By Paul Meyer
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com
Friday, July 04, 2008
Gene J. Puskar/Associated PressPirates' Doug Mientkiewicz (16) and Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Randy Johnson, left, are restrained from getting to each other by umpire Chad Fairchild, hidden, Diamondback catcher Miguel Montero, center, and Pirates' Ryan Doumit (41) as Diamondbacks first baseman Conor Jackson, right, rushes into the scrum during their June 9 game.
MILWAUKEE -- Doug Mientkiewicz can play first base -- for sure. He won a Gold Glove at the position with Minnesota in 2001.
He also has proven this season he can play right field. And left. And third base.
He can hit.
And the man can talk -- which could be one of his most important assets as the Pirates try to find their identity.
Evidence of that comes from the two players with lockers on either side of Mientkiewicz in the Pirates' clubhouse.
So, Ryan Doumit, what's it like to have a locker next to Mientkiewicz?
"Loud!" Doumit said. "Loud. Never silent. He always talks. He's always talking about something."
Zach Duke?
"He talks," Duke said. "He talks to himself a lot. He just loves to talk, so you hear a lot of his thoughts. It's always baseball -- always something that he should do better or about something that happened in the game. It's just always replaying stuff."
Duke paused, reflecting.
"It's tricky," he said. "He can be in midsentence, and then he'll look over at you like he was talking to you the whole time -- so you have to listen out of the side of your eyes."
So what Mientkiewicz says must be worth listening to.
Outfielder Nyjer Morgan thinks so.
The rookie's locker was in the same clubhouse corner as Mientkiewicz's in spring training.
"I listened to what he has to say because he's been in the game so long and knows so much," Morgan said. "He'll come in after an at-bat and talk about the at-bat. I just listen [to him talk] about how he's going about his work."
The main thing Morgan learned from Mientkiewicz in spring training?
"Go out there and have fun and try to stay relaxed and let the game come to you," he said. "Don't try to create a wheel."
Mientkiewicz, 34, who broke into the major leagues 10 years ago, acknowledges his propensity for verbiage.
"I do talk a lot," he said. "I talk to myself. I talk to other guys. I say things out loud to get someone's attention that I might not be talking to. There's a method to my madness. Might be to provoke a reaction."
The message is getting through.
"He's a guy who goes out there and gives it his all every day, and we admire that," Doumit said.
"He wants to do well every time and in every single game," Duke said. "That's something we need around here."
Mientkiewicz has worked his message magic before.
He helped teams win in Minnesota, Boston and New York (Yankees) before signing as a free agent with the Pirates Feb. 11 on the recommendation of manager John Russell, who knew Mientkiewicz from his days in the Minnesota minor-league system.
Part of Russell's sales pitch to general manager Neal Huntington was that one has to watch Mientkiewicz over a period of time before one realizes the whole package the guy can bring to a baseball club.
"I told Neal, 'The more you see him, the more you like him,' " Russell said. "You're not going to say the first time you see him, 'What a great athlete, what a great power hitter, what a great thrower or what a great everything.'
"He's a guy who works hard. You see him day in, day out, he doesn't change. You see the amount of energy he puts into doing things right. The intangibles you see day in and day out really make you appreciative of what he does. I think that's the big thing -- you appreciate what you see on a daily basis."
"Obviously, John is a tremendous supporter of Doug," Huntington said. "He knows him better than I do, and, as we walked through [signing him], we decided that bringing Doug Mientkiewicz in -- even if it was just six weeks of spring training -- was going to be a positive impact."
It wasn't a given that Mientkiewicz would make the team out of spring training.
As the spring wore on, he landed a spot on the Pirates' bench and in his teammates' hearts.
First, Mientkiewicz showed he could play positions other than first base.
Second, he proved he could still hit. He is a .271 lifetime hitter, and there were no signs in the spring his average would slip.
Third -- and most important -- Doumit took over the regular catching position, ending talk he might play some in right field or at first base.
That opened the door for Mientkiewicz.
"He needed an injury or a change of scenario for something to fit for him [to make the team]," Huntington said.
Mientkiewicz stormed through that door -- and hasn't stopped talking or doing positive things.
"That's been his M.O. pretty much since I've known him," Russell said. "He loves to be in the middle of the action. He said this about himself once -- that he wraps himself in the game.
"Throughout his career, he's never really been given anything. He's worked for everything, and I think that shows in his play. He's going to be into each play. It's almost like [every play] is going to be the last play he's going to be able to make.
"He's always been a scrappy guy. He takes advantage of every opportunity. He's the kind of player you like to have. He's fun to watch. He's into the game. He works hard on every pitch -- whether it's hitting or on defense. He brings energy to your club. He brings professionalism to your club. He's a pure baseball player. And he's a great influence on the bench."
That influence is one huge reason why Mientkiewicz is on this team. His impact is being felt now -- and it will be felt after he's gone.
"Doug doesn't wow you with his raw power," Huntington said. "He's not a burner. But, as a role player, he gives you a professional at-bat. He's ready every single time the manager calls on him, he has versatility, he makes the plays you need him to make.
"He's exceeded expectations [at third base], and he's very serviceable in the outfield. He's a great guy for a National League club -- or really any club at this point in time. And what he's brought to us in the clubhouse has been really good."
Mientkiewicz is just extending the track record he'd established.
"My whole career's that way," he said. "I've always been the intangible guy -- the guy you know the effort's going to be there. I keep finding jobs because I've played on winners. It has nothing to do with what I do individually."
And so Mientkiewicz will continue to talk. And to teach. Because it's working.
"From where we were on opening day to where we are now is a complete 180 mentally, and that's a good thing," he said. "I think the more you keep guys talking, the more you keep guys relaxed and the better they're going to play. And that goes for everybody in here."
Statistics
Standings
Today
Game: Pirates vs. Milwaukee Brewers, 2:05 p.m., Miller Park.
TV, Radio: FSN Pittsburgh, WPGB-FM (104.7).
Pitching: LHP Tom Gorzelanny (6-6, 6.18) vs. RHP Ben Sheets (9-2, 2.83).
Key matchup: Gorzelanny, 1-5 with an 8.63 ERA on the road this season, vs. Brewers leadoff hitter Rickie Weeks, who was slowed some this week by a stomach virus. Weeks lifetime against Gorzelanny is 0 for 11.
Of note: Xavier Nady lifetime against Sheets is 9 for 17 with three home runs and nine RBIs.
First published on July 4, 2008 at 12:00 am
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