Mr. Sosa Goes to Washington?

Big mistake. This is just another example of why Jim Bowden shouldn't be allowed within 300 feet of a front office.

The reasons are rather glaring. First, there's the fact that he's an aging superstar (37 years old) who has poor defensive capabilities and couldn't DH in Washington. Second, there's the steroid haze now surrounding his entire career, a haze that begins to solidify when one looks at the sharp decline in his offensive statistics between 2004 and 2005, when MLB began its testing in earnest. His OBP has been in a sharp decline since 2001, when he posted .328, which is OK, and it ended last year at a whopping .295. Ouch. He also hasn't posted a SLG at .400 or higher since 2001, which maybe could be linked to the fact that he's struck out an impressive 656 times in his last 5 years. This only fuels the steroid controversy and leads one to question: how many of his numbers stem from actual ability, and how many from possible enhancement? Third, there's the fact that RFK is a pitcher's park, and if Sosa could only manage 14 HR in 102 games during 2005 while playing in the low-fenced band box that is Oriole Park, then chances are he won't be able to regain his power status in the chasm of RFK.

But let's forget all of those empirical reasons against the signing. Looking at Sammy Sosa to fill the shoes of Brad Wilkerson or Preston Wilson reeks of desperation. Go for the star name, go for the glitz and glamour. Only Sosa is tarnished, damaged goods. His evaporation and ugly exit in Chicago, his nonpresence in Baltimore, both have merely made him a has-been. I don't see how you could possibly argue that signing Sammy Sosa would make the Nationals more competitive. They need youth, they need pitching, they need organizational strength from their farm system. They do not need a geezer, just like they don't need a selfish, "I'm not going to play center field because you're not the Yankees and they never should've traded me" crybaby in Alfonso Soriano. Bowden needs to grow a set of stones and take one on the chin. Prove to baseball fans in Washington and nationwide that the Nationals are not simply the Expos of recent years with a new name and glitzy uniforms. Prove they're a whole different team, from rookie ball to the top. Give fans and politicians a reason to come to the ballpark, to support a new stadium.

Of course, maybe they Nationals will have a real owner by next October. And maybe he or she will have the balls to do what Bowden won't.