Every once in awhile I just can’t leave baseball alone. It’s my favorite sport.

I grew up in Kansas City. Those were the days when they actually made the playoffs. Then, there were the World Series years of 1980 and 1985. Then… they vanished. Just like Bobby Fischer.

I have lived in Minneapolis since 1997. Since the Twins are in the same division as the Royals it was tough at first to cheer for them. However, they were a good organization and began to ascend out of their post 1991 doldrums into a competitive team.

I emphasize “were.”

A few years ago I was so fed up with the Royals and their constant rebuilding, I quit checking on them. That lasted maybe two years. I realized I am a doomed Royals fan and can find solace in the fact that while I may be a Royals fan, I am NOT a Cubs fan. (Nor do I root for any team from Cleveland, which hasn’t managed a championship in any sport for several generations.) So, I embrace my sickness and root for the Royals. Though, I honestly, HONESTLY, like the Twins.

So, out of my hope for the Royals and my concern for the Twins, I offer this up for the Twins: Fire your general manager ASAP.

The Twins are quickly becoming what the Royals were and there is no reason for it. The Twins have a new stadium, new revenue, and incredibly loyal fans (only to the new stadium, but they better ride that fanaticism while the gravy train is still hooked up).

The Twins are in last place today. By 1.5 games. This is the division with the Royals in it.

But look at these September rosters. The Royals are chocked full of their prospects. Highly ranked prospects. Their infield has their future. The pitching line up has their future.

The Twins have the equivalent of IV tubes hooked up. Their only hope for next year is to have their same players healthy. They don’t have the depth in the farm system they were once famous for.

The Twins lost their greatest asset: the farm.

This is why I say fire the general manage ASAP. While they can say there is a “team” of people who make the calls on who to draft, etc., the final decision rests with someone. And that man is Bill Smith. He is not Terry Ryan (the former GM). He may have learned under Ryan, but he is NOT Ryan.

And when the Twins fire him, they don’t need to promote from within. This was the mistake the Royals made for decades. They kept promoting from within. Things finally had a chance to change when they went outside the organization to get the GM they truly needed. (Ironically, that man was trained by the GM the Royals had in the 80s when they knew what they were doing, but let him get away to Atlanta.)

Forget “family” loyalty. Go get a GM that can shake it up, make the owners fork over some of that fabulous money they are sitting on from the stadium revenue, and get back to building a winner. Don’t be in the wilderness as long as the Royals! There is no need!

Also, while I love Gardy, I think he’s a playoff manager, not a World Series manager. At some point there needs to be a tough decision on him as well. We need to quit playing to make the playoffs. We need to start playing to make the Series.

Enough for now. On to the fall… without the Twins in it.