24 Hours of Headlines

The last 24 hours have been huge for the sports world. Much of it affects me directly--as much as you can say that about games I have little time to watch.

1. Former 49ers coach Bill Walsh dies--Walsh was foundational to the way today's NFL is played. He was one of the first in the new breed of "genius" coaches who would replace the "fundamentals" guys by taking things to the next level--today his rightful heir is Bill Belichick. Walsh's 49er teams were a joy to watch, and during the down years of the Minnesota Vikings, I rooted for the 49ers almost as hard. It was like a punch in the gut to see his obituary last night on ESPN.com--he was a true champion.
2. Kevin Garnett is traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves--One of the NBA's greatest "tool" players, Garnett has played with ferocity and tirelessness since he first popped into the league straight from high school. It has been an honor to have him represent Minnesota, and he has shown great loyalty, character, and grit. It's a shame that the modern game dictates that a great player must be traded for the future and to give him a chance at a ring. I hate that. I wish him many championships with the Boston Celtics.
3. Braves trade Jarrod Saltalamacchia (and others) for Mark Teixeira (and one other)--Great trade for both sides. What could the Braves do with Salty? You hope McCann doesn't get injured in the next 2-3 years, but it's great to get some value out of an incredible find like Salty. Teixeira doesn't have outstanding numbers this year, and I hope the Braves haven't given up too much of their future on someone who A) might just be a B+ player and B) who might not be around for very long. So the real question is: How good are those four minor leaguers the Braves gave up? In the other Braves trade, Dotel for Davies seems like a toss-up. It's probably better for the Royals, because a good starter has more value to them then a decent reliever.
4. Minnesota Twins trade Luis Castillo--He's getting older and slower and basically just slaps his way on to first base, but I've been a fan of his since his Marlins days, and I really loved having him on the Twins. I guess they know what they're doing getting an unheralded catcher and outfielder.
5. Wilson Betemit to Yankees for Scott Proctor--I still think Betemit is going to amount to something; and I hate to think his climb to greatness could be with the Yankees.
6. Eric Gagne to the Red Sox--Classic! The rich get richer. Already with the best bullpen in baseball, the Sox now have three legitimate closers--a great comfort to any anxiety-prone Sox fan. And in typical Yankee-fashion, the Sox' big lead is slowly getting trimmed by the Yanks. I know this is Boston's year, but you can never be too sure.