Happy birthday to James Baldwin, who turns 37 today.

James Baldwin was a mediocre starter for the ChiSox in the late-90s, was traded to the Dodgers in 2001 right before he became a free agent, and became Exhibit 173 in "why it makes more sense to non-tender mediocrities than go to arbitration with them," as he ended up making less as a free agent than he did in his final pre-f.a. year in Chicago.

He was a Ranger for a brief stint in 2005, when John Hart decided the best way to bolster the pitching staff was to go get him and Kevin Gryboski.

It reminds me of what Lloyd Dobler said in Say Anything:

"I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen."

The Rangers players gave the organization everything they had in 2005, and needed some pitching help.  In exchange, John Hart gave them James Baldwin, in a move that seemingly epitomized the post-2002-season Hart regime.