New guy! New guy! New guy! When a team is down on its luck, nothing stirs up the fan base like someone new — even if the move is made out of desperation, and even if there is either a proven track record of mediocrity or no track record at all for the replacement. With the Vikings, New Guy is obviously Gus Frerotte. With the slumping Twins, we’re beginning to think New Guy is Jose Mijares. The thing is, by this point, everyone knows what Frerotte can do (and it’s functional but not all that great), while nobody knows what Mijares can really do (he’s pitched, what, 4 innings all season)? But everyone still loves New Guy. Let’s start with Gus.

Frerotte is 37 years old. He has made 82 career starts, all presumably when he was younger (unless he knows something we don’t), and is 37-44-1 all-time in those starts. He has an all-time completion percentage of 54.2 percent, which seems to stand in stark contrast to the accuracy and touch demanded by dink-and-dunk West Coast Offense. He has an all-time QB rating of 74.3 and in the four seasons he’s started more than 10 games, his rating has never been higher than 79.3. He is perhaps best known nationally for head-butting a concrete wall after scoring a touchdown in 1997, thus causing him to miss the second half and overtime of an eventual 7-7 tie against the Giants. He is perhaps best known around here for catching lightning in a bottle for two games in 2003, going 2-0 as a substitute starter for Daunte Culpepper and putting up very good numbers in the process. Is he better than any of the quarterbacks on the roster last year? Yeah, probably, though Tarvaris Jackson’s numbers weren’t really that far off of Frerotte’s career marks. Does he have a chance to be an upgrade over the 2008-to-date version of Jackson? Definitely, which isn’t saying much but is still saying a lot. Verdict: While this certainly isn’t just a change for the sake of change, don’t get too excited about New Guy. He’s an old guy with a track record. Maybe this will be a good situation; maybe the QB here doesn’t have to do a whole lot to win. Just beware.

Now, a few words about Mijares: He was a surprise call-up, and suddenly he’s a savior? Look, we know the rest of the bullpen has been awful, but expecting too much out of this New Guy reeks of desperation. He’s now been asked to pitch in four of the last five games, and even though Guerrier served up the biggest hit last night, it was Mijares’ guy on third base (and he ended up taking the loss). He’s a lefty with some stuff and some moxie. He doesn’t look afraid. But let’s not clamor for Mijares every day down the stretch.

By the numbers: The number of reasons why the Twins still have a puncher’s chance in this race — 1. Chicago has played almost as poorly. The Twins are 8-16 since Aug. 23 and have lost a staggering 14 games since Aug. 1 when tied or leading after six innings. The Sox are 11-13 since Aug. 22.

Fasola-link! Watch the 1958 NFL title game with Eagles head coach Andy Reid.

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