Here's the answer: Pudge wanted out. That explains it a little. Disheartening that the only move the Tigers made was initiated by a disgruntled player and not by the front office itself.
Manny to L.A. - interesting to sya the least. As a fantasy baseball player, I immediately thought of the now-crowded Dodger outfield - Manny, Juan Pierre, Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, and Andruw Jones. They insist on playing Jones, which is good for history buffs looking to see the worst season ever, but bad for Dodger fans not keen low power, low average, low fielding regulars. Pierre is not great anymore, but they need a leadoff guy till Furcal comes back. Kemp has maybe been their MVP, and Ethier is a great prospect as well. Little surprised they didn't move Ethier to Pittsburgh and kept Laroche - Casey Blake is not the future at 3rd, but I guess Blake DeWitt is, so no loss there. Manny will boost the Dodgers past the Diamondbacks, most likely, and Jason Bay is not much of a drop off for Boston, so good all around. As a side note, whenever I hear someone on SportsCenter say "D-backs" it sounds like "D-bags" to me.
Finally, I went to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum today. I recommend it - lots of history, learned lots of new things I never knew about that era and those guys. One fun fact - there were integrated teams in the 1880s! But then Cap Anson, most popular player at the time, refused to play with or against blacks, so they made a "gentleman's" agreement to stop signing them. For 60 years apparently. Now that dude was a real "d-bag." Anyway, in the gift shop, I'm checking out and this guy asks if someone who works there will take a picture with him and his son. They inform him that cameras are actually not allowed in there. He pauses then says, "That's funny, because I took pictures last time I was here, when I was invited to come." They said he must have had special permission then, and he said yeah, he was given the tour by someone named Bob. I guess this had meaning to them, because they said, yeah, that was it, and kind of begrudgingly started to say someone would take their picture. That's when the guy spoke up and said, "By the way, I'm Ken Williams, GM of the Chicago White Sox. I took my whole team through here last time." The workers perked up and someone hustled to take his picture with his son. What I should have then done was go up to him and either congratulate him on the Griffey trade or ask him if Swisher would still get playing time (I have Swisher on a fantasy team). My friend Andy said I should tell him good move getting Swisher - which it was. A steal. Quentin, too. Anyway, I didn't do any of that, just watched him from across the room (he looks smallish in person, but a big, commanding voice). He was just dressed in jeans with his teenage-to-20s son, just a normal dude. It was probably nice to be incognito for once. Not that he would probably care about some guy saying hi, but I left him alone. I think it's what I'd want someone to do for me if I was famous.
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