Looking back at 2004 - Part 2 of 5 - Trading Doug Mientkiewicz

From the Seats, December 28, 2004

MINNEAPOLIS - Around a week before the trading deadline of July 31, 2004 it appeared in the Star Tribune that Doug Mientkiewicz could be traded. Early in the week it appeared the Twins might try to go after Kris Benson, a pitcher with the Pirates. How true this was remains unclear, but the Pirates wanted to much along with Mientkiewicz to make the deal a go.

That was early in the week, before things got crazy. Reports are unclear, and most likely forever will be, on what happened. We don't why Ron Gardenhire told Mientkiewicz that he would be traded. Was it a possibility that Terry Ryan was looking at with Morneau ready to play? Had Ryan looked at it and talked it over with Gardenhire who than told Doug? Or did Gardenhire want Morneau to start and just told Mientkiewicz that he would be traded knowing he wouldn't like it and the end result being that he would be traded. We wont know.

What we do know is that for the last week of July rumors swirled around and people speculated what would happen with Doug, where he would go and for who. Fans prepared for the departure of their gold glove first baseman.

The trade deadline of 2:00 PM CST on July 31 came and went without any word of the Twins first baseman being traded, it had appeared that the Twins did not make a move. WCCO and Steve Thompson later reported that Nomar Garciaparra had been traded to the Cubs. The Red Sox had traded their star short stop to the Cubs! This was huge news! The big news of the day was that Nomar, beloved Nomar of the Red Sox had been traded, how will Red Sox fans survive?

Than around 3:30-4:00 the news broke. Steve Thompson on WCCO reported that Doug Mientkiewicz had been involved in the 4 player trade, he had been sent to the Chicago Cubs for Jason Jones, a pitcher that the Twins were pretty high on. Mientkiewicz had been sent to Boston for Nomar, or at least that is how I will look at it.

To add to this, the Red Sox were in town, Doug Mientkiewicz only had to walk 12 feet to the other club house in the Dome. News was slow to spread around the Dome, as I was at the July 31 game and had to tell a few people myself. Those who were not aware became aware when the line ups were announced and Doug Mientkiewicz would be at first base, for the Boston Red Sox. I think I a lot of people were shocked by this, many finding out for the first time, learning of what happened at that time. Justin Morneau would take over the duties of manning first base for the Twins, and in reality didn't do a bad job, not bad at all.

Mientkiewicz came to bat in the third, against Twins ace Brad Radke. When Mientkiewicz was announced for that first plate appearance as a Red Sox he got a standing ovation from Twins fans. A nice 120 second standing ovation, a thank you to Doug for his services and all he did as a Twin. It was an honor to be a part of the send off to Doug Mientkiewicz. Brad Radke didn't want to pitch to Doug, he didn't want to look at him either. He took a step off the rubber, adjusted his cap, looking at the ground someplace between the mound and plate. Doug couldn't look out at Radke either, adjusting his batting helmet, hesitant to step in. The first plate appearance ended in a base hit to right field.

The Twins went on to win the game, but Mientkiewicz went on to win the ultimate prize in baseball, a ring, a World Series ring.

A preview for Wednesday: Kick it up a notch, taking first for good.