By the time you read this, the 2006 Divisional Series playoffs will be underway. This season, especially in the American League, has been filled with drama, tight races and unexpected winners. Perhaps no race was more exciting than that between the Tigers and the Twins. The division title was not decided until the last out of the last game of the season. The American League Central appeared to be decided by late May. The Detroit Tigers got off to a hot start and got even hotter as the weather heated up. Detroit’s main competition, the White Sox, played inconsistent baseball but managed to hang in the race as play in June began. Most pundits figured it would only be a matter of time before Chicago righted its ship and blew past the Tigers into first place. Forgotten in all this was the Minnesota Twins.

Minnesota was 11 games out of first place by the second week of June and folks in the know insisted that it would be highly appropriate to stick a fork in the Twins because they were, without a doubt, done.

Someone forgot to tell the Twins.

Minnesota started an incredible run in late June, winning 35 of 42 games and climbing back into the race. Despite the remarkable winning streak, the Tigers continued to play well and Minnesota was not able to gain much ground. By the All-Star break, the Twins had greatly improved but were still in third place, trailing the Tigers and the White Sox.

Shortly after the break, disaster struck Minnesota. Francisco Liriano, the southpaw rookie phenom, blew out his elbow and appeared out for the stretch run. A couple of weeks later, Brad Radke also went on the shelf with an injury, leaving only Cy Young candidate Johan Santana to bolster the Minnesota pitching corps.

Still, the Twins managed to keep winning.

Detroit, on the other hand, began to slide in August. For whatever reasons, the wheels started to come off the Tiger machine and slowly but surely, Detroit began to lose more than a few ballgames. Still, Detroit had amassed such an impressive lead, no one figured the Twins could possibly catch them.

Again, someone forgot to tell the Twins.

Remarkably, the Twins managed to pull to within three games of the Tigers with a little less than two weeks left in the season. Detroit skipper Jim Leyland could clearly feel the Twins’ hot breath on the back of his neck.

During the final week of the season, Minnesota pulled to within a game of the Tigers and, my friends, that’s when things became really interesting.

Going into the final five games, Minnesota actually had a chance to catch the Tigers. Detroit, for their part, made it easy.

Detroit lost its last five games of the season, including three losses to the lowly Kansas City Royals in the final three games of the year. In what was a microcosmic view of the Tigers’ collapse, the final game of the year was quite telling. Let’s set the stage.

All the Tigers had to do, even though they had lost four games in a row, was win the last game on the schedule and they would be the champions of the American League Central. Detroit started strong, pulling out to a 6-0 lead and held that lead until the eighth inning.

That’s where the trouble started.

Kansas City managed to score six runs to tie the game and suddenly, the entire Tiger bench broke out in a cold sweat.

Detroit scored a run to go ahead 7-6, but the Royals picked up a run to send the game into extra innings. Detroit went up 8-7 in the 10th inning, but somehow, the Royals again tied the game. In the bottom of the 11th, Kansas City scored two runs to put the final nail in the Tiger coffin.

Meanwhile, the Twins topped the White Sox to capture the division title.

Minnesota’s comeback was quite an accomplishment and was, without reservation, a team effort.

My hat is off to Ron Gardenhire, manager of the Twins, and the entire Minnesota roster. No matter what happens in the post-season, the Twins can be proud of what they accomplished in 2006.

The Tigers, on the other hand, can only scratch their heads and wonder what happened. As a consolation, Detroit will still make the post-season as the Wild Card. Problem is, they have to play the Yankees, arguably the best team in baseball. How will the Tigers fare? For that matter, how far can the Twins make it? Stay tuned.