank Damon if he wins the MVP.

New York's second-half surge also can be credited to the emergence of
Chien-Ming Wang as staff ace, who is 7-2 with a 2.95 ERA in the second half.
Using a heavy two-seam fastball, Wang is third in the majors in ground
ball-to-fly ball ratio. The Yankees will make it 12 consecutive playoff
appearances since the 1994 strike.

General manager Dave Dombrowski's stable of arms in Detroit will hold up and
deliver an AL Central title. This first-class organization is marked with
great leadership from Dombrowski down to manager Jim Leyland and veterans
Ivan Rodriguez and Kenny Rogers. Get used to seeing the Tigers in this
position. More help is on the way in prospects Humberto Sanchez, Andrew
Miller and Cameron Maybin.

Oakland's Billy Beane has done it again. People can cite Moneyball all they
want for the A’s success this year, but it comes down to pitching and
defense. The A's have ridden their four-man rotation as they boast the best
ERA and record in the majors since the All-Star break.

Like he did last year in Washington, Esteban Loaiza has turned it on in the
second half, providing veteran leadership to a young staff while going 6-2
with a 3.10 ERA.

Led by perennial Gold Glove winner Eric Chavez and an outfield with three
natural centerfielders, the A's arguably have baseball's best defense. This
will be the fifth playoff berth in seven years for Beane's A's.

The only race still up for grabs is the wild card. This should go down to the
final weekend of the season, when Chicago and Minnesota meet at the
Metrodome.

Many wrote off the Twins early. They were seven games below .500, while the
Tigers and White Sox both started fast. Led by the dynamic pitching duo of
Johan Santana and Francisco Liriano, the Twins reeled off 19 wins in 20 games
and have posted the second-best record in the second half. Unfortunately
Liriano has been shut down since August 7. The Twins' season hinges on his
ability to come back and have an impact.

The large stumbling block for the Twins is the defending World Series
champion Chicago White Sox. On paper no team can match the White Sox starting
rotation. But aside from Jon Garland, none of these pitchers have been
consistent this season. Their combined ERA for the second half is above 5.50.
But their experience last October will pay off and they'll advance to the
playoffs.