Well, as the hours tick away it seems more and more like Dougie will be staying a Twin, and the morning papers paint a rather dark picture of the first baseman's mental state.
From the PiPress:
Doug Mientkiewicz was back in the Twins' lineup Friday night. Yes, the final lineup the manager posted.But it didn't help ease any of the anxiety the first baseman has expressed since being told a week ago he could be traded. And it didn't diminish the team's fears he would be hard to live with if he's not traded.
"It's hard to perform for someone who doesn't want you. That's the bottom line,'' Mientkiewicz said before going 3 for 3 and driving in both Twins runs in an 8-2 loss to Boston in the Metrodome.
"That's not true,'' Twins general manager Terry Ryan said. "He is wanted. It's just a matter of how things are going to play themselves out.''
And Patrick Reusse writes that Dougie and the whole First Wives Club are nothing but a big mess, not to mention that there's a wee tension with Mr. M. and Mr. Gardy:
Long before Friday's first pitch, a Twins veteran was sitting in civilian clothes in the home dugout, talking on a cell phone. When the conversation ended, he looked down the bench at a loitering reporter and said:"Is Dougie stuck here now?"...
...On Monday morning, the Star Tribune published a story by baseball writer La Velle E. Neal III revealing that Mientkiewicz had been told he would be traded. Then, on Tuesday night, he was scratched from the lineup after initiating a brief pregame meeting with Gardenhire.
It was official: The manager had made a bad read of his high-strung first baseman. He was having a tough time handling the truth about where he stood now that slugger Justin Morneau had come to stay.
On Thursday night, Mientkiewicz further fueled the controversy during the radio interview. He took a variety of shots at Gardenhire, the nastiest of which came at the end of the interview when asked if he could "mend fences" with his manager.
"It's going to take a lot of conversations," Mientkiewicz said. "It's not going to be easy. If I can be a man, I hope someone else can be a man, too, and fess up."
And here, before last night's game, Dougie and Scotty Ullger exchange a nice snuggle. (Thanks to Batgirl's esteemed readership for the link.)
The more i search baseball web sites and watch espn news, it really looks like dougie is going to be a twin. Jason Giambi has been diagnosed with a benign tumor and the twins may be stuck with a malignant one. He is so quick to point out how he has been wronged to anybody in the media that will listen. He does however neglect to point out that he was o for june and he is stealing whatever salary the twins are paying him. He has made great contributions to the twins in recent years, but to say he has been a little flat this year is a huge understatement. Because of his position and the lack of flexiblity the twins have with him in the lineup, this is going to cause many problems in the future, Every time he plays and gets a few hits like he did last night the whole doug or justin thing will be the hot topic of the day. Reporters need something to write about over a long season and people enjoy reading about things like this as well, so look for all of this to continue the rest of the season if doug is not dealt. My fear is that it will also divide the twins, i really dont see how it cant. There will also be undue pressure put on Morneau, having to look over his shoulder everytime he makes an error or strikes out, not to mention the just having to read about it in the papers on a daily basis and put up with the interviews. Doug has been one of my favorite twins over the last few years, I honestly think he still has some good baseball left in him but not for the twins. We finally have a chance to have a legitimate power hitter in the line up on a daily basis, not to mention the log jam in the outfield. I think the twins need to look at any every offer they can get for doug. At this point if someone offered a bucket of shit for him the twins should take it, they would come out of that deal ahead by a bucket.
Posted by: tommy at July 31, 2004 12:31 PMWhy make a trade? You can have me for freeeee!
Posted by: Raul Mondesi at July 31, 2004 01:18 PM
Pleaseeeee release me,
Let me goooooooooo.
Youuuuuuu don't love me
any moreeeeeeeeeee
Otherwise, dammit, I'm gonna become SOME KIND OF MONSTER.
There's Sinatra and Metallica in the same post. How versatile I am. Not very good,l but versatile.
Posted by: Dougie16 at July 31, 2004 03:08 PMI think we need to go easy on Doug. He loves playing here and he was upset when he thought he was going to be traded, and now he isn't going to be traded. In the Pioneer Press, it sounded like Terry and he were dating, and he was broken hearted that Terry wasn't attracted to him anymore, and Terry was assuring him that it wasn't Doug, but Terry, who had the problem. We've all had similar conversations during breakups or near breakups. And I'm sure quite a few of you have then said nasty things and had hard feelings. So take a look at yourselves before you judge Dougie so harshly.
Dr. Philishly,
Donnalove
Mientkiewicz to Boston for Derek Lowe apparently as part of Nomar to Cubs 4 way deal.
Posted by: TwinsfanEric at July 31, 2004 03:54 PMThat picture brings tears to my eyes. I love Dougie. I don't care what anybody says...he is a GREAT baseball player. Sure, he's having a bad season offensively, but nobody can top what that man does on 1st. Morneau is an AWESOME power hitter, but I think it would be unrealistic to ask him to take over as starting 1B man over half way through the season. What if he gets injured and Dougie was gone? We'd have LeCroy and Cuddyer, who are both also backups for other positions. And, sure, maybe he did go too far with the comments to the media, but it seems to me that for so many years, what we have loved so much about Dougie is his no fear attitude- he'll say anything. At least him and Jodi keep their private life private, which is more than we can say for Mr. and Mrs. Benson, right? lol.
Anyway, it was so GREAT to see all the support Dougie got from fans last night. I bet that made him feel great!
This whole thing started when dougie got benched for a player that is performing better than he was. Most of what we are getting in the media is right out of his mouth. I would bet a fair amount of money that most of this is his own doing. I like doug, i have always thought that he is one of the reasons the twins have been performing well in these last few years, but the goal in baseball is to win the world series, not just the division. The need for a big bat in the line up has been around for years, he knew this day was coming and has had plenty of time to prepare for it. The bottom line is Terry Ryan is his boss not his boyfriend, this is a business relationship not a friendship. I still believe that it is going to come out that gardy told him of his new role on the team and he asked what his options were and they were accept it or be traded. Since dougie is the only one really talking to the media he is going to show himself in the best possible way. It was already going to be tough enough to move him with his poor stats and nagging injuries and a salary nobody would want to absorb. The worse thing anyone in the twins organization could do would be to portray him as crying baby, who would want him then. Instead of the boyfriend/girlfriend comparison, I look at it like more of the spoiled kid not getting what he wants and having a fit. I want more than i deserve or nothing, and the parent saying ok nothing.
Posted by: tommy at July 31, 2004 04:01 PMMaybe not Lowe. Maybe just prospects coming back. Not clear right now, but Mientkiewicz appears gone accross the hallway to the Red Sox.
Good luck.
Posted by: TwinsfanEric at July 31, 2004 04:02 PMDear Eric,
Batgirl is frantically pressing reload and can't find anything. She sees Nomar going to Cubs--tell Batgirl where to look!
Sincerely,
Batgirl
twins get p justin jones and some othe prospects involved, dougie to the red sox
Posted by: archie at July 31, 2004 04:09 PMAll I've seen is on TV, but we definitely don't get Lowe. Just prospects. But remember the last time we got a "prospect" from Boston for a major league ballplayer? Lew Ford. We'll be just fine; this trade had to get done.
Posted by: Chris at July 31, 2004 04:10 PMjust got that off of espn news, good luck doug
Posted by: archie at July 31, 2004 04:10 PMwe got nothing for him. nothing. my only consolation is that he now plays in my most-of-the-year home town. i am in tears.
Posted by: chaz at July 31, 2004 04:18 PMI would not say the twins got nothing for dougie, they were able to dump his salary for next year plus avoid any problems he may have caused by being benched. Hopefully that money will go to to use by keeping someone who is performing around. I know that people are going to be very happy about this, or very upset.I dont think there will be any middle ground and i dont think anyone is right or wrong. I myself am happy, but i wont dance on dougies grave. I am a little upset we didnt get a pitcher for the stretch out of this but i feel he needed to go no matter what the deal was. I also see the Bitch sox are in a panic and traded pitchers with the yanks contreras for loaiza. So in some ways the twins got better with the white sox trade. The only bad thing i see about this trade is that the red sox are in town and it will give dougie two more days to whine to the minnesota media, oops there i go with the bad stuff. I just hope batgirl doesnt try to limit anything negative about him like last weeks crying page.
Posted by: tommy at July 31, 2004 04:40 PMDear Tommy,
Sometimes comments on this site are people being silly. You should be silly too, instead of full of rage.
Jestingly,
Donnalove