Sid Hartman: Twins charge on without Morneau

The Twins were good enough to win 16 of their last 20 regular-season games, then beat the Tigers 6-5 in 12 innings in the tiebreaker game Tuesday to win the AL Central Division.

You wonder if anybody gave them a chance to win the division or get into the playoffs once they lost first baseman Justin Morneau, the American League MVP in 2006, because of a stress fracture in his lower back. Morneau did not play after Sept. 12.

Can you imagine how much better the Twins would have been had they had a healthy Joe Crede to play third, Morneau to play first, Kevin Slowey to pitch and have Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel remain in right field and at designated hitter rather than shuffling around to replace Morneau?

The biggest blow was the loss of the fielding and hitting of Morneau, who is one of the best-fielding first basemen in baseball. Morneau certainly is a better first baseman than Cuddyer, Cuddyer is a big improvement over Kubel as a right fielder, and Kubel is their best DH by far.

It is amazing how the Twins kept on winning without Morneau, who finished his season batting .274 with 31 doubles, 30 home runs and 100 RBI.

You take Morneau out of the lineup, and you expect the team to fall apart. But the Twins rallied without one of their best players.

Apparently, Morneau was hurting for a month before his injury was diagnosed. He hit .220 in August and .077 in September, after hitting .280 in July. He thought he was in a batting slump.

"It was one of those things I thought I could get through, but I found out there was something actually broken in there, a little fracture," Morneau said. "Nobody is healthy this time of the year, so you figure it was one of those things that you get some treatment on it and get it better."

Morneau said doctors have told him that 95 percent of athletes who sustain a similar injury completely heal.

However, now that the Twins have made the playoffs, it's going to drive Morneau crazy to sit on the bench and not be able to contribute.

Nobody is more critical of the fumbling of Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who has fumbled 15 times in his three-year career, than Vikings running backs coach Eric Bieniemy.

Peterson was stripped of the ball by Packers linebacker Clay Matthews in the Vikings' 30-23 victory Monday night, and Matthews returned it 42 yards for a touchdown.

"I'm very upset. But the thing is, like I told him, things happen," Bieniemy said after viewing the film of that play. "We've got to do a much better job. We just can't give up anything cheap.

"First of all in that situation, he was being held up. He was in a crowd. The best thing to do [is] you've got to put two hands on [the ball]. He did not have two hands on it.

"And then he wasn't going anywhere. As strong as he is, as hungry as he is, sometimes he's got to know when to say when. That way it eliminates everything."

Bieniemy did not criticize Peterson for rushing for only 55 yards, realizing that the Packers defense was concentrating on stopping the run, which opened up the Vikings' passing game for quarterback Brett Favre.

"The only thing that matters, and the most important stat, is the wins-and-loss columns," Bieniemy said.

Arilee Pollard, wife of former Minneapolis Lakers great Jim Pollard, who played on six NBA championship teams and is being described now as the Michael Jordan of his era, is in town to sign a new book about the "Kangaroo Kid," as he was known. Believe me, the 6-7 Pollard in his prime could play with the best right now. Arilee Pollard will be at Jax Cafe in northeast Minneapolis from 3-6 p.m. today, at the Barnes & Noble at the Mall of America from 2-5 p.m. Saturday and at Applebee's in Eden Prairie on Monday from 2-5 p.m.

The big Twins mystery is the status of pitcher Glen Perkins, who was put on the disabled list Aug. 9 because of tendinitis in his left (pitching) shoulder. He was assigned to Class AAA Rochester later that month but was not recalled by the Twins, and there are rumors the former Gopher has filed or will file a grievance with the club over lost service time. "Yeah, he's not with us now," Twins General Manager Bill Smith said about Perkins, who wasn't with the team for the Kansas City series or the tiebreaker game against the Tigers. "We optioned him out and we'll move on, we'll see."

The great performance of Brett Favre in the Vikings' victory over the Packers has helped ticket interest for the next home game against Baltimore on Oct. 18, and also in the remaining home schedule. ... The Packers have a bye this week, a home game with Detroit and then one at Cleveland before the Nov. 1 rematch with the Vikings at Lambeau Field. The Vikings play at St. Louis this week, then meet two of the best teams in the league -- Baltimore here and then at Pittsburgh on Oct. 25 before traveling to Green Bay.

The Oakland Raiders re-signed former Gophers running back Gary Russell on Wednesday, Russell, who was with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2007 and 2008, was cut by the Raiders at the end of training camp.

Martin Havlat gained his 400th career NHL point on his third assist in the Wild's 4-3 overtime victory over Anaheim on Tuesday. Havlat has assisted on four of the five Wild goals this season and now has 400 points (169 goals and 231 assists) in 473 NHL games. ... Marian Gaborik and the New York Rangers defeated Jacques Lemaire and the New Jersey Devils 3-2 on Monday in the first matchup between the two since their departure from the Wild.

The Wild's minor league affiliate, the Houston Aeros, should be much improved this season because Colton Gillies and Craig Weller are on the team after spending all of last season with the Wild. ... On page 1 of the Wild media guide, the team has a dedication page to the life of the late popular WCCO Radio host, Steve Cannon, and his life involved with radio and sports, especially hockey. ... Former Wild forward Dan Fritsche recently signed with the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League.

Sid Hartman can be heard weekdays on WCCO AM-830 at 6:40, 7:40 and 8:40 a.m. • shartman@startribune.com