Three smart coaching hires in the spotlight Tuesday in the Twin Cities

Tuesday provided local fans with a sports smorgasbord to devour, but it also highlighted three of the best things to hit this market in the past decade.

Those three: Twins manager Rocco Baldelli, Wild coach Dean Evason and Wolves coach Chris Finch.

It's time to admit that the Twin Cities are on a roll in hiring the right folks to lead the local pro teams. On Tuesday, the Wolves hosted a playoff play-in game, the Wild was home as it streaks toward the postseason and the Twins had a game scheduled against the Dodgers at Target Field as fans figure out if the local nine's pitching staff will hold up this season.

It was a night worth barricading yourself in your man cave or she-shed, or settling in at a sports bar.

If that wasn't enough to fill your appetite, the St. Paul Saints, averaging nearly eight runs a game, held their home opener at CHS Field.

Kevin O'Connell, I hope you are reading this and understand that there are now standards here when it comes to new coaches and managers. The Vikings began their offseason program Monday, marking O'Connell's first opportunity to work with his new players since the former Rams assistant was named head coach in February.

O'Connell can look at the impact his fellow leaders have made in their respective organizations and proceed accordingly.

Baldelli was the youngest manager in baseball when he was hired before the 2019 season at age 37. He immediately won division titles in his first two seasons, leading the Bomba Squad of 2019 that set a major league record for home runs hit in a season. He walks in lockstep with the front office in allowing analytics to drive many of his decisions, but he also is a player's manager who avoids wearing his lads down — perhaps to a fault — and provides a loose clubhouse where everyone can be themselves.

Evason was hired as an assistant coach by the Wild in 2018, was named interim coach in 2020 and ran with the opportunity. He also pays attention to analytics but has not been afraid to shake up lines or make healthy scratches when players are not producing. That runs parallel with his General Manager Bill Guerin, who wasn't afraid to sever ties with Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. And if Evason is not pleased with someone, he is getting an Anthony Hopkins-level death stare. Everyone knows where they stand. No one is above criticism.

Finch was a controversial hire in the middle of last season because the Wolves didn't consider minority candidates. For all of ousted executive Gersson Rosas' faults, he got this one right. D'Angelo Russell has become a better two-way player under Finch. Anthony Edwards is headed toward stardom. Karl-Anthony Towns is playing the best basketball of his life. Analytics screamed that Jarred Vanderbilt is a positive influence whenever he's on the court, and Finch listened.

Not only are the Wolves back from the dead, they were the highest-scoring team in the league this season.

The Twins, Wolves and Wild have enjoyed success upon the arrivals of their new leaders. And their bosses have noticed. Finch and his staff signed contract extensions on Monday. Evason and his staff were locked up in December. Baldelli is in the final guaranteed season of his four-year deal. The club holds at least two option years after that, but a club official indicated on Monday there's nothing Rocco needs to sweat about. Besides, Baldelli doesn't sign the pitchers, he just tries to win with what he has.

Since the Wild's inaugural season in 2000-01, the Twins, Wild, Wolves and Vikings have never played a postseason game in the same calendar year. The chances of that happening sooner than later are increasing.

Ultimately, they all are trying to get to where Cheryl Reeve and the Lynx are. The Lynx have been to six finals and have won four championships. Their current roster is so loaded that, before Monday's WNBA draft, they traded their first-round pick and a second-rounder to avoid going over the salary cap.

The other coaches and managers in town have considerable work to do to experience the enormity of the Lynx's success. But first things first. These guys are just trying to get to the postseason.