The Twins have a tradition of closing down their offices from Christmas Eve until after New Year's. That was the case again for this holiday season.
This meant that Bill Smith was a lonely presence on the top office floor at 34 Kirby Puckett Place. "I was trying to work at home but decided I could get a lot more done here," he said.
He was dressed casually and unshaven -- the look of an executive who knew he would have the office to himself on this afternoon.
"I do have a conference call on insurance for players at 2 o'clock," he said. "Exciting stuff."
Smith has worked in the Twins baseball department since March 1986. He was the right-hand man to Terry Ryan for the previous 13 years, and then replaced him as the general manager on Oct. 1.
Smith was infamous for his long hours as Ryan's assistant. He was asked if being the boss has increased those hours.
"It hasn't changed that much," he said. "This always has been a hectic time of a year -- with the organizational meetings, the GM meetings, the winter meetings, setting the roster, dealing with free agents."
Most of the attention aimed at the Twins has centered on departures: center fielder Torii Hunter to Anaheim for $90 million, pitcher Carlos Silva to Seattle for $48 million and all the rumors surrounding a trade of pitcher Johan Santana.