The Angels and the Twins are the last two teams standing in the American League, one of them about to go to the World Series.

Say what?

I never thought I’d see those two teams in the ALCS, not in this era of financial haves and have-nots. Somebody other than the Yankees will win it this year.

Thank goodness!

The underdogs are winning in the playoffs, not the favorites. Unlike the last few playoffs, I can watch this year without feeling like I know who’s going to win.

Neither the Anaheim Angels nor the Minnesota Twins are the most talent-laden teams. Their owners refuse to spend heavily on players. Neither team has a dominant ace pitcher. These things are supposed to be requirements for winning in the postseason. Apparently they aren’t.

All of a sudden, the playoffs have gotten a bit more interesting. We’re not even done with the first round of the playoffs, and already the World Champion Arizona Diamondbacks are out. So are the New York Yankees, the team whose owner would pay any price ($135 million this season) to win another World Series, and the very-talented Oakland A’s.

In their place are teams like the Twins and Angels, teams that are OK, but clearly longshots at the Series. At least that’s what I, and so many other people, thought.

This is like Ford and GM building a car that is faster than the Porsche, and another one more luxurious than the Mercedes. At a much lesser price.

This is good for baseball. Most fans would rather see different teams in the Series each year, instead of the same team over and over. Only Yankees fans want to see the pinstripers in the Series every year.

The story of the Twins almost being eliminated less than a year ago has been overused. Bud Selig’s attempt to contract the Twins had nothing to do with the talent on the field. The Twins were the logical preseason favorites in the A.L. Central, and win it they did.

But legitimate World Series contenders? No way I’d have imagined that. The Twins were a good team in a bad division, but a longshot to beat the Yankees and the A’s.

I did not expect the Angels to be here, period. A solid team, yes. A winning record, perhaps. But the wild card? That seemed a bit much, with some of the teams they’d battle for it.

But that’s one thing I love about baseball. The best team doesn’t always win. The team that scores more runs is the one that wins. The Twins and Angels did that enough, and made the postseason.

And funny things happen in the playoffs. Everyone’s record starts a 0-0. Pitchers rise to the occasion. Hitters get key hits. The defense plays splendidly. And upsets happen.

The St. Louis Cardinals weren’t as big an underdog. They were a good team. But they still swept the World Champion Diamondbacks, beating their two aces (Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling) in Phoenix, which is no small feat, and jumped on this upset train.

One of the sweetest parts of this postseason is that the high-dollar teams are not the ones doing the winning. The lower-payroll team has won each of the three completed series.

The Diamondbacks’ and the Yankees’ losses mean well over $200 million spent on a failed pursuit, the chase for another ring. Clearly a bad return on a heavy investment. George Steinbrenner and Jerry Colangelo spent heavily to win the Series. And thanks to the Angels and Cardinals, they won’t.

Instead of handing out big contracts to players, the Twins and Angels have budgeted wisely and spent their money on cheaper players who simply play solid baseball. Guys who know how to win.

The Angels got a combined 59 wins from pitchers Jarrod Washburn, Ramon Ortiz, John Lackey, Scott Schoenweiss and Ben Weber. Shortstop David Eckstein had a .363 on-base percentage and 21 stolen bases, while scoring 107 runs and playing a solid defensive shortstop.

Only Washburn makes over a million dollars annually.

The Twins also have several reasonably-priced (by baseball standards, mind you) key players. Torii Hunter is becoming a superstar. Jacque Jones is getting there, too. Catcher A.J. Pierzyns





ki was an All-Star. Corey Koskie is a very good third baseman. Right fielders Dustan Mohr, Bobby Kielty and Michael Cuddyer combined for 28 home runs. Combined, those seven players don’t make as much as .232-hitting Yankees right fielder Raul Mondesi.

What the Angels and Twins do right is they play winning baseball. They play good fundamental baseball. Both rosters have recent All-Stars who earn good salaries, but even those guys play hard, sound, team baseball. In these playoffs, that brand of baseball has been good enough.

Like Gene Hackman said in Hoosiers, “This is your team. Accept them for who they are, not who they’re not.”

“Who they are” are two very good teams. Just ask the Yankees.

n

Christian Malone is a sports writer for The Valdosta Daily Times.