During three years in the low minors, John Odom never really made a name for himself. That sure changed this week - he's the guy who was traded for a bunch of baseball bats. “I don't really care,” he said on Friday. “It'll make a better story if I make it to the big leagues.” For now, Odom is headed to the Laredo Broncos of the United League. They got him on Tuesday from the Calgary Vipers of the Golden Baseball League for a most unlikely price: 10 Prairie Sticks Maple Bats, double-dipped black, 34-inch, C243 style. “They just wanted some bats, good bats - maple bats,” Broncos general manager Jose Melendez said. According to the Prairie Sticks Web site, their maple bats retail for $69 each, discounted to $65.50 for purchases of six to 11 bats. “It will be interesting to see what 10 bats gets us,” Melendez said Odom said he was supposed to be traded for Laredo's best hitter. But when that player balked at moving to Calgary, the bats entered the deal. Laredo offered cash for Odom, but Vipers president Peter Young said that was “an insult.” The bat trade wasn't the first time Calgary came up with some creative dealmaking. The Vipers once tried to acquire a pitcher for 1,500 blue seats when they were renovating their stadium, Young said.
