James Floto's "THE OUTER EDGE," a weekly report of the 2001 season.

Three weeks ago I wrote about the Phillies, Twins and Cubs ("The Little Champs") and how great it was that these lesser teams were making a run for it this year. I also speculated that it would be a long shot for them to stay on top for two reasons: one, they lacked the depth to keep it up through the entire season, and two, their rivals, who were already getting closer in the rear view mirrors of the "Little Champs" had more experience and more depth. And now, the final week of July, the Phils are two games behind the Braves, the Indians are only a game ahead of the Twins -- and have been shifting back and forth in the top spot -- and the Astros are within two of the Cubs. Just to make it more interesting, the Dodgers and Giants are creeping up on Arizona and the Red Sox, the grittiest team of 2001 refuse to let the Yankees go, trailing them by only one game. Even in the AL West, although it is almost axiomatic that the Mariners are going to win, the Oakland A's have suddenly come back to life and are in the wild card race.

Maybe the Cubs and the Phils have reached their peaks for this year. The Cubs' fine pitching continue (Lieber 12-5, 3.46; Wood, 8-6, 3.60; Tavarez, 6-6, 3.79; Bere, 7-5, 4.00; Tapani, 8-7, 4.35) and Sammy is having a great season (.300, 33, 93) but only two other position players, Gutierrez and Eric Young, even have enough at bats to qualify for the batting title. In other words, not a very stable team. And while the Cubs have gone 9-8 since our last report, the Astros are 11-5, gaining 2 1/2 games, leaving them only 2 out. These are the Astros of mighty Moises Alou, a potential MVP candidate (.355, 20, 72) and the Killer Bees--Lance Berkman, another possible MVP man (.361, 27, 88), Bagwell (.288, 28, 85), Biggio (.307, 77 runs). They don't have the kind of pitching the Cubs do and their only two reliable starters have been rookie Roy Oswalt (8-1) and Wade Miller, only in his third year (11-5). Shane Reynolds has been a reliable pitcher over the years, but has lost 4 of his last five, slipping to 9-9 with a 5.05 ERA, although on Sunday he combined with two relievers to toss the Astros' first shutout in Enron Field. They had big hopes in Scott Earlton, but his 4-8, 7.14 season has been a massive disappointment.

The Cards have won 6 of 10 and are 7 out. The Brewers, who seemed to be at least a spoiler, have lost 9 in a row and are now 13 behind. The Pirates are out of it, 38-59, 18 out, and the Reds have been in free fall; their .367 W-L % is worst in the NL.

Atlanta has pulled ahead of the Phils. Similar story; a veteran team stayed within striking distance waiting for the newcomer to slump, and they have moved 2 ahead of the Phils. Florida, a quietly surprising team, is 3 games above .500 (51-48), only 5 1/2 out. The Mets have finally started to show signs of life; they are not going to any World Series' this year, but at 45-55 they have gained ground this month. Montreal is 43-56, 13 1/2 out.

The NL West race was close early on, then the Diamondbacks pulled ahead while the Dodgers and Giants floundered. Things have changed since the break. Although the Giants lost to Arizona on Saturday and Sunday, they had gained 4 games in 4 days before that and are still only 5 1/2 out. The Dodgers are the hot team in the division, winning 8 of 10, moving them only 1 1/2 behind the Diamondbacks. Even the Padres have turned it around lately, winning 4 straight and are within 3 games of .500 for the first time since early June. The Rockies, on the other hand, are sinking like a rock, having last 8 of 10, leaving them 16 behind the Diamondbacks.

Before we go on to the Twins and also discuss the Red Sox, I'd like to bring up the bit about the marathon season. We hear it all the time. Football has only a few games, basketball season is also a good deal shorter than baseball. Now there are many experienced baseball men who swear that games at the beginning of the year don't count all that much, at least not anywhere near as much as at this point, or especially in September. I have always felt this is nonsense. It the Phils, Twins and Cubs can at least play .500 ball or a little better for the remainder of the year, they still have a chance, because they played so well early on. Likewise, no matter how hot the Mets get, they aren't going to win the NL East, nor are the A's going to catch the Mariners with their .725 percentage through July 22. The Mariners need only win 10 of their remaining 64 games to have a .500 season -- interesting because in the first decade and a half of the franchise, .500 was all they ever hoped for-- and never got.

The Mariners began to improve in the '90s, became a factor in several races. Now they are fighting to become a "team for the ages." We said above 10-54 would put them at .500; well, 19-45 would make them winners of 90 games; and they only need go 29-35 to win 100 games. If they play .500 ball the remainder of the year, they have 103 wins. Now tell me --or the A's, who are a respectable 52-46 (.531) after a horrendous 12-22 start, (40-24 since then--still nowhere near as good as the M's) -- that early season games don't count. Sure they are more exciting, more intense as the end of the season draws near, but if the Yankees, who are one game ahead of the Red Sox had one more game in, say, April, and one more in May, they would be chasing the Bosox, not the other way around.

Since we discussed the M's and A's already, let's finish the four team AL West. The Angels remind me of someone driving with one foot on the gas pedal, the other on the brake. They just about get things going and then they drop a few. Guess that's why they are stuck at exactly .500, 49 wins, 49 losses. Following them are the powerful hitting but horrendous hurling Rangers, who are a whopping 30 and a half out.

Moving eastward, to the great plains of the mid-West where the corn is high and the big city types have broad shoulders, we face the Twins, who Tom Kelly wakes up every half-decade or so for an exciting season. And this time they don't even have Kirby anymore; amazing, ain't it, that it's been five years plus since that dreadful morning he woke up and told his wife he couldn't see out of one eye. Kirby is going to Cooperstown next month and while it's doubtful that any of the current crew will be joining him, it's been an exciting season for the denizens of the twin cities. People there will long remember 2001 as the year they learned to spell Mientkiewicz, appreciate Lawton and Guzman, and enjoy Tory Hunter and Jaques Jones. That, and they got to watch Brad Radke, Joe Mays and Eric Milton all win 15 to 20 games. But learning about these guys is the point; these are young--very good with great futures, but young and inexperienced players who haven't experienced a stretch run yet.

Not like their tough rivals in Cleveland, full of Gold Gloves, Silver Sluggers and the post season experience. While the good folks in Minnesota will long remember the boys of 2001, baseball fans and historians will long remember Roberto Alomar, Juan Gonzalez, Jim Thome, Ellis Burks, Omar Vizquel, Kenny Lofton, and Travis Fryman, maybe even former Twin Marty Cordova. Rookie pitcher C. C. Sabathia (10-3), along with Bartolo "When is his breakthrough season coming?" Colon (9-7) and Dave Burba (9-6) are a match for the Twins big three, and Charley Nagy is finally back, and has won two out of three. The Twins may be the superior team in guts, but do they really have the firepower to hold back the Indians through the Dog Days of August and the September stretch run?

The White Sox are another team of whom great things were expected in 2001 and who just haven't put it together. They have almost clawed their way to .500, in fact were at .500 Thursday. I thought the Tigers were going to be a sleeper this year, one of those teams that sneaks up on the front runners, but instead they have just slept. And Kansas City, who two years ago looked like the mirror image of the Phillies, with their equally talented young players, are having another horrible season, right on track to drop 100 games.

Now for those Red Sox. OK, the Yanks, although the hid early on, still have Jeter and O'Neil, Posada (one of the 10 most underrated players and probably the most underrated catchers in the current game), Tino Martinez and Bernie Williams, Knoblauch and Brosius. OK, they are not having career years, but this is still the nucleus of a team that has won four of the past five World Series, and when you have Clemens (14-1) having his best season in a decade, and Mussina (10-8) and Pettitte (9-6) pitching like the great moundsmen they are, you have to wonder where this edition of the Yanks, which seems to be picking up steam, would be if El Duque hadn't gone down on May 15 with a broken toe.

The thing that is so amazing about the Red Sox is that with all their players healthy they are probably about as good as the Yanks. Yet with Pedro on the DL, Garciaparra missing the entire season so far (although he is about to rehab in Triple A), and Jason Varitek (perhaps the second most underrated catcher in the game), and Rich Garces just back, it's lucky the Bosox are tied with the Yanks. How many teams could lose their best pitcher and best hitter and stay in the race. Especially if your best pitcher is the best pitcher in the game and your best hitter is one of the half-dozen best hitters. Yet here they are, with Manny Ramirez demolishing every team he faces, and Everett, Nixon, Daubach, Hillenbrand, O'Leary and Offerman not having great years but always one of them coming through during any given series. .583 winning percentage--only the Twins (.604) and the astronomical Mariners (.719) are playing better in the A.L. When Garciaparra comes back, watch out. If Pedro makes it, too, even in September, then you have to like the Sox' chances.

Rounding out the ALE, the Blue Jays have struggled, the Orioles are yet another team which starts to get going then flutters, and Tampa Bay is without a doubt the worst team, oh, since the 2000 Devil Rays.