Twenty years ago this week, Rosh Hashanah began at the exact same time as the Twins started the 1987 ALCS against the Tigers, which led to all sorts of jokes by the rabbis about how he was sure a lot of people would rather be at home. Today, leaving Rosh Hashanah services, I got some Twins news that wasn't nearly as happy as the start of a playoff series- Terry Ryan was resigning as GM of the team.
Ryan, GM of the team for 13 years, cited a diminishment of his joy in the game in his desire to step down; he'll be replaced by longtime assistant Bill Smith, who will hopefully do a better job than Ryan's other former assistant, Wayne Krivsky, has done in Cincinnati. Ryan created a perennial contender by making smart trades and being a wiz at player development, thus building a strong team in a small market.
Ryan is certain to become a contender for every open GM job for the next year or two, although he'll remain as a consultant. I just hope this isn't the first of many Twins departures to come this offseason.
Posted by Stephen Silver at September 13, 2007 05:32 PM