Pohlad saved the Twins, and once wanted to kill them, too

Sports franchise owners have a rough job, but one that just about all of us would gladly take. Every one of them is richer than 99.9 percent of the world's population, after all.

Owners also get the celebrity status, and the ability to influence their city in ways they'd never imagined. But the fame comes at a price. Should a billionaire run a sports franchise like a successful business, or an expensive toy?

Carl Pohlad, who died Monday at age 93, ran the Minnesota Twins like a business, which made him a few enemies along the way. After all, how can a man who was the richest owner in baseball run his team like a miser?

• Pohlad is credited by many as saving baseball in Minnesota. True to a point, but he also tried to kill it with that silly contraction talk in 2001.
• Pohlad brought two championships to Minnesota. True, but this billionaire's team was the definition of a small-market team with its salary structure.
• His teams were the model of consistency at manager and in the front office, retaining top talent. But many of the best players - Johan Santana and Torii Hunter were the latest - left or were traded as soon they were eligible for the big free-agent money.
• Pohlad spearheaded the move for a new stadium - Target Field will open in 2010 - but held the area hostage for a long time trying to raise the funds.

That why some of the obits for Pohlad are complimentary, and a couple of others are downright mean. CBS Sports' Scott Miller wrote the meanest one. And he didn't even wait until the body was cold.

"Oh yes, this guy was a beauty. He got his start in the banking business foreclosing family farms during the Depression. Nice, huh? He remained a cold-hearted businessman the rest of the way, too. He was worth more financially than Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, yet he kept the Twins' payroll low, Scrooge-like, in line with all of the other small-market owners. He was one of Commissioner Bud Selig's chief lieutenants in the war to keep club payrolls down."

Pohlad won two World Series and six division titles in 25 years of ownership. That's a very good track record for a small-market team. But there will always be a "but."

As ESPN's Jim Caple wrote: "Pohlad owned his team longer than any current owner other than George Steinbrenner, purchasing the Twins in 1984. Was he a good baseball owner? The answer depended on when you asked the question."