Today's Birthday Team has been at or near the top of the Birthday League standings all month, and it's not hard to see why. That middle infield is fantastic, and the guys on the infield and outfield corners can all play.

Solaita, by the way, was Samoan. I did not know that.

C/Manager: Jerry Narron
1B: Tony Solaita
2B: Bobby Grich
3B: Rance Mulliniks
SS: Ray Chapman
LF: Matt Holliday
CF: Johnny Rucker
RF: Delino DeShields

SP: Steve Gromek
SP: Jock Menefee
SP: Joe Genewich
SP: Grover Lowdermilk
SP: Armando Galarraga
RP: Mike Marshall

Today is also the 10th anniversary of the White Sox turning four warm bodies into Bartolo Colon.

Today is also the 10th anniversary of the White Sox turning four warm bodies into Bartolo Colon.

If they went by-the-pound, it was an even trade.

I think Jeff Liefer was one of them, but no memory of the other 3.

Scott Boras does it again. Rafael Soriano is a National. 2/28.

Nick Green to the Marlins. Kyle McCllelan to the Rangers.

I think Jeff Liefer was one of them, but no memory of the other 3.

El Duque -- I'm not sure the body was still warm but the arm was still attached.

and the Sox traded 3 players, not 4 ... and they received a minor-leaguer back too. The third guy is also a "name."

and the Sox traded 3 players, not 4 ... and they received a minor-leaguer back too. The third guy is also a "name."

This is all covered in the link.

The third guy is also a "name."

Not really, unless you mean his first name is also the name of a famous Oscar-nominated movie.

So El Duque spent a whole year with the Montreal Expos, but his record does not list Montreal because he was hurt. We had this discussion a few weeks ago, about players who "played" for a team but never really played for them (I think Ryan Madsen, Cincinnati Red, started the discussion). Did we mention El Duque, the Expo?

Today's Birthday Team has been at or near the top of the Birthday League standings all month, and it's not hard to see why. That middle infield is fantastic

Word of advice: Get Chapman a helmet.

Birthday League Update:

January 5           52  33  .612 ----  
January 23          47  35  .573  3.5  
January 28          45  35  .563  4.5        
January 14          47  37  .560  4.5 
January 21          47  38  .553  5.0

* Rip Radcliff (January 19) leads the league with a .355 batting average. Jeff Treadway (January 22) has been scorching hot and is now up to third at .341.

* Jason Giambi (January 8) leads the league in HR (21), RBI (67), SLG (.595), OBP (.435), total bases (184), and RC/27 (10.5). I think we have ourselves an MVP candidate.

* Jeff Suppan's (January 2) inexplicable march to 25 wins continues unimpeded. Suppan leads the league with 14 wins, four more than the five-way tie for second. Suppan has more wins than David Cone (January 2) and Early Wynn (January 6) added together.

* Since we last checked in on Tim Stoddard (January 24), he's won two games. He's still among the league leaders in losses (10), saves (12), games finished (35), and save percentage (.857).

* Max Carey (January 11) watch: 86 games, 76 stolen bases.

* Batter strikeout leaderboard, top two: Paul Ratliff (January 23) 102, Mike Cameron (January 8) 73.

* Most runs scored: January 8, 429 runs. 45-43 record.

* Fewest runs scored: January 6, 317 runs. 41-44 record.

* Fewest runs allowed: January 23 and January 28, 311 runs. 47-35 and 45-35, respectively.

* Most runs allowed: January 13, 436 runs. 40-47 record.

Stats, standings, box scores, and leaders here.

On the following page of the News-Bee there are "Random Shots," and one sees a shot Old-Timey Jayson Stark wishes he had written:

"The Cleveland club has signed Joe Jackson and singed Larry Lajoie."