There are certain words that are synonymous with struggling or rebuilding teams. Two have been used frequently in recent months as the Twins transition to new manager Paul Molitor.
One word is leadership, which has been a topic ever since Torii Hunter was signed. The other came up a lot Friday as Molitor addressed the full squad for the first time.
Accountability.
"He's stresses accountability," third baseman Trevor Plouffe said. "He talked about doing the little things right, and we really are going to address those little things. You can say it as much as you want, but we're putting that into action. And I think because of that we will be able to accomplish some things on the field we haven't the last couple of years."
Molitor's speech stressed many things, including promptness and paying attention to details. It doesn't hurt that a Hall a Famer is standing in the room, commanding attention.
"He made his points," righthander Phil Hughes said. "We have rules in place. He's not a hall monitor, though. No facial hair rules. Just keep it professional, he said. He mostly talked about what we're all setting out to do here, some goals, some things he expects. He made himself heard. There's a lot of respect here."
Molitor will permit the use of phones or other devices in the clubhouse until 30 minutes before game time. There were other procedural issues he addressed as well. For instance, he would like more players on the field for the national anthem.
General Manager Terry Ryan, Director of Baseball Communications and Player Relations Dustin Morse and Director of Team Travel Mike Herman also spoke during the 90-minute meeting.
