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by Randy OoneyMy Nickel’s Worth by Randy Ooney
My Nickel’s Worth by Randy Ooney
Fired
I have always believed that in Major League baseball, a manager can maybe affect 4-5 games and steal a few wins, or lose a few games with errant moves. The truth is that over the course of a season, both scenes probably happen and the manager breaks even. You may argue a few exceptions; maybe Joe Maddon for the Rays on the plus side, or a minus for Bobby Valentine who never won with any team he managed. Locally, we have our hapless Twins, managed by Ron Gardenhire. I have never been a huge Gardy fan. I think he got too much credit when the Twins were winning, and too much blame in the current atmosphere. I did have a conversation with Ron a few years ago, but it was about bowling, not baseball. The bottom line… I am a better bowler than Gardy, he is a better baseball manager than I. (Although my Hopkins Little League team went 20-3 in 1985).
We now seem to have an excess of so called sports journalists, in TV, Radio, and print media who rant and rave their opinions of what is wrong with the Twins and what should be done. We don’t need to worry about national ESPN type jaw flappers. Although baseball is in full swing, and football training camps are only weeks away, they still are unable to say ten words without one of them being LeBron. So it goes.
But I was shocked recently, when former Nickel’s Worth “Turkey of the Year”, Patrick Ruesse wrote a column in the Star Tribune saying that Ron Gardenhire should be fired, the sooner, the better. This is the same Ruesse who interviewed me once at a Sports Collector’s show, and then spelled my name wrong in the St. Paul paper. Those of you who have lived in the Twin Cities for over 20 years probably know why. Now to add insult to injury, in Saturday’s StarTrib, Patrick writes about baseball that no longer exists. Things like pepper games to warm up, Sunday doubleheaders, and collecting baseball cards. Hey Patrick! Card collecting is alive and well. It’s changed a bit, there are two or three shows per month in the Twin Cities area, and the big kahuna at Twinsfest. Ebay has a whole category for Sports cards and collectibles and is currently populated by thousands of listings.
But back to Gardenhire. Even if it is a column, which may occasionally mix opinion with facts, I think it’s unfair to call for the dismissal of a coach or manager. I wish Gardenhire would write a letter to the editor and proclaim that Patrick Ruesse should be fired, the sooner the better. After all, he is nothing but a baby boomer in his mid sixties, slightly overweight, balding, know it all curmudgeon.
You know ….. Like me!
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