Gammons: Wickman was a jerk

Peter Gammons tonight offered some insight into why the Braves abruptly cut ties with closer Bob Wickman.

According to Gammons, who was interviewed during the Mets v. Dodgers game on ESPN, The Wick stamped his ticket out of Atlanta when he refused to pitch in a recent game.

So there you have it. Wickman was such a horse’s ass that Bobby Cox decided he’d rather not have him around. That’s pretty impressive, when you consider just how forgiving Cox can be. Atlanta is where jerks flourish. J.D. Drew. Gary Sheffield. Raul Mondesi. John Rocker. Deion Sanders. The list goes on and on.

So tonight we learned that Bob Wickman must be a special kind of moron — something we previously suspected, but info we treasure nonetheless.

The Gammons report came on the heels of an earlier story from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which said Wickman had made a habit of voicing his displeasure over being brought in to pitch in non-save situations.

Bob, Bob, Bob. What are we going to do with you?

Now that Wickman is no longer a Brave, the question is: where will he land? The Cleveland Indians seem like a good fit, but they’ve taken themselves out of the running. Who’s left? The Phillies could certainly use bullpen help, but Wickman would have to agree to serve as a spot reliever, and he doesn’t seem to anxious to play that role. The Mets bullpen has been shaky of late, and the Dodgers just signed Wick’s doppleganger, so they might as well bite the bullet and add a fat bald guy to their relief staff.

I think the smart money is on the Yankees. Strong clubhouse leaders like Jeter and Clemens could keep Wickman in line and the Yanks could use some insurance for the aging Mariano Rivera. Plus, it’s not like they don’t have the dough.