Nepotism Reigns in Washington

Are the Nationals conducting training camp or a Boone family reunion? Right about now it's not very clear. Bret Boone, who turns 39 in April, signed a minor league deal this morning, a move undoubtedly endorsed by proud papa Bob Boone, the team's assistant GM, and younger brother Aaron Boone, the team's utility infielder.

Bret hasn't played in a big league game since 2005, but that hasn't stopped him from thinking he can compete for the starting job at second base. For now, he'll work in the accelerated minor league camp, which is where Dmitri Young started out last year. After being introduced to the media, Boone alluded to some of the reasons he left the game two years ago. From MLB.com:

Boone acknowledged that there were off-field problems, and while he didn't mention what they were, he said, "I've been a guy that goes out and has a good time and maybe, at times, I had too good of a time and that catches up to you. [At some point,] you have to look in the mirror and find out where you are going with your life. I took care of some personal business."

Of course, what he doesn't mention are all of the steroid rumors that have circled him ever since his completely out of-the-blue breakout year in 2001. Maybe off-field issues really can explain his sharp decline, or maybe, you know, he simply got off the juice.