If Bucs Send for Brad Eldred, They'll Need a Flatbed

Where is Brad Eldred, now that they really need him? Even if a hundred Lilliputians strapped the gigantic first baseman behind a Peterbilt rolled him to Pittsburgh, he still can't play after fracturing the joint and collateral ligament of his left thumb in a collision with a baserunner nearly three months ago. It's a pity, because with trades of Sean Casey to the Tigers and Craig Wilson to the Yankees the long overdue rookie finally would have rightfully claimed the Pirates first base bag as his own. Instead Xavier Nady will play first. At 6-foot-five and 275 pounds, and just coming of age at 26, and after hitting a combined 40 homers in three professional stops last year, the job should have been Eldred's last spring. But the front office decided to sign a few free agents after thinking they might surprise a few people this year. Regrettably, the surprise turned out to be that the Pirates are still the Pirates, and the signing of Casey, Roberto Hernandez, Jeromy Burnitz and other moves backfired, none worse than relegating the long overdue Eldred to the AAA Indianapolis Indians.