With Kelly sticking around, Twins must be doing it right

Five things to know about the Twins

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- It is one of the most impressive and thorough disappearing acts we've seen at the major-league level in quite some time. Manage a club to two World Series titles, compile a legacy over 16 seasons as one of the most brilliant minds in the game ... and a few years later, it nearly takes a missing persons report and a full squad of detectives to locate the guy.

But there he is, working on a back field at the Minnesota Twins' complex here, offering tips to a hitter with a hitch in his swing, encouragement to a pitcher who is gassed after a round of live batting practice, a wealth of knowledge available to anybody willing to simply pause a moment to soak some of it in.

Ron Gardenhire readily admits to traversing a course charted by Tom Kelly. (AP)

Tom Kelly always was one of a kind, headstrong to the end and insisting that he manage his way. So it shouldn't be so surprising, probably, that he is managing his retirement the same way.

"I have that caller ID, and when the phone rings and I don't like what it says, I don't pick it up," Kelly said.

They invented caller ID for guys like Kelly -- private, unassuming and allergic to the limelight. Kelly raised eyebrows after guiding the Twins to a stunning World Series win in 1987, his first full season on the bench, when he remained on that bench and refused to run onto the field to join in the celebration following the final out.

He hasn't changed yet.

"I think he's very content with what he's accomplished," said Twins general manager Terry Ryan, who made Kelly a special assistant to the GM upon the skipper's retirement following the 2001 season. "He's a very loyal guy. He likes the organization and wants it to do well, and he wants a hand in maintaining that."

Just don't ask him to raise that hand in front of the masses.

He is enjoying immensely his life under the radar, so much so that in four seasons since his retirement, there has been no itch to manage. None whatsoever.

"No, I stay pretty busy," said Kelly, 54. "I'm involved with horse racing. That pretty much occupies much of my time."

So, too, does his involvement with dog racing. And he still gets his baseball fix throughout the spring and summer in a variety of ways at both the major- and minor-league levels with the Minnesota organization.

A handful of times since his retirement, other clubs with managerial openings have inquired about his availability.