Ride me, big Sheldon

Maybe we are being overly pessimistic, but it seems more likely that Shelly Duncan, anointed the "Babe Ruth of the ICL" by our very own Peter Abraham, will be given a shot as the regular first baseman. And why not? He's large (and yet utterly childlike), enthusiastic, prone to smiling, and one of the few genuine feel-good stories of last year. People seem like him, particularly sportswriters, most likely because he's a walking human interest story.

We've already lamented the free ride he gets in spite of what has been a thoroughly mediocre career. At some point, though, the inability of the brain trust to look in an unbiased way at exactly what the team has in Shelly Duncan is going to hurt them.

The big concern is that the right player may become available, but will get overlooked due to the team's faith in Shelly. Dan Johnson was recently DFA'ed, again, and would probably provide a more dependable bat. He's far from Carlos Pena -- unbelievably a Yankee farmhand once -- but he has consistently gotten on base over his career at an excellent rate, unlike Duncan.

Then again, Dan Johnson didn't toil in the minor league for years, and doesn't play the game with the requisite childlike exuberance. And what use would he be to the team without those qualities on a resume?