Tony

Womack

Craig Counsell will start at shortstop, Carlos Baerga will fill in for Spivey, Quinton McCracken will play center field and Mark Grace will make his second start at first base.

Reggie Sanders also sat yesterday with a sore left elbow. Marlon Anderson and Roger Cedeno started in their places. Both Womack and Sanders are day-to-day, but Womack is likely to miss another game or two.

GM Jim Hendry will probably have to offer more money if he wants to take Womack away from the Cardinals. Right now, though, finding a closer seems to be his biggest priority.

Womack is still hoping for a multiyear deal, but since talks with the Cubs have stalled, it’s possible he could stay with the Cardinals on a one-year deal.

The money isn’t bad, but with the Yankees, the money is pretty much irrelevant. That the Bombers are committing to a second baseman and probable leadoff hitter who will range somewhere between average and atrocious is great news for the rest of the American League.

Womack is coming back from Tommy John surgery. It sounds like he’d at least like to get some time in at second base, where he’d have to make only short throws, but the Red Sox are being careful with him.

The team is amazed by Womack’s rapid recovery from Tommy John surgery. He has been able to perform all drills in the field and could challenge Mark Bellhorn for an infield utility spot, although he’d be the underdog.

Whether Womack will begin the season on the Cardinals’ active roster could be determined after he’s examined by team physician Dr. George Paletta on Monday.

Behind Womack and Lankford will be Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen, Edgar Renteria, Reggie Sanders and Mike Matheny. It’s not very likely that Womack will last the season as the Cardinals’ second baseman and leadoff hitter, but until he loses the job, he’ll have a fair amount of value.

Theo Epstein must be on vacation this week. Signing Terry Shumpert seemed harmless enough. Bringing in Womack might not be. If it could be guaranteed that he’d only be used as a pinch-runner and an occasional defensive replacement, Womack would be fine as a 25th man. Manager Terry Francona would just have to put it in writing that he’d never ever give him a start.