Feel Good Story or Awkward Comeback Attempt When Fading Away Might Have Been Best?

Let's mix in a Boone.  What's that?  The Nats already have 5 in the organization?  Who cares, let's add another.  The Washington Post is reporting that the Nats have signed Brett Boone to a minor league deal: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/18/AR2008021802026.html

When we last saw this Boone, he snuck out of the Mets clubhouse in spring training with very little ceremony.  This was after his meteoric fall from MVP candidate with Seattle to part-time player with the Twins. Which Boone will be at Nats camp?

Is it the 2001 player that had 141 RBIs as Ichiro set the league on fire as the Ms won 116 games?  Or is it the guy from 2005 who couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat (.221 in 88 games)?

The Nationals and Jim 'I Got Your Deal Right Here' Bowden have gone down this road before.  Young, Dimitri ring any bells?  It should.  The dinner bell.  Ha!  I'll be here all week.  Young got the same treatment last year and was able to 'take advantage' to the tune of a .320 average, one of those 'All-Star appearances' and a tidy little $10 million contract.  Note: I have never taken advantage of anything with that degree of success.   

The Nats are already stocked at 2nd base.  They are looking at Rafael 'I play slimmer than I look' Belliard as the starter.  One time 2nd baseman of the future Felipe Lopez is going to have to find a place for himself (this reporter thinks you play him at SS and trade Christian Guzman to the first team that calls).  Note: At the 1997 CABA High School World Series held in Cleveland, OH, I beat out Lopez for All-Tournament honors at SS as my team won the national title. His team featured several current major leaguers and players of note like Drew Henson.  Why do I bring this up?  Wouldn't you?

Anyway, Boone is looking up at two much younger players and at 39, a ticking clock on what's left in his career.  Why would Bowden make this move?  Great question.

1) To make Bob Boone (Bowden's right hand man) happy.  Pretty self-explanatory.

2) Injuries happen.  It's a no risk move to make sure you have some quality depth in your organization for unforseen things.

3) You know the the Bowden Trade Bot-2000 loves to deal.  Sometimes, he doesn't get that other people won't want his extra naked lady lamps that he bought at a yard sale.  People have given him a pass on this but we forget that Alfonso Soriano left the District (when everyone in baseball knew he would) and we got 2 draft picks.  Bowden held out a standard so high (he wanted 4 prospects and an established big leaguer) in a buyers market that the Nats ended up with nothing.  Bowden is hoping to make a deal with one of his 2nd baseman as a center piece.

4) If lightening strikes a spot and for some reason you want some lightening, you put a lightening collection receptacle at the spot of the first strike.  Translation, it worked for Young, why not another player of the 'disgraced list'?

Here's the deal from a guy who played the game and knows baseball, Boone took performance enhancers.  He was a journeyman player who had carved out a decent career for himself.  He read the writing on the wall.  He knew that he'd become expendable and he had been a part of a few really good teams.  BB knew that you don't get that many chances to play for a winner.  His '94 Cincy team was on pace to win 100 games but the strike ended that.  He played on the '99 Braves team that won the division (surprise) and was summarily shipped to San Diego where they finished 5th in 2000.  You see where this is going?  He felt like his chances were running out.  So, he took something, showed up in 2001 without a big contract and went onto have a career year with 37 bolts, a .331 average and 141 RBIs or to translate, the greatest offensive season for a 2nd baseman in the modern era.  He slugged 167 points higher than his previous season.  That happens all the time.

This is not a judgment column.  It's a sharing column.  When Brett got off the special stuff, his age caught up.  His lifestyle caught up and he fell...hard.  On one hand, I like the signing because it seems like there is nothing but upside to it.  On the other hand, I don't like the idea that the Washington Nationals now seem to be a halfway house for troubled prospects and rehabbing major leaguers.  I'd like for my hometown squad to be known as a competitive juggernaut instead of the place that x-cons carve their initials on.