Pre-Christmas MLB updates

In what promises to be one of the funniest stories in sports in quite some time, today Houston Astros starter Roy Oswalt received the D-6 caterpillar tractor which he was promised in return for winning Game 5 of the NCLS. Team owner Drayton McLane broke with etiquette and talked to his starter before the game, promising him a new cat if only he won it. Looks like Oswalt took it to heart, and he looked happy as a clam to receive it. I can't find any pictures online of him sitting in the giant machine (which has his number, 44, emblazened on it), but this photo sure shows how elated he is. Its almost as good as the shot of former Esks QB Jason Maas in the SUN last year, when he was off bow-hunting with a giant-assed longbow, a rifle across his chest, full military camoflauge, and a kevlar body armour. The hobbies of some of sports' most storied personalities would fill a book. Maybe somebody should write one.

Other, less enjoyable baseball news: Texas Rangers trade Termel Sledge to Padres along with Chris Young and Adrian Gonzalez, receiving Adam Eaton(!) and some Japanese reliever. The main opposition I have to this trade is that Texas had something of an Edmonton Trappers reunion, with both Termel Sledge (the highlight of the Trap's last year in E-town) and former Trapper Brad Wilkerson playing for them.. Sad, really

[Update 15 minutes later: turns out Wilkerson never played for the Trappers, only with Ottawa and Jupiter. Fortunately there's still the Trapper reunion over in Minnesota where Lew Ford, Michael Cuddyer, and Johan Santana play together just like they did here in 2002.