Is this Finally the Final Straw for Gardenhire?
Entry posted by jtkoupal ·
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Here we are, at the tail end of another lost season. This season, in the beginning, was a different season. The team fought, there was some urgency, and the team was able to keep its head above water for the first two months. After Kyle Gibson pitched a gem in Detroit in early June, I, along with many others in Twins Territory, were starting to become optimistic that something decent may become of this season. That lasted all of half of a week, as the team fell into disarray immediately and have never looked back.
With this season almost definitely going toward 90+ losses, as they would need to finish at least 11-5 to avoid it, questions pop up. Will Gardy be back? Will Andy be back with the poor starting rotation we have seen the last 4 years? Will Terry Ryan be back?
You can make your argument on the quality of a manager that Gardy is. I don't doubt that he is a decent manager. However, you can't argue that the roster management has been questionable and that Gardy has made some other in-game decisions that simply leave you thinking, "why, Gardy?" Of course not everything falls on Gardy, but in business, any business, the manager is often the one who can produce the most change. Gardy was once a very successful manager, but the game has changed. He is now dealing with a team of young players, something that doesn't really seem to be his strength. The talent has been there, but not superstar level. But when you lose 90 games 4 years in a row, something must change.
Rick Anderson is also a decent pitching coach, but he also isn't getting through to some of these kids. When good pitchers put a Twins cap on and suck on a consistent basis, it raises some eyebrows.
Terry Ryan would be someone that I would be OK keeping as long as his relationship with Gardenhire doesn't get in the way of what is best for the team. On most teams, Gardy would have probably been gone 2 years ago, I have trouble believing that there is a strong relationship tethering the Front Office to Gardy. The relationship became even more evident when they decided to give him a new contract after 3 poor seasons. Most organizations in any sport would never have done that, but this one did, which tells me something.
Will they be back? My personal opinion is that Terry should be back but not Gardy and the coaching staff. I have a feeling that they all will, even if they really shouldn't. This feeling does not have anything to do with Terry's comments earlier this summer about him and Gardy probably being back. You wouldn't go out and announce that during the season.
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