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A Link to ’65 Lost: Joe Nossek Dies at 85

Joe Nossek, a versatile outfielder and trusted baseball mind whose career touched six major?league seasons and spanned decades in coaching and scouting, passed away on February 12, 2026. He was 85.

Joseph Rudolph Nossek born November 8, 1940, in Cleveland, Ohio, Nossek was a standout long before he ever wore a professional uniform. At Ohio University, he became a first?team All?American outfielder in 1961, one of the most decorated players in program history. His excellence across every level of competition eventually earned him enshrinement in the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame, the Ohio University Athletics Hall of Fame, and the Euclid High School Sports Hall of Fame — a testament to the breadth of his impact from hometown fields to the national stage.

When the Minnesota Twins signed him before the 1961 season, they backed their belief with a $45,000 signing bonus, an extraordinary figure for the era. For a young franchise still defining itself after the move from Washington, Nossek represented a premium investment in talent, projection, and character.

He made his major?league debut with Minnesota in 1964, but it was the following year that cemented his place in Twins history. Appearing in 87 games for the 1965 American League champions, Nossek played all three outfield positions and even logged time at third base, giving manager Sam Mele a defensive option he trusted. He hit .218 that season, but his value was never measured in batting average. He was a glove?first role player on a roster loaded with stars — Killebrew, Oliva, Allison, Grant — and he carved out his niche by doing the little things right.

His most memorable moments came on the biggest stage. In the 1965 World Series against the Dodgers, Nossek started four games in center field and collected four hits, including two singles off Sandy Koufax — a small but proud footnote in a series dominated by pitching greatness. Nossek was also involved in a some-what controversial play in game 7 and if you don’t about it or don’t remember it you can read about it in Nossek’s SABR Bio to which you will find a link below.

After the 1966 season began, the Twins sold his contract to the Kansas City Athletics, where he enjoyed his most productive year, hitting .261 across 87 games. He later spent time with the Oakland A’s and St. Louis Cardinals, finishing his playing career in 1970. Across six seasons, Nossek appeared in 295 major?league games, collecting 132 hits and posting a .228 career average.

Rick Renick, Twins Player and Coach gone at 81

Warren Richard “Rick” Renick, a Minnesota Twins player, coach, and longtime baseball teacher whose career spanned more than five decades, passed away on January 31, 2026 in Sarasota, Florida. He was 81.

Born March 16, 1944, in London, Ohio, Renick graduated from Madison South High School and continued his education at The Ohio State University before signing with the Minnesota Twins as an amateur free agent in 1965. His combination of athleticism, baseball intelligence, and quiet steadiness would define his career both on and off the field.

A Historic Debut and Five Seasons in Minnesota

Rick Renick made one of the most memorable first impressions in Twins history. On July 11, 1968, in his very first major-league at-bat, he became the first player in Minnesota Twins history to homer in his first MLB plate appearance — taking Detroit Tigers left-hander Mickey Lolich deep. It remains one of the franchise’s great debut moments. Oddly enough, Mickey Lolich passed away just four days after Renick did.

Across five seasons with Minnesota (1968–72), Renick appeared in 276 games and provided invaluable versatility, logging time at third base, shortstop, left field, right field, and first base. He finished his Twins career with:

122 hits
20 home runs
71 RBI
.221 batting average
276 games

His best season came in 1970, when he posted a 1.0 WAR and helped the Twins capture the AL West title. He also appeared in both the 1969 and 1970 American League Championship Series, contributing to one of the most competitive eras in team history.

A Championship Coach and a Lifelong Teacher of the Game

After his playing days, Renick transitioned naturally into coaching and managing — roles in which he became widely respected for his preparation, clarity, and ability to connect with players.

He served as an aggressive third base coach for the 1987 Minnesota Twins, helping guide the club to its first World Series championship. His coaching career also included time with the Kansas City Royals, Montreal Expos, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Florida Marlins, as well as extensive work throughout the minor leagues for several teams.

One of his proudest achievements came in 1999, when he managed the Edmonton Trappers (then a Twins affiliate) to the Pacific Coast League championship. Players consistently described him as steady, fair, and deeply committed to teaching the game the right way.

A Life Beyond Baseball

Though baseball shaped much of his professional life, Renick found equal joy in a quieter pursuit: farming. His love for working the land was a lifelong passion, grounding him and bringing him peace away from the ballpark.

Remembering Rick Renick

From homering in his first major-league at-bat to coaching third base during a World Series run, from managing championship teams to tending the fields he loved, Rick Renick lived a life defined by devotion — to baseball, to family, and to the simple joys that grounded him. The Twins community remembers him with gratitude, admiration, and affection.

Family and Legacy

Rick was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Libby Renick, his sister, Mary Kelly, and his parents. He leaves to cherish his memory, his children, Ty Renick, daughter in law, Katherine Garcia-Renick, Shad Renick, daughter in law, Kelly Renick, and Joshua Renick, as well as his grandchildren, Arianna, Elijah, and Aiden. Rick is also survived by his sister Charlotte Sifrit and her children as well as his sister Mary’s children.

Twinstrivia.com would like to pass on our condolences to the Renick family, friend and fans. Thank you for the memories.

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The Twins never make it easy

Now that a few days have passed since Derek Falvey and Minnesota Twins ownership “mutually agreed” to part ways it seems like a good time to share my thoughts on what happened. When the move was announced on Friday, January 30 it came as a real shock that a parting of the ways like this would take place just two weeks away for the beginning of Spring Training 2026 and just a week after the Minnesota Twins Diamond Awards and TwinsFest took place.

While I was disappointed that this move didn’t take place right after the 2025 season ended, I am still glad that it happened. I see this as the best news that I have seen coming from the Twins camp in a long time. I am no baseball expert but I just don’t think that Falvey was ever qualified for this job and should not have been hired in the first place. I wonder how much the Twins paid him to walk away quietly? It appears that Falvey and Pohlad were not only not on the same wave length, they weren’t even in the same area code.

Derek Falvey was hired by the Minnesota Twins as Executive Vice President and Chief Baseball Officer on October 3, 2016. He officially joined the organization following the conclusion of the 2016 World Series and was later promoted to President of Baseball Operations in November 2019. In 2025 He also took over the business side of the Twins operation from Dave St. Peter who decided to retire.

Year	Year End 40?Man
2025	$130,113,745
2024	$132,543,419
2023	$166,950,772
2022	$151,057,543
2021	$125,983,176
2020	$52,627,942
2019	$125,205,980
2018	$131,186,562
2017	$111,209,586
2016	$106,840,501
2015	$108,275,245
2014	$91,071,286
2013	$76,132,483
2012	$101,165,992
2011	$115,419,106
2010	$103,039,407

Year End 40-man roster payrolls obtained by The Associated Press include salaries and pro-rated shares of signing bonuses, earned performance and award bonuses, non-cash compensation, buyouts of unexercised options and cash transactions. Deferrals may be discounted to reflect present-day value.

Source: Cot’s Baseball Contracts

Twins mutually part ways with team president Derek Falvey

Derek Falvey had been with the Twins since October 2016, when he was named the team’s head of baseball operations. This is the best Minnesota Twins news in a very long time. Thank you for making this happen no matter who you may be.

UPDATE: Minnesota Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensch was also relieved of his duties today. Crazy day in Minnesota.

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Watching the Game or Being Seen? How Modern Baseball Rewrote the Fan Experience

*“Fans mingling at Target Field during a modern MLB game”*

For years I tracked Minnesota Twins ticket prices the way some people track the weather. From 1961 forward, I kept a running log of what it actually cost to walk through the turnstiles. It was a simple project with a simple goal: show how the average ticket price crept upward, year after year, era after era, from Met Stadium bleachers to Target Field club seats.

Then baseball changed the rules.

Dynamic ticket pricing arrived, and suddenly the idea of an “average ticket price” became as outdated as a paper scorecard. Teams stopped setting one price for the season and started treating every game — and every seat — like a miniature stock market. Prices rise, fall, and rise again depending on demand, opponent, weather, promotions, and even what’s happening on the resale market. A Tuesday night against a last place club might be cheaper than yesterday, while a weekend series against a contender can jump before you finish typing your credit card number.

Trying to calculate an average in that environment is like trying to nail Jell-O to the outfield wall.

So the article I set out to write — a clean, historical comparison of ticket prices across Twins history — became something else entirely. Because the more I looked at the numbers, the more obvious it became that the real story isn’t just how teams price tickets. It’s how fans use them.

Former Twins players that passed away in 2025

Another trip around the Sun and it is once again time to to look back and remember former Minnesota Twins that have gotten the call to their final resting place. They may be gone from this earth but their memories will always remain.

Jeff Bittiger was born April 13, 1962 in Jersey City, NJ and died on July 19, 2025 at the age of 63 after a lengthy battle with Cancer. Bittiger was originally drafted by the Mets in 1980 but made his big league debut on September 2, 1986 with the Phillies and was signed by the Twins as a free agent in April 1987. He pitched for the Minnesota Twins in 1987 appearing in three games late in the 1987 season. He won his first and only game as a Twin in his lone start for the Twins in a 8-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox. Bittiger went 7 innings allowing 1 run on 6 hits while striking out 5. Bittiger again became a Free Agent after the 1987 season. Bittiger pitched in the majors in 33 games with a 4-6 record with a 4.77 ERA. Bittiger must have loved baseball because he pitched in the minor/independent leagues from 1980-2003, a total of 23 years.

Bill Dailey was born on May 13, 1935 in Arlington, Virginia and passed away on January 11, 2025 at the age of 89. Dailey started his baseball career by signing with the Cleveland Indians prior to the 1953 season and made his big league debut on August 17, 1961 at Cleveland Stadium versus the Boston Red Sox with 4 innings of scoreless relief in a 14-inning 4-3 Cleveland win. The Minnesota Twins purchased Dailey in April of 1963 and he quickly became a folk hero in Minnesota and they even had a song about him called “won’t you come in Bill Dailey”. In his first season in Minnesota he pitched in 66 games, pitching 108.2 innings with a 1.99 ERA and a 6-4 record notching 21 saves. In 1964 he suffered a rotor cuff injury and had to walk away from the game at the age of 29, baseball can be a cruel game. You can find my interview with Bill Dailey in the Interview Archives on this site.

Scott Klingenbeck was born on February 3, 1971 in Cincinnati, Ohio and died on May 20, 2025 at the age of 54. Klingenbeck was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the fifth round of the 1992 amateur draft and made his debut in a start against the Detroit Tigers in an 11-5 win in which he pitched 7 innings allowing 3 earned runs for his first big league win. In July of 1995 the Orioles traded Klingenbeck to Minnesota for a PTBNL (who was later announced as OF Kimera Bartee). Klingenbeck pitched for the Twins in 1995-1996 and compiled a 1-3 record in 28 games with an ERA of 8.30. The Twins traded Klingenbeck to the Cincinnati Reds in April 1997. Klingenbeck pitched briefly for the Reds in 1998 before and for their AAA team in 1999 before retiring from baseball.

Andy Kosco was born on October 5, 1941 in Youngstown, Ohio and died on December 19, 2025 at the age of 84. Kosco excelled at every sport as a youngster. By the time he was a senior at Struthers High School, he was a strapping 6-feet-3 and 210 pounds, and excelled in football, basketball, and baseball. He received 44 scholarship offers for football, including ones from powers such as Michigan State and Ohio State, and 27 offers for basketball. “I think I was blessed with a lot of size,” said Kosco. “I ran well and threw well.” Kosco started his career with the Detroit Tigers as a free agent prior to the 1959 season and was released on June 3, 1964 and signed by the Minnesota Twins just three days later. Kosko debuted with the Twins on August 13, 1965 on a team packed with stars that was on its way to the World Series. Kosco played for the Twins between 1965-1967 but could not win a starting job and was sold to the Athletics after the 1967 season. Kosco went on to a number of other teams playing in the big leagues for all or parts of ten seasons with the Twins, Yankees, Dodgers, Brewers, Angels, Red Sox and the Redlegs appearing in 658 games hitting .236 with 73 home runs. If Andy Kosco’s baseball career could be described in a song, it might be the old Hank Snow classic “I’ve Been Everywhere.” Kosco may best be remembered for replacing Mickey Mantle in his final game, it was a memorable moment for Kosco, who often retold the story of taking over for the Yankee legend in his final game.

Twins snag their guy in international signing

That guy is switch-hitting Venezuelan shortstop Enmanuel Merlo, who checks in at No. 34 among the ‘26 class. Merlo is expected to receive a $1.5 million signing bonus, according to a sources, one of the heftiest commitments the club has made on the international market in the past decade. The Twins received $7,357,100 in pool money this year, tied for the third-highest allotment. The prospect list however, has 18 shortstops rated ahead of him on the top prospect list. Are the Twins going after quantity versus quality?

Free agent outfielder Max Kepler disciplined

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced on January 9th that free agent outfielder Max Kepler has received an 80-game suspension after testing positive for Epitrenbolone, a performance enhancing substance, in violation of Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

Kepler was signed by the Minnesota Twins as a 16-year-old free agent on July 11, 2009 and made his major league debut with the Twins on September 27, 2015. Kepler played for the Twins from 2015 through 2024 before becoming a free agent and signing with the Philadelphia Phillies where he played in 2025 before again becoming a free agent.

I have followed Max Kepler closely since he joined the Minnesota Twins and he had a very nice career as a Minnesota Twin. Towards the end of his years in Minnesota it was obvious to me that he was no longer the Kepler I watched growing up. I was of the opinion that baseball was boring him since he had achieved his objective of playing MLB and was getting ready to retire. He no longer seemed to enjoy the game and seemed to just be going through the motions. Maybe there was more behind the change than I thought. Good luck Max!

Andy Kosco, member of 1965 Twins Dies at 84

Andy “Pudge” Kosco, a powerful right-handed hitter who broke into the major leagues with the Minnesota Twins during one of the franchise’s most formative eras, passed away on December 19, 2025. He was 84.

Born October 5, 1941, in Struthers, Ohio, Kosco was a gifted multi-sport athlete who turned down dozens of football and basketball scholarship offers to pursue professional baseball at age 17 signing as a free agent with the Detroit Tigers prior to the 1959 season. One scout who spent a lot of time tracking Kosco’s progress was Edwin “Cy” Williams of the Detroit Tigers.3 Williams began watching Kosco play baseball, football, and basketball around the Youngstown area when Andy was a high-school sophomore and followed him for the next couple of years. Eventually, Williams signed him right out of high school in June 1959 for what at that time was an enormous bonus of $62,500.

The Tigers assigned him to class D ball to start 1959 and he worked his way up to AAA briefly in 1963 where he struggled mightily. Then unexpectedly in June of 1964 the Tigers released him and the Twins quickly signed him and send him to class A ball for the remainder of 1964 . In 1965 the Twins assigned him to AAA Denver and started hitting like a man possessed, hitting .312 with 27 home runs and 116 RBI in 119 games leaving the Twins with no choice but to call him up in mid-August to join a club in the midst of its first great pennant chase. Kosco made his major league debut in Cleveland Stadium as a pinch-hitter and grounded out to second base in a Twins 3 to 1 loss. Kosco went on to play in 23 games but did not make the World Series roster.

The Twins Didn’t Just Lose Games — They Lost Their Fanbase

The Twins Didn’t Just Lose Games — They Lost Their Fanbase Another 70–92 season. Another fourth place finish. Another October spent watching other teams play meaningful baseball. For a franchise that keeps insisting it’s “competitive,” the results say otherwise — loudly.

Someone had to take the fall, and it wasn’t Derek Falvey. He survived — somehow — but Rocco Baldelli didn’t. After seven seasons, he’s out, and the Twins replaced him with former bench coach Derek Shelton, a move that feels more like rearranging furniture than fixing the foundation. Seven of twelve coaches were swept out with him. A purge looks dramatic on paper, but fans have seen this movie before: new voices, same script.

On the roster side, the big splash so far… Josh Bell. A 33-year-old first baseman with a bat that comes and goes and a glove that never really arrived. Seven million dollars for a placeholder. The rest of the offseason has been bargain bin depth pieces. It’s hard to sell “we’re trying” when the front office shops like a team terrified of its own payroll.

Then came the ownership news — the part that was supposed to restore confidence. Instead, it poured gasoline on the frustration. The Twins introduced new minority owners, but the Pohlad family kept control after months of signaling the team was headed for a sale. Fans were told one thing, then handed another. And the surprise twist? Tom Pohlad quietly taking over as control person from his brother Joe, who reportedly didn’t agree with the move at first. If the goal was stability, the execution felt anything but.

Fans were told the team was for sale. Then the story changed.”

So yes, a few questions have been answered. But they’re not the answers fans were hoping for. And the questions that matter most — payroll, direction, accountability, transparency — remain untouched. Will Derek Shelton actually manage, or will the front office script every inning? Will the new minority owners have any real influence? Will Tom Pohlad be visible, engaged, and honest with the fanbase? Will Falvey continue running both the baseball and business sides with no checks and balances?

Meanwhile, the fans have spoken with their wallets. Season ticket renewals are dropping. TV subscriptions are being canceled. Many fans feel misled — told the team was for sale, only to watch the Pohlad’s reverse course and bring in minority partners instead. A growing segment of the fanbase believes the only way forward is for the Pohlad’s to sell entirely. Until then, they’re choosing not to show up.

The Twins enter 2026 not just at a crossroads, but on the edge of losing an entire generation of goodwill. The front office can talk about “process” and “sustainability” all it wants, but fans are tired of buzzwords. They want honesty. They want investment. They want a team that acts like winning matters.

Category: General Blogging

A Link to ’65 Lost: Joe Nossek Dies at 85

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