Gardy rumors

[gunnarthor]

From the Boston Globe's Cafardo - http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2014/09/20/quicker-fixes-needed-some-rebuilding-mlb-teams/NRAeBvRgwe6OtFXMueBwQO/story.html

 

Not really a surprise to read this but "It looks more and more like Gardenhire will return next season. A Twins executive said he would be “surprised” if Gardenhire didn’t come back based on his young team playing hard and having fun playing the spoiler role down the stretch. The Twins will need to continue to revamp their pitching staff, but they have young, talented players joining the team over the next two years."

 

Of course, Anderson's contract is still up at the end of the year. 

[Pius Jefferson]

One good series against Detroit who by the way is three K.C. outs away from being two ahead in the standings shouldn't be enough to save his job.

[Thegrin]

After 2017, when the Twins win the World Series, everyone will be thankful that Gardy is still our manager.

[Platoon]

I would be depressed if he is here next year. This team needs a change in culture. A couple reasons: he is the type of coach who expects his players to fit his style of play. A good coach goes with what he has, gets the basics down, and accentuates his players talents by putting in positions to succeed, and attempts to,hide their weaknesses . Yet oddly he lets the players decide things like whe to bunt or steal? (See Santanna/Shaefer), then rips them in public. More often he seems to do things almost contrarily, just to show he can do them. Mid season I was sure the drive for -90 would be the final nail. But nope, the boys are bustin their tails, love to play for him, and none of the roster is his fault. There seems only two hopes here, one is TR resigns, which is unlikely as he know it costs Gardy his job. The only real chance is Jim Pohlad, who looking at those empty seats takes the time and effort to realize that he owns a team that is fast becoming passé. People go to games to see wins, if the win does not happen, effort will suffice for awhile. This club currently has neither.

[nicksaviking]

I want new blood, but I want it from the top down. 

 

I've always been in favor of a new manager, not so much due to any fault of Gardy (though he does have many faults) but because in other organizations, change has often energized the club.  It may not be fair, but recently it's worked with Baltimore, Oakland, Cleveland and Milwaukee.  Hard to fault the previous manager for the lack of talent, but the new guy was able to channel something. 

 

The young players certainly are giving us hope now though.  The offense does seem to be clicking.  I'd prefer a new manager, but if Gardy were retained next year, I'd be less upset now than I would have been last month. 

 

No doubt Anderson needs to go regardless.  If they're having a hard time cutting ties with him due to sentimental reasons, surely they can find another position within the organization, perhaps something with the title "Special Advisor."

[Boom Boom]

I'm 100% sure Gardenhire and Anderson are back next year.

 

TR already said that Gardenhire would be back.  I know he backpedaled on that statement somewhat, but I believe he meant what he said the first time.  Anderson is Gardy's pitching coach and I think that even after 4 90+ loss seasons that Gardenhire will be given the choice to bring back Anderson.

 

I know that's not what most fans (including me) want to hear, but I'm convinced that the Twins organization is married to Gardenhire, 'til death do they part.  He's not going anywhere until he voluntarily decides to retire.

[Brock Beauchamp]

I lean toward moving on from Gardy but won't lose my mind if he stays.

 

Anderson, on the other hand...

[diehardtwinsfan]

I suspect several coaches will be gone. Whether Gardy quits b/c he doesn't have Anderson anymore I don't know, but my guess is that Gardy will stay in a lame duck scenario and Anderson and a couple others go.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

One scenario. Ryan and Pohlad are not-so-subtly offering Gardy a promotion to Vice President of Baseball Division Titles in 6 of 9 Years, or some such title, just to save face and get someone new in the manager chair. But since Gardy doesn't do subtlety and loves his job, he doesn't take the hint. Ryan has no choice but to announce Gardy is coming back. It is announced after the season however that none of the coaches are coming back for '15, but then that is reversed at the meetings in December. With same exact coaching staff minus Molitor in 2015, Twins finish 78-84, fourth in Central, and Gardy wins manager of the year.

 

Scenario two. Ryan retires rather than can his old friend's pitching coach. New GM from outside is hired and decides to give Gardy and the coaches one more year to "turn this thing around." Twins finish 78-84 in 2015, fourth in Central, Manager of Year, and fan base demands extension for Gardy and coaches to let them complete the turnaround. But, in early 2016, a prospect in Fort Myers gets injured, causing Twins to finish season 71-91, with no choice but to extend Gardy and coaches again and aim for contention sometime after 2019.

 

In other news, Vance Worley pitched a good game yesterday.

[Winston Smith]

This team is run by the PR Department so they'll do whatever they think will sell. Making money is what they worry about and winning games only comes after making money.

[iTwins]

I won't love it if Gardy stays, but I'm not going to boycott the team over it either.

 

Rick Anderson, however, is a whole other topic. He HAS to be let go. If the staff stays as is for yet another year...oh buddy....

[Mike Sixel]

I think he stays. I think many people will be frustrated by that, and even his supporters will be more "meh" about it than excited about it.

[Boom Boom]

One scenario. Ryan and Pohlad are not-so-subtly offering Gardy a promotion to Vice President of Baseball Division Titles in 6 of 9 Years, or some such title, just to save face and get someone new in the manager chair.

 

That would look real good on a business card.  Much better than Vice President of Baseball Division Titles in Six of Thirteen Years, which would also technically be accurate.

[James]

This team is run by the PR Department so they'll do whatever they think will sell. Making money is what they worry about and winning games only comes after making money.

I think you're right that the team is interested in making money, but I don't think that comes at the expense of trying to field a good team.  If you have a good team, it's easier to make money.  Simple as that.  

 

I think I'm with the majority of people on TD that wouldn't be surprised if Gardy is back next year.  I've been saying it for a while that the Twins are going to let him do a farewell tour as the prepare for the next manager waiting in the wings.  

 

Also, Anderson needs to go.  I think that is pretty obvious to everyone.  

[Kwak]

Everyone  from DSP on down is in defend the status quo mode.  I this team was driven by PR Gardenhire would have been replaced.  That change would have sated the bloodthirst of the fans and netted at least two years of patience for the new order.  Defending the status quo will only continue the trust of the fans leading to ever-declining attendance.  The end result will be Kansas City-like--on a Saturday nite game vs the Twins this August KC had an attendance of 17,000.  A (then) 1st place team, a beautiful Saturday evening and only 17,000!    That's what ignoring the fans will do to a team.

[drjim]

This team is run by the PR Department so they'll do whatever they think will sell. Making money is what they worry about and winning games only comes after making money.

 

You state this like it is unique to the Twins. Making money is the primary goal of virtually every franchise, some just have better PR operations that are better at deceiving their fans. And, as stated, winning and making money can often go hand in hand.

 

I also think it is important to draw the distinction between the desire to be profitable and the desire to maximize profits. If the Twins wanted to solely maximize profits, they wouldn't have spent as much as they did on free agents last offseason. None of those free agents did anything to move the needle on season tickets, and realistically there is no free agent they can sign this offseason that will sell more than 5 season tickets.

[drjim]

Everyone  from DSP on down is in defend the status quo mode.  I this team was driven by PR Gardenhire would have been replaced.  That change would have sated the bloodthirst of the fans and netted at least two years of patience for the new order.  Defending the status quo will only continue the trust of the fans leading to ever-declining attendance.  The end result will be Kansas City-like--on a Saturday nite game vs the Twins this August KC had an attendance of 17,000.  A (then) 1st place team, a beautiful Saturday evening and only 17,000!    That's what ignoring the fans will do to a team.

 

The problem is that fans are usually idiots. If you do what fans want it for the sake of that's what they want, it generally leads to more problems and does nothing to sell tickets in the future.

 

I would be surprised if firing Gardy actually resulted in more ticket sales in and of itself. Only two things matter - winning and/or an exciting young team. The Twins will have a base of some number (probably 10k ish) as long as they have a good stadium and a team that is not a complete fiasco, the rest of the margin depends on winning or makeup of team.

[Badsmerf]

8-16. That is the Twins record against potential playoff teams in the last month. Go to the beginning of August and it will look even worse. That is good for a .333 winning percentage. I don't think the Twins have been doing much spoiling. 

[iTwins]

8-16. That is the Twins record against potential playoff teams in the last month. Go to the beginning of August and it will look even worse. That is good for a .333 winning percentage. I don't think the Twins have been doing much spoiling. 

 

Pssh. You're letting facts get in the way of a good spin job. They beat the Tigers in the season series! THE TIGERS! Obviously, you bring Gardy back after that.

 

(Please note the above post is dripping with sarcasm)

[Kwak]

The problem is that fans are usually idiots. If you do what fans want it for the sake of that's what they want, it generally leads to more problems and does nothing to sell tickets in the future.

 

I would be surprised if firing Gardy actually resulted in more ticket sales in and of itself. Only two things matter - winning and/or an exciting young team. The Twins will have a base of some number (probably 10k ish) as long as they have a good stadium and a team that is not a complete fiasco, the rest of the margin depends on winning or makeup of team.

Consider how insulting that comment is--"...fans are usually idiots."  These are the people giving their money to the Twins.  Without them, the baseball team has no reason to exist. I will ask are the fans idiots beausethey have different agenda than management?  Or, because they continue to spend their money on a company that considers them idiots?

[gunnarthor]

Consider how insulting that comment is--"...fans are usually idiots."  These are the people giving their money to the Twins.  Without them, the baseball team has no reason to exist. I will ask are the fans idiots beausethey have different agenda than management?  Or, because they continue to spend their money on a company that considers them idiots?

Oh, c'mon. You can't seriously be arguing drjim's point.  Look at the comments sections in the Startribune.  How many people thought Mauer wasn't a good player when he was posting a .400 OBP?  The normal guy on the street (or on the internet) don't have a clue on how to construct or run a baseball team.  

[nicksaviking]

In completly unrelated news, Atlanta fired their GM Frank Wren, though the Braves made the playoffs in three of the last five seasons.

 

From the sound of it, making the playoffs but failing to advance past the first round was unacceptable to Braves leadership as was a run of spotty free agent acquisitions.

[Badsmerf]

Jamie, you share a lot of the same sentiments I do. However, I do believe Gardy would be a fine manager in a different situation. A place with a lot of veterans like NY or LA would be a great place for him. 

[Seth Stohs]

I think he stays. I think many people will be frustrated by that, and even his supporters will be more "meh" about it than excited about it.

 

I agree with this comment. A year ago, I defended keeping Gardy on because I really thought (and still think) that last September may have been the valley, the low point in terms of talent on a roster for the Twins. This year's record will be about the same as last year and yet there are more reasons for optimism going into next year because Santana, Vargas, Arcia and May are getting playing time and Buxton, Sano and Meyer are still coming. 

 

My support for keeping Gardy isn't so much about agreeing that he's absolutely the right guy to bring along the young players, but about people making some assumption that change is good just because change is good.

 

The Braves firing Frank Wren is ridiculous. He's done the job well for a long time and now they're going to replace him with someone who likely isn't any better. Why? Seems like change for change sake. 

 

If the Twins keep Gardy, I won't necessarily agree with that choice but I won't be upset. If they let him go, I won't be upset and yet I won't expect the next manager to be the reason that the Twins improve either. 

[drjim]

Consider how insulting that comment is--"...fans are usually idiots."  These are the people giving their money to the Twins.  Without them, the baseball team has no reason to exist. I will ask are the fans idiots beausethey have different agenda than management?  Or, because they continue to spend their money on a company that considers them idiots?

 

Keep in mind I'm one of those fans. I think this board represents pretty close to the elite of Twins fan as far as knowledge and understanding of baseball and how a franchise should work, valuing players, etc. and at least 90 percent of us would quickly run a baseball team into the ground if given control (and that is probably being extremely optimistic).

 

And I would be careful to assume "fans" have a different agenda than management that would result in divergent moves - fans want to be entertained and management wants to make money, those can certainly co-exist, and probably both sides are at their best when maximized.

 

And people can certainly spend money on the team, be entertained, and have pretty close to no idea what would be a smart strategy going forward, no matter what they may think.

[Badsmerf]

Seth, at some point you have to make a change to get different results. It isn't a guarantee a new GM will bring a WS tittle to the Braves, but they weren't getting one with the incumbent so there isn't as much risk as you are implying. At this point with the Twins, they really couldn't get much worse if they made a change.

[Badsmerf]

Keep in mind I'm one of those fans. I think this board represents pretty close to the elite of Twins fan as far as knowledge and understanding of baseball and how a franchise should work, valuing players, etc. and at least 90 percent of us would quickly run a baseball team into the ground if given control (and that is probably being extremely optimistic).

 

And I would be careful to assume "fans" have a different agenda than management that would result in divergent moves - fans want to be entertained and management wants to make money, those can certainly co-exist, and probably both sides are at their best when maximized.

 

And people can certainly spend money on the team, be entertained, and have pretty close to no idea what would be a smart strategy going forward, no matter what they may think.

To me, that isn't the point about listening to fans. You don't sign a SP because the fans want a guy, you sign a SP because your staff ERA is last in the MLB. You don't upgrade your OF because the fans don't like Aaron Hicks, you upgrade your OF because it is the worst OF defense in the MLB. 

 

It doesn't take a baseball genius to attempt to fix obvious flaws. Fans want to watch a good team. If the GM can't put a good team on the field he doesn't deserve to be there. If a manager can't win with what the GM thought was a good team he doesn't deserve to be there. Fans, want to see results one way or another. 

[nicksaviking]

I agree with this comment. A year ago, I defended keeping Gardy on because I really thought (and still think) that last September may have been the valley, the low point in terms of talent on a roster for the Twins. This year's record will be about the same as last year and yet there are more reasons for optimism going into next year because Santana, Vargas, Arcia and May are getting playing time and Buxton, Sano and Meyer are still coming. 

 

My support for keeping Gardy isn't so much about agreeing that he's absolutely the right guy to bring along the young players, but about people making some assumption that change is good just because change is good.

 

The Braves firing Frank Wren is ridiculous. He's done the job well for a long time and now they're going to replace him with someone who likely isn't any better. Why? Seems like change for change sake. 

 

If the Twins keep Gardy, I won't necessarily agree with that choice but I won't be upset. If they let him go, I won't be upset and yet I won't expect the next manager to be the reason that the Twins improve either. 

 

The Braves have been a pretty stable organization, I think minimizing their decision is a little short sighted.  I don't know why failing to get past the first round of the playoffs since Wren became GM in 2007 isn't a legitimate reason for change, they clearly think they should be better than they have performed lately. 

 

Even if they end up making the wrong move to replace him, at least their statement that the status quo wasn't acceptable was more than just lip service.  Wren may not have done anything wrong, but that shouldn't matter if leadership thinks someone else may get better results.

[LaBombo]

Pssh. You're letting facts get in the way of a good spin job. They beat the Tigers in the season series! THE TIGERS! Obviously, you bring Gardy back after that.

 

(Please note the above post is dripping with sarcasm)

So at least a split in the four games remaining with them is a done deal?  Maybe I'll watch after all.

[iTwins]

So at least a split in the four games remaining with them is a done deal?  Maybe I'll watch after all.

 

Gardy will have the young guys playing so good, a 3-1 series win is set in stone.

 

In all honesty, I forgot about the final four games being against Detroit. I'm new to snarky comments - I'm not usually that guy. I'll need to practice.