Tony DeMarco

During the exodus out of the Twin Cities last winter, the exception to the rule was Joe Nathan.

Johan Santana found his way to Queens in a megadeal, Torii Hunter went to Disneyland to collect $90 million, and Carlos Silva didn't know it at the time, but he got on board the sinking Mariners ship.

But just when you thought Nathan was going to follow them off the turf and out from under the Metrodome roof, he signed an extension to stay put. And for the strangest reason to some. But as it turns out, Nathan was right.

The Twins are exactly what Nathan thought they would be — contenders in the American League Central and wild-card races — even though few agreed with him at the time.

"I've always said if I'm on a team that competes, I'll be happy,'' Nathan said during the All-Star Game festivities. "I feel like I'm right where I'm supposed to be. We don't feel like we're overachieving. We feel like we're doing exactly what we're supposed to be doing.

"Other people won't say that. It's like we always have to surprise people. We don't know how long we'll have to keep doing this before people say we're not overachieving. But we know our team, and what we're capable of.''

And isn't that the way it always is in Minnesota? From Tom Kelly to Ron Gardenhire. From Andy MacPhail to Terry Ryan to Bill Smith. From Kirby Puckett to Joe Mauer. The Twins do more than they are expected to do. They succeed on their smallish budget, with a big reason why being an organizational approach that simply continues to work.

"The baton is handed to the next guy,'' said Bert Blyleven, who should know. He came up with the Twins in 1970, and between the mound and the broadcast booth, has spent more than a quarter century with the franchise. "And that next guy is supposed to take it to a higher level. And do it the right way.''

You've heard all of this before, of course: It all starts in the minor leagues; the big-league way is taught all they way down to rookie ball; fundamentals are hammered home — you don't execute them, you don't stick around long; pitchers throw strikes first and foremost; you play as a team, and it's the manager's way, or the highway. But the Twins seem to find a way to make it all work more consistently than others.

Part of it is because the same faces have been around to see it through. Faces such as longtime director of minor league operations Jim Rantz, and Kelly, who still has a place as a special assistant to the general manager. Smith served a long front-office internship, much as Gardenhire did in the dugout.

"They've kept the same philosophies through the years,'' Blyleven said. "So many things go into it, but the stability of the organization is a big part of it. They have good people who have been around a long time. Good coaches. Good scouts. They know what to look for; they look off the field — what kind of person is the player? Is he a gamer?''

That's in part why Gardenhire can replace Kelly, and run off a streak of four playoff appearances in his first five seasons. Why Smith can replace Ryan and execute arguably the biggest trade in franchise history to favorable reviews.

And why a team that lost 500-plus innings from its starting rotation with the losses of Santana, Silva and Matt Garza has not missed a beat, posting a 53-42 record at the break to stay within 1.5 games of the Chicago White Sox.

But the main reason why has been the young foresome of Scott Baker, Nick Blackburn, Glen Perkins and Kevin Slowey, who have come through the organization and quickly are turning into quality starting pitchers. The common threads among them — excellent control and benefitting from the tutelage of underrated pitching coach Rick Anderson.

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"You don't hear much about him, and that's the way he likes it,'' Blyleven said about Anderson. "He's a great communicator. Everybody on the staff knows his role, and the philosophy is to get six-seven innings out of the starter, and then piece it together to get the game to Nathan.''

So for now, Boof Bonser is relegated to the bullpen, and Francisco Liriano remains in the minor leagues, perhaps to be the equivalent of a late-season trade acquisition.

The Twins also might be stepping into somewhat different territory by exploring a deal for Seattle's Adrian Beltre and his huge contract. But if the Mariners are willing to eat enough of it, the Twins have enough in their farm system to get a much-needed right-handed power bat for their lineup.

Otherwise, you know exactly what you're going to get from the Twins — and they can beat you anyway, doing things their way.

"We're a younger team than we've been in the past,'' Nathan said. "We've got four young starting pitchers. But that's one of the reasons why I (re-)signed. I thought we could compete for awhile. We know who we are. We like who we are.''

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