And Since Detroit Is In The News.....

This, from the Detroit News, and interesting to Red Sox fans, just in case you missed it, my readers galore (ha ha, but I love you all.)......."Tom Gage's Top 5 ... What wasn't news..."
"Top five things that didn't happen this winter:
1) Miguel Tejada didn't get traded: After huffing and puffing about the fact the Orioles haven't improved since he's been there (all of two years), Tejada rescinded his request to be dealt. There'd been talk about a Miggy-for-Manny deal -- Tejada for Manny Ramirez -- but nothing happened.
Actually, it's to the Orioles benefit nothing happened, because Tejada, happy or not, is a heck of a player and nowhere near as high maintenance as Ramirez.
2) Neither did Manny: There will continue to be rumblings about the Red Sox hoping to find a taker for Ramirez, but it's going to be difficult. For instance, there was speculation last week the Sox approached the Angels about a possible deal but a) they asked for too much in return and b) wanted the Angels to assume most, if not all, of the $57 million remaining on Ramirez's deal that runs through 2008.
Sorry, he's still your problem, Bosox -- but a productive problem all the same.
3) Roger Clemens didn't retire: No indeed he did not, but neither did he re-sign with the Astros or get traded to the Red Sox or Yankees. He's just sort of out there, playing golf and mulling over what he's going to do.
Frankly, a lot of people think Clemens is through mulling and will return to the Astros for one more year, starting in May. And why not? At last glance, he's still better than most.
4) Red Sox didn't retain Johnny Damon: The Yankees grabbed him as a free agent when the Red Sox lost their negotiating edge -- or as a lot of Sox fans feel, when the Red Sox blew it.
This will be difficult throughout the season for the Sox to stomach because 136 of their 162 games this year are against the Yankees -- or so it will seem. Every time they turn around, Damon will be playing against them this season, not for them.
Coco Crisp will try to fill the void -- good player, Crisp, but not a Johnny Damon.
5) White Sox didn't get worse: At least on paper they didn't. On paper, they got a lot better.
For one thing, they retained Paul Konerko -- and what a coup that was. They could have lost him as a free agent, like to the Angels, but Konerko wanted to stay in Chicago. The Sox quickly stepped up, pen and checkbook in hand, and kept him.
They also traded for Jim Thome, who could prove to be a monstrous force at Cellular Field if healthy, and acquired Javier Vasquez to make their deep rotation even deeper.
So, no, it appears the White Sox didn't get worse." Peter here again, just to say that any of your learned comments will be deliriously accepted. I love being delirious, especially during Billy Joel concerts. And Bruce. And,well I'd better stop right there.