How I wish he was a first baseman.

If you're going to field a team that sucks for the next couple of years (at least until the Wilpons come clean on just how badly they were burned by Bernie Madoff and sell the team), at least there should be jokes. The Mets have already acquired a guy named Boof Bonser, a name that hearkens back to the Golden Age of Funny Names that gave Mets fans Choo Choo Coleman, Pumpsie Green, Marvelous Marv Throneberry and Ed Kranepool. Now they've acquired Hu -- but he's not on first, he's a shortstop:

Adding to their stockpile of middle infielders, the Mets on Monday acquired shortstop Chin-lung Hu from the Dodgers for left-handed pitcher Michael Antonini and placed Hu on the 40-man roster.

Hu, 26, hit .317 with four homers in two separate stints with Triple-A Albuquerque last season, also batting .130 in 23 at-bats for the Dodgers. Hu is a .299 career hitter over eight Minor League seasons and a .191 lifetime big league hitter in 173 at-bats spread amongst four seasons.

Can't they move him to first? At least that .191 big league average would be compensated for by obvious, if feeble, attempts at humor.

Maybe the Mets can trade Carlos Beltran and a couple of minor leaguers for Coco Crisp. After all, if you're going to be the funny names team, might as well go for the gusto.