Now that was a press conference

My column for tomorrow's paper (and online, of course) will address the Twins' managerial search. I have a nomination.

For the moment, though, let's acknowledge that what happened this afternoon was remarkable.

A pro sports organization fired a longtime manager, then held a press conference where the guy who did the firing and the guy who got fired sat next to each other, and the guy who got fired made bald jokes about him and his former boss.

The guy who got fired brought two of his kids to sit in the front row as he said his goodbyes.

The guy who got fired said he agreed with the decision.

At the end of the press conference, the guy who got fired got up, walked away, turned back and said, ``I'll see ya, boss."

I think the Twins made the right decision. It was time for Ron Gardenhire to go.

Gardy cracking jokes. Terry Ryan speaking bluntly about why he fired his old friend, and why he thinks he should stay on the job. A media relations department that set it all up on the fly.

My column will get into my evaluation of the organization and what it should do next.

For the moment, let's give the Twins and Gardenhire credit for being so remarkably gracious and blunt on what had to be a painful day for all involved.

Knowing how much losing eats at Gardenhire, and that he has had health scares over the years related to high blood pressure, it's my hope that he takes at least a year off and rests before his inevitable return to the dugout.

I frequently butted heads with Gardenhire over the years. I wasn't a fan of many of his strategical moves, and I thought he got too emotional in the late innings.

In the early 2000s, one Twins player said a few things to a female reporter that were inappropriate, at best. Gardenhire immediately addressed the player and apologized to the reporter, who wasn't even offended.

Having met plenty of Gardenhire's friends, I came to like Gardy the human much more than Gardy the manager.

So I hope he gets to spend a little time being a human before he subjects himself to the rigors of managing a big-league team again.

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