Saying that he needs to be relieved of his managerial duties is not to say that Ron Gardenhire is a bad person. It's also not to say that he hasn't done some very good things for this franchise. But often times a strong sense of loyalty from upper management is something that can hinder the future development of the organization.
Many "experts" have said that it would be unreasonable to call for Gardenhire's head, making the excuse that "he's only able to do so much with what he's given." Sadly, those "experts", in my opinion, are losing focus on exactly what it means to "manage" and "coach". Quite honestly, managers and coaches are paid to do what their titles imply. To pawn off a team's poor record and performance on the talent of the players ultimately implies that it really doesn't matter who is at the helm, if you don't have good players, you'll never succeed. Frankly, this is a cop out.
Recent history may show us that a change at the top may actually be what's needed to help move the organization into a new and better direction.
- In July of 2010, the Arizona Diamondbacks made a managerial change, firing manager A.J. Hinch after going 89-123 (.420) in a season and a half. That season, prior to being fired, Hinch amassed a 31-48 record (.392). Replacing Hinch in July was first-time manager Kirk Gibson. Thus far, in just about two seasons as Arizona's skipper, Gibson has turned the D-Backs around, leading them to a 142-132 record since being hired (.518), reaching the playoffs for the first time in 2011.
- May of 2009 brought an end to Clint Hurdle's tenure as manager of the Colorado Rockies. In Hurdle's final season and a half, he had a combined record of 92-116 (.442). Hurdle was replaced by new manager Jim Tracy on May 29th of 2009. At the time Tracy took over, the Rockies had a record of 18-28 (.391). By season's end, Tracy had completely turned the Rockies around, leading them to an improbable Wild Card run. Since taking over for Hurdle, Tracy's overall record with Colorado is 242-225 (.518).
- The end of the 2010 season saw the Milwaukee Brewers make a change, as they opted to not bring back incumbent manager Ken Macha, instead electing to go with Ron Roenicke. Macha managed only two seasons in Milwaukee, leaving with a combined record of 157-167 (.485). In his final season, Macha led the Brewers to a 77-85 record (.488). In Roenicke's first season at the Brewer's helm in 2011, the team finished 96-66 (.593) and lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series.
- Back in 2006, the Texas Rangers struggled with manager Buck Showalter leading the team. Showalter's final two seasons in Texas saw the Rangers win a total of 159 games while losing 165, a win percentage of .491. After that season, the Rangers let Showalter go, deciding to give Ron Washington his first opportunity to manage in the Big Leagues. Since taking over the managerial duties of the Rangers in 2007, Washington has put together an impressive resume, with a record of 445-393 (.531), and has seen his team reach back-to-back World Series.
Again, the idea of firing Gardenhire shouldn't be so much an indictment of his managing, but more an act to breathe life into the team, and hopefully bring forth a sense of urgency that appears to be lacking. One reason it may be lacking is the fact that it appears a sense of complacency has set in with the organization. By not making a change, it seems the organization is content placing blame upon the players for the current failures. In many cases, these are obviously players that the organization ultimately drafted and/or signed.
By drafting and signing these players, the Twins have shown them that they believe in what they can do. By placing blame on just the players, it's telling them that the organization doesn't care for their success.
There's a saying I believe fits this occasion, and it goes a little something like this:
If you can't change the people [players], then we need to change the people [manager and coaches].
What?
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