Former Twins manager Billy Gardner dies at 96

[BleedGopher]

Billy Gardner, who managed the Twins for parts of five seasons in the 1980s, died on Wednesday at age 96 in Waterford, Conn.

Gardner spent 22 seasons in professional baseball as a player, including 10 seasons in the major leagues. Nicknamed "Slick" — he said it wasn't because of how he did his hair, but rather "because of the way I made the double play. I could turn a double play in a phone booth" — he spent three seasons with the Minneapolis Millers and was the Opening Day second baseman for the Twins in their first game in 1961. He played on two World Series championship teams — the New York Giants in 1954 and the New York Yankees in 1961.
"We are saddened to hear about the passing of former Twins Manager, Billy Gardner," the Twins wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

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[Gopher_In_NYC]

Billy Gardner, who managed the Twins for parts of five seasons in the 1980s, died on Wednesday at age 96 in Waterford, Conn.

Gardner spent 22 seasons in professional baseball as a player, including 10 seasons in the major leagues. Nicknamed "Slick" — he said it wasn't because of how he did his hair, but rather "because of the way I made the double play. I could turn a double play in a phone booth" — he spent three seasons with the Minneapolis Millers and was the Opening Day second baseman for the Twins in their first game in 1961. He played on two World Series championship teams — the New York Giants in 1954 and the New York Yankees in 1961.
"We are saddened to hear about the passing of former Twins Manager, Billy Gardner," the Twins wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

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A baseball man - got to live his life around the game he

 

[Ope3]

I knew Gardner was part of the original 1961 Minnesota Twins having played for the franchise in Washington the season before. I did not realize that his MLB playing career was much more than a cup of coffee.

He was around long enough to accumulate 841 base hits. His 1957 season with Baltimore he led the AL in Plate Appearances, At Bats and Doubles.

Billy Gardner Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com

Check out the latest Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More of Billy Gardner. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, bats, throws, school and more on Baseball-reference.com

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[short ornery norwegian]

Pat Reusse with memories of Billy Gardner. a must read. as always with a Reusse column, stick around for the ending.....

one excerpt:
Those endless losses in 1982 and 1983, with a young, rebuilt team, a time when Gardner was stopped while driving from the airport to his plush quarters at the Super 8 in Roseville, alleged to be just over the legal limit.

"Why have you been drinking, Mr. Gardner?" the law man asked.

"I manage the Twins," was Slick's alleged reply.

In pantheon of Minnesota sports characters, Billy Gardner was as slick as they come

Billy Gardner died last week at 96, but in the five years he spent managing the Twins, "Slick" proved himself a one-of-a-kind character in the local sporting scene.

www.startribune.com

 

[fan of Ray Williams]

Pat Reusse with memories of Billy Gardner. a must read. as always with a Reusse column, stick around for the ending.....

one excerpt:
Those endless losses in 1982 and 1983, with a young, rebuilt team, a time when Gardner was stopped while driving from the airport to his plush quarters at the Super 8 in Roseville, alleged to be just over the legal limit.

"Why have you been drinking, Mr. Gardner?" the law man asked.

"I manage the Twins," was Slick's alleged reply.

In pantheon of Minnesota sports characters, Billy Gardner was as slick as they come

Billy Gardner died last week at 96, but in the five years he spent managing the Twins, "Slick" proved himself a one-of-a-kind character in the local sporting scene.

www.startribune.com

Yeah, that’s really a nice article about Slick. RIP