Reusse hits it out of the park

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Reusse's article in the Strib this morning captures the frustration of being a long-time die-hard Twins fan. He talks about the gifted Cuban defector pitcher Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez who appears to be ready to be a top of the rotation starter, and the Twins brass decision that he is too expensive. Too expensive? I haven't seen the latest rankings, but as recently as 2008 the Pohlads ranked Numero Uno as the richest owners in baseball, with a net worth over $3.2 billion! For the Pohlads, deciding to spend another $20 million to pick up a front line starting pitcher is the equivalent of most of us deciding to buy a newspaper. It's a drop in the bucket for them. But as a family, they are genetically programmed to not spend money, even if it could lead to a championship in the city they call home. Let's not forget that Papa Pohlad made his fortune foreclosing on destitute farmers. The family cares about us rabid Twins fans about as much as Carl cared about those poor farmers.

And at the end of the day, I don't think the Pohlad cheapness is even a good business decision when it comes to the Twins. Sports franchise owners don't make their money by producing a positive annual net income, like a bank would. They get richer by eventually selling their franchise for substantially more than they paid for it. And nothing drives up the value of a franchise like championships. The Pohlads don't understand this, so they give Terry Ryan a salary allowance that ensures mediocrity. The Twins are generally considered to have the most promising farm system in all of baseball, but it mostly consists of potential superstar position players, not pitchers. Spending some of their precious moolah on a potential phenom like Gonzalez would show Twins fans that the Pohlads are as interested in bringing us a championship as they are in moving up the list of Forbes' billionaires.

As Reusse points out, we are blessed in our sports market to have three other owners who are willing to spend to win. And clearly the recent failure of the Wolves, Wild and Vikings shows that spending doesn't guarantee championships. But it's nice to know that these owners are willing to dig into their stash to make a play for the superstars out there. How ironic that the richest of our local owners are also the stingiest.

[Jester1534]

You think they would've sold the franchise by now, ik there's been articles that Pohlads kids don't even like baseball. Hopefully one day they will flip the team to someone he will spend money like Ziggy. Also wait till Ziggy gets a MLS team here, will probably have the highest soccer pay roll too lol. Yet as usual Reusse is right and preaching the truth.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I think Jim Pohlad is a real baseball fan, jester, inheriting his interest in the game from his mom. But he also seemed to inherit his dad's stinginess, and that overpowers his desire to be a fan. And you're right, the other Pohlad kids can give a damn about baseball or the Twins. The family is all about money, and as the value of baseball franchises continues to go up, the smart business decision is to hold on and watch their net worth continue to soar. Good for them, but it sucks to be us!

[Jester1534]

Remember when they said the pay roll wasn't up because of the dome. At least back then they had an excuse lol

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Yeah, I remember. And I was gullible enough to believe they would open up their tight wallets when they moved to Target field. I know your heart is still with the Twins, jester, but at least you're lucky to work for a team that really cares about winning.

[Jester1534]

Yeah, I remember. And I was gullible enough to believe they would open up their tight wallets when they moved to Target field. I know your heart is still with the Twins, jester, but at least you're lucky to work for a team that really cares about winning.

That's because the owner owns the Red Wings too and after a decades of domination there, he wants a ring so bad with the Tigers and will do anything to get it.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

That's because the owner owns the Red Wings too and after a decades of domination there, he wants a ring so bad with the Tigers and will do anything to get it.

[kleppy12 [enjin:6732955]]

While I agree it would be really nice just to see the twins go all out and load up to make a run this time it actually can't be blamed on the owners. Dave St. Peter said on Reusse's radio show that ownership told Ryan and crew that they could spend more then they did, so it was actually Terry Ryan's decision to spend as much as we did this year. Which I'm ok with this year because we weren't going to win 100 games anyway but by saving that money we can hopefully use that next year or the year after to make a real run at things.