Hi All!
I met Smilin' Carl a long long time ago, before he owned the Twins ('81?)
when he was Chair of the Board of the Mpls Chamber. They had just hired a
smooth operator named Dick Upton to be president of the Chamber and Dick
introduced me to the Board as the Chamber's official "Software Consultant."
It was the first I'd ever heard of the guy, but I was very impressed that an
old (yes, he struck me as old, even then) bank president was willing to run
a 6:30am meeting for a rinky-dink business organization.
Anyhoo, as I have gotten to know Carl as well as anyone else who reads
newspapers, I have always wondered what makes the guy tick.
Has anyone done a comprehensive bio on him?
At the time he bought the Twins, it was considered a great act of
civic-minded sacrifice and he was a hero for rescuing the team from the
miserly clutches of the "hated" Cal Griffith. My how his image has changed.
As has old Cal's, bless his memory!
But outside of baseball, I guess old Carl has had a pretty active business
career.
Can anyone relate any verifyable stories?
I have heard that he raped Twin City Rapid Transit and pawned it off on the
Public. I have heard that he hung around with Kid Kane (sp?) and other
shady characters. I have heard that he was a big-time corporate raider,
hiding behind his flashy partner Irwin Jacobs.
I know that he owned Marquette Bank, but I have heard that he also made soda
pop.
I have also heard that he has lived simply and still owns an Edina rambler
he built in the 50's.
A worthy thread?
At least if someone knows of a bio out there somewhere, I would love to hear
about this colorful, frustrating, mysterious and important Minneapolitan.
Cheers!
PK
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