JB_Iowa

Ball travelling. They've got Frankie's back.

Exhale.

I guess we'll see now.

I think I've seen that whiff before, though. C'mon Justin.

Seeing a little of everything here. Including a great catch there.

Plus he has a new batting coach .... gotta love the National League!

LOL. I'm from the sticks of Iowa so things like fun-see are pretty foreign to me. September was just a really long month -- maybe one of the longest in my 48 years of Twins fandom. And I have a feeling I'll be wathcing a lot more Royals and Cardinals games next summer.

Good for Pitt to strike first. The Reds & Pirates have played each other so much recently. Very weird to have a play-in game between the 2 teams.

Just thought it would be fun to talk about real baseball (and something happy) after the lst couple of days of posts! Has to be electric in Pittsburgh .... such a long time since they've played in October. I remember singing "We Are Family" along with Sister Sledge, Willy and the gang.

Thanks for starting this. I asked about it, meant to start it and then had errands I had to get done. Duh. And I missed the first inning. Looks like Frankie has it working.

Gardenhire isn't the team's problem in and of himself but he is a big reflection of the team's problem. Too much inbreeding. Too much complacency. Too much "old boys club". Too little innovation. Too few hires from outside the organization. Too little accountability. Too much "resting on their laurels". Mackey isn't saying anything that you can't read in the other threads on this topic -- many of us are talking about the need for changes. But extending Gardenhire for 2 years and keeping his coaching staff intact for at least another year is a big indication that the Twins are change-adverse. This franchise is in the death throes. It needs an infusion of new ideas, perspective and leadership. That's why some of us feel that Gardenhire needed to go -- we knew it was unlikely that Ryan would go so the managerial spot was a place where, perhaps, a breath of life could have been brought into this franchise. Mackey sums it up well: "If you are only hiring and promoting from within, it's hard to see outside of your own ecosystem - an ecosystem that, despite the emergence of Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton, is lagging far behind the top teams in baseball."

I think they are all on one-year contracts, not 2 year.

Isn't this the same thing that happened with Mike Radcliff? At least one team wanted to interview him for a GM position and the Twins refused to allow the interview (perhaps at Radcliff's request). Again, shouldn't you want your execs & coaches to be sought after by other organizations and to advance their own careers? If they do that, it provides opportunities to add "outside talent" to your own organization. But instead of injecting new thought and perspectives from time-to-time, the Twins seem to prefer to promote from within -- usually waiting until someone retires before they do even that. I can only conclude that they really don't want anyone challenging the "Twins Way". I remember reading an article a few years ago in which Terry Ryan (I believe) told a story about going to the winter meetings (or something similar) and how they could have flown but how a bunch of them wanted to drive down (to Tennessee, I think) because they all enjoyed spending time together so much. At the time I thought it was a kind of cute, Minnesota story. Now, in my mind, it has become a symbol of too much togetherness, complacency and "old boy network" in the organization.

None of us know. But I'd sure like to find out.

Thank you. I really don't hate Gardenhire. I've wanted him to leave on his own since about August last year. I think he could again be successful somewhere else. And I think the Twins need a new perspective. I really hoped he would take a different manager's job elsewhere because I thought it would be win-win for both the team and him. But he seems stubborn to me. Maybe it will work and he'll again have success with the Twins but there's a greater likelihood that 2014 and 2015 will be two more really long seasons. (I also worry about his health but that's another question altogether).

Yes, there's a lack of talent but there's also a real question as to whether his management style is still working. Until I read Reusse's column today, I had no idea that Cuddyer had apparently raised issues about a "privileged" attitude that had seemingly taken over in the clubhouse but I've been commenting on it for several years. While others may say that it dates to the end of the 2010 season which, despite an appearance in the playoffs, ended in a shambles (2-8 in last 10 games plus 3 straight playoff losses), the thing that crystallized it for me was the handling of Mauer's rehab in 2011. The fact that he was not required to do even a short stint in Rochester but was allowed to do all of his rehab in Florida and Minnesota, indicated to me that the team was going to have a problem. He may be the $184 million man but that was why he needed to be a leader and do what would have been expected of other players. (Plus, it would have been a nice dog bone thrown to Rochester which was in the midst of a horrific season and due for negotiations over whether they would remain the Twins' AAA affiliate). I normally like a manager who keeps a loose clubhouse as well but when you have situation that has degenerated into the "country club" atmosphere that seems to prevail with the Twins, you need someone who will put a stop to it and turn it around. Realistically, that person may be a short-term manager (just like corporate reorganizers are often interim-types) but once they "do the dirty" of ending the privilege, his successor may well be able to be a little more relaxed. The problem with the Twins is that there isn't anyone to change the privileged culture that has seemingly developed.

Reusse: How bad are these Twins if they really didn't quit on Gardenhire? | Star Tribune 'nuff said about why I don't care if the players want the manager back but I'll leave you with one quote: "In Minnesota, where a culture has surfaced that the players seem to fill out permission slips to be in the lineup, the message was: “Take the day off, kid. Games in September (or August or July) don’t mean anything around here.” ... "This actually began in 2010, when Twins started missing time with sore cuticles, but there still were enough “gamers” and enough starting pitchers to win 94 games and a sixth AL Central title. Media types who were close to Michael Cuddyer insist that his decision to leave Minnesota and head to Colorado after the 2011 season had as much to do with disgust over the privileged attitude that he perceived to have taken over the Twins’ clubhouse as the extra millions offered by the Rockies."

There is a difference between Gardenhire being a good manager for ANY team and a good manager for THIS team. There are times when a leader becomes ineffective in a particular situation. It is part of the reason for things like term limits and moving ministers after a certain number of years, etc. And frankly, the players' comments as reported elsewhere make me VERY concerned that they are all just too complacent and unwilling to change. That DOESN'T mean that same person can't go into a different situation and be a very effective leader elsewhere. All situations are not the same -- and after more than 10 years in the same situation, many leaders become stale. This franchise is stuck in a rut. They need someone to get out and try pushing the car in a different direction -- or at the very least, throw down some new gravel. That isn't likely when they all enjoy being in each other's company so much that they just want to stay in the car.

Very well stated. I think this is where so many of us are at. We may not be big Gardenhire lovers but we aren't haters either. But it is simply mind-boggling that no changes are being made in the field staff of the major league club.

Not surprised. I've been hoping since August 2012 that Gardenhire would see the light and go to a different team. That he really did care about the well-being of the franchise and could acknowledge that a change would be best for the team. AND, as Tom Powers wrote this weekend, that a different opportunity would be the best thing for him, too.

You do not change the culture of an organization by leaving all of the management in place. This franchise is moribund.

After 3 seasons of more than 95 losses each, I really don't CARE if the players want him back. In fact, the players wanting him back is almost an indictment of him as far as I am concerned. At this point, I WANT a manager who puts a little "fear of God" in the players. Someone who is not their buddy -- whether for golf or bowling or whatever. I don't want war in the clubhouse but I want a VERY healthy respect.

I'll try to remember to do that but if anyone else wants to do so, it won't hurt my itty bitty feelings at all. Just thought it might be fun to chat about a (hopefully) good game after the last few weeks!

I missed the whole thing today -- a blessing I'm sure. Thanks again for the game threads. Since many of us are now rooting for Pittsburgh, is there any chance we could have a thread for the WC game?

Since it is now 2-1, Cleveland, I take it the jinx worked.