A Midwinters Morning Dream: Manny a Cub

Manny Ramirez has never been angry enough to throw a bottle into the crowd.

He's never injured himself after getting ejected for arguing with an umpire.

Milton Bradley has.

And he's got a three-year contract.

So it begs the question: why doesn't Manny Ramirez have a job?

All he's done is hit. A lot. He hit .396 with 17 homers ... in 53 games against NL pitchers. Despite his lackluster defense, Manny is a game-changing figure at the plate and an anchor in the middle of the order. He's a transcendent talent who shines in October.

Yet, he remains unsigned.

Meanwhile, the Cubs are trying to figure out where to bat Bradley, who fit the description of left-handed stick the Cubs pined for this offseason.

Too bad Manny doesn't bat from the other batter's box, he'd probably be a Cub right now.

Heck, the Cubs are trying to figure out what to do as a team. Adding Ramirez could shift Alfonso Soriano to right field or back to his original position, second base.

And while the Cubs' team defense would suffer over a 162 game season, I say defense be damned.

Bring Mannywood to the Midwest.