The Twins have fired general manager Bill Smith and returned Terry Ryan to the role on an interim basis. Smith was one of Ryan's assistants when he took the job four years ago when Ryan stepped down to become a special assistant. Ryan served as general manager from 1994 to 2007. His moves helped turn the Twins from one of the worst teams in baseball in the mid-1990s to one of the best the next decade. They won four division titles over Ryan's last five full seasons.