Monday's Bunts and Boots--Nomar, Bonds, and Zimmer

The Dodgers may be fooling themselves into thinking that Nomar Garciaparra can be their everyday third baseman. With Andy LaRoche set to miss up to two months because of a torn ligament in his thumb, Garciaparra has become the starter by default at the hot corner. Well, there are at least two problems with that proposition. Garciaparra hasn’t managed to stay healthy enough to play in more than 122 games in a season since 2003. Furthermore, he has never played more than 43 games in one season at third base, a position that demands quick reactions and good hands. Given those facts, the Dodgers will continue to monitor the trade market, which features veteran third basemen Joe Crede and Brandon Inge. The Dodgers may be regretting last year’s late-season deal that sent the versatile Wilson Betemit to the Yankees for overused right-hander Scott Proctor…
Make no mistake about it, the Mets are not going to sign Barry Bonds as a replacement for the injured Moises Alou. There are simply too many problems from the Mets’ perspective. Bonds has become a very poor defensive outfielder, to the point that very few National League teams have shown any interest in him. Some scouts don't think he should play the outfield at all. Also, what happens when Alou comes back? If the Mets play Bonds in left and Alou in right, Carlos Beltran will need an oxygen tank trying to cover center field. So do the Mets trade Alou? If so, what are the options in left field if Bonds gets hurt or has to go to trial during the season? These are all reasonable questions that need to be asked.

On the surface, signing Bonds sound promising, but there are so many variables that the Mets have decided to take a pass—and understandably so…

I don’t blame Joe Girardi one bit for being furious after Rays rookie Elliot Johnson barreled into Yankee catcher Francisco Cervelli, breaking his hand and effectively delaying the start of his minor league season. I’m all for playing the game hard, but collisions at the plate and hard takeout slides at second base should be reserved for the regular season, not the meaninglessness of spring training exhibitions. Don Zimmer, now an advisor with the Rays, defended Johnson by saying that he did the right thing, exhibition or not, and would have risked breaking his leg had he slid into the catcher’s shinguards. That’s pure nonsense. First off, runners don’t try to crash into a catcher to avoid injury; they do so to knock the ball out of the catcher’s glove. More to the point, I’ve never seen a player break a leg sliding feet-first into a catcher; far more injuries occur, both to the catcher and the baserunner, when the runner chooses to knock over the catcher. So Johnson not only injured Cervelli, but also put himself at risk with such a needless play.

One other point: the Rays are an odd organization. Rays manager Joe Maddon was unavailable for comment about Girardi's remarks after the game on Saturday, but Zimmer, who is neither the manager nor one of Maddon’s coaches, saw fit to respond. Since when did Zimmer become the front man for the organization, ahead of both the manager and general manager? Was this just another opportunity for Zimmer to take a shot at the Yankees for letting go of his close friend, Joe Torre?