Jack Morris

MINNEAPOLIS -- This is not 43-year-old Steve Carlton shuffling through one more town with a tired slider and a Code of Silence. And this is not 43-year-old Joe Niekro showing how to get by with emery boards.Jack Morris still can pitch. What's more important, he can pitch a lot of innings.The Twins, who yesterday signed free agent Morris to a one-year contract worth $3 million with options for 1992 and 1993 at $2 million a season, haven't had a pitcher throw 200 innings since Frank Viola won the Cy Young Award.

Explaining the Orioles this year is easier than it was last season, when nobody quite understood how a team could go from 107 losses to second place.It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why they are wallowing near the bottom of the standings. There is a very academic reason -- they can't beat the teams within their own division.As a matter of fact, there is a distinct possibility they will conclude the year without a winning record against any Eastern Division team. If the Tigers win at Memorial Stadium either tonight (7:35, WBAL, HTS)