With the Folk Festival behind us (hope those Shish-ke-bob anxiety dreams stop soon!), I figured it might be a good time to sample a little something from each of the sports booths set up over the weekend:

Some people (Yes Nick, I’m talking about you!) have spent the last month questioning why Danny Ainge would trade young players and draft picks for an “old, washed-up” Ray Allen. You folks now have your answer.

As I write this, the Kevin Garnett trade hasn’t been finalized, though it appears imminent. A month ago, KG’s agent indicated his client didn’t want to come to Boston. What happened to change his mind? Well, promising youth has been exchanged for an established veteran. Suddenly, the C’s look mighty attractive to a guy who wants to win a ring. Just wait till you see how many veteran role players are willing take a cut in pay to wear Celtic green if they get to play alongside Garnett, Allen and Paul Pierce.

While we’re at it, how about a round of applause for Ainge. Dealer Danny has taken an awful lot of guff around these parts for breaking up the 2002 Eastern Conference finalists, but people who understand the game knew that Pierce/Antoine entry was not a legitimate title contender. Even worse, from a stylistic standpoint, it was one of the most horrific teams ever assembled.

The final turn off for me was trading Joe Johnson for a 3-point shooting power forward (Rodney Rogers) who couldn’t rebound or block shots, and a 3-point shooting point guard (Tony Delk) with worse aim than the bad guys in a Schwarzenegger flick. Ainge was smart enough to tear that team down and start from scratch. In the process, he accumulated enough assets to trade for not one, but two all-stars. It took a while to make the Celtics relevant again, but Red Auerbach would be very proud of the feisty kid he coaxed out of a career in baseball.

Speaking of the diamond, I don’t want to echo Lou Gorman’s infamous “where would we play Willie McGee” quote, but where are we going to play Jermaine Dye? On the list of needs for 2007, corner outfielder/DH is not one of them, unless we’re ready to call the 5-year J.D. Drew contract a disaster after only 5-months.

It’s not so much the cost of acquiring the White Sox outfielder that scares me, but the thought of an unhappy veteran (Drew or Dye) sulking on the bench. If the 2004 Sox taught us anything, it’s that quality role players often make the difference in tight playoff contests. I’d rather see Theo Epstein acquire a Dave Roberts-type 4th outfielder who can come off the pine to provide speed and defense. If not, why not just stick Jacoby Ellsbury in that role when he comes off Pawtucket’s disabled list?

Michael Vick is about to find out how true the adage “if you lie down with dogs, you wake up with flees” really is. Tony Taylor, one of Vick’s co-defendants in the canine caper, has already copped a plea deal. Davon Boddie, the cousin who lived on Vick’s property where the alleged activities took place, was not indicted in the case, a pretty good indication he’s been cooperating with authorities all along. Dogs may be incredibly loyal, but friends and family aren’t necessarily so.

Unless of course, we’re talking about Greg Anderson, the Barry Bonds buddy who’s still rotting in jail while BALCO boy chases Hank Aaron.