MPR's Tom Scheck reports that Minnesota Twins manager Tom Kelly says he's stepping down after 15 full seasons. Under Kelly's tenure, the Twins won two World Series championships in 1987 and 1991. This year, the Twins finished second in the American League Central, snapping an eight year run of losing seasons.
Kelly says the team's success puts them in a good position for next year and says it's a good time to step aside.
TOM SCHECK: Tom Kelly says he made the decision to end his tenure as the longest active coach or manager in professional sports about two weeks ago, when the Twins were battling for second place with the Chicago White Sox. The 51-year-old Kelly wouldn't elaborate fully on why he made his decision, saying some of his reasons were personal. But he did say the past season took a toll.
He said he knew he was ready to retire before the Twins beat the Sox in the final game of the season, even though Twins owner Carl Pohlad and general manager Terry Ryan tried to convince him to sign a new contract.
TOM KELLY: Mr. Pohlad asked me a month ago or so about doing another contract, and man's been great to me. He offered me one, two, three years, whatever I wanted. And I didn't even let him talk about that. So I didn't want that to influence my decision.
TOM SCHECK: During his full 15 years on the job, Kelly had 10 losing seasons. But Twins fans will most likely remember the two trips to the World Series. During his first full season as manager in 1987, Kelly guided the Minnesota Twins to their first World Series championship over the St. Louis Cardinals. Four years later, Kelly's Twins were back in the Series again, beating the Atlanta Braves in seven games. It was one of the more memorable World Series matchups in recent history.
Throughout his press conference, Kelly downplayed his role in those victories and the impact he's had on his team. But some Twins players who played under Kelly disagree.
KIRBY PUCKETT: Well, he made out the lineup card. We didn't. [LAUGHS] He put us in a position to put ourselves in the order where he thought we could produce.
TOM SCHECK: Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett played for Kelly when Kelly took over the Twins' top job in September of '86 until Puckett's retirement in the spring of 1996. Puckett says Kelly's focus on baseball's fundamentals-- proper hitting, fielding, and baserunning-- made him and his fellow players better.
KIRBY PUCKETT: He was so excited, man, to see a guy tag up on a ball or break up a double play or just playing the game. He didn't ask for nothing that you couldn't give, man. He just tried to get the best out of every single individual in their own way. He didn't put everybody in the same category. Because I'm different than Hrbek, and Hrbek is different than [? guy ?] [? Eddie. ?]
TOM SCHECK: While Kelly's decision to retire came as no surprise to Twins management, Kelly's players and coaches say they were shocked. Kelly says he didn't mention his decision to any of the players for fear they would leak it to the press or his coaches, many of whom he considers his best friends. Third baseman Corey Koskie says many of the players didn't notice anything different about Kelly this year compared to other seasons.
COREY KOSKIE: There's no signs at all. That's why he's talking about he maybe felt tired or whatever, but that was one thing where I never felt-- I never saw any of those signs.
TOM SCHECK: Twins owner Carl Pohlad says it will be difficult next February when spring training starts without Kelly. He said Kelly was one of the most respected managers in baseball.
CAROL POHLAD: Tom is an institution. And he isn't just another manager. As I say, he's an institution. And it's going to be tough without him. After all, when you say Twins, you say Tom Kelly.
TOM SCHECK: But Pohlad and Twins management now have to figure out who will best represent the Twins in the future. General Manager Terry Ryan says the team will look at people outside of the Twins system, as well as bench coach Paul Molitor and third base coach Ron Gardenhire. Ryan says the Twins' strong pitching staff and young team will help attract a lot of candidates.
TERRY RYAN: We'll explore all possibilities. And obviously, there are a lot of people that I think would-- this job is a fairly enticing job right now. The cupboard's not bare. It looks like we've got some things in place.
TOM SCHECK: As for Kelly, he says he has no intentions of returning to any team as a manager. He says he'll continue to live in his home in Maplewood and looks forward to playing plenty of golf. The Twins say Kelly will remain with the ball club in some capacity. I'm Tom Scheck, Minnesota Public Radio.
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