Gardenhire & Company

MINNEAPOLIS - If you have visited the Twins web site, www.twinsbaseball.com and visit the message boards part you will find that many fans are upset with Gardenhire and think he should be fired.

I dont know what percentage of fans feel this way (answer the poll to the left!) I hope a very small percentage of them do.

I believe this was supposed to be a transition year, a year that the Twins were not supposed to go win the Central Division. The White Sox and Royals were picked to win the division.

There is always that weak division argument and how anyone could come in and win the weak central. Well if that is the case, why didn't the high and mighty White Sox, a team that is so much better on paper (that is what they tell us) win the division?

So than it must be the players, that's it, Gardenhire got lucky, he had a good group of players put together by Terry Ryan and they did all the work.

That could be true, if they were an experienced group of players with no rookies that could work well together. This team had more question marks in the two previous seasons. The bullpen had taken a huge hit and rookie Joe Mauer was taking over behind the plate.

Than in the second game of the season the Twins lose Hunter and Mauer, day three they lose LeCroy. Minor players to lose? Not quite, the season was in limbo, not looking too good. Than Lew Ford shows up, and Henry Blanco steps up. The Twins continue to move forward, keep their heads up and win games.

Joe Nathan had one save before the 2004 season when he was named the closer for the Twins. Nathan was eased into the closer roll and ran with it. Nathan is a very good pitcher and has taken off in the closer roll.

Gardenhire has to be behind the success of the Twins in 2004, not just the group of players but the manager. To fire him would be a bad foolish move on the Twins part.

I think the biggest mistake and error that Gardy should get all the blame for in the whole season was with Doug Mientkiewicz and how Gardy decided how to deal with it. It was a bad move on his part and ended bloody, it did not need to end that way.

Gardenhire lost the game

I also think that saying Gardenhire lost the game on Saturday is another way of trying to make themselves feel better.

I have both heard and read where taking Santana was a mistake and than taking Balfour out was a mistake and if the Twins would have left Santana in for another two innings to have him pitch 7 innings than the ball goes to Rincon. The guy who blew the game in the 8th.

The one place Gardy can be at fault would be not having anyone warm in bullpen when Rincon is pitching in the 8th.