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Wall Street Journal rates Gardenhire top manager in baseball

Last update: March 28, 2008 - 9:44 PM

FORT MYERS, FLA. - According to the Wall Street Journal, the Twins' Ron Gardenhire is the best manager in baseball.

The publication used a formula based on managers' decision-making in close games, wins above expectations and if they got more out of their players than other managers did. (For rankings and a detailed explanation of the criteria used, visit www.startribune.com/a4201).

Of the 20 managers ranked, Gardenhire was third in handling close games, fourth in wins above expectations and fifth in player performance. His average score of 4.00 was safely ahead of San Francisco's Bruce Bochy, who was second at 6.00.

While the results are interesting (Atlanta's Bobby Cox and St. Louis' Tony La Russa were tied for ninth, for example) it raises the question of whether there's a way, beyond wins and losses, to evaluate the effect a manager has on a team.

"The expectations are always going to be thrown out there and you're never going to be good enough for everybody,'' Gardenhire said. "People are going to grade you different ways.

"Criteria? I don't know how you rate managers. They love you. They hate you. It just depends which inning.''

Baker update

Righthander Scott Baker threw in the bullpen Friday and said he felt great. It was a sharp contrast from his bullpen work earlier in the week, when he was weakened by the flu so much the session was barely productive.

Baker, slowed this month by the flu and a strained back muscle, will pitch in a minor league game Sunday and hopes to be ready to face the Kansas City Royals on Friday.

Etc.

• Catcher Mike Redmond played in a minor league spring training game Friday so he could get some extra at-bats.

• The Twins averaged a club-record 7,808 fans over 16 spring training games. They averaged 7,620 last season over 17 games.

• The Chicago Cubs tried to move righthander Tim Lahey, a Rule 5 pickup from the Twins, through waivers on Friday, but he was claimed by Philadelphia. If Lahey had cleared waivers the Cubs had to offer him back to the Twins before optioning him to the minors. The Twins would have taken Lahey back.

• Former Twins Doug Mientkiewicz, Luis Rivas and Chris Gomez have all made the Pirates as bench players.

Upcoming

The Twins will head to Bradenton, Fla., to take on the Pirates in their final spring training game. Righthander Kevin Slowey will face righthander Matt Morris. The Twins will fly to the Twin Cities after the game.

LA VELLE E. NEAL III

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