I don't believe that you said any bad words, batgirl, because everyone in Minnesota is an above-average, sensitive, liberal democrat.

Good article, my sentiments entirely!

it's not quite irony, but the, as you say, "awkwardness" of morneau hitting a single to be the first twin over there to greet doug on-field at 1B during the game wasn't lost on me and i doubt it was lost on anyone in the dugout either.

for what it's worth, i didn't see them really look at or say anything to one another.

and yes, doug does fit into that throwback boston uni just fine. he's always had his socks hiked up and hat and helmet dirty retro-style, so he's a natural.

my gut feeling is that he'll end up being a pretty good pickup for boston this year--probably end up with good doug post-trade numbers (high OBP, decent SLG, *great* glove) which might be enough for him to not just fit into their plans but earn a prominent spot.

*Sigh*

I'll miss those stirrups pulled up high...

Kind of like how they wore them back when Cal Griffith used to fine his players for not having the T/C facing out properly (and you thought CARL was greedy!).

What can I say that hasn't been said already? It is hard ... I root for the Twins as a team ... but I get attached to the individuals as well. Kind of funny ... I've never actually met any of these guys (I'll get to the 'Dome someday), but I still feel a bit emotionally attached and it saddnes me to see them leave...at least Mr. Mint went to a "non evil" team that I won't have any problems rooting for if need be.

The Redsox must be where sputtering Twins players go to kick start their careers.

I'm sure everyone has already seen it, but click my name for a decent article (and a pretty touching picture).

That is a great picture. It will now be my desktop

on the plus side, the Bith Sox lost tonight, 5 game lead and growing

Lets get em tommorrow and win the series!

Eric,
Let's keep any and all political talk to a minimum here, please. The Batcommunity is a place for liberals and conservatives, CEO's and hippies, and Minnesotans of all walks of life to come together and celebrate their fanatic and nonpartisan love for the Twins.

As much as I've been arguing that Doug needed to be moved, it hurt a lot to watch him play in a Boston uniform tonight.... I'll really miss you, Doug, and good luck!

On another note, welcome Justin Morneau (to a secure spot on the team), welcome Jason Bartlett, welcome Jesse Crain, and welcome Justin Jones (well, in a year anyway)! I hope you'll give your heart and soul to this team like Doug did, and we'll get along just fine.

Doug a Twins franchise player? That may be taking it a bit too far...

And screw Television, I'm gonna be one of the 40,000+ at the game tomorrow to watch the greatest pitcher's duel this century.

When I heard that Doug was already going to be in the lineup, I bolted to the Dome to catch the surreal sight of Doug with red socks, not blue, pulled over his pants. Yes, it was surreal: There he was at first, in No. 13, facing all the Twins in the dugout.

Batgirl speculated about some of the conversations at 1st. Koskie and Doug appeared to have a laugh about something. And when Doug ran to second on a foul hit-and-run in the 7th, Guzman slapped him with his glove in a playful "get back to first" manner. That was kinda cute.

There are at least two schools of thought on Doug's departure: There's the haters who seem to see players as robots and statistics, and those who found joy and inspiration in the nerve and artistry that Doug's play embodied. There are many shades of viewpoint in between these, but I'm grateful to the Batcommunity for favoring the latter.

Oh yeah, and the standing O in the 2nd inning was electrifying. Then it was back to business, as it should be I guess.

Dear Silo,
Thanks so much for that report.
Sincerely,
Batgirl

Great, IcePhoenix. Should be a blast. Enjoy yourself, and please report to the BatCommunity.

And when JJ gave Doug a friendly 'choke' hold after reaching first - that was unsual but made me smile - and the meeting of the League of nations - Guzzie-Koskie-Luis and Doug at second - while JC warmed up was well...... again it made me smile!!

Thanks Doug - it's been real!!

Wish you coulda been there. I agree the standing O was very emotional. Dougie stepped out and took a few moments to compose himself and Radke helped by walking around back of mound.

Koskie had the first conversation at first but ironically Doug and Justin were talking quite a bit in the fifth, so the ice is broken. (Or the baton passed?) There was also a nice moment in the seventh when Doug was on second after his first hit and there was a pitching change. All the Twins infielders (Corey, Guzie, Luis) came over to talk to Doug.

But I agree. It was essential we won and 40000 plus screaming patrons make for an exciting evening.

I remember a few years ago lamenting how fans of the Yankees never would have the pleasure of feeling for a team like Twins fans were able to feel for theirs. I remember waxing poetic about the beauty that was displayed in the way the Twins all came up together, the way they played together, and the way they just seemed to hang out together during the game. It was really fun to be a part of that.

Right now I'm fearing those days have past.

No more will I sit around with my buddies in the late innings of a potential rally with all of us yelling for Doug to sit in his lucky spot. No longer do I see Ortiz and his goofy smile. No longer do I see those 2 minute long handshakes everyone had with each other. No longer will I hear another Dougie joke about Koskie.

As other outfielders start to come into their own, it seems like even the dynamic duo of Hunter and Jones could be split up. That would mean no more playful fighting after Hunter calls Jones off and no running side to side back to the dugout.

This is starting to become a different team. They will probably be a better team winning-wise, but I'm not sure they'll be as endearing of a team.

I was able to meet Dougie once. I waited outside for about two hours while he signed autographs for people, getting myself an autographed official MLB baseball in the process. Very down to earth guy. How many people that chew bubble gum regularly aren't?

Even with all the rumors I didn't think Dougie actually leaving would hit me as much as it has.

But, alas, I have over two years worth of memories of these guys all playing baseball together like boys play baseball together when they're young. And I'm thankful for that. And I will absolutely make sure that I get to the Metrodome in time tomorrow to let him know my appreciation for his efforts.

Thank you Doug.

Well, I gave my tributes to Doug last weekend when this whole ordeal got started. Right now, I just want to say that I hope the Red Sox Nation & Boston media don't overwhelm Dougie Neuroses, but rather will inspire him to greater heights. He went out as a Twin in style on Friday evening; and I'm very pleased to see him have a good game, and get such a warm reception from the home crowd, on his first day in the BoSox #13 shirt. (Do Dougie & Alex both still have a Dan Marino poster on their bedroom walls, or what?)

My favorite pitcher already was in Boston (yeah, it's Pedro, bitch). Now my favorite ex-Twin will be there, too. All the more reason to be watching the Red Sox on Extra Innings and rooting them on. If the Twins can't shock the world, Dougie, I hope it's you. Stick it to A-Rod for all of us, kid.

Take care.

I saw Doug on the NESN postgame show and he confirmed that the "13" is in tribute to Dan Marino.

He said he hhad wanted 13 with the Twins, but Jerry White was too stubborn to give it to him.

BTW, I hate to differ with the BatOpinion, but I don't think Boston's road version quite qualifies as one of the game's classic uniforms. We will have to wait for Doug to get back to Fenway for that.

Dear Batgirl,

From a Boston fan, I'd like to thank you for your good wishes. We here in Boston are smarting from the loss of Nomah, but yes -- the hope of a good defensive first baseman is a nice dose of Bactine.

Best wishes for your team in the rest of the season. Uhhh...I mean...except for tonight.

Sincerely,
Sara

P.S. Sorry for the repost, but I screwed up the first time. I'm a doofus.

I know I might be called a hater for this, and I certainly don't want to trample all over the sentiment here, but I think it's important to point out that there are two factors here.

1) Doug was always a weak hitting first baseman, and if you're weak hitting and still have a batting average below .250, you're a liability to the team no matter how popular you are. On the other hand, Morneau is a young player with room for upside, with the potential to hit 40+ home runs in a season in a display of power not seen since Hrbek. Everyone complains that the Twins need a middle-of-the-order power guy, and they might have him in Morneau, and for about $4 million less than Doug was costing us (which will be important when we try to sign a pitcher next offseason).

2) Doug forced the trade with his poor attitude. He's always been prone to whining and complaining, and he wasn't going to accept being backup. If he was the type of player who was willing to play every once in a while and used as a late inning defensive replacement or a pinch hitter he might have still had a role with the Twins. But we all know he wasn't going to accept that.

The trade was a good one for the Twins, and for Mientkiewicz. It saved them Doug's attitude for the rest of the season, and got them a prospect with decent numbers in the minors. It allows them to play Morneau, one of the rising stars in baseball, every day. It cuts payroll. As for Doug, he gets to move to a contender where he won't have to fight for playing time.

I think the twins players will always be loved as individuals by the fans, this is the whole public relations thing the twins tried to form several years back with this team and it worked. That's what makes the twins different from any mlb, the whole organization is about the twins players not only being mlb players, but about being Minnesotans and unfortunately this is the kind of stuff that's going to happen, but I think in the end we'll still have Minnesotans first and baseball players second.

Thanks, Batgirl, and you, too, Will, for so eloquently saying what I am feeling. Reading you today is the only thing that makes me feel a little bit better.

A strange and wonderful game! Most importantly....5 games up on the other Sox. What fun place to be yesterday...great crowd, great baseball.

The only downside - we have to say goodbye to Dougie. I think the trade comes down to this: What value do we get out of Doug if we DON'T trade him?

Realistically (yes, I might be trying to rationalize), how much value is he to the team if he is sitting on our bench? Yes, he is a great defensive player but how much of an impact is a defensive first baseman going to make as a late inning replacement. Compare that to impact another fresh arm can have coming in to the game.

Maybe even more importantly though, how much better will the rest of our team be by getting more at bats to Morneau, LeCroy, Cuddyer, etc?

Also important will be the absence of the tension that was bound to exist with Doug on the bench stewing about his limited playing time. As much of gamer as he is, that kind of demotion will negatively affect anyone.

So I see numerous pluses to the deal before we even consider the potential of the Justin Jones.

I think it was a great move for the team and, as importantly, a great move for Doug. As Danny Gladden said, he DOES look good in a Red Sox uni (and his wife looked very good in red too)! I will certainly miss Doug but I think it will turn out to be a great move all around.

Finally, yes, I'll take a slightly-less dominant Radke over just about anybody!

Dave

Dear Ms. Sara,

Thanks so much for writing. We are very sorry for your loss of Nomah--I can't imagine the outrage the fans are feeling. But please treat our Dougie well. He's a good guy, and he can do great things. Take care of him for us.

Sincerely,
Batgirl

Mimiru here. I was at the game and thrilled to the roar of the crowd when the lineup was announced and most of crowd found out for the first time the fate of Doug. The game was incredible, I'm a little sore in the throat, and got last minute tickets to today's game too so I'm postponing my return until early tomorrow morning.

And yes, Doug looks as dashing in Red Sox socks as in Twins socks.

Good for you, Mimiru, and everyone else who's at the game. I wish I could be....

They just interviewed Doug on NESN--he says he's always dreamed of being a part of the Boston-New York rivalry, and he's thrilled to be a part of it. He says he leaves the Twins with nothing but good feelings, "they gave me a chance to play in the major leagues, not many teams would have done that at that time."

NESN also says Doug won't be in the lineup tonight.

Dear Mr. Jon,

Thanks so much for the report. We really appreciate it.

Sincerely,
Batgirl

For those who care, Doogie and Ortiz are sitting against the Supernatural Lefty today.. McCarty at 1st, Millar at DH.

for the hometowners:

dh stewart
ss guzzie
lf ford
1b doctor
cf hunter
rf jones
3b koskie
c lecroy
2b rivas

interesting that Koskie, who's hit a lot of cleanup this year, now bats 7th behind jones. Maybe Gardy thinks that will give Jones better pitches to swing wildly at.

go koskie! that was the best slow motion bulldozing i've ever seen! it was like you could read his mind "ookay, here comes the ball so i'm going to push you down now, eh?"

Thank you, batgirl, for your respectful and sensitive treatment of this difficult event for Twins fans. Doug was special. He spoke up and displayed personality, which is about as common in professional baseball today as it is in on the PGA tour. Doug had the guts to take on TK when only the insiders knew that the latter day TK had become an unproductive pain in butt and not the player's manager that he was in the Hrbek/Puckett/Viola/etc. glory days. So, Doug had a problem with Gardie. What's wrong with that? Maybe Gardie needs to learn how to handle strong willed, intelligent players who speak their minds. Good growth opportunity for him.

It is great to see all the expressions of affection and gratitude for Doug at the ballpark and in your blog. Doug was family. So was A.J.. So was Ortiz. So were Hawk, Eddie, Bruno. And on and on. No wonder middle market fans find it hard to give wholehearted support to MLB. Just when we get to know and love a player, he is gone.

Thanks, Dougie, for modeling the best in major league baseball and lending your class, talent and spunk to the Minnesota Twins. You are going to a better place, and we wish you the best - especially as you work on beating those Damn Yankees!

Roy Hobbs

A winner! Supernatural leaves it to Count Chocula up 4-3 in the 9th.. 3 runs on 2 hits against Johan over 8 innings - homers by Cabrera and Ramirez; a sac fly by Millar in the 7th scored Varitek who was hit by a pitch, stole second, and reached third on a throwing error by LeCroy. Woohoo!

BFOD has to be Santana, if someone, more patient than I, could figure out what Jotanna and Jothan have done combined since the first of the former's last 11 starts, I believe it would be, you know, historical. I think more than 12 k's per 9, less than 4 hits per 9, and a really minescule amount of earned runs and walks, just a thought. Al