Patrick Plus: Age is no object

Bud Grant was 58 years, 7 months of age when he resigned for the second time as coach of the Vikings on Jan. 6, 1986.

That meant Bud walked away when he was within months of the same age as the three coaches named in 2014 to lead major Minnesota pro teams.

Mike Zimmer was 57 years, 7 months when named as Vikings coach on Jan. 15, 2014, and turned 58 before he coached his first game.

Paul Molitor was 58 years, 2 months when named as manager of the Twins last Monday.

Flip Saunders was 59 years, 3 months when he named himself (with the blessing of owner Glen Taylor) as coach of the Timberwolves on June 15.

General Manager Rick Spielman's second option to hiring Zimmer seemed to be waiting three weeks until after the Super Bowl and hiring Dan Quinn, Seattle's 40-year-old defensive coordinator.

The runner-up to Molitor in General Manager Terry Ryan's month of interviews was Torey Lovullo, a 49-year-old coach with Boston.

This is a new term for Saunders, and he doesn't get credit in seniority for the nine-plus seasons he spent coaching the Wolves from Dec. 18, 1995, to Feb. 12, 2005.

The Wild's Mike Yeo is both the youngster and the runaway leader in tenure with Minnesota's four major league teams. Yeo was two weeks from his 38th birthday when chosen over Ken Hitchcock, then 59, on July 17, 2011. Now, at 41, he's in Season 4 and has a new three-year contract.

What we had here was the adaptability of youth vs. the wisdom of age, right? If so, Yeo adapted as he made it through some rough times, and now his wisdom and leadership are obvious.

As for being adaptable, Zimmer's off to a solid start, Flip has dived in headfirst, and Molitor is a smart guy who knows how to change with the times.