Thom Loverro: Bowden discovers his calling in La-La Land

The guy who left the dead fish to rot in the safe-deposit box and skipped town - you know, the general manager who built the Washington Nationals’ bullpen - is on the rebound.

Jim Bowden has gone Hollywood. He loves L.A.

Bowden resigned as the Nationals’ general manager on March 1 after reports revealed him to be the subject of a federal investigation into the skimming of signing bonuses given to Dominican prospects.

Bowden has resurfaced in La-La Land as a contributor to a sports talk radio program on ESPN 710. He has appeared at least three times on the “Mason & Ireland Show.”

In his inaugural appearance April 1, Jim in L.A. said a few things that might interest Nationals fans:

• He jokingly compared the Nationals to the Washington Generals.

• He said the decision to sign highly touted pitching prospect Stephen Strasburg already has been made.

• The Nats didn’t sign their No. 1 pick, Aaron Crow, last year because “we weren’t given the dollars to finish that.”

• The Nats offered free agent first baseman Mark Teixeira “more money and more years than anybody in baseball.”

• He resigned because of the name on the front of the uniform (and this was before the “Natinals” fiasco).

Jim in L.A. told the hosts of the show he plans to stay in Los Angeles.

“In my whole career, I never got a choice where to be,” he said. “The Cincinnati Reds chose me. The Washington Nationals chose me. This time I am going to choose where to be. And certainly radio and television are two things that I love, and that’s what I am going to be pursuing.”

In other words: Nobody else in baseball would choose him.

Bowden got off to a rousing start in his first appearance, taking his hosts up on an offer to explain his departure from the Nationals.

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