Monkey-bitch...gone
- wadE
Monkey-bitch? Why that's my little pet name for Doug Mientiewicz who is no longer
a member of the MN Twins squardron.
In a follow-up to Wade's gambit
from last week. Doug was traded in time to start Saturday, at first base, for the Boston
Red Sox. The same Boston Red Sox that were in town to play to the Twins.
To be precise, I should mention that the Twins announced that they traded Doug to
the Chicago Cubs for a bag of chips named Justin Jones. It was the Cubs who actually traded
Dougie to the Red Sox... but that's all semantics. And pretty pathetic for an official
Twins press release.
At any rate, Doug walked about 90 feet from the Twins clubhouse to the visitors clubhouse.
I'm sure it was a strange experience for all of those involved, and while many fans
are crying about the loss of Dougie Baseball, what have we really lost?
Let's take a look at the 2004 outlook for Doug from Stats, Inc.
2004 Outlook
There was a time when some Twins officials envisioned power-hitting Justin Morneau
as the starter at first base in 2004. That's not going to happen. If Morneau is in the
lineup, he'll split time at DH with Matthew LeCroy. Mientkiewicz has been too valuable
defensively to contemplate a lineup without him. And while he lacks home-run power,
his .300 average, high on-base percentage and clutch-hitting ability make him an offensive
plus.
Well, as of April, that was exactly right. But what a difference three months makes.
Doug was batting below .250. His OBP was below .350, he had 5 home runs, and had driven in fewer than 25 runs in
nearly 80 games. So there isn't much there to say he's "an offensive plus".
So dry your tears... Doug's in a better place now. A fresh start, a chance to play with
an expectation that he can acheive. Get on base, and play good defense.
What do you think? Drop us a line at webmaster@simpleprop.com and give us some
feedback. Maybe we'll even run your letters in future Gambits. 'The Daily Gambit' is updated every weekday.
