Last offseason, the Angels publicly pursued Matt Clement.
Didn't get him.
They ended up with Paul Byrd, Orlando Cabrera and Steve Finley - nothing anyone had accurately predicted.
The previous offseason they were pegged as the eventual landing place of Kelvim Escobar.
He wound up being their 4th most important addition, after Jose Guillen, Bartolo Colon and Vladimir Guerrero.
So as you moan about the building hype surrounding a pursuit of 100+ K's-per-season Paul Konerko, a bit of perspective reveals a General Manager with great improvisational abilities.
I think the very public advocacy of acquiring Konerko is functioning as a fantastic poker-bluff. It gives Stoneman a stronger position from which to bargain in any trade negotiations. Since he can get Konerko without sacrificing any current players, he will be seen as having to be appeased with what he is asked to give up in any trades. So, basically, despite the Finley signing... In Stoneman We Trust...