Noooooooooooo...

Say it ain't so, Doug! Say it ain't SO!

Yankees reach tentative deal with 1B Mientkiewicz

Major League Baseball News Wire

NEW YORK—The New York Yankees apparently have found
a defensive caddie for Jason Giambi.

The Yankees have reached a tentative deal with first baseman
Doug Mientkiewicz, the New York Post reported Thursday on its
web site.

No terms were disclosed in the report, which said Mientkiewicz
will undergo a physical Thursday.

Mientkiewicz, 32, won a Gold Glove with the Minnesota Twins in
2001 and would provide the Yankees with a more than capable
defensive alternative to Giambi, who has regressed defensively
over the past several years and figures to be the team's primary
designated hitter in 2007.

A veteran of eight-plus seasons, Mientkiewicz batted .283 with
four home runs and 43 RBIs in 91 games with Kansas City last
season. He is a career 270 hitter with 59 homers and 348 RBIs in
870 games with Kansas City, Minnesota, Boston and the New York
Mets.

Mientkiewicz served in a similar role for the Red Sox at the end
of the 2004 season and caught the final out in the franchise's
first World Series in 86 years. He kept the historic ball for a
time before turning it over.