Paul Molitor did not get fired in the days following his team's elimination from the playoffs, and months before he will likely land near the top of the American League Manager of the Year voting. It is strange that this is news, but at least the Twins' braintrust made the right kind of news.
Twins bosses Derek Falvey and Thad Levine will face many difficult decisions in their time at the helm of the club. Re-signing Molitor was not one of them.
Not only would the Twins have erred in firing him, they would have sent troubling signals about their standards. They would have been telling Twins fans and the baseball world that preconceived notions and old friendships were more important than what Molitor accomplished this season.
Molitor is not only a quality manager, he is the ideal manager for this team at this time.
Here's the résumé of the man who didn't know as of Wednesday whether he'd get to keep his job:
• He grew up in St. Paul, playing on some of the same playgrounds as Jack Morris and Dave Winfield, learning how to slide on basepaths made hard by winter or lack of grooming. One of his early coaches told him he should slide so hard and fast that the hair would burn off his legs. Molitor grew up with fast-twitch muscles and ingrained fundamentals.
• He became a first-round draft pick by the Milwaukee Brewers, where he tutored under Robin Yount, a great player and mentor. Few duos ever stole more signs or ran the bases better than Molitor and Yount.
• Molitor left Milwaukee to replace Winfield as the Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter, as Winfield signed with the Twins. Molitor became the World Series MVP in 1993, getting one of the big hits that made Joe Carter's Series-ending home run possible.