Minnesota Twins Owner Carl Pohlad Dead at Age 93

"I live and die by every pitch," Pohlad once told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "I want so badly for them to win. ... If it isn't competitive and you don't have a team with character, it won't be any fun."

In this Sept. 23, 2008, file photo, Minnesota Twins owner Carl Pohlad, right, shakes hands with...

In this Sept. 23, 2008, file photo, Minnesota Twins owner Carl Pohlad, right, shakes hands with Twins pitcher Kenny Rogers in the locker room after the Twins clinched the AL Central title with a 4-1 win over the Cleveland Indians in Minneapolis. Pohlad died Monday, Jan. 5, 2009, a baseball official said. He was 93. (AP Photo/Andy King, File)

(AP)

Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday at The Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis. Pohlad died at his home in Edina, a suburb of Minneapolis, with many family members and caregivers there with him in recent days.

It was at Pohlad's home, following a fancy dinner, where Puckett's agent, Ron Shapiro, reached agreement with the Twins in the wee hours of a December 1992 night on a $30 million, five-year contract that kept Puckett in Minnesota despite bigger offers elsewhere. Pohlad vetoed a deal that summer that was $2.5 million cheaper, but he gave his approval once it was clear Puckett could leave.

"When push came to shove, he knew the value of Kirby Puckett and the value to the community," Shapiro said Monday.

He got to know Pohlad well over the years.

"He always had a smile, but his brain never stopped working on business deals," Shapiro said. "He was an intense businessman, but that quality of integrity and gentlemanly conduct — though he stuck hard to what he believed — really stood out to me."

The Metrodome, built inexpensively to open in 1982, was criticized for a stuffy, artificial atmosphere. Revenue streams were also limited, which hurt the Twins' ability to keep up with bigger-spending teams in bigger media markets. As the team hinted it could leave, Pohlad's reputation took a hit.

He threatened to sell the club to North Carolina investor Don Beaver in 1997, a deal later shown to be a maneuver to convince the state to sign off on new-stadium funding. The legislative session that year was particularly acrimonious, with opponents criticizing the size of public financing bills and arguing that Pohlad should offer more of his own money for a stadium.

Upset by the lack of stadium progress, Selig floated the idea of eliminating the Twins, a plan blocked in court before the 2002 season. But word leaked that a frustrated Pohlad had volunteered his team as a contraction candidate in return for a $150 million buyout from his fellow owners.