Mets acquire Mientkiewicz from Red Sox

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By RONALD BLUM, AP Sports Writer

January 26, 2005

NEW YORK (AP) -- Doug Mientkiewicz is bringing his good glove to the New York Mets. The ball is going to Boston, at least for a year.

The Mets acquired the former Gold Glove first baseman from the Red Sox on Wednesday for minor league first baseman Ian Bladergroen.

The 30-year-old Mientkiewicz won the 2001 AL Gold Glove with Minnesota and caught the final out of Boston's World Series sweep of St. Louis last October, the first Series title for the Red Sox since 1918. He kept the ball, which the Red Sox want back.

Mientkiewicz said Boston asked to have it for one year, he intends to comply and the sides expect to reach an agreement within days. He caught the ball when it was thrown to him by pitcher Keith Foulke in St. Louis on Oct. 27.

``There was never a fight, there was never words exchanged. It was very cordial, and we worked something out,'' he said. ``I want the fans to see it, and that's what both the Red Sox and I agreed on. They waited a long time to see that ball and to live it. The fact that I had it was just so we could keep it and give it to the fans and let them see it.''

Mientkiewicz said he will not receive any money under the deal and ``probably'' would get the ball back after a year. He emphasized that he's ``doing everything they asked me to do.''

``I didn't expect all of this with the ball,'' he added. ``Sometimes in life you think you're doing the right thing and it doesn't turn out that way. That's kind of what happened here. I didn't think it was going to come out to this. Like I said, I gave Derek Lowe the Game 7 ball from the ALCS, and no one seems to want that one.''

He already knows what he would do if the Mets come within three outs of a World Series title.

``I'll probably ask before the ninth inning: `What do you guys want me to do with this?' he said

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