Gotta love when real baseball mirrors the fantasy world. Here's the rundown: Chicago and San Francisco are trying to engineer a trade that will bring Joe Crede to the Bay Area. However, according to the White Sox, the Giants keep offering players that mysteriously end up booted from the team a few days later. Proposed trades have included Scott Williamson (recently cut) and Randy Messenger (recently optioned.)

You can't blame the Sox for bellyaching. It's bad enough when someone in your office league tries that bush league stuff, let alone Brian Sabean. [MLB Trade Rumors]

Elsewhere in the baseball blogosphere ...

• Thank god for the split squad. Joe Maddon is keeping Jonny Gomes far, FAR away from the Yankees. [Rays Report]

• How's this for an achievement? Former Reds pitcher Frank Pastore once ate 4 1/2 pounds of steak in under 10 minutes. [Red Reporter]

• Fridays are always better with a good Lenny Dykstra story. [The 700 Level]

• Alfonso Soriano batted second on Thursday and didn't like it because there was "somebody on base." ('ll just move onto the next item and let you folks get your head around that one.) [Ivy Chat]

• Clayton Kershaw's excellent spring continues with two scoreless innings against the 'Stros. [Sons of Steve Garvey]

• An excellent question: At what point does Nick Swisher stop being a "former A?" [Athletics Nation]

• Ichiro finally has a spring training hit to call his own [Seattle Times]

• Here are the origins for all 30 MLB names. Had no idea the Indians were named through a newspaper contest. [Benson Pebbles]

• Camp Tiger Claw saves us all a bunch of time with this comprehensive injury update. [Walkoff Walk]

Got tips and such for 'Duk? E-mail bigleaguestew@yahoo.com.