What Can We Expect from Joe Pohlad as Twins New Executive Chair?

[Squirrel]

1 hour ago, se7799 said:

One of the kindest people I have had a chance to share small amount of time with.  He went far out of his way to encourage me and my family during a tough time and has stayed in touch ever since I honestly can not be happier for Joe.  A great human being.

Thank you for this personal perspective. It's a side that we rarely get to know in these situations and are quick to assume and judge based on very limited knowledge.

[ashbury]

On 11/29/2022 at 10:37 AM, Loosey said:

Hoping someone can answer this (or confirm what I am saying).  Jim Pohlad is not THE owner of the Twins, the Pohlad family owns the Twins and I assume Joe is a part of that ownership group.  Jim just happened to be ownership's face of the franchise and core decision maker?  Now Joe Pohlad is the face of the ownership group and decision maker?  So I assume if Joe wants to increase payroll budget (hypothetically to say $175M) he doesn't need to get "permission" from uncle Jim to do that?  

I assume Minnesota Twins LLC are part of the overall Pohlad portfolio of companies and there is some sort of budget for this particular company, but from a running the Twins perspective Joe now has final say on financial decisions.  Is that correct?

The Twins are jointly owned by brothers Jim, Bill, and Bob.  Jim has been the managing partner of the Twins, while Bill is better known for working in the movie industry, and Bob seems to have concentrated on overseeing the family's other holdings.  They seem to own some things individually and other things (such as the Twins) jointly.  I'm sure this is a vast simplification of their approaches to the various businesses.

Joe is Bob's son.  I doubt very much that he can summarily decide to spend in a way that doesn't show a profit.  Nothing in the announcements seemed to indicate a change in ownership share either.  I don't think I've ever seen mention of whether the offspring of Carl's three children have some kind of official stake; that may come down simply to the respective will when the three pass away, and if they have unequal numbers of offspring then things may eventually become uneven.

For the present, an owner's son now has a highly responsible job in the organization.

[farmerguychris]

I think Jim was better than Carl, and I am hopeful that the fan in Joe is better than Jim for their willingness to invest in the team.  I am optimistic but don't expect a change overnight.

[se7799]

2 hours ago, Squirrel said:

Thank you for this personal perspective. It's a side that we rarely get to know in these situations and are quick to assume and judge based on very limited knowledge.

Thank you @Squirrel

[h2oface]

"Most recently, as Executive Vice President, he was involved in the rollout of the new Twins branding, logo, and uniforms, including introducing the changes to the media and fans at the Mall of America earlier this month." "Executive VP of Brand Strategy".

Rebranding is his one shining moment so far? Impressive. Fashionista. Something that really means something. That's something to hang his (new) hat on...........

But seriously.... I wish him the best. Nepotism doesn't have to be a negative. I hope he likes to spend lots of his Dad's and Uncles' money.

[h2oface]

On 11/28/2022 at 3:58 PM, jdgoin said:

Owners that negotiate with Boras or block trades when they've been agreed upon create poor cultures.

I wouldn't say that is always true. As nasty as the whole cheating scandal was in Houston, after the changes and penalties, the Houston "culture" seems to be quite successful when it comes to results, if a "winning culture" is what the goal is. And that was with what may be the most active owner in baseball since the scandal. The players still have to suffer through endless hatred on the road, and seem to all like each other, have bonded together, and appear to very much be a family - even the rookies like Jeremy Pena.

[FrankQuilicy]

I didn't really see anything wrong with the way Jim did things. It seemed to be pretty low key, except when he gave the Falvines an A+ for the 2021 dumpster fire. If anything Joe is a more informed baseball dude and that should light a fire under Derek's a$$. I think the free pass regime has run its course. Sorry boys, we will need to see Results.

[jdgoin]

4 hours ago, h2oface said:

I wouldn't say that is always true. As nasty as the whole cheating scandal was in Houston, after the changes and penalties, the Houston "culture" seems to be quite successful when it comes to results, if a "winning culture" is what the goal is. And that was with what may be the most active owner in baseball since the scandal. The players still have to suffer through endless hatred on the road, and seem to all like each other, have bonded together, and appear to very much be a family - even the rookies like Jeremy Pena.

They had a tough culture to work in under the previous GM. They have now run off a good GM after 2 years and winning a World Series. External candidates for that job (if there are any) are definitely going to pause before entering that atmosphere. Having a good working environment and winning aren’t mutually exclusive. It’s tough to retain talent in a poor environment. You can only overcome dysfunction for so long.

[ashbury]

7 hours ago, FrankQuilicy said:

I didn't really see anything wrong with the way Jim did things.

My one complaint about Jim was his sometimes tin ear for speaking in public.  I'm hoping young 40-year old Joe has taken significant lessons in public relations so that when he speaks for the team it can be an inspiration.  I want the franchise to be successful, and good PR gets scoffed at but is underrated.

[mike8791]

Might as well chime in here even though I have no personal anecdotes to share.  I'm sure Jim is a good person at heart, but he never exhibited any sign of leadership, unless you regard his statement of "a total systems failure" as leadership.  True, it needed to be said, but why did it take him so long(six years after our last playoff appearance) to say this?

If Joe is truly representative of a new generation and new thinking, here is what I would like to hear from him:

        "I am here to win!  Thirty one years of no championship is unacceptable.  As is 19 straight consecutive playoff losses.  Falvey has had six + years to right the ship.  As we go into the seventh year I have directed him that 2023 is a must win year.  If he needs an expanded budget, he will get it..  The Twins are not a big market team but we are committed to bringing a winner to the TC and it is on Derek and company to deliver this year.  He will have ownership's full backing to succeed.  If he does not, changes will be forthcoming.  This is my pledge to the loyal and long-suffering Twins fan base: no excuses for failure!"

I'm not holding my breath, after all he has the Pohlad genes coursing thru his body, but at least now there is some hope that this ownership group is taking winning seriously , for a change.  At least, one can hope

[IndyTwinsFan]

On 11/30/2022 at 1:05 PM, Fred said:

On the Vikings Report with Drew and Ted, they frequently talk about "The ESATT Nation". It's an acronym for everything sucks all the time. There just are some people who are not happy unless they're miserable. I suspect you're replying to one of them.

Entirely possible. 

[Squirrel]

2 hours ago, mike8791 said:

Might as well chime in here even though I have no personal anecdotes to share.  I'm sure Jim is a good person at heart, but he never exhibited any sign of leadership, unless you regard his statement of "a total systems failure" as leadership.  True, it needed to be said, but why did it take him so long(six years after our last playoff appearance) to say this?

If Joe is truly representative of a new generation and new thinking, here is what I would like to hear from him:

        "I am here to win!  Thirty one years of no championship is unacceptable.  As is 19 straight consecutive playoff losses.  Falvey has had six + years to right the ship.  As we go into the seventh year I have directed him that 2023 is a must win year.  If he needs an expanded budget, he will get it..  The Twins are not a big market team but we are committed to bringing a winner to the TC and it is on Derek and company to deliver this year.  He will have ownership's full backing to succeed.  If he does not, changes will be forthcoming.  This is my pledge to the loyal and long-suffering Twins fan base: no excuses for failure!"

I'm not holding my breath, after all he has the Pohlad genes coursing thru his body, but at least now there is some hope that this ownership group is taking winning seriously , for a change.  At least, one can hope

How many owners do this, though?

[h2oface]

20 hours ago, jdgoin said:

They had a tough culture to work in under the previous GM. They have now run off a good GM after 2 years and winning a World Series. External candidates for that job (if there are any) are definitely going to pause before entering that atmosphere. Having a good working environment and winning aren’t mutually exclusive. It’s tough to retain talent in a poor environment. You can only overcome dysfunction for so long.

Winning dysfunction. I could use a little of that. Just like Houston's last 3 years, regardless if it all falls apart after that, which I wouldn't bet on happening for Houston even next year yet.

[FrankQuilicy]

On 12/1/2022 at 10:56 AM, ashbury said:

My one complaint about Jim was his sometimes tin ear for speaking in public.  I'm hoping young 40-year old Joe has taken significant lessons in public relations so that when he speaks for the team it can be an inspiration.  I want the franchise to be successful, and good PR gets scoffed at but is underrated.

I as well want nothing more than success for the Twins. I hope Joe Pohlad gets a free reign to do as he sees fit. Ultimately I hope he will assess the ineptitude of this front office and bring someone(s) that have a loyalty to the organization. I'm sorry but i do not feel the current fo has ANY lotalty to us