Twins Trying to Extend Gardenhire

I love this man. Angel Hernandez that is.

The Twins are looking to extend Ron Gardenhire. I think Gardenhire is easily the most underappreciated manager in the MLB. Mike Scioscia used to be that way, but I think he has started to get more credit. Joe Maddon has put himself into the limelight this season, especially the postseason by being the weird but successful guy, but people will forget about him by the start of next season. With Gardenhire, everyone always talks about how the Twins won't be that good, but they always are. They always are. They never seem to be a terrible team, and I think Gardenhire has to be a key reason why that is.

Top 5 Under-appreciated Managers
1) Ron Gardenhire
2) Eric Wedge
3) Charlie Manuel
4) Joe Maddon
5) Bob Melvin

I would have out Ned Yost on here, but I guess that isn't really possible considering he isn't a manager anymore. I still don't think anything was really his fault this season. Fredi Gonzalez was another candidate for the list, but I need a little more to work with for him. Jerry Manuel is almost in the same boat as I'd like to see a bit more about him.

Anyway, before I went off on that tangent, I wanted to ask a question. Why is that players get such big contracts and managers don't? Why is it that players opt for free-agency but managers sign extensions all the time? Why is it that managers get fired whereas players still get their salaries even if they are released? I guess the main reason would be the union for players. I don't even know if the coaches have a union. Still, why are coaches so quick to sign extensions? I guess there job security is a bit worse than a player's, but would Pinella or LaRussa really need to worry about their job security? I think if Gardenhire let his contract run out, teams would line up for him. Then again, only bad teams need new managers, and those aren't the places you really want to go to. But, would teams be more careful about managerial contracts if they knew Gardenhire would be on the market? The situation of a manager is a weird one. When you win, it's like you aren't even there, but when you lose, you're usually the scapegoat.