Self-promoters, Terry Ryan and Ron Gardenhire are not. They are career baseball men who are more comfortable in the shadows than the spotlight. But they had better be careful or someone's going to notice what a great job they are doing with the Minnesota Twins.

Ryan and Gardenhire are bringing the Twins back from the abyss. Ditto players like Torii Hunter, Jacque Jones, Doug Mientkiewicz and Eddie Guardado.

	“	He's the best general manager in baseball, hands down. Nobody has done more with less than Terry Ryan. I hear a lot about (Oakland GM) Billy Beane, but the fact is he's had a better chance to win than Terry. It's unbelievable what a strong team the Twins have put together with such a small payroll. ”
		— A long-time scout on Twins GM Terry Ryan

No team in the majors has had a better two months than Minnesota. The Twins' resilience -- on the field and, in the case of the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commissioner, in the courtroom -- has been remarkable.

In spring training, as well as on Opening Day, a huge cloud hung over their heads. But as another glorious Midwest summer nears, they are the complete franchise package. They've had past glories, are winning in the present and have newfound confidence about the future.

Barring a last-minute glitch, the MSFC will take the Twins off Major League Baseball's endangered species list, at least through 2003. As part of a settlement of its lawsuit over the owners' efforts to eliminate the Twins last winter, the stadium authority is expected to guarantee at least one more season for the major leagues in Minnesota.

This wouldn't be huge news in itself, but it comes at a time when the Twins are making progress both in arranging a new stadium and in finding new ownership.

After being strung along by Donald Watkins, who never proved that his finances were sufficient, Glen Taylor, who has owned the NBA's Timberwolves since 1995, has emerged as the person most likely to buy the team from Carl Pohlad. He is also being courted as a possible purchaser of the Minnesota Vikings.

There're no doubts about Taylor's wealth. Forbes Magazine estimates it at $1.8 billion. He's grown that from a printing firm, Taylor Corp., which he founded in 1975 with a $2 million investment.

Commissioner Bud Selig, who is vilified in Minnesota for bringing the issue of the Twins' lagging local resources to a head, is hopeful that the terms of the settlement with the MSFC will buy enough time for Pohlad and team president Jerry Bell to work out an exit strategy that does not mean shuttering the windows on one of the American League's original eight franchises.

"We're trying to assure the next two generations that there will be baseball in Minnesota," Selig said. "This is a good thing." If this ends well for Pohlad, he'll owe a huge thanks to the ultra loyal Ryan. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the franchise, Ryan declined chances to interview for general manager jobs with other teams. He pitched with the Twins in the minor leagues and returned in 1986 as scouting director. He's been the GM since Andy MacPhail departed in 1991 and wasn't looking for an easy way out.

"He's the best general manager in baseball, hands down,'' said one long-time scout with another organization. "Nobody has done more with less than Terry Ryan. I hear a lot about (Oakland GM) Billy Beane, but the fact is he's had a better chance to win than Terry. It's unbelievable what a strong team the Twins have put together with such a small payroll.''

Pohlad isn't likely to bankroll a midseason spending boom. Ryan was thrilled when he was allowed to open the season with a $40 million payroll, which ranked 27th in the majors.

Unlike some free-spending clubs, the Twins have always sweated the details. That was Tom Kelly's style and it has carried over to his successor, Gardenhire. No team in the last decade has overthrown fewer cutoff men or botched fewer rundowns than the Twins.

"These guys pride themselves on their fielding," Gardenhire said. "That's the first priority here ... It's just what we believe in here. It's not like we have to go out there and make guys take groundballs."

Under Kelly, the Twins led the American League Central for 106 days last season, but fell apart after the All-Star break. The turning point appeared to be the loss of shortstop Cristian Guzman to a shoulder injury, which he may have further aggravated while showing off at the All-Star Game. The Twins were 8-25 without him and finished six games behind Cleveland.

They have already survived worse this year. "We lose one guy last year and we fall off the planet," Mientkiewicz said. "We lose six guys this year and we're still in first place."

Minnesota entered the week seven games over .500 and on pace to win 91 games. That should be plenty in the Central, where a seven-game losing streak had dropped the White Sox back to .500 after Sunday.

Gardenhire has kept the Twins winning even though they've been without their No. 1 and 3 starters (Brad Radke and Joe Mays) and second baseman (Luis Rivas). Corey Koskie spent 15 days on the disabled list with a strained hamstring and hasn't homered since May 2.

Rick Reed had to leave Wednesday's start after 25 pitches because of a stiff neck. Radke, who had been sidelined with a strained groin, was activated on Thursday, but lasted only 12 pitches before aggravating the same injury. Matt Kinney, who withered under Kelly, and journeyman Tony Fiore have kept things together for Gardenhire and new pitching coach Rick Anderson.

Despite the production of Hunter, Jones and .321-hitting catcher A.J. Pierzynski, the Twins can't go toe to toe with the White Sox at the plate. But they have better pitching -- even with Radke and Mays out -- and far superior balance, in part because of Gold Glove fielders Hunter, Mientkiewicz and future Gold Glovers Rivas and Guzman (provided he can shake the shoulder problems that continue to bother him).

The bullpen was expected to be Minnesota's weak point, but it has turned into a strength. Guardado is 17 for 19 in save situations. J.C. Romero, Mike Jackson and displaced closer LaTroy Hawkins are rock solid in set-up roles, combining for a ridiculous 1.09 ERA.

Ryan has locked up starters Eric Milton, Radke and Mays through 2004. Guzman has a deal that runs through '05. But it's unclear if the Twins have the resources to reach long-term deals with Hunter, Jones and Mientkiewicz, who all reach arbitration after this season.

That makes it even more important that the Twins take advantage of this chance to win. Don't bet against them.

Spotlight: Cubs LF Moises Alou
If nothing else, Todd Hundley provided some consolation to Pittsburgh's Derek Bell last year.

	Moises Alou Left field Chicago Cubs Profile
	2002 SEASON STATISTICS GM HR RBI R OPS AVG 37 3 14 9 542 .191

When Bell saw that some publications considered him the worst free agent bust of 2001, he said there was no way that could be true with Hundley around. This year it could be Alou making the likes of Chan Ho Park and Chuck Knoblauch feel better about themselves.

But don't bet on it. Alou has a track record that says he will be a productive hitter before the season is over.

"Everybody is trying to help me, and I appreciate that, but I have too much in my head,'' Alou said last week. "I'm not good right now, but I'm not going to lose my faith. I keep saying that. I don't know what's going to happen, but I'm going to come out. I'm not going to give up. I'm too good of a hitter to keep embarrassing myself like this.''

Alou put together back-to-back two-hit games after being benched last Tuesday in Pittsburgh. He enters the week having gone 6-for-19 in his last five games, raising his batting average to .197.

"I have been feeling a lot better at the plate,'' Alou said. "I'm not quite there yet, but I'm a lot better than I was before ... Hitting can be so simple and sometimes so difficult. It has been difficult for me the first couple of months of the year. But I finally have the right idea.''

New face: Mariners OF Chris Snelling
So far, the force has not been with Snelling. But despite an 0-for-9 weekend that dropped his average to .179, many believe the 20-year-old Australian will be Seattle's left fielder in October. No one should root for him harder than reporters needing early columns or feature stories.

Snelling is a character. For one thing, he's a huge "Star Wars" fan. He even has 'Yoda' inscribed on his bats.

In "Return of the Jedi," Yoda tells Luke Skywalker, "Try not. Do or do not. There is no try." Snelling has adopted that to describe his style of play.

"It means you either get it done or you don't," said Snelling, who was hitting .326 in Double-A when he was promoted. "There is no in-between."

Snelling helped Seattle beat Tampa Bay last Wednesday, hitting a two-run homer in a 5-2 victory.

"You could feel the team come to life when he hit it," Mark McLemore said. "I never thought there was extra energy because it was the kid that hit it, but you have to say, 'It was lovely, mate.'

Team to watch: Philadelphia Phillies
While executives with other teams have begun looking to pluck spare parts from the Phillies, they are digging in to overcome their 8-18 start. The Phils added about $2 million to their payroll with the additions of Jeremy Giambi and Dan Plesac.

After taking two out of three from Montreal over the weekend, Philadelphia is 23-32 and only seven games out of first in the NL East, where the Braves are just now showing signs of taking charge. "I think we have enough guys who can dig out of this," manager Larry Bowa said.

If Bowa's wrong, the front office will surely deal players in July. There was a rumor last week of a deal that would send Scott Rolen to the Mets. His trade value is down, as he has hit .226 with two homers and seven RBI in his last 22 games. Mike Lieberthal and Doug Glanville could also be gone in a midseason purge.

First baseman Travis Lee could be the first to go. He has been griping about a lack of playing time since Giambi's arrival and would seem to have sealed his fate when he offered a startling assessment of his approach. "I don't play with a vengeance,'' said Lee, who is hitting .254 with five homers and only 18 RBI. "That's not my personality."

Phil Rogers is the national baseball writer for the Chicago Tribune, which has a web site at www.chicagosports.com.