There's a story about when the Twins were moving into Target Field and they were deciding on the ballpark's official hot dog. Seems like a simple thing, right? But the Twins way to do it was for a couple of dozen team officials to gather and taste test all the possibilities. Someone asked if they could have mustard and was told no -- that this was all about the meat.

That's not to say that such widespread involvement is holding up the hiring of the new Twins managers.

It's just that deliberation is the Twins way of doing things, even when the decisions may appear as simple (to some) as hiring a Twin Cities legend over the fiery minor-league upstart and a stat-head from Boston to be the team's next manager. Or someone else, if Terry Ryan is being forthcoming in the update in today's news.

And, if you're Ryan, deliberation is all the more vital for another reason: I believe his tenure as general manager is dependent on making the right choice. So while Paul Molitor may well get the job, I'm dismissive of those who are certain the entire slow-moving process is a charade leading up to his selection.

Should Molitor get it? I don't know. As much insight as I may have about baseball, my insights into Molitor's potential managing skill are worth less than a second of your time compared to the hours than Ryan is spending grilling the candidates and matching his expectations to the right fit as he sees it.

Yeah, I like the fire that I presume Doug Mientkiewicz would bring to the job. I like it a lot. I like that he's worked with all the young players who are seen as key parts of the Twins' future. I liked Mientkiewicz as a colorful player during the Twins' seasons of resurrection and I'd hope that he'd quickly make the Twins greater than the sum of their parts.

Yeah, I like Torey Lovullo almost as much because of his reputation as a guy who understands baseball's metrics more than we assume is the norm in the Twins' organization. He's been with Boston during the best of times and during the times when things have gone wrong, so I assume he's internalized the things that can make a good team go in one direction or the other. His choice would also be different thinking by a team that needs a new direction.

Yeah, I've also spent maybe a total of 15 or 20 minutes thinking through all of this. Anything more would be a waste of time and energy. I think I (and a lot of other people) can look at a baseball player over a period of time and have a pretty good feel for how good he is -- or isn't. If you think I (or anyone) can look at someone who has never managed in the majors and know how good he'd be -- and how better he might be in Year 3 or 4 compared with Year 1 or 2 -- you're asking way too much.

That's what the hours of deliberation are about.

I hate to be reasonable about this, but here's what I know: Ryan is making his choice against a backdrop of skepticism that the Twins have earned by bungling more things than they have gotten right in the last half-decade. Get it wrong and he isn't likely to be the one making the next choice.

Get it right and probably he won't be the one making the next choice, either. But that'll be a good thing because Ryan, 61, would be leaving on his own terms by hiring the Twins' manager for many years to come -- and leaving the club in better shape that he found it.

If you had that responsibility, you'd be taking your time, too.