Keen eye would have been used today

LOS ANGELES -- There were hundreds of people closer to Bill Walsh than this reporter, but in our many conversations over a four- or five-year stretch it was evident how much Walsh loved baseball.

"How are those Red Sox doing?" the legendary coach of the 49ers asked me a couple of years ago. "I like Terry Francona's style. Does a good job with the players doesn't he? They really respond to him. That's what coaching and managing is all about. Do your players listen to you? Do they respond to what you're trying to do? You can tell how a team responds to a leader even from afar."

So Walsh, who died yesterday at age 75 after a long battle with leukemia, would have loved today, and what it could mean for the sport.

Living in the Bay Area, he would have been watching closely Barry Bonds's pursuit of the all-time home run record, which resumes tonight at Dodger Stadium. He would have been fascinated by the trade deadline this afternoon, though what might be the biggest deal came yesterday when Texas reached agreement to send first baseman Mark Teixeira to Atlanta for a couple of the Braves' top prospects.

Walsh would have had a comment about Tom Glavine going after win No. 300 at Milwaukee's Miller Park because he always loved those quiet, mentally strong athletes. Alex Rodriguez, another player Walsh enjoyed watching, could hit his 500th home run today as well.

It will be a day that will be remembered for years if only one of those milestones is reached. But even if none of them are, it's still a baseball buffet of possibilities.

In his later years, when he worked at Stanford and took care of his wife, Geri, who was ill, Walsh was interested in all sports.

He loved to watch great players in any sport and he admired excellent coaching or managing, though I remember being chastised for referring to him as a genius. "That's Einstein, not a football coach," he said. "A football coach isn't a genius. He's just a football coach."

Walsh didn't bring up the issue of Bonds and steroids, only the athleticism he admired in him. He always noticed either that, or a player's instincts for the sport. He loved Patriots quarterback Tom Brady because he reminded him so much of the Niners' Joe Montana.

Walsh surely would have followed the Bonds saga tonight. Good, bad, or ugly, Bonds's pursuit of the home run record will draw a huge crowd and a throng of media from all over the world.

The scenario wasn't ideal for Bonds, who wanted to tie and break the record at home, but he was unable to do that during a long homestand. So now he comes to a very hostile Dodger Stadium, facing the archrivals of the Giants, and the boos will be loud.

Walsh always thought this was the type of environment his teams flourished in. The whole world was against them, yet the great 49ers would prevail even under the toughest conditions.

Bonds certainly has a lot of that in him. He probably would in some way relish tying and breaking the record in LA, but he surely would rather do it at home, possibly the only place in America he knows he would receive a standing ovation and adulation.

After LA, the Giants travel to San Diego, where the infamous extra-large syringe was tossed on the field near Bonds last April. Bonds and the Giants are growing wary of the circus. Even owner Peter Magowan has weighed in that he would like it to be over, and one wonders how many deals general manager Brian Sabean has put on hold while Bonds pursues the record.

Glavine will face a formidable Brewers lineup, making his also not an easy task.

But the entire Glavine clan, friends, business associates, and anyone who knows the Billerica, Mass., native now will start the traveling show to witness his 300th win.

"Tommy is anxious to get this out of the way as quickly as possible," said Gregg Clifton, Glavine's longtime agent. "It'll be a special moment to be able to do it the first time with everyone flying in from all over the country. I think he's anxious to see it happen now. When you're on the verge of something this great, you don't want to prolong it, so he'll be trying his best out there."

Since hitting No. 499 Wednesday in Kansas City, Rodriguez is 0 for 12, and it's possible he has been distracted by Jose Canseco's lawyer telling the New York Times that Canseco "has information about Rodriguez and the Yankees" in a new book he's shopping to publishers.

One wonders whether the Teixeira deal will start a domino effect, though it doesn't appear a lot of GMs will make big deals if they're not getting top value in return. The Braves certainly went out on a limb by obtaining the first baseman, who could become a $12 million player in arbitration next year, has Scott Boras as an agent, and is looking for big dollars long-term.

Teams like the Red Sox are reluctant to deal their top prospects even for established and impact players like Teixeira. Ex-Sox general manager Lou Gorman still hears about Jeff Bagwell. The only reason the Braves were able to pull off the deal is because they have a young catcher in Brian McCann, which means Jarrod Saltalamacchia (sent to Texas) had no place to play. They already have two shortstops in Edgar Renteria, who is having an excellent season, and the phenomenal Yunel Escobar, so Elvis Andrus was expendable. Most teams don't have that kind of organizational depth.

"Everybody's asleep," said one assistant general manager early last night. "Whenever top-of-the-line starting pitching isn't available you have a snoozefest at the deadline. There'll be a few deals made right at the deadline, but I'll bet they'll be one or two relievers and maybe one or two bats."

The name most closely associated with Boston is Jermaine Dye, but unless White Sox GM Kenny Williams comes off one of Boston's A-list prospects (Manny Delcarmen or Justin Masterson), it won't happen. Williams was shopping Dye to the Mets and Angels as well. The Mets need to do something (they acquired second baseman Luis Castillo from the Twins for minor leaguers) with two bats -- Carlos Beltran and Paul Lo Duca -- out of the lineup because of injuries.

Because there weren't often trades in football, Walsh was always fascinated by the art of the deal. He was a big Red Auerbach fan for that reason.

Walsh was a great coach. "The Genius" would have enjoyed this day in baseball.

Nick Cafardo can be reached at cafardo@globe.com.