In 1988, in Game 1 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Kirk Gibson, pinch hitting in the bottom of the ninth inning for the Dodgers, with injuries to both legs, hit a two-run home run to walk off Oakland’s Dennis Eckersley for a 5-4 win. From this game came Jack Buck’s legendary call:
“This is gonna be a home run! Unbelievable! A home run for Gibson! And the Dodgers have won the game, five to four; I don’t believe what I just saw!”
After years of blunders on and off the field by Twins management, coaches and players, hopes were high for Monday’s press conference to announce its new Chief Baseball Officer and General Manager. I expect that most Twins fans were hoping for the introduction of a couple of young, fresh-thinking, straight-shooting baseball architects similar to what the Royals have in Kansas City or the Giants have in San Francisco.
There sat Jim Pohlad on one end of the table and Dave St. Peter on the other. There they were, like bookends for the new “brain trust.” Two guys who couldn’t possibly screw it up. Then, it happened. The introduction of Derek Falvey and Thad Levine. I watched every minute glued to my seat, waiting to see the road map and hear the words that would describe the gameplan that would lead Minnesota back to the World Series. I didn’t see a map or hear the words. After it was over, I thought of Jack Buck and mouthed the words: “I’m not sure what I just saw!”
I didn’t think that anybody who spoke was ever going get to the point of having a press conference
The Pohlad family, who own the Minnesota Twins, and its team president seemed to have made a relatively smart choice in Falvey as its new Chief Baseball Officer and Levine as the ball club’s new General Manager. Falvey, most recently, was the Assistant GM in Cleveland, and Levine held the same position with Texas. The organizations are both in the top 10 rated front offices in baseball. It’s all good, right?
After listening to the press conference on radio and watching it again last night, I didn’t think that anybody who spoke was ever going get to the point of having a press conference.
Isn’t the point of a press conference to tell fans and the media what the vision for the team is, especially for loyal fans that have been duped time and time again by a stubborn organization that has been stuck in a losing philosophy affectionately known as the “Twins Way?”
Monday’s press conference was the opportunity to come out and tell it like it is and let everyone know how it’s going to be, but that didn’t happen.
What happened was…well, I’m not sure exactly, but it wasn’t a vision for the future of the franchise. I’m not saying that the Pohlads or St. Peter or their search committee chose the wrong guys because there is no way to know yet. What was clear is that the new guys are “on a string” for the owners of the team.
The Twins, per usual, marched in manager Paul Monitor and players Joe Mauer and Glen Perkins to demonstrate the unity that must exist between management, coaches and players. Why? Can you see Mike Zimmer doing that? I don’t think so.
This press conference was more of a congratulatory, self-aggrandizing chit chat than an introduction of the team’s new decision makers and how they will go about turning the franchise around
If you are a Twins fans, don’t you want to hear that things have changed and that nobody’s job is safe on the team? Don’t you want to hear that everybody on this team needs to earn their way back on the roster? Shouldn’t there be a new sheriff in town or something to that effect?
This press conference was more of a congratulatory, self-aggrandizing chit chat than an introduction of the team’s new decision makers and how they will go about turning the franchise around. There was name dropping by Falvey of almost everybody in the Cleveland Indians organization and the same for Levine and his former employer in Texas.
They gave credit to their wives and all of their children. They talked about their identities and how their parents influenced their lives…blah, blah, blah. They were like (think “Planes, Trains & Automobiles“), “Chatty Cathy dolls that kept pulling their own strings.”
I didn’t think it was ever going to end. They went on and on… They mentioned, in large numbers, the people that have influenced their lives and landed them with jobs in the front office located at 1 Twins Way. Falvey said, “We’re looking forward to getting to know the region,” which is cool, but not exactly a slogan that will be picked up anytime soon by Explore Minnesota.
For me, I’m not sure what I saw at Monday’s press conference introducing the two new Twins front office guys. I’m not sure what the point of the press conference was. I’m not sure about a lot of things that came out of the presser, but I do believe that Falvey and Levine are family guys haven’t forgotten where they are from. That must count for something. Now, let’s hope they can stop falling all over themselves and the Pohlads long enough to fix the baseball team.
Michael Knight is the host of the Mike Talks Big Podcast and is co-founder of Cold Omaha. He’s a former radio morning show and sports talk host in Minneapolis, Boston and Milwaukee. Find him on Twitter @miketalksbig.
