Miguel Cabrera was absent from the starting lineup again Thursday because of tendinitis in his left shoulder which hinders his swing and reduces his power. Barring a stupendous final three weeks, which now appears all but impossible, his chances of winning baseball's Triple Crown are nil.
    Not that they were ever very good.
    Historically, the odds against a Triple Crown are 17-1.
    But in today's baseball, the odds are much greater than that.
    Since 1900 it has only happened in either league 13 times.
    In the past 110 years, only 11 players -- Nap Lajoie (1901), Ty Cobb ('09), Rogers Hornsby (1922, '25), Jimmie Foxx ('33), Chuck Klein ('33), Lou Gehrig ('34), Joe Medwick ('37), Ted Williams (1942, '47), Mickey Mantle ('56), Frank Robinson ('66), and Carl Yastrzemski ('67) _ have ever led their league in batting average, home runs and RBI.    As you can see, two players, Hornsby and Williams, did it twice.
    It is no coincidence that all 11 are enshrined in baseball's Hall of Fame.
    But, in the so-called Expansion Era, it has only happened twice since 1956.
    No fan under the age of 50 has ever seen it happen, which definitely puts me in the minority.
    Cabrera continues to lead the American League in RBI with 110.  But he trails injured Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers by 28 points (.361 to .333) in the batting race and Toronto's Jose Bautista by 10 home runs (43 to 33) in the HR chase.