According to Forbes magazine's 2006 rankings, Pohlad was the second-richest Minnesotan with a net worth of $2.8 billion. Still, his teams often had some of the lowest payrolls in baseball.
When Pohlad paid Calvin Griffith $38 million for the Twins in 1984, he was widely credited with saving baseball in Minnesota. With the purchase, he inherited a promising group of young players that included Gary Gaetti, Kent Hrbek and future Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett.
Minnesota won World Series championships in 1987 and 1991, triumphing in tense, seven-game showdowns against the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves.
A football player at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., who served in the Army during World War II, Pohlad remained active into his 80s before a variety of back, hip and leg ailments made it hard to get around and ultimately impossible to walk. Even after turning 90, though, he continued to make regular trips to the Metrodome to watch games.
In other baseball news:
* The Chicago Cubs and free agent Milton Bradley reached a preliminary agreement on a $30 million, 3-year contract, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. A switch-hitter, Bradley batted .321 with 22 homers for Texas while leading the American League with a .436 on-base percentage in 2008.
* Manager Mike Scioscia and the Los Angeles Angels have agreed in principle on a multiyear contract extension.
* Andruw Jones and the Los Angeles Dodgers are close to parting ways. The team has agreed to trade or release Jones in exchange for the centerfielder deferring much of the $22 million remaining on his contract, according to a person with knowledge of the discussions.
Philly File
* Temple senior defensive tackle
Terrance Knighton has accepted an invitation to participate in the third annual Texas vs. the Nation All-Star Challenge in El Paso, Texas, on Jan. 31.
Tennis
*
Dominik Hrbaty upset
James Blake, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (1), to lead Slovakia to victory over the defending champion United States at the Hopman Cup in Perth, Australia. *
