In what looked like a final tribute to Tommy La Stella – the bench player Joe Maddon once described as someone who could wake up at 3 a.m. and hit anyone – the Cubs announced Thursday’s trade with the Los Angeles Angels at 3 p.m.



Tommy Being Tommy meant escalating a prank war with Cubs executives Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer in spring training when he arranged for a kiddie bounce house to be set up on their parking spots at the team’s Arizona complex.



Tommy Being Tommy involved a stunning transformation into one of the most popular guys in the clubhouse, making amends for his New Jersey sabbatical while initially refusing to report to Triple-A Iowa during the 2016 dream season.



Tommy Being Tommy generated 24 pinch-hits in 2018, setting a new single-season franchise record.



La Stella earned his World Series ring and contributed to four playoff teams at Wrigley Field. La Stella’s friendship with Jake Arrieta and a strange...