As news that the Twins have fired general manager Terry Ryan spread quickly Monday, those close to Ryan started to weigh in on the decision and the man himself.

Here is a sampling of reaction to the news, which caught a lot of people by surprise even though the Twins are 33-58 this season — the worst record in the American League.

*Twins closer Glen Perkins, appearing on 1500-am just as the news of Ryan's departure was breaking, had this to say: "It's going to be a weird situation — as weird as when Gardy got fired. … In a way, it's just a shock. To see it happen is just more stunning than anything."

Perkins added that Ryan has been an advocate of his, including some rocky earlier years of his career. "He's always been in my corner. … He's always gone to battle for me. … He's probably more instrumental than anyone for me still being here."

*Dick Bremer, the Twins' longtime TV play-by-play voice, tweeted about his respect for Ryan:

National baseball writers also weighed in on Twitter with both perspectives on Ryan and what his firing means for the Twins: