Just Dany being Dany

It does seem far-fetched that an athlete would demand a trade and then come back to play for the team he wanted to leave. But it actually happens more frequently than you think. Here are 10 examples of players in recent history who have demanded trades - only to end up right back where they started.

Manny Ramirez, Boston Red Sox: If you Google "Manny Ramirez Red Sox Trade Request", there's a very good chance your computer will seize up within seconds. The Ramirez soap opera seemed like an annual tradition in Boston every December. Ramirez would let it be known that he'd prefer to play elsewhere. But every year, Sox fans seemed to forgive the lovable leftfielder, because he put up big numbers and won World Series. Maybe that's the way we need to treat Heatley in Ottawa if he comes back and scores 50 goals here. Our new catch phrase could be, "That's just Dany being Dany."
Can Dany Heatley return to the Ottawa Senators this fall?
It's looking more and more like it might be the sniper's only legitimate option.
Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers: Just two years ago, Bryant asked for a trade out of Los Angeles. He even said he'd rather play on Pluto, than return to the Lakers. Well guess what? Bryant never even left Planet Hollywood in the end. He won a ring last month, shot a documentary with Spike Lee and that trade request is as far back in the rear-view mirror as his night in a Colorado hotel.
Michael Young, Texas Rangers: Would you want a guy named Elvis stealing your job? I'd be pretty embarrassed myself. So when the Rangers informed Young that rookie Elvis Andrus would take his starting position at shortstop this year, he requested a trade in the off-season. Nothing could be worked out, so Young returned to the team this season to a new job at third base. And as of this writing, Young is batting .315 and the Rangers are competitive for the first time since a moustached Juan Gonzalez was patrolling the outfield.

Anquan Boldin, Arizona Cardinals: Last summer, Anquan Boldin said he felt disrespected by the Cardinals organization and demanded a trade. He even stopped speaking to coach Ken Whisenhunt and made sure everybody in the world knew that he wanted out of Arizona. But cooler heads prevailed in the desert and Boldin ended up with 89 catches and the Cardinals almost won the Super Bowl.
Gary Sheffield, Los Angeles Dodgers: Gary Sheffield has the reputation of being the guy who purposely made errors so the Milwaukee Brewers would trade him. But almost a decade after that, Sheffield got the Dodgers upset by demanding they either give him a contract extension or trade him to the Mets, Yankees or Braves. In the end, the Dodgers did neither and Sheffield returned to the team for the 2001 season, where he batted .311 and hit 36 home runs. Of course, Sheffield did get his wish the following season when he was shipped to Atlanta.

Tony Gonzalez, KC Chiefs: Tony Gonzalez asked the Chiefs to trade him last fall, but the club didn't comply. They refused to move him at the trade deadline and the most productive tight end in NFL history was forced to play the final 10 weeks of the season for a team he didn't want to be a part of. But to Gonzalez's credit - he addressed the team and promised to play his heart out down the stretch. In typical Gonzalez fashion, he finished the season with 96 catches and over 1,000 yards.

Bobby Crosby, Oakland A's: You think only superstars demand trades? I'll bet you were completely unaware that A's shortstop Bobby Crosby asked for a trade a few months ago, after the team picked up Orlando Cabrera and Nomar Garciaparra. Crosby didn't want to be a back-up shortstop. But the A's were unable to find him a new home, so Crosby returned in spring training. And thanks to injuries to the infield, he's already appeared in more than 60 games this season.
Miguel Tejada, Baltimore Orioles: In a classic case of "I-was-partially-misquoted-in-a-Dominican-newspaper", Tejada asked for a trade out of Baltimore after the 2005 season. But after the Orioles front office got wind of this, Tejada changed his mind before the start of the following season. In hindsight, he probably wanted out of Baltimore because Rafael Palmeiro had just retired and Tejada wasn't sure who to buy his HGH from.
Chad Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals: His quote last spring: "I want to be traded before the draft and if that doesn't happen, I want to be traded as soon as possible. I don't intend on reporting to anything." So what happened? Johnson changed his name and his mind - as he ended up arriving at training camp and appearing in 13 regular season games with the Bengals.


Jaromir Jagr, Pittsburgh Penguins: In late November 2000, Jaromir Jagr made it clear that he wanted out of Pittsburgh right away. He went twice to owner Mario Lemieux and asked him for a trade. And both times, Lemieux flatly refused. A few weeks later, Lemieux un-retired and suddenly, Jagr was re-born for the rest of the season and his trade request was completely forgotten. He won the Art Ross Trophy as the league's top scorer and the Pens reached the conference finals. However, the financially-strapped Pens were forced to trade Jagr that NFL jerseys summer to the Washington Capitals.