Carl Pohlad, the longtime owner of the Minnesota Twins, died earlier this week at the age of 93. Born in 1915 into a poor Czech family, Pohlad likely may have lived out the fate of many underprivileged foreign Americans during the early part of the twentieth century.
Instead, Carl Pohlad passed away as one of the richest men in America.
As a child, Pohlad’s main influence was his mother who preached the values of hard work. While still in grade school, Pohlad heeded that advice and organized a group of his peers to pick cockleburs for a quarter an hour, taking a nickel from each as commission. This early business experience would prove to pay dearly for Pohlad down the road.
In the purest form of rags-to-riches success, Carl Pohlad invested his way to the top of financial stardom. Before earning a Purple Heart and a Bronze Medal while serving in World War II, Pohlad began the hobby of investing in businesses and eventually began running a few of his own, specifically in the banking industry. Over time he built up a fortune culminating with the billion dollar sale of Marquette Bank later in the century.
It was apparent Pohlad had his family in mind when he began his business endeavors. Starting a family network of banking, bottling, and real estate ventures, Pohlad kept a large portion of his business within his bloodline. Pohlad taught his family well ensuring that in time, he could hand over his businesses to them. After his passing, his sons assured Pohlad’s employees that they (Pohlad’s sons) would continue on with his work – just as dad wanted and prepared them to do. This education along with Pohlad’s dedication to hard work (as he worked until the day he died) has ensured endless wealth for generations of his family.
During that time he has been known for giving back to charity, including setting up funds that have raised more than a million dollars a year for his local community since the early nineties.
Commissioner Bud Selig stated, “I have never met a more loyal and caring human being. We will miss Carl and all of baseball joins me in sending our deepest condolences to the Pohlad family for the loss of our friend and partner.”
By serving his country during World War II, giving millions upon millions to charity, working hard to ensure success for his family, and being a great person in the eyes of many he should be leaving quite a fond and lasting memory among us.
One minor detail.
He also owned the Minnesota Twins.
Since his purchase of the Twins in 1984, Carl saw through two World Series championships, four AL Central titles, and two AL West titles. He also built one of the most captivating franchises in American sports by uniquely utilizing talent built from within, playing small ball, and rarely looking towards free agency to fill vacancies in the team lineup. Utilizing one of the smallest payrolls in baseball, a sport where some players nearly make more than entire teams, the Twins found success by reaching the playoffs this decade on a fairly consistent basis.
So what’s not to like?
Running one of the lowest payrolled teams in the sport, while simultaneously being one of the richest men in the world certainly lingers in the minds of die-hard Twins fans across the nation. The “What could have beens” are hard to dismiss. What could have been if we had paid to hold onto Johan Santana last season? Torii Hunter? David Ortiz? What could have been if we had only made a move for Adrian Beltre last season? What could we be this season if we could only sign that tier one player who would fill out our team? So often a face of the franchise would end up leaving for bigger dollar amounts elsewhere when Carl Pohlad refused to pay them. When the face of the franchise is turned over so frequently, it becomes harder for the common fan to relate.
Notoriously being known as the “Ebenezer Scrooge” of baseball, fans certainly have a hard time sympathizing with an owner who won’t spend a mere fraction of their own wealth to make a solid run at a championship. When other teams double, triple, and quadruple the Twins’ payroll, it’s difficult for someone to understand why the richest man in baseball wouldn’t follow suit. Besides the payroll issues, the billion dollar man signed an agreement to move the team out of Minnesota unless the public would help finance a new stadium. A billionaire, asking for the Minnesota residents, many of whom who were retirees or blue collared workers barely supporting their own families, to front more cash to keep the Twins in the city, certainly will leave a bad taste in anyone’s mouth.
One way or another, he ran the Twins like a business.
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But what will the Twins fan remember?
In a society where “What have you done for me lately” has become increasingly relevant, the low payrolled teams, the threats to move the Twins out of the city, and having never signed that free agent to push the Twins over the hump will most likely be hard for the common fan to forget. An owner cannot run a professional sports team purely as a business, so long as the owner wants to leave a positive, lasting legacy with the fans.
In time, as with anything, the bad memories will fade and we will remember the championships, the titles, and the great teams. We will remember the savvy business man he was and the team-oriented style of play that was fostered during his tenure. We will remember his service to the country and his service to his family.
But for now, his ultimate legacy waits.
