In today's game, there are no great teams. Sure, the Yankees have won three of the last four World Series, but every team has weaknesses. That leaves openings for upstart teams like the Twins, Cubs and Phillies to get hot, overcome their own weaknesses and win championships.

In addition, today's players mature quicker than they did years ago and are not afraid of success. In the past, players didn't figure they were ready and thought the success wouldn't last. Now, I see a no-fear approach to the game.

Walker off and running

In April, Larry Walker impressed me the most of any player. I always thought he was a really good hitter, but now I think he is a great hitter. Walker missed 75 games last season and sat out nearly the entire second half. When a player is sidelined a long time, it's difficult for him to pick up where he left off. Walker, though, seems to be a better hitter now than he was before he was hurt. He has always had a lot of ability. Walker's skills are the combination that teams want; he hits for power and average and is a Gold Glove right fielder. I'm surprised at how well he has done after being injured so much the last two years. To do what he does, Walker is a special player. He has even hit a broken-bat home run this season. When I pick up the newspaper everyday, I try to see what Walker did first. -- Joe Morgan

Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were great examples when they passed Roger Maris' home-run mark in 1998. When players were hitting home runs at a Maris-like pace during my career, the thought of 61 homers would catch up to them and cause them to fall short.

But McGwire and Sosa went right past 61 without thinking about it. That attitude is typical of today's players -- and a big plus. They just feel they can succeed, and they do.

Now, for this week's questions ...

1. How significant is Rickey Henderson's career walks record?
The career walks record is more significant for Henderson than it was for Babe Ruth or Ted Williams because they were sluggers who wanted to swing the bat. Their teams didn't want them to walk.

As a leadoff hitter, Henderson needs to walk; part of his job is to get on base. The record further substantiates why Henderson is the greatest leadoff hitter in baseball history. In the past, we used to say, "A walk is as good as a hit." For a leadoff hitter, that is true.

Now that he has achieved the walks record, there are two other career numbers Rickey is chasing. But even though he needs 67 runs to break Ty Cobb's career runs record and 83 hits to reach 3,000, both will be difficult to attain.

Getting 3,000 hits would be more important to him than the runs record, but I don't know if he will get enough at-bats. He is no longer the offensive force a manager wants in the game on a daily basis. Rickey still walks a lot, but he doesn't swing the bat as well as he once did.

Rickey has a better chance of reaching 3,000 hits. A player can get more than 80 hits in 250-275 at-bats. But to score nearly 70 runs, a player needs to play everyday and bat at least 400-500 times.

Henderson is a first-ballot Hall of Famer who didn't just walk, steal bases and score runs. He won a Gold Glove. He hit for average and for power and ran the bases well. He did everything. He has always been an excellent player and was one of the top players in the game for much of his career. There is more to Rickey than the walks and the stolen bases.

When Rickey and I were teammates in 1984, I remember teasing him; he was bigger and stronger than I was, yet he wasn't hitting any home runs. In spring training, we worked together everyday, taking extra hitting, and I gave him one of my smaller, thinner-handled bats.

Because pitchers were always behind on him in the count, I told Rickey he should take a shot at driving the ball every once in a while. I said it would help him draw even more walks because pitchers would be afraid to throw him a strike on a 2-0 count. After that, he started hitting home runs. Rickey had 24 in 1985 and reached a career high of 28 in 1986 and again in 1990, his MVP season.

One of the reasons I was brought to Oakland for my final season was to have an influence on young players like Rickey. I'd like to think I helped Rickey by passing along some things I learned earlier in my career. He and I still have a great relationship.

2. Even though the Reds have no dominant starter, do they have the pitching to win the NL Central?
The question is, who does have enough pitching in the division? The Reds have plenty of pitching considering the other teams in the NL Central.

In all of baseball, every team is capable of getting hot and having some well-pitched games. If the Reds can get two or three quality starts a week and then outscore teams the rest of the week, they will succeed.

One key is closer Danny Graves, who has gotten off to a temendous start for the Reds. Last season he wasn't as dominant as he was in 1999, but he seems to be back in top form. That bodes well for the Reds.

3. Do you think Luis Gonzalez is one of the game's most underrated players and what is the reason for his late career turnaround?
Because I define an underrated player as someone who produces every year without publicity, I don't consider Gonzalez one of the most underrated players. He has blossomed late in his career and is now getting what he deserves after a pair of great seasons in Arizona.

Gonzalez was traded to the Diamondbacks after an average season in Detroit in '98. Now with his fourth team, Gonzalez, at 33, has matured and become a much better player after the age of 30. Much of his improvement can be attributed to experience. He learned more about himself and understood his strengths and weaknesses.

Somewhat like Gonzalez, I blossomed more a bit later in my career, after joining the Reds in 1972. But my experience was different because I played my first seven full seasons at the Astrodome, which was the league's toughest place to hit. And when I went to the Reds, I was surrounded by great players. I worked with Ted Kluszewski, the hitting instructor, and things began to come together. The same thing may have happened to Gonzalez, who's already hit 13 home runs this season, breaking the National League record and tying the major-league mark for homers in April. Things he learned from hitting instructors or other players may have finally clicked.

I'm happy for Gonzalez because there are few players nicer than him. When he was struggling and changing teams, he was still the nicest person to talk to and was very upbeat. He went from being an average, everyday player to being an All-Star-caliber player. When teams play the Diamondbacks, they talk about holding Gonzalez down. Before, when he played in Houston, Chicago and Detroit, that wasn't the case.

4. Now that Cal Ripken is going to be a part-time player in Baltimore, is it finally time for him to call it a career?
Everything will depend on Ripken's mental approach to the change. He is used to preparing himself to play everyday. Now he won't.

Can he adjust to a part-time role? It's a different adjustment for every player who has been a starter. When I felt I could no longer play everyday, I didn't want to play anymore. Others may still want to contribute and continue playing the game. If a player takes that approach, he should be able to adapt to a part-time role with little difficulty.

It will be up to Cal to decide whether or not he wants to make the adjustment. I'm sure he can, but he must want to.

5. Larry Bowa is getting good results from the Phillies. Considering his fiery temperment and the young team he inherited, how far do you expect them to go and why has this been a good fit thus far?
First of all, Bowa had the fiery temperment when he was younger. In his first managerial stint in San Diego, he would go berserk and say too many things. But we all learn and become wiser as we get older because we learn from watching other people. Bowa has been a coach with different ballclubs and has watched other managers handle situations he didn't handle well the first time. I'm sure he is more prepared to be a manager now than he was the first time.

The Phillies have plenty of young talent with players like Scott Rolen, Bobby Abreu, Pat Burrell and Jimmy Rollins. But you never know how young players will fare. However, the longer they keep winning and staying on top in the NL East, the more confidence they will gain. Then there is no limit to what they can accomplish.

Hall of Famer Joe Morgan works as an analyst for ESPN.