In Minneapolis, Patrick Reusse writes the Twins' firing Monday of Exec VP & GM Terry Ryan’s "was a business decision." Vital customers (sponsors, suite holders), season-ticket holders and the public "were clamoring for a change in baseball leadership," and Owner Jim Pohlad "decided to give it to them." The Twins "will struggle to reach 1.8 million in tickets sold" in '16, and they will "suffer a substantial loss in season-ticket sales from the current figure of close to 14,000." That "would put attendance in Year 8 in the 1.5 million range -- and the Twins’ low in their last nine (successful) seasons" in the Metrodome was 1,782,926 (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 7/20).
MOVING FORWARD: In Philadelphia, Bob Cooney wrote any concerns of 76ers rookie F Ben Simmons not wanting to come to the Sixers before the Draft "certainly should be buried very deep by now." It has become "obvious that he is not only excited about being here to help turn around the program but that he is ready to become a huge part of the city and embrace the terrific fandom that comes with it." While he "may quickly become the face" of the franchise, the organization "wants to guard against him having too much pressure to carry right away." Simmons "is such a presence" that two of the free agents the Sixers signed recently -- Gs Jerryd Bayless and Gerald Henderson -- "mentioned Simmons as one of the reasons they chose to come to Philadelphia, not yet a targeted landing spot for most free agents" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 7/19).
