Red Sox West

The Dodgers today added Nomar Garciaparra to their growing list of ex-Bostonians, joining the manager Grady Little, pitcher Derek Lowe and infielder Bill Mueller (plus owner Frank McCourt, of course.) There was a time when Garciaparra was one of the most feared and desired hitters in baseball, a shortstop with power who twice won the American League batting title. Then he developed a bad achilles tendon and, worse, hurt his wrist. Since then he has been injured most of the time and a shell of his former self when able to play. His fame has dimmed so much that all he could squeeze out of the free agent market was a one year deal from the Dodgers for about $6 million ($8 mil with incentives.) Now the third All-Star shortstop on the roster, Garciaparra will try to play first or left field—brand new positions for him. Nice pickup for so cheap, but avoid thinking of him as a star: Dodger Thoughts points out that that last year's Dodgers first basemen outhit Garciaparra by a good bit. He lives in Manhattan Beach with his wife, the American soccer great Mia Hamm.

Also: Rich Lederer, who writes one of the smartest baseball blogs on the Internet from Los Angeles, has restarted his yearly crusade to get former Angels pitcher Bert Blyleven elected to the hall of fame. New York baseball writer (and hall voter) Bob Klapisch posts this weekend that he's convinced.