Cleveland

At long last, fan favorite Kerry Wood is coming home to Chicago. In fact, he will never leave thanks to GM Jim Hendry who Thursday inked the oft-injured Wood to a lifetime contract with the Cubs worth upwards of $200 million.

The chance to win a championship is usually at the top of every athlete’s list when it comes to choosing with whom to sign during free agency, but the chance to be back with a favorite mascot is rarely cited as a reason. That’s why it was surprising to hear that the biggest reason Cliff Lee signed with the Phillies over the Yankees and Rangers was because their mascot, the Philly Phanatic.

After trading for Roberto Alomar in 2003 and again in 2004, the White Sox are reverting to old, reliable means to improve their output at second base. Wednesday afternoon, the White Sox traded for Roberto Alomar on the same day the retired player was elected to baseball's Hall of Fame.

Former Cubs fan favorite Kerry Wood started his spring in a familiar way: with an injury. Now on the Indians, the closer sat out practices this week with a sore back before easing into workouts this morning. Despite a frustrating, injury-riddled career, Wood says he's not too concerned about the achy back.

Cavaliers’ first-round draft pick Kyrie Irving took his basketball inexperience up a notch today when he shook hands with NBA Commissioner David Stern and confused him with famed composer Marvin Hamlish, saying, “It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Hamlisch. You play the piano like Grant Hill.”

The Indians sent top Triple-A prospect Peter Minuit to the Yankees yesterday in exchange for $24 of beads, pelts and “clay pots to be named later.”

Why They Might Be Good: Exceedingly wealthy future Hall-of-Famer LeBron James told his teammates that if they help him get to the Eastern Conference finals, he’ll give them each a check for $3 billion, leaving him with a personal bank account of just over $16 quintillion.