At this point, Sox may take the whole thing

When you think about it, the White Sox have no business still playing.

But here they will be today, in a game against the Twins to determine the American League Central champion.

If the Sox survive they'll have as good a chance on the field, if not on paper, to go as far in the playoffs as the perceived favorites.

That's the nature of baseball's postseason now. Though nobody will say so next month, not even me, it's a monthlong tournament to determine a winner rather than the culmination of a six-month cham- pionship sea-son.

It's like the NCAA basketball tournament, where George Mason can be in the right place to get hot at the right time.

"Eight teams get in," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said recently. "They're all good teams and any of the eight can win 11 (postseason) games. Some have a better chance, but all eight have a chance to win 11 games."

In a way it's easier to qualify for the playoffs now because more teams than ever do. But after that it's harder to win the World Series.

"It's apples and oranges," La Russa said of the past and the present. "It's completely different."

Because more teams get in, and all are good enough to keep advancing, odd winners emerge. Wild-card teams have won it all. Expansion teams have won it all. La Russa's regular-season 83-victory Cardinals won it all.

Even the 2008 White Sox could win it all despite being mediocre. They were mediocre at best at season's start and are mediocre at best at season's end.

So why are the Sox still alive?

Well, mostly Cleveland and Detroit never became what they were supposed to be. The Indians and the Tigers were supposed to be playing tiebreakers now with something like 95 or 100 victories apiece.

If that happened, the Sox would reside about 10 games behind and be, as former NFL coach Dennis Green might say, what we thought they were.

On these pages in April I picked the Sox to finish last in the division. Here's a little inside journalism for you: I didn't really believe they would finish last.

That was just my annoying way of saying the Sox had no chance to win the division. At least not if the Indians and the Tigers became all they could be.

Six months later, take a moment to think about it.

Orlando Cabrera has led off most of the season and isn't a leadoff hitter. A.J. Pierzynski has batted second and isn't a No. 2 hitter.

Paul Konerko and Jim Thome snoozed much of the season. Just when the Sox hit the stretch run of the division race, MVP candidate Carlos Quentin was injured and hasn't played since.

Speaking of injuries, Jose Contreras and Joe Crede are out for the season. Bobby Jenks missed some time. Scott Linebrink missed a lot of time.

But Quentin and Alexei Ramirez helped keep the Sox in contention. The rest of the division waited for them. And now comes a decisive game against the Twins for the AL Central title.

Neither the Sox nor the Twins should still be playing, but nobody can say for sure how long tonight's winner will continue playing.

mimrem@dailyherald.com