John Bonnes

I often talk about the cyclical nature of baseball success siting using up prospects, lower draft positions & escalating salaries as factors that eventually make the competetive window close. But there are other effects of success that affect all organizations, not just baseball ones. Falling in love with a methodology that has brought great success, but to which the world has adjusted, is one.

Aaron and John go to Town Hall Brewery and talk about Paul Molitor officially being hired as Twins manager, a Torii Hunter reunion, Tom Brunansky returning as hitting coach, last week's impromptu chat with Tim McIntosh, thoughts from Molitor's press conference, bad newspaper columnists, good bourbon, and being woken up by Molitor on a Saturday morning. Don't forget, you can subsribe to GATG using iTunes or Stitcher. Or just click 'Play' below. Click here to view the article

In the end, the Twins returned to the rumored manager-in-waiting. Did the process verify their instincts? Of does choosing the leading candidate condemn the process? How does one evaluate a managerial search? Is it purely based on the success of the manager it chooses? Or can we judge the process independently?The Minnesota Twins haven’t had to perform many managerial searches over the last 30 years. Back in 1987 they went through one, but settled on the interim manager who had finished out the 1986 season, Tom Kelly. He has the most managerial wins in Twins history. After 2001, they tried again, but they performed that search under the threat of imminent contraction, which limited the candidates. They settled on their third base coach, Ron Gardenhire, who is the fastest manager to 1000 wins in Twins history. They’re hoping for similar success with this offseason’s choice, Paul Molitor, but that is to be determined. An area we can evaluate more immediately is how this hiring process played out. In the end, the Twins returned to the rumored manager-in-waiting. Did the process verify their instincts? Of does choosing the leading candidate condemn the process? Twins GM Terry Ryan is comfortable with the process but is empathetic to that concern. “I understand that because we came back around to the front runner in the fans' minds,” replied Ryan. “Also I would’ve taken on a lot of criticism if I didn’t explore the [Joe] Maddon situation, I think. I explored some other people outside the organization that I thought were very worthy to talk to. I think it was fairly thorough.” In fact, if anything, he felt pressure for being too thorough. “Now there were other people involved in this process that I certainly had to justify the time (to). But between the World Series and all the things that come with October – that’s the only reason it took so long.” It was Ryan’s decision to make, but Twins president Dave St. Peter and owner Jim Pohlad joined in as the decision came nearer. St. Peter detailed the process: “I would say there were two or three phases. I think the first phase was Terry and Rob [Antony] and some of the baseball operations crew, not only vetting candidates but doing an initial interview with a host of candidates. “I got involved along with Jim in the second phase in which we had narrowed it down to a few finalists. So we spent time individually with all of those as well as with Terry and the baseball operations group. We had a chance to see and hear from the candidates directly and understand what their vision was. Maybe a chance to get to know them a little bit. “I’d say the third phase was more Jim and Terry and myself having a level of dialogue based on input provided by a variety of people in the organization and ultimately we got a recommendation from Terry in the middle of last week, maybe Thursday, and ultimately Paul was notified on Friday that he was our guy.” Did all that involvement from ownership and the business side impact the decision at all? Jim Pohlad doesn't think so. In fact, he’ll tell you that he purposely didn’t try to single out any of the final candidates. “I didn’t say that I believed that Paul [Molitor] separated [himself from the other candidates], claims Pohlad. “I gave Terry input as to my thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of all three candidates. Everybody else did and Terry heard from a lot of people on the outside. I think he processed all that and went with Paul. I think that was a really great choice.” Ryan agrees both that it was his decision to make and that Molitor was the right choice. “Ultimately we had a consensus of what to present to Jim [Pohlad] and Dave [st. Peter]. We did that. As it turns out, I think the fit is ideal. I think, with all the things that surround us right now, it’s the right time for him to take over this club. I think we have a chance here pretty quick to get this thing going in the right direction.” The process, when looked at by an outsider, seems to have been thorough and attempted to be objective. From the inside, it may have been challenged by similar forces to those that effect any organization - alliances, history, personal bias - but that is going to be true of any profoundly important task within an organization. The people involved clearly felt this decision was a priority, took their time, explored areas externally, gathered input internally, brought in leadership at an appropriate time and carried multiple candidates all the way to the conclusion. But ultimately, it likely will not be judged by any of those factors. It'll be judged by how quickly Molitor can "get this thing going in the right direction." Click here to view the article

For a dozen years I questioned whether Molitor was really the manager-in-waiting because I felt like ultimately the organization wouldn't trust someone who had never managed (let alone, someone who was not willing to be a manager at any other level other than the majors.) I do think this is a much bigger risk than people are truly recognizing.

Since I only started blogging about the Minnesota Twins since February of 2002(!), today was my first Welcome The New Manager Press Conference™. Mostly I learned that it is very hard to be objective at a Welcome The New Manager Press Conference™. The primary barrier to an objective mindset yesterday was Hope. Hope is referenced in a lot of pseudo nebulous speak like “Baseball IQ” and “Good Fit”, but it boils down to the belief that this manager bathes in whatever special sauce really good managers bathe in. And that Hope is nearly invincible when the new manager is a hometown boy, universally beloved, who has been good to the local media for years. Oh, and also happens to be a Hall of Famer.That combination is an intoxicating highball, and there were more than a few questions from local media that sounded like they were enjoying the trip…. “Do you just love working with guys one on one?” “How did you get to be so super baseball smart? Is that going to be a problem?” “Do you remember that time when you hit a triple and it was your 3000th hit? That was awesome!” [Throws self onto table, which collapses onto the floor.] “You combed your hair a little different yesterday. Nobody else noticed. But I did.” Those might not have been exact quotes. And even if they were, the fourth estate can be excused for being a little too giddy. Molitor is likable and sincere. It is hard to be moderate, let alone skeptical. But the place to start would be his managerial resume, which is nonexistent. That obvious concern was taken care of immediately, when the very first question for Molitor was about his lack of managerial experience. “I think that’s a very fair question. Playing, coaching, developing – it’s not the same as being the leader at the top", Molitor replied. He hopes to address some of those concerns with his coaching staff. “I think assembling a staff that is supportive and is able to fill some of those gaps, at least for me in the interim as we go forward, will be very, very critical. It’s something that we plan to get started on. We’ve had a lot of preliminary discussions.” Terry Ryan admitted that was a concern of his too, but a little research helped. “If there was one thing that Paul wasn’t experienced in, it was making out the lineup card, said Ryan. “That certainly crosses every general manager’s mind about the hiring process. Then you look at some of the recent history of major league managers. There’s many guys that are succeeding that haven’t made a lineup in their life.” And Ryan echoed Molitor’s intention to address some of these concerns via the assistant coaching staff. “Now [Molitor has] admitted he has some thing to learn. Doesn’t everybody?” asked Ryan. “So handling a pitching staff – he’s never done that. Being the manager of 25 men – he’s not done that. There are a few other things that are going to come across his desk that he’s never experienced. But nonetheless he’s gong to surround himself with people that will help him.” The Twins certainly seem to recognize the obvious: their new manager will need some help. Perhaps we will see an ex-manager on the coaching staff, or some coaches with managerial experience to lend Molitor a hand. They’ll help accommodate the tangible weakness. They’ll place their faith on the intangibles: the special sauce, the Baseball IQ, the Hall-of-Fame pedigree. And, of course, The Hope. Click here to view the article

Aaron and John start the podcast at New Bohemia talking about the the weird way that the news broke that Paul Molitor will be the next Twins manager and what it might mean, then run into a guy with a World Series ring, then find out he used to play with Molitor, then talk to the guy, then talk more about Molitor, and then argue about LaTroy Hawkins and Matt Capps for twenty minutes. So, basically, pretty much just like every other episode.You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it atGleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below. Click here to view the article

Please take a minute to check out our new web site Wild Xtra! Just like Twins Daily, we've gathered the best of the independent team bloggers, only this time we have EIGHT of them. That means it will have 2-3 in-depth, independent and intelligent stories each day on the Minnesota Wild. Plus, you'll find the same great discussion on the day's news in the forums, where your Twins Daily login will work.You know we believe in baseball, but the truth is that we also believe in communities, and it is our sincere hope that a Wild community spring up around Wild Xtra that rivals the community of which you're a part a Twins Daily. So please stop by and let us know what you think. Or let the Wild fans in your life know they have a touchpoint now, too. Visit Wild Xtra Click here to view the article

Aaron and John take the podcast to the brand new LynLake Brewery and talk about the Twins' lack of spending, Parker Hageman's lengthy interview with Terry Ryan for the TwinsCentric Offseason Handbook, how Ron Gardenhire's exit probably happened, the value of outfield defense, fans going from frustrated to angry, playoff payrolls, imagining the Twins as the Vikings, and mailbag questions from listeners. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below. Click here to view the article

Aaron and John and are joined by Robert Kasak of 612 Brew and revisit their preseason predictions, find out how one makes "pre-prohibition" beer, talk about the latest developments in the Twins managerial search and wonder at the daring and brilliant strategies of Ned Yost. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it atGleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below. Click here to view the article

Prepping for the weekend? You aren’t prepared until you do you homework on Vikings Journal: After he admitted smoking “a little weed,” is there a timeline for Adrian Peterson playing this year with the Vikings? Should there be?Just how much more can coach Mike Zimmer take?And yet, somehow, it appears the Vikings got lucky this weekend.Want a breakdown of individual Vikings performance this year?How about a breakdown of NFL and Vikings players arrests?Meanwhile if you’re looking for the same great discussion on the Vikings that you find for the Twins, start at the Vikings Journal forum. You can even use your Twins Daily login. Click here to view the article

Aaron and John are joined by special guest Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press at New Bohemia to drink beer, eat an enormous pretzel and talk about the Twins' managerial search and expectations for the offseason. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below. Click here to view the article

We have the same great analysis and discussion at Vikings Journal that you have come to expect at Twins Daily. Check out: What, specifically, did Teddy do right on Sunday?The Vikings have an EXCELLENT cornerback. Can you name him?What are the odds of “hitting” on a draft pick?Speaking of the draft, what college running backs should the Vikings be watching?Teddy has recovered from an injury in record time before…..All that and lots more. If you're a Vikings fan, Vikings Journal needs to be in your daily rotation. Click here to view the article

Aaron and John have a late-night breakfast at Mason's and digest the news that Ron Gardenhire has been dismissed by the Twins. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it atGleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below. Click here to view the article