Kim’s quirkiness led to departure

It's never easy to trade a 24-year-old starter with big-time stuff, especially on an Arizona team where even “young'' players (Chad Moeller, Lyle Overbay, Junior Spivey) are on the wrong side of 25.

The quirk meter on Byung-Hyun Kim, however, had run out with the Diamondbacks — and it wasn't the ninth-inning World Series home runs, or the demands to leave the bullpen that shortened team patience.

It was taking a day for “personal reasons'' when struggling last year. It was the between-start rituals (long bullpen sessions) that left people shaking their heads. Missing a month with a bone bruise on the leg while still being spry enough to take batting practice days after going on the disabled list.

That gets old, especially in a clubhouse where manager Bob Brenly and his lieutenants show little patience for anything short of old-time, self-motivating baseball.

Shea Hillenbrand will jazz up an anemic offense that has scored three runs or fewer 24 times and will provide punch behind Luis Gonzalez. The Matt Williams phase-out process has begun.

Meanwhile Kim — the spectacular, and the mercurial — is now Boston's riddle to solve. Here's betting Beantown will continue to get equal doses of each.

POPEYE TO THE RESCUE

What can you do when you are old enough and beloved enough not to worry about losing your job? You can tell George Steinbrenner to stuff a Louisville Slugger in it while still on the Yankees’ payroll.

Bench coach Don Zimmer did just that this week, defending manager Joe Torre — who King George laid the blame upon for the struggling Bronx Bombers, and who he said is responsible to fix it.

“I got fed up reading all the things about our manager who has won four World Series in seven years,'' Zimmer said. “For seven years . . . all we heard (was) 'We’ll pick the team. All of a sudden we’re losing, and it’s suddenly Joe’s team? That's not fair.''

You go, Zim. Did Steinbrenner spend $30 million on underachieving imports Hideki Matsui and Jose Contreras? Have Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Bernie Williams been out for long periods? Is Steinbrenner upset because Torre has gotten more credit for the world titles than “The Boss?''

Yes. Yes. And yes.

QUICK HITTERS

• Now that Roman Cechmanek has been shipped to Los Angeles (a great pickup for the Kings), Flyers GM Bobby Clarke will be looking for a team he works well with who has a veteran goalie who can handle the media pressure and tutor Robert Esche.

Anyone come to mind, Coyotes fans?

• Barry Bonds' 73rd home run ball will be auctioned on June 25 and is expected to fetch millions for Patrick Hayashi and Alex Popov — the two knotheads who fought over the ball first in Pac Bell Park, then during a two-week trial that solved nothing.

A judge ordered the ball sold and the proceeds spilt (geez, why didn't I think of that?) The auction will be carried live on ESPN (and its sister network, ESPN No-Life).

• John Henry Williams, son of part-time Scottsdale resident (just his frozen noggin) and Hall of Famer Ted Williams, has been released by the Schaumburg (Ill.) Flyers of the independent Northern League after going 0-for-7 with five strikeouts.

As he left town, Schaumburg fans said, “There goes the worst hitter who ever lived.''

• Only one Pac-10 school had its football team play in a major bowl, and its basketball and baseball teams reach the NCAA tournaments this school year: Arizona State.

• And a parting tip of the helmet to Larry Wilson, the greatest Cardinal of all, who ends his 43 years of service with the organization today. The NFL Hall of Famer and father of the safety blitz spent 13 years (1960-72) on the field and 30 more in the team's front office, a unique and distinguished tenure.