Menu
Franchises

Twins Insist Attendance, Ratings Didn't Influence Decision To Replace Gardenhire

The Twins yesterday fired manager Ron Gardenhire, and the move was GM Terry Ryan’s "own doing," according to Phil Miller of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. Twins Owner Jim Pohlad said that had Ryan advised sticking with Gardenhire, he "would have gone along with it ... fan outrage be damned." Gardenhire said that he had "no problem" with being let go. Miller writes, "Neither, undoubtedly, did the ticket buyers ... and the TV viewers who have tuned out, and the social-media critics who made #FireGardy a season-long meme." FS North ratings have "declined by half since the losing began, and attendance has dropped by nearly a third, from an average of 39,112 per game in 2011 to 27,785 this past season." But the Twins' top officials "all insist" that neither unsold tickets nor "disenchanted sponsors" impacted the decision. Ryan said, "We haven’t won enough games. It’s nothing more, nothing less than that" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 9/30). In St. Paul, Mike Berardino reports Gardenhire, who had one year left on the contract extension he received after last season, has been "offered another unspecified position in the organization." But Gardenhire said that he "wasn't sure if he would accept it" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 9/30). ESPN's Buster Olney noted the Twins' win totals the last four years have been 63, 66, 66 and 70, and the club has "not won a postseason game in a decade." Olney: "Despite the fact there's a tremendous relationship between Gardenhire and Terry Ryan, they feel like this is the right thing to do going forward” (“Baseball Tonight,” ESPN2, 9/29). MLB Network's Bill Ripken said, "It’s hard for me to look at a manager and say, ‘You need to go because you are the reason for this,’ when you can see clearly on paper they don’t match up.”  MLB Network's John Smoltz added, “He wasn’t given the weapons. He had some winning teams and did a great job where you could be successful with contact pitching. That's not where we are today" (“MLB Tonight,” MLB Network, 9/30).

DIDN'T SEE THAT ONE COMING
: In St. Paul, Tom Powers writes parting ways with Gardenhire was an "unfortunate byproduct of four 90-loss seasons" and the Twins "found it necessary to part ways with a good man." Gardenhire "remained loyal, going out of his way to smooth over his own firing." But the Twins "refused to call it a firing, which apparently sounds too harsh." Instead, they said they were "replacing" Gardenhire. The move was a "surprise in a sense" because the Twins "rarely eat contracts" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 9/30).

RYAN RETURNING: Ryan "confirmed he'll be back" as GM next season. MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger noted Ryan, who turns 61 on Oct. 26, was "diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in early February and had surgery to remove a cancerous mass from his neck on Feb. 11." He "underwent six weeks of radiation treatment, which ended in late April." Ryan was "able to make his first road trip with the team in late June" (MLB.com, 9/30).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 18, 2024

Sports Business Awards nominees unveiled; NWSL's historic opening weekend and takeaways from CFP deal

ESPN’s Jay Bilas, BTN’s Meghan McKeown, and a deep dive into AppleTV+’s The Dynasty

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast from the New York Post and Sports Business Journal, ESPN’s Jay Bilas talks all things NCAA. Big Ten Network’s Meghan McKeown shares her insight into the Caitlin Clark craze. The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn chats all things Bean Town. And SBJ’s Xavier Hunter drops in to share his findings on how the NWSL is making a social media push.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2014/09/30/Franchises/Twins.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2014/09/30/Franchises/Twins.aspx

CLOSE