Time to play GM

Let’s forget about one rumor right away.

Alex Rodriguez is not coming to Chicago—North side or South side—but for very different reasons.

With Cubs ownership in a state of flux, they can’t offer him the $30 million annual salary he will seek. The partial ownership idea served better as a joke of the day then an actual solution that would have put him at Wrigley Field for 81 games. Explain this: how would a franchise that is having trouble identifying a true owner at this time offer partial ownership to a player? That’s a head-scratcher.

Meanwhile, the White Sox won’t sign A-Rod. I’d love to see him playing at Comiskey as much as anyone, but Jerry Reinsdorf isn’t going to fork over that kind of money for anyone—period, end of discussion.

As for what the White Sox might do in free agency to rebound from their dreadful 2007 campaign:

• I’ve been told by a very good source at ESPN that Aaron Rowand will be brought back. This as before he priced himself out of consideration for the Phillies by starting the bidding at 6 years, $84 million. I believe that to be merely posturing on Rowand’s part. Now, he can take a bit less (lets say 4 years, $40-44 million) to return to the Sox. One thing is for certain; I want no part of Torii Hunter. There’s no “I” in team, but there are 2 in Torii. I can’t stand it when a player has far and away his best big league season in a contract year.

• That still doesn’t address the leadoff situation where Coco Crisp’s name seems to be popping up. I just don’t see where Crisp is a better solution than Jerry Owens. If that is really the best move, then Ken Williams might as well just let Owens continue to progress. Owens seemed to really come along at the end of the season. Over a full year, he could steal 75 bases and his bunting and slap hitting should only improve during instructional winter ball and spring training.

• Jose Contreras will hopefully be moved. Another World Series hero it’s time to cut ties with. I am sure if KW can get a box of major league baseballs for him that’ll do the trick. No fake balls though, that’s why Contreras wasn’t dealt at the deadline.

• That being said, a trade of Jon Garland might be more likely. Garland will be entering the final year of his contract and I don’t see the Sox giving another pitcher similar money to the $14 million they gave Mark Buehrle. Garland is near the top of baseball in wins over the past 3 years (46) and he is only 28 years old. He also has a World Series championship and came up big in those playoffs. He can net a major-league position player like Wily Taveras from the Rockies, a major-league reliever and a top prospect in return. Or I’ll just take Carl Crawford from the Tampa Bay Rays (they dropped the Devil).

• Finally, another big name probably needs to move. Will any team take a chance on Joe Crede before seeing him play in spring training? If not, is there an American League team interested in Jim Thome? KW will have to wait for the dominos to fall on the A-Rod situation before looking into this. My sources say A-Rod is bound for Los Angeles to do his best Shaquille O’Neal impression and own Hollywood; but whether it will be the Angels or the Dodgers is a mystery. Both teams just coincidentally happen to need a third baseman AND a power hitter (cue Twilight Zone music).

Once the dust settles with Mr. Rodriguez, KW should approach the loser of the sweepstakes and offer Crede (if it’s the Dodgers) or Thome (if it’s the Angels). Each should be able to land either a position player with some speed like Rafael Furcal, Chone Figgins, Howie Kendrick, Kenyi Morales or Mike Wood; or a relief pitcher such as Jonathan Broxton or Scott Shields.

Last but not least, let me address the Kobe Bryant to the Chicago Bulls rumor:

If John Paxson pulls the trigger on this one after watching an Eastern Conference rival load up with Kevin Garnett, I am going to be pounding my head against a wall for quite some time.

First and foremost, he can’t include both Ben Gordon and Luol Deng in a trade. Second, the Bulls are one missing puzzle piece away from winning and that is a scoring big man. Lastly, trading so much for Bryant would seem to be more of a rebuilding than continuous building. There’s a difference.

A very good source told me the real reason Kobe wants out of LA is because his wife is ready to file for divorce and California state laws are the most strict in the country. No matter what city he is traded to, the ruling on a divorce case will probably guarantee he keeps more of his money and assets than if it were handled in Cali.

That’s exactly the kind of player the Bulls need. A guy more concerned with his personal life than the game. Bryant is selfish, a bad teammate and hasn’t won a single playoff series since losing Shaq. His talent is undeniable and it’ll be great seeing him score 40-60 points in 10 games—albeit while throwing up 45 shots. Heck, he might even score 100 once. But, he’s not the right fit for the Bulls.

I got the perfect trade:

The Denver Nuggets just lost their starting point guard, Chucky Atkins for a considerable period of time and are desperate for help at the position. So, the Bulls send them Chris Duhon, Victor Khryapa, Joakim Noah, a future draft pick and cash for Nene (Hilario, though last name doesn’t apply for him) and my good pal Linas Kleiza.

Then, Pax fills the backup point guard role by signing Earl Boykins who remains a free agent. The Nuggets get their point guard in Duhon, a tall guy who can run the floor and play good defense next to Marcus Camby in Noah and a bench-filler with Khryapa who only has to stay out of Iverson and Carmelo’s way.

Has there ever been a GM in numerous sports at once? Where can I apply for that job?

P.S. Did it shock anyone that the Red Sox swept the Rockies to win their second World Series title in 4 years? The layoff killed Colorado as I predicted. More importantly, the AL just flexed its muscle and proved once again how big of a discrepancy there is between the two leagues.

One final stat to chew on: For the first time since the wild card round began, all 4 NL teams got swept out of the playoffs. Read that again if need be. It’s truly mind-boggling.

Here’s the breakdown:
NLDS: Cubs lose to Diamondbacks 3-0, Phillies lose to Rockies 3-0
NLCS: Diamondbacks lose to Rockies 4-0
World Series: Rockies lose to Red Sox 4-0

This speaks volumes ladies and gentleman….