A few weeks ago I devoted a Monday print column to the proposition that we were seeing the end of Ron Gardenhire as a major league manager.
Not every decision is predictable or understandable. The word out of Detroit last week was that Gardenhire would not only return for the third year of his three-year contract, but that an extension was in the works.
I'm fine with this for two reasons. One, I like Ron Gardenhire, or at least his public persona. Two, I the longer the people above him in the Tigers organization see him as a good fit for a rebuilding team, the longer that rebuild is going to take. That's good for the Twins.
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My apologies to readers who have left legitimate comments in recent weeks. In trying Monday to quickly eliminate an outbreak of spam, I inadvertently wiped out not only the spam but dozens of legit comments as well. I regret that.
The widespread belief that Gardy is a fit for a rebuilding organization always seemed misguided to me. When he took over for Kelly, it was a young team not used to winning at the major league level. Over the next 10 years he worked young players in just fine, in most cases. When he no longer has talent, they lost, just like the talent short Tigers are now.
ReplyDeleteWhether he is the best fit for a young team is an interesting question. Still, as a manager , he will stress fundamentals, which is always good for young players.