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Goodbye to the Bringer of Rain

Melissa Berman

Entry posted by Melissa Berman in Melissa's Blog ·

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The Minneapolis forecast has cleared up, and Josh Donaldson is now a Yankee.

After the Josh Donaldson news broke, I instinctively ran to twitter and tweeted, "Josh Donaldson skyrocketed to being one of my favorite Twins ever and I'm going to miss him." I got a few incredulous replies, so I thought I'd expand on it. 

Is Josh Donaldson a player who is or should be beloved in our hearts among all-time Twins like Harmon Killebrew, Tony O, Kirby Puckett, and Rod Carew? No, of course not- all those players have well-deserved near untouchable status in Twins lore (so please don't nominate me for KFAN's Preposterous Statement Tournament). Donaldson's time with the Twins was short and somewhat plagued by injuries. But it was unbelievably fun having Donaldson on our team. I loved his bravado, his personality, and how he was willing to go to bat against anyone (both literally and figuratively). It was fascinating to have a widely known and respected voice in the league within our own clubhouse- someone who was unafraid to be unapologetically controversial at times. In my lifetime, I do not recall a Twin with a personality as strong as him- he has swagger, chutzpah. Donaldson is one of those players who you love to have on your team but you hate to play against because they have the tendency to get under your skin (Patrick Beverly is our current Timberwolves equivalent).

His live tweeting the World Series was both entertaining and insightful, and he seemed accessible to fans in a way that few other professional athletes are today. I was excited when the Twins made a rare, big free agent splash when they signed him January 2020 in the aftermath of 2019's Bomba Squad homerun outbreak. Despite him not being the quality starting pitching I vocally pined for, I was excited that the Twins were finally willing to spend some money to take a leap when traditionally the Twins have not made legitimate efforts to pursue flashy and promising free agents. Ultimately, I understand why the Twins made the deal to send Donaldson to the Bronx- the Twins gave themselves some big payroll flexibility and got a likely regular DH in return in Sánchez- but it was fun having him on the Twins while the storm lasted.  

So farewell to the Rain Maker and I hope you continue to bring the showers- but why does it have to be for the Yankees!?

 

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Edited by Melissa Berman

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Melissa Berman
7 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

Agree too. I'll miss JD because he is a real professional ballplayer who takes good at bats, fields well, and despite leg issues is adept on the bases. 

Agree completely. I hope he continues to bring the rain.. even if he IS in pinstripes now. The game of baseball is better when Josh Donaldson is playing it- he holds others accountable. 

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Melissa Berman
8 hours ago, Karbo said:

I agree. I'll miss JD. I just hope he's injured when we play the Yankees. I'm still waiting for the "rest of the story" as on its own this trade made no sense, other than payroll dump of course.

Shortstop incoming? Hopefully!

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Melissa Berman
8 hours ago, Prince William said:

To get on the Preposterous Statement you have to have name recognition.  Perhaps John Bonnes can get you on the morning show

My allegiance is with the 'Grum 

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Johnny Ringo

The Josh Donaldson bashing is maddening. He was/is EXACTLY the player the FO thought they were getting. Twins fans always berate players over money. Half of the posts on TD historically have been about the alleged criminality of Joe Mauer. (Don't let facts destroy a good narrative; Joe was underpaid for his career given his WAR). I am sure all of them, given the opportunity, would turn down the money or give it to charity. Was Donaldson a little prickly? Yes. Well, I got news for all of you sitting around the campfire. A lot of great players are great players because something burns within them and they can't or don't choose to subjugate that.   

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