2:49The Twins fired Ray Miller as manager on Sept. 12, 1986, with 23 games remaining in the season, and replaced him with Tom Kelly. Ron Gardenhire became manager in 2002, after Kelly's resignation, and was fired on Sept. 29, 2014, one day after the end of the season.
Two managers in 28 years … and this after Gardenhire had spent 11 seasons as Kelly's third-base coach. There was a remarkable bond of trust developed among employees during those decades, and here's an example:
Gardenhire was hired in November to serve as the bench coach for Torey Lovullo, the newly hired manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Teams require a preseason physical. So, Gardenhire did what he had done for years — "I went to Doc Vijay" — in the Twin Cities.
Dr. Vijay Eyunni was pleased that Gardenhire was following his advice to eat healthier and lose weight. What he wanted to check further was a somewhat elevated reading on Gardy's PSA test.
Gardenhire went to see Dr. William Utz, a local surgeon who has been relied on by the Twins. Gardy's prostate was biopsied, and then he and wife Carol started a drive to Arizona, with a detour through Oklahoma to see their grandson, Ronnie.
The call came on Gardenhire's cellphone from Dr. Eyunni: Prostate cancer … you got it.
"You meet so many people in spring training, here in Minnesota, fans who come up and tell you their story, what they've been through, and you offer encouragement," Gardenhire said. "That's a big word, 'cancer,' and when somebody says you have it, it's really big."
Gardenhire couldn't have surgery for two months because of the effects of the biopsy on his prostate. He called Lovullo, told him of the situation, and said, "If you want to get out of this deal, I would understand. Torey said, 'Get down here; 100 percent, we want you.' "
