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MINNEAPOLIS - He was the third base coach who gave Kirby Puckett a high-five to punctuate his winning homer in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series.He was the trusting candidate who took Minnesotas managing job when many thought the Twins were about to be contracted in 2002.He was the affable everyman who presided over the teams turn-of-the-century renaissance and turned the AL doormat into a six-time division champion.Ron Gardenhire was just about everything in the 27 years he spent in the Twins organization. But even he couldnt survive the worst four-year stretch in franchise history.The Twins fired Gardenhire on Monday, saying it was time for a new voice after his 13-year tenure concluded with 383 losses over the last four seasons.The reason for this change, I think its safe to say, the last couple years we have not won enough games, Twins general manager Terry Ryan said. Thats what it comes down to. Its nothing more, nothing less than that.The move was made with one season left on Gardenhires contract, ending the second-longest active tenure in the major leagues behind Mike Scioscia of the Angels.Gardenhire played an integral role in the franchises turnaround, guiding the Twins to the playoffs six times in nine seasons from 2002-10. But Gardenhires teams only got out of the first round once, and his post-season record was 6-21 with the last win coming in 2004.The Twins have long been the model of stability in not only baseball but major professional sports, with only two managers over the last 28 years and two general managers over the last 20 seasons.But all the losing of late became too much to overcome. Over the last four years, the Twins went 78-148 from Aug. 1 on for an abysmal .345 winning percentage.Im gone, Im outta here because we didnt win, Gardenhire said. Thats what it gets down to in baseball. Thats what it should get down to. You have to win on the field and these last four years have been tough for all of us.The Twins finished this season at 70-92, making Gardenhire just the fourth manager in the games history to preside over at least four straight 90-loss seasons with the same team, joining Connie Mack of the Philadelphia Athletics (nine), Zach Taylor of the St. Louis Browns (four) and his predecessor with the Twins, Tom Kelly (four). Kelly returned for one more season after his streak, and he retired after an 85-77 finish in 2001.One of the things we hope to get back to here is a winning culture across our organization, and not just with the major leagues, Twins President Dave St. Peter said, later adding, Thats clearly one of the goals with this move is to jumpstart that. Not to say that Ron wasnt capable of that ... but I think we believe very strongly that weve gotten away from that in recent years.In an era when job security for managers is seemingly measured in months, Gardenhires longevity has been truly unique. The outspoken and fiery Gardenhire quickly became one of the faces of the franchise, as synonymous with the Twins as the interlocking T and C on their caps. He took over for the revered Kelly, who won two World Series championships, just as the organization was starting to regain its footing after years of bad baseball.I feel like hes my brother, not my manager, said a glassy-eyed Ryan, who has known Gardenhire dating to their days together in the New York Mets system in the 1980s.Ryan spent some time away from the organization this year to get treatment for cancer. He said Monday that a recent physical came back favourable and that he will return to the Twins next season.Ryan offered Gardenhire a chance to remain in the organization, but Gardenhire doesnt believe hes done managing just yet.I would have loved to have won a World Series, but that didnt happen, Gardenhire said. Maybe its still to come.Gardenhire clashed with some players over the years, but there was an expectation and hope among the players that he would return.We as players had a responsibility to the organization, fans, and coaches to win this season, starting pitcher Phil Hughes tweeted. We failed.Gardenhire joined the organization in 1987 and was added to Kellys staff in 1991. His record as Twins manager was 1,068-1,039. He won the American League Manager of the Year award in 2010, the last time the Twins not only made the playoffs but had a winning record.As good as it gets in my opinion. Comes to the park ready to win each and every day. Kind of a players manager, second baseman Brian Dozier said last week. Always in good spirits. He knows the game better than anybody Ive been around. I 100 per cent want him back.The contracts of Gardenhires coaches were expiring, but some of them could be brought back. Bench coach Paul Molitor is sure to be considered for Gardenhires replacement, but Ryans search will spread outside the organization, too.Sometimes people need to hear a different voice, Gardenhire said. They need a new face. I just want this organization to win; Ill be rooting just like everybody else.The run of futility has disillusioned a once-passionate fan base, with attendance in Target Fields fifth year the lowest for the Twins since 2004.Owner Jim Pohlad said dwindling attendance had virtually zero impact on the decision and they would have brought Gardenhire back next season if Ryan recommended it.He connected with me and our family way more than any single person in our entire career as owners of the team, Pohlad said. Hes just a special guy. Hes loved. Hes loved by us. Ill always remember him as a winner.___AP Sports Writer Dave Campbell contributed to this report. Dave Casper Jersey . -- Joe Thornton scored the tiebreaking goal with 5:39 left in regulation to help the San Jose Sharks overcome a two-goal deficit to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3 on Thursday night. Oakland Raiders Jerseys . In question is whether 26-year-old Matt Frattin will be on it. A a€?mediocrea€? training camp, as Carlyle put it earlier this week, has Frattin lingering nervously on the bubble at the end of the exhibition season, pushed out of a likely job by Brandon Kozun, the small, but feisty winger determined to make the NHL for the first time. http://www.shoptheraidersonline.com/Elit...Raiders-Jersey/. Cesar said the difficulties he went through after the 2010 World Cup helped him become "a better professional" and made him "more focused" on his career. He admitted that he took things for granted before the World Cup in South Africa, when he arrived considered the worlds top goalkeeper. Jerry Rice Jersey .Y. - Referee Ed Hochuli referred to replay official Tom Sifferman by his nickname Jungle Boy, which was heard on the in-stadium microphone during the Arizona Cardinals-Carolina Panthers NFC wild-card game Saturday. Lyle Alzado Jersey . Even that couldnt slow them down against the New Orleans Hornets. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook scored 31 points apiece and the Thunder overcame injuries to two key backups to beat New Orleans 101-93 Monday night for their 10th straight home win.ROME -- Milos Raonic was a few points away from locking up a spot in a Masters 1000 final for the second time in his career. Instead a letdown in a second-set tiebreaker proved costly for the Canadian as he dropped a three-set decision to Novak Djokovic on Saturday at the Italian Open. The second-ranked Djokovic will now renew his rivalry with top-ranked Rafael Nadal in the championship match Sunday. There will be an enticing womens championship too, with top-ranked Serena Williams to face Sara Errani, the tournaments first Italian finalist in nearly 30 years. Djokovic took his time before figuring out Raonics massive serve for a 6-7 (5), 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory in a three-hour match at the Foro Italico. "I did the things I wanted to do. I didnt execute in the moments I would have liked but I did create a lot of opportunities for myself," Raonic said. "I just wish I would have played a few situations differently. I had the right approach but wasnt able to execute well (all) of the time. "I felt I had a chance in the match. I brought my best tennis (so) I could give myself an opportunity -- which I was able to do today. It came down to a few moments and he performed better in those moments than I did." Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., had 55 winners but also made 42 unforced errors. The 23-year-old missed out on three break-point chances in the second set while Djokovic earned an early break in the third for a lead he wouldnt relinquish. "It was a tight match that was decided in the first two sets on a few points," Djokovic said. "He put a lot of pressure on my service games. And when you serve that well, you dont have as much pressure on your return games." Raonics serve flirted with the 230 km/h mark at times and he fired 17 aces. "I cant recall the last time when I was feeling so helpless in the return games," Djokovic said. "It was brutal." In mens doubles action, Canadas Daniel Nestor and Serbian partner Nenad Zimonjic reached the final with a 7-6 (3), 4-6, 12-10 win over Bob and Mike Bryan of the United States. Raonic lost to Nadal in the final of the 2013 Rogers Cup in his lone Masters 1000 final appearance. He will return to a career-high No. 9 in the world rankings on Monday. Raonic will also be a top-eight seed at the French Open in two weeks since Argentinas Juan Martin Del Potro -- currently the world No. 7 -- will be unable to compete because of injury. The Italian Open is the last key clay-court tuneup before the upcoming French Open. Having been stretched to three sets in his opening three matches this week, Nadal finally put in a complete performance with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Grigor Dimitrov in the late semifinal. "Today was a good confirmation that I really played better ... a lot of positive things," Nadal said. "(Djokovic) is playing great and its going to be a really tough match." Nadal holds a 22-18 career edge vs. DDjokovic but the Serb won their last meeting for the Sony Open title in March in Key Biscayne, Florida.dddddddddddd. Nadal already has a record seven titles in Rome, while Djokovic is seeking his third championship at the Foro Italico. They have met in three finals here, with Nadal winning two of them. Williams overcame a second-set lapse to beat Ana Ivanovic 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 and gain a measure of revenge for a fourth-round loss to the Serb at this years Australian Open. Using vocal crowd support to her advantage, Errani fought back from a 4-1 deficit in the second set for a 6-3, 7-5 win over two-time Rome champion Jelena Jankovic. Williams is aiming for her third Rome title, having won this clay-court tuneup for Roland Garros in 2002 and last year. The American is 6-0 in her career against Errani and lost just one game in their last meeting, in the semifinals of last years French Open. "Shes just taken her game to a whole new level and she has so much confidence beating two really good top-10 players and two really great clay-court players," Williams said, also referring to Erranis win over second-seeded Li Na in the quarter-finals. "So I have a lot of work to do tomorrow. Its not going to be easy. And she has nothing to lose and she has the crowd behind her. So its going to be a really tough match for me." Nadal went the distance against Gilles Simon, Mikhail Youzhny and Andy Murray in his opening rounds this week but had relatively little trouble against Dimitrov, who was playing in his first Masters series semifinal. Afterward, Djokovic appealed for help for his flood-hit native Serbia, and wrote a message of support on a camera lens, adding I love you in Cyrillic. "This is a total catastrophe of biblical proportions," he said. "Half the country is in danger of not having electricity." Errani drew emotion from the crowd. "There were a few moments when I thought I might not pull it off but the fans were huge," said Errani, who is attempting to become the first Italian to win the tournament since Raffaella Reggi took the 1985 title in Taranto. The last Italian man to win was Adriano Panatta back in 1976. Its already Erranis best result since reaching the 2012 French Open final. Jankovic, the 2007 and 2008 Rome champion, repeatedly asked the chair umpire to come down and check marks but none of them were overturned, resulting only in the crowd stepping up its encouragement for Errani. "Just do it, Sara. Just do it, Sara," the fans cheered late in the second set. The highly partisan crowd frequently applauded Errani while points were still being played and cheered even when Jankovic double-faulted. "(The crowd) was all on her side but its normal, shes the local player," Jankovic said. "I tried to stay focused on my game, and play my tennis but she was the better player today." ------ With files from The Canadian Press. 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