George Tsamis pitched in 41 games as a lefthanded reliever for the 1993 Twins. That was his only big-league time in a pro career lasting a decade.

Tsamis' lone win came on May 26, a 12-11 brawl at Oakland in which he was able to get Rickey Henderson to hit into a double play in the bottom of the ninth.

He wound up in independent baseball and managed the New Jersey Jackals to playoff titles in the merged Northeast and Northern Leagues in 2001 and '02. The St. Paul Saints hired Tsamis in November 2002, and for 18 years he was both the manager and in charge of player procurement.

Last week, that job disappeared as the Saints turned in the paperwork to drop independent baseball affiliation in order to become the Class AAA farm club for the Twins. The major league teams run all coaching assignments.

"George will get four job offers this week," Saints President Mike Veeck said Thursday. "And if he wants to come back to St. Paul, we'll have a job for him in our community programs. We all love George, including the fans."

Tsamis said: "It has been a great job. I love finding the players, putting together a roster, and managing. And to see guys we've had, like Brandon Kintzler and Caleb Thielbar, pitching in the MLB playoffs. Those are beautiful moments for me.

"The Saints organization is outstanding. So are the fans. They are going to love Triple-A baseball in that great ballpark. I'm happy for everyone."

Except? "Don't worry about me," Tsamis said. "It'll work out."