Tom Kelly: 'I had a lot of good players'

Open a first conversation ever with Tom Kelly with "So, TK, where are you living these days?'" and you're likely to receive a gruff "Why?" in response -- a reminder of the no-nonsense reputation the former Twins manager accrued over his years in uniform.

But in the next breath -- the second the topic turns to baseball -- his saltiness will melt and he'll turn sincere as he describes managing the 1991 team, his great respect for the game and the opportunities he had. The people who surrounded him bleed through his words.

Since he was drafted by the Seattle Pilots in 1968, the Maplewood resident has constructed a full and successful career in baseball: playing, managing, working in the front office and, most recently, doing some broadcasting for FSN. But ask about his accomplishments, and you'll likely get a reply that's freckled with the words "fortunate" and "lucky."

"When I was managing, I had a lot of good players ... and we were very fortunate that way," he said. "You have to count your blessings if you stay healthy and keep your guys on the field." He pointed to this year's squad, which has had 17 players go down because of injuries.

The decades spent ingrained in the sport naturally formed sentimental ties that proved difficult to relinquish even as he moved to less involved aspects of the game. Love for the game, ultimately, has kept him connected pretty much without pause since the very beginning.

"I was told it was going to be a very difficult thing to do -- to get away from it, it was going to take a year or two of not being involved at all," Kelly said. "And then you might be able to break away from it and look at it a little differently, where you're not so emotionally involved with all the games and with every pitch."

He never took that time, getting hired as special assistant to the general manager to "help be a sounding board for the minor league managers" the spring following his retirement as manager in 2001. All the while, he continued to do some public relations for the Twins. Recently, he's added broadcasting -- he laughs that most "downstairs" in the dugout would never have imagined him behind a microphone -- to his docket.

"It's a fun thing ... it's different, obviously," said Kelly, who added that he still doesn't feel quite comfortable up there. "You've got to be careful. It can get a little rough down there in the dugout, and you really have to keep your composure in the booth. It's dangerous."

Still, Kelly says he has plenty of time now. He spends his summers golfing and walking all 18 holes. In the winter, he designates himself the neighborhood's snow remover, whipping out the snow blower and cleaning off everyone's driveway after they go to work.

Of course, he just shrugs away the good deed, much like he does his impressive résumé of accomplishments.

"They helped me so much when I was managing," he said. "I'm just trying to return the favor."

Amelia Rayno • 612-673-4115