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Good morning to everyone but especially to...
ETHAN SALAS
What were you doing over the summer when you were 16 years old? Working a first job, maybe? Hanging out with friends? Trying desperately to be cool amid the horrors of puberty?
You're probably weren't playing professional baseball, but then again, you're probably not Ethan Salas (if you are, hi, Ethan, and congrats/thanks for reading this newsletter). Salas, a 16-year-old catcher from Venezuela in the Padres system, made his Single-A debut with the Lake Elsinore Storm on Tuesday.
- Salas is the first 16-year-old prospect to skip over rookie ball and play in Single-A since current Dodgers starter Julio Urías in 2013.
- To make things even more impressive, Salas doubled in his first professional at-bat.
- Salas turns 17 on Friday and has drawn comparisons to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Wander Franco for his skill level.
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Honorable mentions
- The Aces are atop Jack Maloney's WNBA Power Rankings.
- The USA is into the U-20 World Cup quarterfinals.
- Spencer Carbery is the Capitals' new head coach.
And not such a good morning for...
It's a new day for the NBA's premier franchise of the last decade, and that new day is filled with uncertainty.
Warriors president and GM Bob Myers stepped down after building Golden State into four-time champions.
- Myers became Warriors GM in 2012. Among his biggest moves were hiring Steve Kerr, drafting Draymond Green, signing Andre Iguodala and, in 2016, signing Kevin Durant. The Warriors remarkably won titles before Durant (2015), with Durant (2017, 2018) and after Durant (2022) -- with Myers, Kerr, Green, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson leading the way throughout.
- Myers won executive of the year in 2015 and 2017.
- Myers worked this season on an expiring contract. In his press conference Tuesday, Myers said, "This job... requires complete engagement, complete effort. One-thousand percent. If you can't do it, then you shouldn't do it. That's the answer to the question of why."
It's now an even more massive offseason for Golden State, with huge questions around Curry, who, even at 35, remains an elite player.
- The Warriors face all-time high payroll, making Jordan Poole, who underperformed in his first year after a four-year, $140-million extension, potentially expendable.
- Green, 33, can become a free agent by declining his player option.
- Thompson, 33, is extension-eligible.
In his press conference, Myers also endorsed Mike Dunleavy Jr., the longtime NBA player who has been the Warriors' vice president of basketball operations for two years, to take over as president and GM. Team owner Joe Lacob indicated he'd likely hire from within.
Not so honorable mentions
- The Knicks and GM Scott Perry are also parting ways.
- Harrison Bader (hamstring) is back on the IL.
NBA Draft stay-or-go decisions, plus Caleb Love's new home 🏀
The first games are still more than five months away, but today is one of the most important days of the college basketball season. It's the final day for players to withdraw from the NBA Draft pool.
The biggest decisions belong to the big men: Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe (2022) and Purdue's Zach Edey (2023) are the last two national players of the year, and both are yet to announce their decision
That makes the Boilermakers and the Wildcats the two teams with the most on the line today, writes our David Cobb.
- Cobb: "The biggest question here is whether or not star center Oscar Tshiebwe will return. But the decisions of Antonio Reeves and Chris Livingston loom large as well ... If deadline day goes poorly for UK, look for coach John Calipari to take a swing at the handful of quality transfers remaining in the portal. ... If Zach Edey decides to stay in the NBA Draft, the Boilermakers will have to entirely reconfigure the way they play. ... Edey is the difference between Purdue beginning the 2023-24 campaign as the Big Ten favorite or as a middle-of-the-pack team with no clear identity."
That Tshiebwe and Edey even have to make decisions shows how big the difference is between college basketball and the NBA. Tshiebwe is a rebounding and putback machine, but at a hair over 6'8" and with little jump-shooting acumen, it's hard to envision him being an early pick. Edey stands 7'4" and is a post-up monster, a stark juxtaposition from the space and pace of the NBA. Both are outside the top 60 in our Kyle Boone's prospect rankings.
We did get an answer as to where one key player will be spending this season: former North Carolina standout Caleb Love finally ended his transfer portal whirlwind, and he's headed to Arizona.
- Love is an explosive scorer who averaged 16.7 points last year and 15.9 the year before, when he was an NCAA Tournament star as the Tar Heels made it all the way to the title game.
- Love is 17th in David's transfer portal rankings and was the second-best player still available.
- Love initially committed to transfer to Michigan back in April, but an issue with his academic credits transferring caused him to remain in the portal, as reported by our Matt Norlander.
As for the Tar Heels' point guard of the future, five-star prospect Elliot Cadeau re-classed from 2024 to 2023 and will join the Tar Heels in June. His addition moves North Carolina into Gary Parrish's Top 25 And 1.
USMNT announces B.J. Callaghan as new interim head coach ⚽
The United States men's national soccer team has a new coach, but no, it's still not a permanent one.
B.J. Callaghan was named interim head coach Tuesday, and his first game in charge will be a big one: the Concacaf Nations League semifinal June 15 against Mexico.
- Callaghan has been an assistant for the USMNT for the past four years.
- Callaghan's appointment comes after interim head coach Anthony Hudson stepped down to pursue another opportunity, U.S. Soccer announced Tuesday. According to reports, that other opportunity is with a club team.
- Hudson held the top position for five months after Gregg Berhalter's contract expired in December. Berhalter had led the USMNT since 2018.
Things have been in a state of flux ever since Berhalter's time ended.
- Shortly after Berhalter's contract expired, a controversy erupted between him, winger Gio Reyna and Reyna's family. Reyna hardly played at the World Cup, and in December, Berhalter revealed a player (Reyna) was nearly sent home.
- Later that month, Berhalter detailed a 1991 physical dispute with his now-wife. Berhalter said there was a blackmail attempt against him during the World Cup, reportedly from Gio Reyna's mother, Claudia, who threatened to share details from the incident. Claudia Reyna denied that report.
- Berhalter is eligible to be offered the full-time job, though USMNT star Christian Pulisic wasn't happy about the "childish" feud.
The USMNT doesn't have a major rush to find a permanent coach, but it can't dilly dally too much, explains our Chuck Booth.
