3+ Weeks later, and
Jim Bowden is still a major pain in the ass.
Jimbo won't go away, ever.
The gift that keeps on giving: Jimbo's inexplicable handshake agreement with Dmitri Young forces Stan's hand; Da MeatShake to be added to Nats' 40-man roster before Opening Day. Via Nationals Journal:
The Nationals intend to add Dmitri Young to the 40-man roster before Opening Day because of a handshake agreement that was made this winter between Young and then-General Manager Jim Bowden.
Good for the Nats for honoring the "agreement", as bizarre and inexplicable as it may be. But the obvious next questions get a little scary: How many other handshake agreements did Jimbo make with other embedded ex-Reds on the payroll, and will the Nats honor those handshakes, too? Don't be surprised when Javier Valentin is suddenly named starting catcher, and Wily Mo Pena is starting in left. We're only half-kidding about that.
Now, just for fun, let's revisit an ominous headline over at Nationals dot com from a little over a week ago, on the day Da MeatShake took batting practice, "marking the first time since early March that he was able to do any baseball activities." Seemed then like it was only a matter of time:
Young takes batting practice
Door slowly closing on vet's chances to make Nats' roster
Little did we know that door would be wrenched back open by Jim Bowden's hand.
Over at NTP, Nate explains his reasons for not being as ticked off as he probably should be.
Which is not to say that I'm not still ticked off.
Posted by: Nate | March 27, 2009 at 07:44 AM
If Bowden's superiors did not know about the handshake deal at the time it was made (or at least up until the point of Bowden's "resignation", wouldn't they let whomever told them about it now know that they don't believe them?
If the only parties to the handshake deal were Bowden and Young, then Rizzo, Kasten, and the Lerners can tell anyone seeking enforcement of it that they are "just making this up." Even if Bowden were to vouch for the deal after the fact, such assurance would have no effect.
It seems to me that the club is honoring the handshake because they sanctioned it at the time it was made or soon thereafter.
If not, how much would I have to pay Bowden to vouch that he and I had a handshake deal made on December 12, 2008 that the Nats would pay me $300,000 on April 6, 2009?
Posted by: L Street | March 27, 2009 at 01:45 PM