Article: Ken Rosenthal Reporting Gardenhire Extended Two Years

[LastOnePicked]

There's zero accountability for this franchise?

 

No need for a question mark on that, my friend. Terrible day for Twins Baseball. A few predictions for the next two years ...

 

1) Buxton, Rosario, Sano and other Twins top prospects will underwhelm, underperform and ultimately appear disoriented on the major league roster.

 

2) At least one more 95+ loss season is ahead. The team will not finish above .500, much less compete against the strongest teams in the league.

 

3) Twins starting pitching will continue to rank at the bottom of the league in strikeouts, ERA and WHIP.

 

4) Target Field will host at least one more division clinching celebration by an AL Central foe.

 

When none of the key variables change, the outcomes become increasingly easy to predict. I hope you all can stomach what's ahead. I don't have the heart for it anymore.

[Pius Jefferson]

The Pohlad's and Terry Ryan are probably quivering.

 

They should be because for many fans anger is eventually going to turn into indifference and indifference leads to an half-empty Target Field.

[Death Rattle]

I love how the Twins tried to act like they were getting tough with Gardy by not giving him an extention last offseason. Like for once, the Twins would actually get tough with one of their own.

 

Then not even 24 hours from game 162 he gets a two year deal.

[Death Rattle]

And really the worst part about this whole thing...is that Mayer, Sano, Buxton, Rosario and others are all gonna have to get broken into the majors by a man who hates rookies and young players.

[nicksaviking]

Yippeee !!! Hurrah Hurray !!! Gardy/Andy haters don't get their way !!!

It is a GREAT day to be a Twins fan. 2014 is looking better. :)

 

Only when the entire staff went down with injuries did the Twins falter.

 

Why do you assume people who want a change hate Gardy and Anderson? I don't and I'm betting most others here don't also. Your personal narrative that villifies everyone who thinks change is needed is disturbing.

 

When exactly did the entire staff go down with injuries? I wonder because the Twins have been terrible going on three years now and were one of the most healthy teams well into this season. They were long out of contention when Willingham and Mauer got hurt.

[Mike Sixel]

Yippeee !!! Hurrah Hurray !!! Gardy/Andy haters don't get their way !!!

It is a GREAT day to be a Twins fan. 2014 is looking better. :)

 

I know the above won't balance all the negative comments, but some of us think Gardy/Andy are the best manager/pitching coach combination in the major leagues.

Since Radke & Santana left they worked magic with mediocre pitchers and still got us into the playoffs. Only when the entire staff went down with injuries did the Twins falter. They have had to work with what they had in the minors and that wasn't much.

 

Prediction: In 2014 the Twins are going to astound the American League Central. And the American League Central is going to be the toughest division in Major League Baseball. The critics are going to be left tongue-tied by the success of the Twins starting staff. The relief corps, led by Perkins, will be the best in baseball. And the young, inexperienced hitters will be piranhas again.

 

I hope you are right.

[Thegrin]

sorry... haters is the word nowadays, isn't it ? I know that people who want a change don't hate Gardy and Andy. And I was just tweaking the people with negative comments.

 

in 2011 Pavano, Baker, Blackburn all went down. Slowey was proved inadequate and Lirianno became worse than inconsistent. That was when it all went wrong for us.

 

I do think that a young, inexperienced team needs a cool, steady hand rather than change. A clubhouse does not need a new voice when the current voice is the right voice and is saying the right things at the right time.

[ThePuck]

Why do you assume people who want a change hate Gardy and Anderson? I don't and I'm betting most others here don't also. Your personal narrative that villifies everyone who thinks change is needed is disturbing.

 

 

Are you surprised?

[chopper0080]

There's zero accountability for this franchise?

 

Agreed

[ThePuck]

So who gets fired this year? Ball boys? Equipment manager? Head of the Grounds Crew?

[Oldgoat_MN]

I just cannot imagine how Anderson gets to keep his job. I cannot believe there is any stat of any kind that suggests he is a good pitching coach. He might be a wonderful man, but I don't know why he's a pitching coach.

 

Letting him go would have at least suggested they were trying to improve SOMETHING.

 

Isn't the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result?

[Tcrose3636]

I just cannot imagine how Anderson gets to keep his job. I cannot believe there is any stat of any kind that suggests he is a good pitching coach. He might be a wonderful man, but I don't know why he's a pitching coach.

 

Letting him go would have at least suggested they were trying to improve SOMETHING.

 

Isn't the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result?

 

Didn't you hear? They don't go with what the stats say, only if they pass the eye test/smell test/ Ouiji board test.

 

That said, I am fine with Gardy coming back for 2 years. Only wish they would start looking at statistics and not being so reactive (I/E they are about 5 years behind the times everyone started to draft power pitchers).

[ThePuck]

What would be awesome is that, after seeing the decision Ryan made about gardy, that the Pohlads fire him and Gardy. That's a dream cause we all know he didn't re-sign him without discussing it with ownership first, but it's good to have dreams...

[LastOnePicked]

I do think that a young, inexperienced team needs a cool, steady hand rather than change.

 

Cleveland fans are on Line 1 with a rebuttal.

 

But I love your unfounded enthusiam, Thegrin. Let's meet back here on TD after the 2014 season and compare our predictions.

[kydoty]

"Sorry, Ron, but I need to see the team get better before thinking about bringing you back beyond 2013."

 

*team gets worse*

 

"Welcome back, Gardy!"

[ThePuck]

Cleveland fans are on Line 1 with a rebuttal.

 

But I love your unfounded enthusiam, Thegrin. Let's meet back here on TD after the 2014 season and compare our predictions.

 

Orioles fans on line two.

[Chance]

With the cubs firing their manager; which team will have a quicker turn around, us or them? Obviously there are many different variables that there is no way to fairly compare the two. But none-the-less it will be fun to see the two play out. I hope we have a new pitching coach... I'm fine with Gardy coming back.

[nicksaviking]

There's zero accountability for this franchise?

 

Agreed

 

Disagree. This franchise seems to employ plenty of accountants.

[TheLeviathan]

Man we are totally firing some interns to shake it up!

[whydidnt]

Things have been going so good with the Twins over the last few years, why wouldn't they want to maintain the status quo? Let's keep doing what we've been doing and hope for different results appears to by Ryan's plan for the Twins.

[ashbury]

The Pohlad's and Terry Ryan are probably quivering.

 

Mod note: Please don't make posts personal about other posters. Even when provoked by a post that seems to beg for it.

[matthew0211]

I've been following the Twins daily and religiously for about 35 years or so... and this is about the lowest and most apathetic I have felt about the team during that time. It's their prerogative to bring Gardy and his staff back, but I hope they will show the real fans some respect by bringing experienced, professional players and a new attitude to the team during the winter instead of the AAA/AAAA talent we've been exposed to during the past three years.

 

I'm not optimistic - my fear is that they will continue to market Target Field as a place to eat gourmet sandwiches and drink craft beers, catering the ticketholders in the suites and the Legend's Club as opposed to the real fans who actually care about the product on the field. They need to show me they are more interested in winning games and World Series rather than becoming the baseball version of the Minnesota Wild.

 

I want to see a change in how the team adapts to the new style of baseball being played in the 21st Century. Acquiring pitchers who can strike out 7-8 batters per nine innings with the mentality to throw 120 pitches and pitch into the eighth or ninth inning every single game. Hitters who can get on base 35-40% of the time, and aren't afraid to choke up on the bat and protect the plate with two strikes.

 

The Twins' hitters struck out the third most times in Major League history this year - unless you're hitting 200 home runs a year, that's not anywhere near acceptable. They need to change their approach. The manager needs to better utilize his pitching staff so he doesn't need 13 pitchers, and his bench so he doesn't need three catchers and two utility infielders.

 

Again, I'm not optimistic. But I am a baseball fan, and I won't quit on the Twins. It feels like they've quit on me. They have this winter to prove me wrong.

[Mike Sixel]

don't insult the new leadership in the Wild like that....they just signed two of the largest contracts in all of sports last year......

 

And, I don't buy this whole "suits vs jeans" argument that "suits" are not real fans.....but I agree with the rest of that.

[Otto von Ballpark]

What's the price tag on Gardy now? I imagine another losing season lowered his price a bit. That's probably why the Twins waited -- I don't think they ever had any intention of letting him go at this point, regardless of how the team performed in 2013.

[raindog]

I'm pretty sickened by the organization right now. Out of touch from the owner on down.

[Tcrose3636]

Wow, I was all for Gardy coming back, thinking that the only way he would come back was with some reassurance on getting a better ball club through FA...but TR just killed that hope. Now I don't know what to think, this is just kind of brutal. Here is to hoping they get Tanaka because they are not getting anyone through FA.

[h2oface]

I just can't believe it. 3 seasons of losing 96 or more games, and he and Terry are your men for the future. It really is distressing. I feel no hope.

[LaBombo]

I just can't believe it. 3 seasons of losing 96 or more games, and he and Terry are your men for the future. It really is distressing. I feel no hope.

The really amazing part of this thing is that the on-field product managed to crater in perfect sync with a dramatic increase in payroll.

 

Well, available payroll, at least.

[Thrylos]

So who gets fired this year? Ball boys? Equipment manager? Head of the Grounds Crew?

 

Allegedly (I was flying and could not listen to the press conference), Pohlad with the same breath that handed Gardy and his pals an extension, said that a lot of changes will happen in 2014 (can someone verify?) Other than the sarcasm in the inconsistency and mutual conflict between the action and the promise, one would have to assume that the Twins will:

 

a. blame 2013 on the cement "settling" at TF and start watering it about an hour before doors open before every home game

b. fire the bullpen catcher and replace the person in the TCBear costume (heck, 2011 was BS' fault, 2012 was Jerry's and Stellie's fault. This is a highly accountable organization. Someone deserves the blame.)

c. As Ryan did when I was hearing part of his interview on ESPN1500 a couple of hours ago, blame the season on "luck" and invest in a whole bunch of horseshoes, voodoo dolls etc to improve luck. Heck, hiring a voodoo practitioner to add to the MLB scouting staff, will help as well

d. Change the sausage & hot dog providers at TF. They got to do it every year, until it sticks. (see c. above.)

e. Find a former Twins' player (preferably a light hitting one) and make him the seventh coach. He can coach the coaches or the aforementioned voodoo practitioner. Or be a voodoo practitioner himself.

 

This is such a poorly run franchise, that is starting to move from a tragical to a purely comical situation especially when the same old people are praising the same old people's achievements even when those amount to having the worse record in the league cumulatively (i.e. could not do any worse) the last 3 years.

 

Twins' fans got to laugh, because they have done enough crying and having their intelligence insulted by these guys, should not be an option any more...

[josecordoba]

Mod note: Please don't make posts personal to other posters. Even when provoked by a post that seems to beg for it.

 

Apologies if this came off in such a fashion.