He Coulda Been A Contender

Nick Johnson's finished in this town. One of two things is going to happen: 1) he gets traded, or B) he warms the bench. Have a look at this article from MLB.com:

Johnson has been on the disabled list five consecutive years, and played just 73 games in his first year with the Nationals because of a strain in his lower back and broken right cheekbone. In between those injuries, Johnson's high strikeout total and problems adjusting to National League pitching alarmed manager Frank Robinson.

Regardless, Wilkerson will play everyday. The question is, at what position? He is an excellent defensive first baseman and outfielder. If Johnson gets off to a slow start, look for Wilkerson to play first.

There you go. Frank doesn't trust him, and even if he is a Nat in April, he's going to be taking a seat the first time he goes into a slump so that Robinson favorite Terrmel "Complete Player" Sledge can get out there every day. You'd think Robinson would have better judgment about complete players, having been one himself. Also distressing in that piece - no mention of Brendan Harris as a backup for Castilla.

I'd be happy giving Johnson a chance. We know he has the ability to get on base at an astonishing clip, and that's an attribute sadly lacking elsewhere in the lineup. I'm making up trade possibilities only because I think Johnson is going to be traded, and I want us to get the best deal possible. If Bowden were interested, he could probably pull it off. Mike Cameron wants out of Flushing if he can't play center, and the Mets are looking to cut salary so they can pursue Carlos Delgado. They need a first baseman, we need a center fielder. Shipping out the arbitration-eligible Johnson would probably allow Cameron's contract to fit in our budget and would save the Mets some money. But no, Jim Bowden thinks we need a mediocre pitcher. He wants to sign Esteban Loaiza, who is not good. Or he wants to trade for Brian Lawrence, the very embodiment of mediocrity. Or Shawn Chacon, who's actually kind of intriguing, but we don't need him. We need a center fielder, dammit, and Mike Cameron is right there. (See this Capitol Punishment post for further discussion)

And finally,
Great Moments in Sports Journalism with Dayn Perry! Pot Kettle Black Edition.
From a list of New Year's resolutions Dayn was kind enough to supply other people with:

9. City leaders: Stop giving in to the selfish demands of team owners and leagues.May we dispense with the risible notion that cities are somehow obligated to use tax dollars to build sports arenas and stadiums for millionaire owners? Here's a novel idea: pay for your own place of business. Those public funds are better off spent on more essential services or left in the pockets of taxpayers. Since we can't expect owners and leagues to have the integrity to step away from the public trough, we need our city leaders to show some measure of resolve and stop handing out the corporate entitlements. . .

6. Fans and media: Take it easy on the righteous indignation.

Yeah, Dayn, I hate it when people get all righteously indignant. Especially about public stadium funding. I haven't seen someone so oblivious to himself since . . . well, since Will Carroll yesterday, I guess.