It can be easy to over look the baseball playoffs now that the NFL and college football seasons are in full swing. Especially if your team has been out of the race since June. But, for those fortunate few that have a rooting interest in this years, or any years, quest for the World Series, it is a special time. A time that makes watching 100 plus games over six months worth it.

The MLB playoffs are the most special in all of professional sports for one simple reason: they are the most exclusive. Only eight out of 30 teams get a chance to play meaningful postseason games. Compare that to the NBA or NHL where more teams make the playoffs (16) than miss them (14), or to the NFL, where every team but seven has made the playoffs at least once in the last five years and every team but three in the past eight seasons (Lions, Bills, Texans).

Baseball may be called America’s past time because it’s easy to watch a game and enjoy yourself without getting too emotionally invested. If your team loses, no big deal. There’s another game tomorrow and the next day for the next five months.

While football has surpassed baseball as the nation’s number one sport sometime in the past 30 years, a 162-game baseball season doesn’t have the urgency or importance that seemingly every game of every NFL week does. Except in the playoffs.

No longer can you sit back and let the game play out like you can in the middle of July. Your team gets down 2-0 early in the second inning? No problem. You still have seven innings to come back. In the playoffs? Each inning is its own game. Each playoff game has to be managed like it’s the only game of the week. The season depends on it.

The greatest game I have ever seen in any sport was last year: a one-game playoff to decide the AL Central between the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins. It’s amazing to think that after six months and 162 games, two teams could finish with the same record.

It was a game that had a football feeling to it, in the sense that every play could change the outcome of the season for one of the teams, because that’s exactly what was on the line. A four-and-a-half hour classic where neither team had more than a one run lead in the final six innings left my voice hoarse the next day. Something usually reserved for a Minnesota Vikings playoff loss.

After experiencing the disappointment of a 1-0 one game playoff loss to the White Sox a year earlier, this Twins victory was as great and special as any Twins win since their last World Series in 1991.

This brings me to the 2010 MLB playoffs. The Twins find an all too familiar foe in the New York Yankees.

While this may be the Twins best team in the past two decades, I still don’t see them overcoming New York.

The Yankees have question marks on their pitching staff after you get past C.C. Sabathia. Future hall of fame closer Mariano Rivera is not invincible anymore, but after seeing the little team from the Midwest struggle against the big city bullies over the past few years, I am of the opinion that when it comes to Twins vs. Yankees, the Twins are already defeated before they step on the field.

Minnesota is 2-9 all-time in the playoffs vs. New York (0-5 at home) with a 3-16 record at New York since 2006.

Playoffs games seem to come down to which teams’ starting pitcher can keep them in the game and whether or not your bullpen can hold a lead. That means close games in high-pressure situations. The Twins have lost 16 of their last 18 games vs. the Yankees in one-run games or in extra innings, including a pair of back-to-back 1-0 losses at Target Field earlier this season.

Ten years ago, it would have been unthinkable to image talking about Minnesota in the playoffs, let alone being any better than a .500 team. Growing up on the Twins of Todd Walker, Matt Lawton, Ron Coomer, Marty Cordova and Brad Radke, the MLB playoffs where such an after though. They may as well have been played in Saudi Arabia.

Presently, it is a disappointing year when the Twins don’t win their division. But maybe we fans have become too complacent. I hate to be greedy, but it’s about time for Minnesota to win a series or two and actually accomplish something in the playoffs instead of turning into the American League version of the Atlanta Braves.

In no sport is a 2-16 post-season record acceptable (0-8 at home) for any team, no matter how much of a Cinderella story everyone thinks they are.

Gone is the little team that could win with the payroll in the bottom quarter of the league getting by on infield hits, great defense and taking the extra base.

These Twins have a different look than any Twins team in its history. Their payroll now exceeds $100 million, putting them in the top 10 in baseball. To put that into perspective, their payroll was $24 million in 2001, last in baseball and the only team not to have an average salary over $1 million.

Never before had Minnesota put together more than three straight seasons over .500. They have now done it in nine of the past 10 seasons.

With big money players, a new ballpark, record attendance and popularity near an all-time high, the time is now for the Twins to give a new generation of fans that World Series memory.

#1.1655801:2599443231.jpg:Travis Kriens: Sports Genius:Travis Kriens: Sports Genius:File Photo

It’s hard to believe that Derek Jeter is 36 years old and that his time is near the end. He is the player synonymous with the New York Yankees’ string of championships in the nineties. He’s one of the top shortstops in baseball history.

However, I’m not a fan of Jeter’s “winning attitude” that comes off as smug arrogance. In fact, I hate the Yankees. So why bring up Jeter at all? Regardless of what you happen to think of him, Jeter reached his superstar status in the playoffs.

Historically, Jeter’s numbers have been as good in postseason as they have been in the regular season. Players who can deliver in those “moments” are the ones who can become superstars.

A player who could have been that player was Ken Griffey Jr. Junior had a terrific career and gained that marketable status like Jeter. Outside of scoring the game-winning run in the 1995 ALDS, he never had a career-changing moment in the playoffs.

Baseball hasn’t had that superstar feel since the home run race of 1998 between St. Louis’ Mark McGwire and the Cubs’ Sammy Sosa that revitalized the sport. Now, when somebody looks back on that season, they feel cheated because of steroid use that marred both their careers. People wanted to believe in Barry Bonds and his home run chase, but they soon found out he was no better than either McGwire and Sosa.

Baseball will need a replacement for the future when Jeter and Alex Rodriguez are gone. Ryan Howard, Albert Pujols, Joe Mauer, and Evan Longoria are probably the closest you can find in the game today, that don’t already play for the Yankees. Both Pujols and Howard have a championship and are 30 years old. I would say that most loosely-following sports fans would be able to tell you about them, so we’ll take them out of the conversation. A strong performance from Mauer or Longoria would probably make them a superstar, with the condition that their teams are World Series champions.

Mauer hasn’t had his best numbers this year, but he probably playing the best team of his career. He also was the overall leading vote-getter in the all-star game this year, showing that he is marketed nationally. The Upper Midwest will still adore him even if he can’t win a championship but he has to know that this his chance to get it done.

For Longoria, he has not had the best season this year but he’s already got a trip to the World Series under his belt. He has all the tools and a championship would make it worth while

There are a few under-the-radar players in this postseason who could make a name by the end of the playoffs.

Robinson Cano has also had a terrific season for the Yankees and the second baseman is already in a few Nike ads. He might be in line to replace Jeter as a face of the franchise in New York. He has the championship already but not the name recognition. However, if Cano is playing in Pittsburgh or Toronto, we wouldn’t even be considering him.

Joey Votto has had an unbelievable season and he has helped lead the Reds into the playoffs. No team in this year’s playoffs embodies a rebirth more than the Cincinnati and the “Big Red Machine” had faded into obscurity after their last World Series in 1990.

Votto has remained a cool customer, despite his local celebrity in Southern Ohio and chase for a National League MVP award. A strong playoffs and Votto’s name will stick with you; a World Series championship and Votto is a budding superstar.

On the pitching side, Tim Lincecum is a budding star by the bay in San Francisco. If he can carry the Giants to a world championship and be extremely dominant, he would be a highly marketable name.

The Rangers will count on Josh Hamilton to carry them in the playoffs. For Hamilton, it caps a long road back from drug addiction and alcoholism and into baseball. He’s already a terrific player but the same reasons he’s a great story could be used for why he’s not a good role model.

The shake-up of teams in the postseason may not be what the people at FOX want because their ratings would surely take a tumble with a Twins-Reds or Rangers-Giants World Series and there’s proof. However, it’s hard to argue that the fresh faces in the playoffs is bad for baseball.

The onslaught of dynamic young players has already helped to put the steroid era into the past, which is something that baseball drastically needed. This postseason could be huge for someone to vault themselves into superstardom.

#1.1669025:1587066623.jpg:Marcus-Traxler.jpg:Marcus Traxler:Baseball Wizard

Last year, the Twins won the central division by defeating the Detroit Tigers in a thrilling extra regular season game. Less then a week later the World Series Champion New York Yankees swept them 3-0 in the playoffs. Night and day compared to this year.

The Twins have a genuine shot at the American League pennant and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Minnesota trails the Tampa Bay Rays by two games for the best record in the majors. They are also tough to beat at Target Field hosting the best home record in the American League at 48-23. If the Twins’ pitching can continue its second half form, do not be surprised to see Minnesota with home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

With the season nearing its end, the Twins try to capture their second straight AL Central title and the sixth in the last 10 years. Minnesota has won eight out of the last 10 games as of Sept. 13 and show no signs of slowing down.

The Twins have the best record in the American League since the All-Star break without the team’s cleanup hitter and All-Star first basemen Justin Morneau. Even without Morneau, Minnesota is tied for first with the Texas Rangers in team batting average at .276 and ranks third in the entire league in total hits. Morneau is currently on the disabled list due to a concussion he suffered in early July. To the dismay of Twins fans, his return is uncertain.

Hopefully Morneau can return with some time left in the season to regain his timing and help the Twins in the playoffs.

Forty-year-old designated hitter Jim Thome provides much-needed power in the middle of the lineup. On Sept. 11 Thome hit his 23rd homer of the season in the top of the 12th inning in a scoreless game against the Cleveland Indians. The Twins won 1-0. Thome currently sits eighth on the all-time home run list at 587 homers. No doubt Twins fans look forward to watching him chase the 600th.

The Twins have a crucial three-game series against the Chicago White Sox who trail Minnesota by six games as of Sept. 12. This is the last time the two teams meet this season and it could be the last chance for Chicago to gain ground on Minnesota. If the Twins can avoid a sweep and scratch out one or two wins against the Sox, pencil them in for the playoffs. The Twins have a favorable remaining schedule, which includes three games apiece against the Royals and Indians.

A 4.0 grade point average is a commendable achievement for any college student, athlete or not. Hitting .400 facing division-I pitching is also a formidable accomplishment.

John Lee bordered on each of those lofty successes, a single point from completing each.

He hit .399 his senior year and graduated with a 3.9 cumulative GPA, with a major in chemistry. Enough to earn First Team Academic All-American status by ESPN the Magazine and the male Summit League Scholar-Athlete of the year out of a competition of thousands.

“It’s probably my proudest individual moment of my college career,” said Lee, a Mason City, Iowa native and transfer student from the University of Nebraska. “Being an academic all-american and a scholar athlete is an accumulation of all five years … it’s just kind of nice to be recognized.”

He flourished on the baseball field, hitting an eye-catching .399 his final year with SDSU, a year in which the Jacks baseball team broke several offensive team records under head coach Ritchie Price.

“He (was) such a hard worker in practice,” said Price, who Lee credits for tweaking his swing that boosted his batting average 94 points from his junior year. “He led by example by working hard, both on the field and off the field.”

SDSU played a grueling road schedule in the spring, traveling to 11 different cities for 34 total games in the span of only 58 days. They played two home games at Erv Huether Field during that time. That’s two games out of 36 at home. John Lee’s grade point average that semester was a 4.0.

“It was pretty tough, especially last year,” said Lee, who completed his bachelor’s degree in chemistry last spring. “I had found enough time to do both the schoolwork and baseball, but the part I didn’t have much time to spend on was my social life.”

the hard work and dedication he needed to be recognized as an outstanding scholar. He instead described some research he did while working with Brian Logue, an assistant professor at SDSU. Logue’s research project tried to determine a quicker method of gauging the level of cyanide in the body. Cyanide has been used in warfare as an occasional biological attack intended to harm potential enemy. Lee’s research group tried finding a way to measure varying levels of cyanide by examining blood protein in an attempt to optimize tests for examining the warfare tactic.

“It was kind of interesting to be working with cyanide and stuff and do something that could actually be used in the military and other aspects of life,” said Lee, who wants to attend medical school and become a doctor.

Lee also played baseball with resounding effort and hard work, making first-team all-Summit League as a right fielder by accumulating 91 hits – 32 for extra bases – in only 59 games. He also struck out only 19 times in 228 at-bats and coupled that with a .991 fielding percentage for a 39-21 Jacks team that was among the best hitting lineups in Division-I.

“My parents had a lot to do with it,” Lee said of his athletic and academic success. “(They) always said “school first – make sure you get that education because you probably won’t be playing baseball the rest of your life.’”

The Mason City High School graduate spent a portion of his summer volunteering at Opportunity Village,a housing establishment in Clear Lake, Iowa for handicapped people that can receive outside assistance along with having their own living space. More examples of a student and person poised to make an impact with others.

“Throw in the fact that – with the sport of baseball – we missed 19 days of class last spring, but he’s still able to get a 4.0,” said Price. “That shows how responsible and disciplined he is – it’s a pretty good indication of how successful he’s going to be in life.”

#1.1573370:4212989160.jpg:John Lee bats during the team?s victory over Minnesota last season at Erv Huether field.:John Lee bats during the team?s victory over Minnesota last season at Erv Huether field. Lee batted an impressive .399 his senior season and completed his chemistry degree with a 4.0 GPA for the semester.:SUBMITTED PHOTO
#1.1573371:3192841675.jpg:Recent graduate John Lee hopes to enter medical school in the near future and become a doctor.:Recent graduate John Lee hopes to enter medical school in the near future and become a doctor.:SUBMITTED PHOTO