Trades Sports

This was supposed to be the appetizer for the highly awaited main course of NBA free agency next summer. But if it wasn't already obvious to interested parties, it became painfully clear on Thursday that the eventful last nine days around the league have expanded well beyond a mere first course. And if you want to keep the food analogy going -- and no, this has absolutely nothing to do with Shaquille O'Neal's draft-day trade to Cleveland -- just look at the latest bloated deal.

PHOENIX -- The Diesel cometh, once more. As always, you could almost feel the ground tremble as Shaquille O'Neal changed teams Wednesday, becoming a Phoenix Sun, however improbable that was. Not that it matched O'Neal's reception in Orlando in 1992 when he got off the plane wearing Mickey Mouse ears, or Los Angeles in 1996 when Lakers general manager Jerry West compared signing him to the birth of his children, or Miami in 2004 when Shaq squirted the crowd at a rally with a water gun.

Shaquille O'Neal's trade from Miami to Phoenix has been the biggest news in the sports betting world this week and the deal has forced oddsmakers to adjust the Suns' postseason numbers. According to Bodoglife.com, the odds on the Suns winning the Western Conference before the trade were 5-2; after the deal they improved to 2-1. The odds on Phoenix winning the NBA championship before the trade were 4-1; now they are 7-2.

Whether this is an arms race with West teams girding to face the new Laker Menace or everyone following each other like lemmings running into the sea, the process continued Wednesday. Twelve days after the Lakers got Pau Gasol and seven after the Phoenix Suns got Shaquille O'Neal, the Dallas Mavericks agreed to terms on a deal bringing back nine-time All-Star Jason Kidd, five weeks shy of his 35th birthday.

The worst trade in the 50 years that the Dodgers have been in Los Angeles? From casual fans to dedicated seamheads, no prompting is needed. The 1993 trade that sent Pedro Martinez to Montreal for Delino DeShields continues to produce the loudest moans, with obvious justification.

During three years in the low minors, John Odom never really made a name for himself -- until he got traded for a bunch of bats. "I don't really care," he said Friday. "It'll make a better story if I make it to the big leagues." For now, Odom is headed to the Laredo Broncos of the United League. They got him Tuesday from the Calgary Vipers of the Golden Baseball League for a most unlikely price: 10 Prairie Sticks Maple Bats, double-dipped black, 34-inch, C243 style.

The Kings unloaded another high-priced player this off-season as they dealt defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky to the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday for center Jarret Stoll and defenseman Matt Greene. Visnovsky, 31, slumped to eight goals and 33 assists last season but has been the team's highest-scoring defenseman for the last three years. He is scheduled to make $7 million this season in the first year of his five-year, $28-million extension.

BOSTON -- The Angels appear to be warming to the idea of a rental player, a thawing of their hard-line approach toward short-term fixes that has led them to explore a possible trade for slugger Mark Teixeira . . . again. Though a deal for the Atlanta switch-hitter would probably cost them promising first baseman Casey Kotchman, the Angels believe Teixeira and Vladimir Guerrero would give them a three-four punch comparable to Boston's David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. Maicer Izturis (.

The World Series starts Oct. 22 at Angel Stadium. Or else. The Angels usually speak softly, without carrying a big stick. They got the big stick Tuesday, and they're not shy about telling you why. "We're in it to win a world championship," General Manager Tony Reagins said. Talk isn't cheap, not this time.

BOSTON -- The Angels, after Tuesday night's 6-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox, are 11-3 this month with Maicer Izturis hitting third, but the table-setting switch-hitter will have to relinquish his spot to a more powerful force tonight: Mark Teixeira. Tony Reagins, in his first year as Angels general manager, did what predecessor Bill Stoneman was never willing or able to do at the trade deadline, pull the trigger on a blockbuster deal for the big bat the Angels have craved for years.