:-(

BatKitties!

Any chance that AJ is going to the Bitch Sox as a sort of sleeper agent, a mole, a Manchurian Catcher if you will?

And, and, BatKitties!

Oh AJ, here I thought you'd do the right thing and tell the Bitch Sox to F-off, but no, you had to stoop to this level.

I may have to burn my AJ t-shirt now and cast a couple spells to rid of his aura once and for all. He is dead to me.

Maybe it will be like a WWF thing the first time they play the twins he will hit Frank Thomas with a bat and rip off off his Sox jersey and have a Twin's jersey under it or he could do like Mikey P at the all star game last year and tell everyone what the pitches are . or he is a heartbreak that never really cared about the fans and just wants to make as much cash as he can so he sold his body to Chicago.

Ahhhhh...
How nice it will be the first time the Chairman homers off a bitch sock pitcher, with the sign that AJ put down...
It'll be interesting. We're going to see the Bitch Sox a lot this year and there may be some animosity. I'm not sure. What does everyone else think?

Nice interview, Mulder. And love the cats!

Maybe I'm warped, but it just tickles me that AJ has gone over to the Dark Side. TR sold him down the river to get a new closer and give the Mauer kid a chance to play... why shouldn't AJ take his shot at having his vengeance? It's only going to make the rivalry that much better next season, and should make Batgirl even more fun to read, as well. The Queen's Ex is back in town! I love it.

NOOOO!!!

This is traumatic, horrifying and truamatic (yes it's that bad). AJ was one of my favorites-I tried to model my game behind the plate (aka talking a lot of trash to hitters). Also, does everyone realize that now when Torii blows the Bitch Sox catcher, IT'S GOING TO BE AJ!!!
I don't think I can deal with this. I hate the offseason.

-TBird

Oh gag me!!

It'll be fun to see how A.J. tries to get under the Twins players' skin. He's only really effective when he is able to talk trash on the field and get the other team riled up, so I bet he'll have a tougher time trying to talk bad to Torii or Jacque that many times in one year.

Is anyone else bothered by the ChiSox trying to look like the Twins? Signing A.J., tried to get both Koskie and Guzzie if I'm not mistaken, getting a young centerfielder that flashes a mean glove in Scott Posednik (sp?)...they should just let us be and keep losing.

Ohhh too funny! I was almost crying! I felt like I was watching the playground scene of the birds!

I think he's a perfect fit for that whiney, bitchy, disfunctional clubhouse in South Chicago. AJ may be a competitor, but he's also obnoxious. I'm looking forward to two things:
1. Joe Mauer demonstrating in no uncertain terms why AJ was expendable
2. Torii knocking AJ into Lake Michigan on a close play at the plate

Dear Batgirl,

What a wonderful interview!!

Please, thank Agent Mulder for us, and make sure he is escorting A.J. to his CIA Spy Academy courses.

This is gonna be fun... ;-)

bubblemint

"TR sold him down the river"

WTF? TR traded him to the 2002 World Series Runner Up, a team that has the greatest player to ever live (he also happens to be one of the greatest cheaters to ever live too but so far no penalities...)

Would that we all could go up the river like that!

Dearest Bat-Girl,

You know, the fact that he's an ex-Twin doesn't stop Shoeless Joe from liking him. He's Polish, after all. And what we were missing most from the South Side was a Pole. I mean, we really haven't had a good one since Greg Luzinski.

Now if we could only get that Beltranski guy.

-Shoeless Joe

Goddammit.

Pierzynski freely admits he's competitive and will do anything to help his team win. But that hard-nosed approach has irritated umpires, coaches, opposing hitters -- even his own teammates at times -- and it's given him a reputation as a malcontent.

His personality wasn't a big issue when he played for the Twins, a genial group who have a camaraderie rarely seen in pro sports. But after he was traded to the San Francisco Giants last offseason, things soured quickly.

-ESPN

Goddammit.

Pander the lonely Sox fan

"TR sold him down the river" "WTF???"
------------------

It's just an expression. AJ seemed to take the trade better than others who have recently departed our fair ballclub. However, it is a fact of the matter that not only did TR trade him partly because he expected Mauer to be ready to replace AJ, but AJ complained that coaches often ribbed him about his heir apparent even while he was still helping his team to its two division titles. Also, after he was gone, there was a whisper campaign in the papers about how AJ didn't annoy just opposing players, he bugged some coaches and teammates as well, and that his relationships with umpires may have even hurt the team. None of that was very classy on the club's part, and couldn't have sat well with AJ.

I could understand if AJ feels motivated to haunt the Twins and shout a little BOO-YAAA! at the Chairman now and then. He certainly doesn't owe the Twins, or us, the favor of turning down a ChiSox contract offer.

This isn't quite like Clemens going to the Yankees. The Bitch Sox are just an underachieving team in our division, whose players and fans tend to talk a lot of smack that the team can't back up, while the Twins have finished ahead of them for the past 4 years. AJ signing with Chicago ain't no horrorshow. It just adds spice to the entertainment, and God knows the AL Central could use a little spice.

Still thinks the real reason that AJ was set free from the Giants was his astute observations and comments to Mr. Bonds. After the effects of "the clear and the cream" were evident upon Mr. Bonds' "nether-regions", our beloved AJ said something along the lines of "I'll show you what a real pair looks like"

My apologies, O Fairest Batgirl for "working blue."

This isn't funny anymore. What an ethical quandary. I accepted rooting for Ortiz (and Dougie) in Boston; I gave token NL props to the Giants for having A.J. and Dustan; I got into a weird staring contest with Eddie in the visiting bullpen during "God Bless the USA." But A.J. on the Bitch Sox? This is just too confusing.

This seems like a great move by Chicago to somewhat mute the effect of our Mauer upgrade. Now our net difference is (Mauer - Pierzynski), which is a much slimmer margin than (Mauer - Ben Davis) or whomever. That assumes the Bitch Sox will be contenders in '05.

Quiz: Who will be the first Twin to get into a rhetorical dispute with A.J. and his mouth? Will he be able to make all the new kids implode with immature rage the way he's been doing to Oakland for the past three years? (Shudder.)

Silo:

I vote for Cuddyer, thereby replicating the 3B/C rumble between Varitek and Rodriguez. Balfour's ear gets bloodied...etc. It kinda makes sense, with Cuddyer finally coming into his own and all, and AJ probably taunted him earlier in their careers. Look for AJ to taunt him a second time, and sparks will fly...

...scenario is better if Mauer ends up at third :)

YankeeFan

This just in! Minetkiewicz, BoSox fight over "last out" ball from World Series.

Better in his locker than though his legs, say I.

http://www.startribune.com/stories/503/5174229.html

Please, Doug. Stop talking. PLEASE.

Dear Silo:

I think there's one problem with considering Joe Mauer an "upgrade" at the catching position. You see, there's this joint in the leg that catchers have to use when bending down to receive pitches... Mauer probably will not be able to catch more than 80 games next year (and it's likely that his long term position is first base or DH).

-Shoeless Joe

Heh Bat-girl,
A classic. I think you must be batting about .250 and this is the off season. Expect you'll be back to .400 with the start of the season.

Liked the fact I could just sit back and enjoy the interview without having to make any effort of my own.

AJ appeared to be a little stiff and not in his usual antimated interview mode but again I attribute this to preseason jitters.

I hope Bat-girl productions plan to do more in-person jaunts as the season progresses.

Keep up the good work. tWINs.

I can't believe it.

I hope he is getting prepared to be booed louder than our pal Chuck this home opener.

*Starts to warm up booing voice for April 8*

Another former Twin in the news... whatta class act that Dougie is. Sheesh.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1961594

Dougie Doug's "retirement" may be sooner than he thinks if he keeps the ball.

He's gone down a couple of notches in my book.

The Boston fans will turn on him big time for this. He could have been kicking it at New England card shows and car dealerships for the rest of his life, but now this? His wife should talk some sense into him.

Shoeless Joe - Aside from wishful thinking on your part, what makes you think Mauer will really only be catching 80 games at most next year? I'll agree that his career as a catcher will be shortened because of last year's injury, but barring some other injury I don't see him catching less than 100 games. The knee injury is healed and he's still quite young. Terry Ryan isn't exactly one to misdirect or put spin on his statements when talking to the media. He's said, so many times I wouldn't be surprised if he's currently planning to make it his epitaph, that he expects Mauer to catch full-time next year. I'll take him at his word since A) he knows more about the situation than any of us do and B) he's a pretty straight-shooter. He means what he says.

We'll see what happens, if I'm wrong, I'm wrong. It's happened.

TwinsGoddess - I agree. As much fun as it would be to have that final ball, really he's got no place holding on to it.

It's Doug's ball. He took it home. The guy from MLB said it was his. Then two months later, the Red Sox want it back? What a precedent: Teams would be able to declare retroactive ownership of any ball that leaves the park!

Maybe Doug's not as dumb as you think. He's not happy with the Red Sox's role for him, so he probably doesn't feel he has much to lose. As he said, "I can be bought." Why should he just give it away? Takes cojones though, but that's why we love(d) him.

Regarding Mientkiewicz: what a dumbass! Your profit more important that the sentimental value of generations of fans? Sure Doug - good thinking.

He'll return the ball eventually when people make it clear to him that the fans out there will kill him if he doesn't. They'll heckle him to no end after making those comments anyway. If he doesn't return the ball, they'll give him absolute hell.

What a self-absorbed boob! "I went through hell and back." Give me a flippin' break. Like he's the first player that's ever played while the possibility of being traded loomed. That's life in the Big Leagues Doug! What a punk.

You know,it's too bad - I really used to like the guy.

I don't begrudge him making a little money on the ball - I think it would be silly to just hand it over, but after the team expressed interest in retaining it why not hold a conversation behind closed doors about "being bought" instead of letting this leak out to the media? Not a very smart PR move

Proof that irrational Dougie hatred is so strong that people must begrudge him every ounce of success.

Torii Hunter hits the Game 7-winning home run of the 2005 World Series. Assuming the ball can be retreived, who "owns" the ball: 1) The fan who caught it; 2) Torii Hunter; or 3) Carl Pohlad?

Why is it any different for a guy who made the final put-out? The thing is, the same people who cackled gleefully that Keith Foulke avoided Doug in the celebration (and there were such people) probably would prefer if Foulke got it. But he didn't.

Shoeless: My equation stands. Pierzynski will soon be your favorite player, but I'll take Mauer at 22 over Pierzynski at 28 or whatever, and most GMs would too.

With all the negative things teammates have said about A.J., it seems like he's found his rightful place.

I don't care who gets the ball. Whether he keeps it, or has a right to keep it, or whether it belongs to the Sox or to the Sox Fans or whatever.

But, like lutefisk, I wish Doug would learn to do these things discretely. He may be constitutionally incapable of doing anything quietly, but if he could learn, it would make it much easier for this Goddess to continue adoring him blindly.

Sigh.

Dear Skorch-

Have you ever tried to play catcher without a medial meniscus? Joe Mauer is going to have to try that. He tried it for a while over the summer, but eventually was shut down.

I'd be surprised if Mauer caught 100 games next year. I think you'll be more likely to see him catch 75 games and DH in 50-60 more.

Even if he catches 100 games, with the Twins backup catching 50 his value over Pierzynski catching 125 and Burke catching 25 is relatively slight (assuming that Mauer hits like he hit last year).

-SJ

Gosh, we don't even have to scroll down anymore to read the articles. You are spoiling us, Batgirl. :)

Like some others, I think Mientkiewicz has every right to keep the ball...but he should just keep quiet and/or vague about the situation. Alas, the Dougie we know and love doesn't keep quiet about anything. Sometimes it was good; other times not-so-good. (Although the comment about four years at Florida State for his potential future children made me laugh!)

And, yeah, I agree with him that he was in a difficult situation this year--because it was something he never faced before. He'd been the star for years--probably since high school--and suddenly the new model was even better just when he was having a bad spell (that hasn't broken).

If he had been more gracious about the deal that had him leave Minnesota (a la Koskie), I think Minnesota fans would still adore him every bit as much as we ever did. (Like, Goddess, I agree it would be nice to blindly continue adoring him, but he does make it hard).

And A.J. joining the Enemy...I guess I'll have to wait for his next career move to cheer for him again. (But I hope this change means we get more interviews with A.J.!)

I agree with Just Beth...it's Dougie's ball. However, the right thing to do would be to work out a deal to 'lend' it to the Sox so that they can put it on display for the fans for awhile. And then he should shut his mouth.

I can finally rest knowing Dougie will finally be able to afford his child's college education, should he ever have a kid. He doesn't even have "mouths to feed" yet.

Much more importantly, I smell a friendly wager between Skorch and Shoeless Joe. Put the over/under at 81 games? Maybe loser attends last home meeting between the teams in the winner's ballpark (if winner is known by then), outfitted in full opponents' gear? Do any Batlings have an idea what the "wager" should be?

YankeeFan

On AJ, note the following from Phil Rogers at the Chicago Tribune a few days back when this was rumored:

In April several Giants pitchers anonymously ripped Pierzynski in a newspaper story, with one calling him a clubhouse "cancer."

"The pitchers aren't happy with him," one pitcher told the Oakland Tribune.

Another said that instead of going over the opposing lineup with starting pitchers, Pierzynski played cards.

"I've never in all my years seen a catcher who didn't watch video before games," another pitcher said. "He doesn't watch hitters—other than the Twins games when they are on TV."

Looks like AJ was a little home-sick...

Did you guys here about how Mientkiewicz held on to that ball he caught to end the World Series? Turns out he's calling it his retirement fund. Classic.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,143693,00.html