AL Central: Fifth in a series of 6 divisional previews.

1. Minnesota. Never underestimate a team with its back to the wall. Especially when the franchise is literally hanging by a thread (OK, that’s not literal, but you know what I mean). It’s hard not to pull for this team, with legitimate young stars like Torii Hunter, Jacque Jones and Corey Koskie in the lineup, plus a fantastic top 3 in the rotation of Radke, Milton and Mays. Question marks include how the Twins respond to new a manager after 66 years of Tom Kelly, and whether Eddie Guardado will be a legit closer. Not to mention the everyday worry of whether tonight’s game will be the last. If Bud Selig turns up in the Metrodome (not bloody likely), expect to see a very nervous Twins team.

2. Chicago. With the Big Hurt hurt big all of 2001, the White Sox’ stay at the top of the AL Central was a short one. Other than Thomas, there’s little doubt about the lineup; Ray Durham, Jose Valentin and Paul Konerko are solid players, and Magglio Ordonez just keeps getting better and better. Mark Buehrle looks poised to become a dependable starter, but the rest of the rotation looks a little iffy. New leadoff hitter Kenny Lofton will have something to prove in his first year on the other side of the AL Central Sox/Indians "rivalry"

3. Cleveland. There’s no truth to the rumor that the Indians will hold a Turn Back the Clock Night and only allow 3,200 fans in to simulate the crowds of the 80s. The way this team is going, they’ll get it soon enough anyway. Roberto Alomar and Kenny Lofton are gone. Manny Ramirez was replaced ably by Juan Gonzalez; now he’s gone, replaced by Matt Lawton. Unless Travis Fryman or the ancient Ellis Burks becomes a big-time slugger, expect to see Jim Thome pitched around all year. The pitching will depend largely on second-year phenom C.C. Sabathia and a bullpen that literally looks like it was assembled on the streets of Cleveland.

4. Kansas City. Picking between the Royals and Tigers is like choosing to be eaten by piranha or barracuda. The Royals made a commitment to sign 1B Mark Sweeney longterm. I wonder if Mark regretted that the next morning. If you can name 3 Royals without checking the Web, you’re a better baseball fan than I. I did check the web, and was mildly impressed with the numbers of Carlos Beltran, Neifi Perez, and ace (I use the term advisedly) Jeff Suppan. The fact that they brought Chuck Knoblauch in to energize the team should tell you something. Good luck, Sweeney.

5. Detroit. Since the strike ended and the 1995 season began, the Tigers have lost 644 games. That’s 92 losses a season. If you were to watch
Condensed Games of all 644 losses, with 5-10 minutes in between to use the restroom, it would take 13.41 days to watch all of those losses. Egads. And the Tigers don’t seem to be heading in the right direction. The new Tiger Stadium is supposed to be pitcher-friendly, so the Tigers have built a rotation around Jeff Weaver, Jose Lima, and knuckleballer Steve Sparks. Good luck to ‘em. The Tigers open the season against the Devil Rays, so don’t be fooled when they get off to a hot start.

Next: The AL East.