Like many here at RR I took a liking to Doug Mientkiewicz during his brief stay in KC.  I knew there was no spot for him on the roster this year but was still sad to see him go.  Can't have enough guys on the team like Dougie (unless your priority is fielding a winning rather than a likable team).

So I was glad to see that he has landed on his feet, even if it was in the heart of the evil empire.  Tyler Kepner wrote a nice article about Dougie in the New York Times this week.  Here is an excerpt which seems to sum up Mientkiewicz pretty well:

"Mientkiewicz started this spring 0 for 11, and he has only one hit in 19 at-bats. Early in camp, he said, "I didn't feel like I was ever going to get a hit." He said he felt better now, but overanalysis has hurt him before.

"He sometimes becomes his own worst enemy," Twins Manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He'll talk to a bag of balls about hitting. When Doug just goes out there and relaxes, he's pretty good."

Mientkiewicz, a good contact hitter and bunter, said he worked three times harder on his hitting than his fielding. Last season, his average improved every month, and he was up to .283 before back surgery ended his season in August.

But his greatest asset will always be his glove. He wears a Rawlings model inscribed with the word "MOM" on the side as a tribute to his mother, Janice, who battled breast cancer last season. She is cancer-free now, but Mientkiewicz's tribute remains.

"Always," he said. "Why not just leave it there? It worked."

I like that bit about the bag of balls.  Somehow I don't think Berroa, Sisco, Burgos, Affeldt, etc. made it down to Doug's locker often enough.