Riverbrian

It's real hard for anyone to know what are current coaches are capable of... or what they have accomplished without inside access to them. Who's to say that this year wasn't Anderson's finest hour. Maybe the pitching was very very very bad and Andy made them simply bad. Maybe he did some extroidanary work with what he had to work with. Maybe the pitching was going to be what it was going to be and he had no effect at all. Maybe we had enough arms to be capable and Andy spoiled it. I don't know... I just think the organization needs to shift directions a little and start sprinting to catch up. For that reason... A different hand holding the whip might... And I mean might... Be what is needed going forward. I may advocate change... But I do so without inside knowledge and I do so with full throated respect for the entire current staff.

I have no problem with change... but... How does anyone know that Bruno is the answer? What makes people clamor for Bruno? Bruno may be great... I'm certainly not saying he won't be... I'm asking.... How does anyone know??? Could it be that some are suggesting hires for 2013 based on name recognition. "I've heard of him" type thing. Bruno for Hitting Coach... Redmond for Manager. It makes me assume Bruno is suggested as a matter of convenience. Which is fine... But can we be a little constrained with the over trumpeting of Bruno... Assuming we know he's the guy... As opposed to simply being a guy we've heard of. Its one thing to think its time for replacements... It's another thing to passionately replace the replacements.

Well Posted!!! Nishi will end up being a big swing and miss. There are more at bats to come.

Home team broadcasters should be biased. They are broadcasting to fans of the team by a large percentage. National broadcasters shouldn't be biased. Finishing 6th... Our guys should be shooting for #1.

I'm just looking ahead... Season is over... Personally... Braun and Stanton are no doubters. I'm also leaning toward Kimbrel... We have a save catagories and he is clearly the position elite. I'd hate to have him tossed back into the draft mix having the last pick of the first draft round. The Other 3 are difficult decisions right now... l hope things clear up over the winter. Two guys I'm considering that haven't been mentioned yet are Martinez and Craig. Martinez was hurt all year and I picked him up off waivers in April and held him on my DL all year. Catcher eligible and he will play nearly everyday as the DH. He's a plus .300 hitter... Nothing to sneeze at. Craig... Was a hitting stud... 1B and OF eligible. A Gone would have been a slam dunk because of his added OF eligibility but he really struggled this year and now I'm thinking Craig might be the better Option. Gio, Zimmerman, Bumgarner, Greinke and Matt Harvey look like strong pitching options... Matt Harvey was pretty damn good this year... I think Lawrie could be a 30-30 guy... Not to mention the SS scarcity and the potential of Profar and Machado. Profar could be a guy you stash... Waste the roster spot... Take the hit and wait for his full time arrival. I just don't know about next year for him. Having a SS that can play is a huge plus because a lot of people have to scrape and go without at the SS position. There are not a lot of them. I'm looking at my roster and I got some tough decisions. I'd love any opinions!

I have the entire off season to decide. Its a simple keeper league. The draft begins round Seven. Prospects are not stashed away. You really can't afford to hold a prospect and wait for him to arrive in the majors but you will for the really special ones. All players kept need to be productive in 2013.

Curious to see who you guys would select out of this bunch. 6 keepers for 2013 from this list. Victor Martinez C Mike Napoli C Anthony Rizzo 1B Brett Lawrie 3B Pedro Alverez 3B Jurickson Profar SS Manny Machado SS-3B Josh Rutledge SS Adrian Gonzalez 1B-OF Allen Craig 1B-OF Ryan Braun OF Giancarlo Stanton OF Sterling Marte OF Gio Gonzale SP Madison Bumgarner SP Jordan Zimmerman SP Matt Harvey SP Zach Grienke SP Craig Kimbrel RP Pick 6 to keep...

God... I'm hoping that I'm being reasonable with my wish list but I'm prepared for the possibility of not being within reason. I'd like to see the Twins target one FA and make a real strong push. Overpay if they have to... But pick one and roll the dice. My choice... if the Rays dont pick up his option. Shields would be the guy in my opinion. I'd also like the Twins to trade for one young SP with upside ready to be a rookie next year. I don't care who they give up to get this young SP. if it takes Span and someone else... OK... Lets do it. My choice... Target the Braves and see what it takes to get Terehan. I'd also like to see the Twins roll the dice on a young rule 5. Put him in the rotation and ride it out. My choice... No idea... Open to suggestions. Lets see if our scouts can pull out a gem. Diamond... can make it 4... Baker if he's willing to sign for a smaller contract with larger bonuses could be 5... Deduno... 5 or 6 depending on Baker... Devries... choice 6 or 7... Hendriks... 7 or 8... Gibson in June or July can be 8 or 9. Plus take a chance on a Minor League FA or two which I'm sure they will do. All in All... Not overwhelming but better in my opinion.

Data replicates at some point and you will see the same results repeat itself eventually. However... This is more reliable for the collective. The data changes for each individual player based on his personal improvement or decline or flatness. I'm intriqued by WAR but there isn't a single stat that will make me bang my gavel down and say case closed. As evidence I offer up Carlos Ruiz. Statiscally you can't explain Cooch at age 28, 29 and at age 33. Or Chone Figgins at 29 and age 33. Ben Revere is young. Lots of data needs to be collected yet. Denard Span isn't as young but age 24 is different than age 26 and 28 is different than 26.

Out of contention... A good game... I'd rather see the Twins play well and lose over Play bad and win... The wins don't matter much... I just want the players to show something. Now if they are in contention. I'll take the win any way it comes.

Someone Cue Edwin Starr... I feel a song coming on...

Doesn't seem like it's really the point. It's comparative advantage. Is it worth it to give up .74 OPS in exchange for the potentially far more impactful starting pitching we could get in return for Span? Yup. Don't compare the wrong things. We're not talking about giving up Span because we don't like him. Im just quoting your post Charger... cuz I thought it was great. Shane... I'd love to have both Revere and Span. I like them both going forward. It's pitching... We need pitching. If Revere gets the better pitcher in return. Say goodbye to the little guy. If none of them bring back pitching or a decent middle infielder. Keep them both. We need depth as well.

I'm specifically replying to this quote: "Im not going to worry about .240 or .210 at the plate. The difference will mean very little. I'm gonna try and be reasonable and say simply... Give me someone who can gobble up the routine stuff and make the near impossible play every once in awhile." Did you just EXACTLY describe Nick Punto, who everyone wanted gone for years? He hit below Mendoza, handled the routine plays, and occasionally made the impossible. Those are some pretty low expectations for a new Twins starting SS, huh? Ok... If the SS is Punto like... He's Punto like... But what I'm saying is... Good luck finding a SS who can hit in the off season... It maybe a case where SS Choice A hits .240 and SS choice B hits .210... .240 is better... I understand this... But... I'm not going to worry about an extra hit every 33 at bats from Player A... I'm not going to bring up OPS because Dozier seems like the only guy who can do the extra base thing... Kinda... And the FA choices are slim and underwhelming and will probably be competed for and therefore expensive. In lieu of a real honest to goodness hitting Shortstop... I'll start the .210 guy if he plays like Punto in the field. Because that guy will go a long way to Helping us... And I mean... Helping us build a pitching staff. We'd all love to be stacked like the Rangers... It isn't realistic right now. We are going to be a team with holes like almost every team in the league and I think you can survive the offensive SS hole we are almost sure to have... if... he can pick it and get it... in support of the pitching staff. Priorities... We need to improve our pitching. We won't be able to trade for Andrus... If we do... That means that we didn't trade the package Andrus would require for Pitching. I'm not condoning being sub par anywhere. I'm saying... Tulo ain't coming to town. Our pitching is more important and in even worse shape than MI... Fix the pitching as quickly as possible and a defensive SS will help the pitching fixing that is needed... By the time the Pitching is functional... Maybe a SS who can push the ball around the park and out of the park will be an option. Im not going to waste my time hoping, wishing or expecting a big hitter at the 6 position in 2013... I'm going to waste my time hoping and wishing for Pitching and the structure to help the pitching succeed.

Gee, between Dumb and Dumber, and Alfred E. Neuman, you've got quite the roster of experts to turn to. I have as much knowledge as both of them.

Of Course we have a chance in 2013 -- Signed Lloyd Christmas. Actaully, Yes... We need pitching... Position Depth... Decent health and a good feeling to sustain us. If those three things are addressed... Yes... We have a chance.

I remember intense September baseball as well -- except for 2010 -- which was the beginning of the current debacle. What I don't remember is particularly intense October baseball. You can argue all you want about pitching and meeting better teams but I still believe that Gardenhire's teams have underperformed in the post-season. Ironically I believe that it is probably because of his regular season mentality. Gardenhire is all about the long view -- never get too high or low, there will be another game tomorrow. But the playoffs aren't like that. There WON'T always be another game tomorrow -- there is a premium on winning early (and now a premium on winning a 1-game playoff if you are a wild card team). I believe that Gardenhire's philosophy has served the Twins very well during regular seasons -- and I do believe that his teams have won a Central Division championship or two that they probably wouldn't have won under another manager. But I believe that same mind set has been pretty much a disaster in the post season. I don't hate Ron Gardenhire but the time has come for him to step down. It is time for an injection of new energy and ideas. It may be a disaster -- and it may be necessary to make more than one change -- but I'd rather see that than the stagnation we are currently witnessing (and that goes for the front office, too). September acts exactly like October. There is no tomorrow when you are fighting for a playoff spot. The difference is you don't play the last place teams in October. You don't survive September with "There is another game tomorrow mentality". Yes the Twins have underperformed in the post season... No one can dispute that... The record is clear to see... October baseball comes down to the best teams in that season. Who is hot and who is healthy. Ultimately... Playoff baseball is a small sample size. How you performed last year in the playoffs... or the year before that... or the year before that... or the decade before that... has nothing to do with the current year. A manager can lose 9 straight in the playoffs and then win a World Series the next time round. New Players every year... New Rotation every year... The context of each team changes from year to year. All managers should be equipped for the longview. You have to get in... To Win it... Disclaimer... If I was the owner... Based on my gut feeling and no inside information... I would be changing managers for 2013. I just don't buy the argument that Gardy sucks because of his Playoff record. Gardy has been nothing but a comparable success over 90 percent of the managers in baseball during his tenure. The Question is how much Gardy had to do with that? How much the GM had to do with that? How much the players had to do with that? How much the Baseball Gods had to do with? Playoff record... Same Questions? I just wish the anti-Gardy crowd don't take competeting for AL Central titles for granted. Gardy has had a hell of a run!!! Just because you believe the statements highlighted above in bold doesn't necessarily make them true. In the seasons where Gardy clinched early, his teams laid down immediately in the regular season and the opportunity to- get healthy, set up your rotation, gather your focus on the task ahead- still ended up in failure upon failure. Although there's always an inevitable amount of luck involed, winning more bigger-stakes games in October isn't only just one big cosmic crap-shoot. Gardy's teams have had Cy Young and MVP winners, as well as superior role players that other league champs and World Series winners found a way to win without. By the same token, he has found ways to maximize the Twins on-field success despite an owership that prioritizes the business bottom line over anything else. But to implicitly deny that Gardy's tenure has revealed blind spots and fundamental flaws in his managerial approach is just denying reality. FWIW, I don't hate Gardy and I don't represent the POV of the crowd you characterize as "Gardy Sucks". I don't have his photo pasted to a dart-board. I merely offered my own critical evalution of his time at the helm. I concur with your conclusion that it's time for a change after Gardy's great run- and that Gardy shares only his apportioned amount of the successes and failures with the others in the mix. I'm not denying reality... lol... I'm trying to be as real as humanly possible. I'd make the change for 2013... But I wouldn't use his playoff record as the reason for making the changing... How real can I get? Gardy has made a bunch of head scratching moves to me... This is my opinion. I've also watched Tony LaRussa and Sparky Anderson make head scratching moves as well. That's my personal opinion on the matter and it amounts to very little because... just cuz I think something... doesn't mean that everyone in the world agrees with me. How Real can I get? My opinion... and my weighting... A strong regular season record is much more important than a playoff record. The Playoffs are just a collection of small sample sizes... If you get knocked out in the first round 3 games to zero in 2000... And you get knocked out in the first round 3 games to zero in 2001... It's a small sample size on top of a small sample size and when you add up all the small sample sizes... you still have a small sample size... It's a different squad each year facing a team with a different squad. Each year has nothing to do with each other. The greatest teams in the world have each had a bunch of 3 games losing streaks... 5 game losing streaks... During the course of every season. When it happens in the playoffs... You are done. Thinking a manager is going to stop it by himself is... Well... it puts more creedence in the ability of managers than they deserve. If Gardy is a bad playoff manager... You should be able to single out the moments that he drove the train off the tracks each time. Even if you can do that... You will find a handful of posters on Twins Daily that will agree with you and a handful that will disagree with you on each train track jumping moment. In the end... I support a change in managers in 2013... And I do so with no inside information... I do so in the face of nearly 2,000 games worth of data over the course of his career that suggests that Gardy should remain the manager and the realization that he has had no pitching to work with for two years. I just think a fresh voice would be good for a rebuilding club and I think a different team would be good for Gardy. I would also like to point out that Hawk Harrelson Fired Tony LaRussa during a bad year. Turned out to be great for Tony and I wonder what White Sox fans think about that in hindsight. I'm trying my darnedest to be real. I'm supporting a change in managers and supporting the Manager at the same time. That either proves I'm conflicted beyond help or I'm trying to be balanced.

Remember that if Carroll gets 401 PA's next season he has a PLAYER option for 2014 when he will be 40 years old. Would you still rather have Carroll? Yes. If I'm the Twins I'm not thinking about $2 million for Carroll in 2014, I'm trying to put my best players out there. I really don't want Carroll there either, but I'd rather give him 401 PAs next year than give Florimon 401 PAs, option or not. If Florimon gets 401 at bats next year... It will mean that he got better at some things and is doing a job. Therefore no problem... If he continues to struggle... He won't see 401 at bats in 2013. If Carroll gets 401 at bats next year... It will mean that Florimon and Escobar and Dozier or a new MI didnt get the job done and we needed Carroll to hold down the fort. Im hoping Carroll doesn't get 401 at bats for that reason. There you go. Are you confident that the Twins will have all of 2B, shortstop, and 3B locked down for an entire season next year? It hasn't happened recently. And look at the guys you named - I'd even add Plouffe to the list - how many do you think will be able to stick without needing to be replaced? Like I said before, it looks to me like Carroll will get enough PAs anyway. I am not confident at all. I think Plouffe is the guy at third and I dont believe the Twins will be looking for a 3B. The hot streak he had this year was stunning. Once you display a streak like that... the Twins would be foolish to not keep him in place in case he does it again. Go ahead and write Plouffes name down and etch it in stone. SS and 2B are huge question marks and so is the overall depth. The Twins have multiple holes to plug and itll be hard tp plug them all... I don't expect a big hitting SS or 2b to show up. Im not going to worry about .240 or .210 at the plate. The difference will mean very little. I'm gonna try and be reasonable and say simply... Give me someone who can gobble up the routine stuff and make the near impossible play every once in awhile. Florimon looks like he could be that guy but he has to nail down the routine stuff or he won't be given the chance to make the big play. He will lose the job to Escobar or Dozier or Carroll. Drew is not the answer. Please God no... Pitching is the priority so let's surround those pitchers with players who can get the ball up the middle. Florimon has done nothing to prove he is the long term answer so far... He's just shown flashes of ability that suggest he could be at the very least... A guy who will support the pitching and the pitching will need all the support it can get. Its all about opportunity and Florimon is getting his right now. It's up to him to grab it. He may not. Let's see... Too soon to say right now.

Remember that if Carroll gets 401 PA's next season he has a PLAYER option for 2014 when he will be 40 years old. Would you still rather have Carroll? Yes. If I'm the Twins I'm not thinking about $2 million for Carroll in 2014, I'm trying to put my best players out there. I really don't want Carroll there either, but I'd rather give him 401 PAs next year than give Florimon 401 PAs, option or not. If Florimon gets 401 at bats next year... It will mean that he got better at some things and is doing a job. Therefore no problem... If he continues to struggle... He won't see 401 at bats in 2013. If Carroll gets 401 at bats next year... It will mean that Florimon and Escobar and Dozier or a new MI didnt get the job done and we needed Carroll to hold down the fort. Im hoping Carroll doesn't get 401 at bats for that reason.

Wow, it sounds to me like there's a lot more plus-offensive shortstops in the league than I thought. I'm sure that all those teams that have good hitting shortstops and aren't in contention have problems beyond that position. But when you list the good-hitting shortstops on the good teams, and then go on to list all the good-hitting shortstops on the bad teams, too... it makes me think that going with a Florimon at that position is putting the team at a disadvantage. Yes... The Teams not in contention have problems beyond the SS Position... Just like the Twins... I don't know if Florimon is the guy... I won't claim it... Let's see what he does... He has moments where he looks like a defensive wizard and that encourages me but not enough to say case closed. My thoughts on the SS position for 2013 in the context of the current Twins... We need pitching and when putting arms out there and buidling our staff... We need to support that position and give it every chance to succeed and that means defense. Defense can stop the big inning from happening... Suspect Defense can prolong innings and cause big crooked numbers. ERA is effected by those occasional big innings more than anything else. A SS that can get to balls that others can't is a huge factor because they stop those big innings from happening. It's all about making outs. You saw what happened yesterday on the Florimon boot. 6 Runs in one inning for the White Sox. Yes I know it's odd that I would use a Florimon misplay in defense of Florimon defense. Off all the SS's I have seen this year for the Twins... Florimon gets to more balls and makes more plays. Of the options... He appears to be the guy who can best support a pitching staff and our pitching staff is going to need all the help it can get. I'm hoping the error on the routine ball will calm down. If it doesn't... The Twins will move on to the next option. If the SS position was all about hitting. Teams would just put there backup 3B at SS and let it roll. Defense supports pitching... Pitchers with a 5 plus ERA could have an ERA in the 4's... If the SS or OF would have simply gotten to a ball to stop a 4 5 or 6 run inning from happening.

I don't think anyone is trying to say Florimon is without question the guy. The Twins are playing him because he MIGHT and I mean might... be the best current option. Proving a scout correct is a bad way to do business. Desperation? Not much to be desperate about right now... It's possible that... Ok... We've seen a little Dozier... We've seen Carroll... We've seen Casilla... Plouffe... Nishioka... Who's next? Florimon... Ok... Let's run him out there. Personally... I'm not comfortable with defensive metrics but Ok... Whatever they say... I imagine it says something... But... It's 25 games... That may be the more important metric in my opinion. Especially when considering defensive metrics. 25 games does not present reliable. League Average SS... Yeah we could improve that position... No one would complain if we did... SS can be put on the list of needs and rightfully so. I just don't buy the premise that a hitting SS correlates to a top two finish and Florimon has at least shown me some wizardry on defense. A defensive stud at the position will be more important to a building pitching staff than a SS less defensive with a higher OPS unless that OPS is really high and Tulo ain't coming to town. 25 games is too soon pronounce him dead defensively based on UZR or errors for that matter.

As much upside as Parmelee at 3b? Florimon as the starting SS for a winning major league baseball team is wishful thinking at best. Parmelee at 3b is wishful thinking. And good teams often have good glove/no hit shortstops There is no hit shortstops & then there is Florimon.......believe you're thinking about wrong decade Teams in contention (top 2 each division) AL--Jeter/Hardy/Ramirez/Peralta/Andrus/Drew....all hitters NL--Desmond/Simmons/Cozart/Furcal/Crawford/Ramirez----give ya Cozart & Crawford but they are both plus defenders (UZR)....something Florimon hasnt even shown yet 10 of 12 hitters of some degreee......losing teams have no hit shortstops Since when is Drew a good-hitting shortstop? Florimon doesn't have a job locked up. We need depth... If we can sign someone better... OK... Lets roll... If we don't... Let's see what happens. I think the Twins should roll some players and have them compete. Unless we find a SS that hits extremely well and that's a tough find. Take the better defender everytime and don't worry about .220 compared to .230 or .240... Right now I don't care what his UZR is. I'm not counting his errors either. Florimon has made some plays that good shortstops make so I'm willing to watch him. He's hit the ball at times as well and chased badly at other times. I'm ok with letting him see a little more of Verlander, Weaver and JA Happ. Stephen Drew is a mess... How he gets on the list... I don't know... Ian Desmond hit like crap the two years prior before hitting Ok this year. Simmons hasn't proven to be anybody yet and he certainly didn't play enough to pull the Braves into the playoffs. Furcal had some amazing years and a bunch of Mendoza years... Hardy hits for Power... He's the Adam Dunn of Shortstops. Peralta... Is Hardy like with less power. If this is a hitting SS list... The only conclusion that can be drawn is that SS's are pretty weak at the plate. However... When making a point like you are making about hitting Shortstops being the lifeblood of winning baseball teams... You also have to go to the other side. Tulo hits the snot out of the ball and the Rockies are in last place. Rutledge has been hitting very well in his absence. The Rockies ain't dancing. Aviles hits pretty well for a SS... The Red Sox aint dancing... Escobar has been fantastic for the Royals... Royals ain't making the playoffs this year. What about that Asdrubal guy in Northern Ohio. Jose Reyes in Miami... Damn fine hitter... Rollins in Philly... That Castro kid playing on the North Side of Chicago... Oh my God he is as good as they come at the plate. Now Lowrie has been hurt a bit but he's got a decent stroke for Houston. His Average needs to come up but he can find the Crawford Boxes. We may have to take a show of Twins Daily hands... But I'm willing to say that my list of Hitting Shortstops on the losing teams is stronger than your list of hitting Shortstops on Winning teams. We need PITCHING!!! And when it comes to placing that pitching on the mound... It will be quite helpful to that pitching if we had a SS who can catch and throw AND... Make a couple of plays that they are not supposed to make. I'd love to have a prospect like Profar and I'd love to have a guy like Tulo... We don't have that guy so I'll settle for someone who gets dirty. Stephen Drew is not that guy.

I remember intense September baseball as well -- except for 2010 -- which was the beginning of the current debacle. What I don't remember is particularly intense October baseball. You can argue all you want about pitching and meeting better teams but I still believe that Gardenhire's teams have underperformed in the post-season. Ironically I believe that it is probably because of his regular season mentality. Gardenhire is all about the long view -- never get too high or low, there will be another game tomorrow. But the playoffs aren't like that. There WON'T always be another game tomorrow -- there is a premium on winning early (and now a premium on winning a 1-game playoff if you are a wild card team). I believe that Gardenhire's philosophy has served the Twins very well during regular seasons -- and I do believe that his teams have won a Central Division championship or two that they probably wouldn't have won under another manager. But I believe that same mind set has been pretty much a disaster in the post season. I don't hate Ron Gardenhire but the time has come for him to step down. It is time for an injection of new energy and ideas. It may be a disaster -- and it may be necessary to make more than one change -- but I'd rather see that than the stagnation we are currently witnessing (and that goes for the front office, too). September acts exactly like October. There is no tomorrow when you are fighting for a playoff spot. The difference is you don't play the last place teams in October. You don't survive September with "There is another game tomorrow mentality". Yes the Twins have underperformed in the post season... No one can dispute that... The record is clear to see... October baseball comes down to the best teams in that season. Who is hot and who is healthy. Ultimately... Playoff baseball is a small sample size. How you performed last year in the playoffs... or the year before that... or the year before that... or the decade before that... has nothing to do with the current year. A manager can lose 9 straight in the playoffs and then win a World Series the next time round. New Players every year... New Rotation every year... The context of each team changes from year to year. All managers should be equipped for the longview. You have to get in... To Win it... Disclaimer... If I was the owner... Based on my gut feeling and no inside information... I would be changing managers for 2013. I just don't buy the argument that Gardy sucks because of his Playoff record. Gardy has been nothing but a comparable success over 90 percent of the managers in baseball during his tenure. The Question is how much Gardy had to do with that? How much the GM had to do with that? How much the players had to do with that? How much the Baseball Gods had to do with? Playoff record... Same Questions? I just wish the anti-Gardy crowd don't take competeting for AL Central titles for granted. Gardy has had a hell of a run!!!

Even if all the points are demonstrably valid? We just got done watching the Orioles and Rays play intense September baseball. I remember that feeling and it was every year but one under Gardys watch. How anyone can simply dismiss that and take it for granted is beyond me. So the playoffs haven't worked out. They usually didn't work out for Bobby Cox either. Playoff record Smeckord. A playoff record is the very definition of small sample size.

It's really not that hard to understand. You have to qualify for the playoffs first. You can't enter the World Series Building until you find the playoff door. If the Twins are part of a division with weaker teams. So be it... but let's not assume that the Tigers and White Sox were just laying there sleeping and not making an effort at all. Once there... Anyone can win it... Who's hot... Who's not... David Freese anyone? I don't have a lot of time for anyone who thinks that Gardy should be blamed for the Twins Playoff Record when so many managers couldn't even find the door. I'd like to see a new Manager next year... However... it won't take a calender... It will take a stop watch... To time how quickly that new manager is torn apart. Sometimes I think the Anti-Gardy crowd is just trying to stir things up. Some of the points made are rediculous... If you think a different manager will be a better fit next year... OK... Let's hear it... I'm down with that... There may be some valid reasons for a change. Fresh Voice... I can hear that... Someone who works with young players better... I can hear that... But... if the reason is because Gardy sucks in the playoffs and that he won division titles against weak oppenents... You are not worth reading!!!

lol... Not all North Dakotans... I think a change may be decent thing to try. BUT... BUT... BUT... I want Gardy to be respected!!! Gardy has earned it. If you want to use the playoff record against him. I would say that in fairness you also have to consider the fact that he HAS A PLAYOFF RECORD. Some Managers don't have that. He has won Division Titles and quite a few of them and it's a shame that some want to diminish that fact with arguments of weak division. The Twins have never produced a Yankee lineup ever and they got the job done. Once you hit the playoffs anything can happen. Gardy has done a great job. He makes moves that I disagree with at times and some people disagree with me and others disagree with those people. It's unfair to judge him based on your view of the world and I try not to judge him based on mine. You can't please everybody but you also can't deny those titles. The Twins have outperformed the White Sox, Tigers, Indians and Royals when you look at division titles during his tenure. I'm a North Dakotan who thinks it is time for a change and a North Dakotan who will shake his hand and say thanks for everything. Although... If he returns next year... OK... Let's go get em... I'll sleep fine.