KANSAS CITY, MO. -- I was in my first year covering the Orioles for the Baltimore Sun when they finished 4-32 in 2002.

It was the year after Cal Ripken retired, and expectations were low for that team. Mike Hargrove's squad actually seemed like a pleasant surprise when it was sitting 63-63 in late August.

But then, the bottom fell out. I look back at some of those September lineups and chuckle now: Jerry Hairston, Chris Singleton, Tony Bautista, Marty Cordova, Jeff Conine, Mike Bordick, Geronimo Gil.

Can you imagine if a team started a season 4-32? That's a .111 clip.

I never thought I'd see anything like it again in Minnesota, but the Twins have that same helpless feeling now. They are 9-33 (.214) in their past 42 games and 4-19 (.174) in their past 23.

Will this be the second 100-loss season in Twins' history? It hasn't happened since 1982, when the Twins finished 60-102. This team has to finish 4-10 to avoid that dubious distinction.

But at the rate they're going now, the 59-89 Twins look determined to make history. And not the kind of history you want to remember.