I’m Back. Kouz’s Gone. The Chargers are going all the way!

Firstly, it has been a few weeks since I have posted anything. The Chargers have been on an amazing run and part of me did not want to jinx them. The truth is that I have been, busy, as 10% of this country is, struggling to find a job and haven't had the motivation to keep this thing going. However, I realized this morning, that if only one person is reading this, then it is worth it to keep going. Plus, there has been a lot of exciting (both positive and negative) sporting news coming from our fine city over the past couple of weeks. Let's begin with the Chargers.

11 games in a row won. Never scoring below 20 points. An opponent that has no right to be in the playoffs. If there is one for sure bet this weekend, it is that the Chargers, our Chargers (the one's the typically fall in the playoffs) are going to Breeze…wait…flow (like Rivers) past the Jets tomorrow. This past week I interviewed Chargers DT, Antonio Garay, who was traded to the Chargers by the Jets on December 9 this season. Here is the full article:

http://sdjewishworld.wordpress.com/2010/01/13/jewish-charger-antonio-garay-strives-to-help-bring-san-diego-a-super-bowl-championship/

Whether it was the Jets or any other team, I truly believe, that this is the team to represent San Diego in a Super Bowl. The biggest factor is the desire built from heartache. The core team has been together over the past four AFC West titles and have felt the highs of winning in the regular season (2008 was pure luck…thanks, Denver) and the lows of crashing in the playoffs. That is the motivation that none of the other teams left in the playoff have and what I truly believe will guide this team to their destiny. I should mention that the offensive is filled with weapons at every starting and back up position. There is so much talent on this team that even with the talk of the Revis – Jackson match up this Sunday, Rivers has 6 – 7 other guys that he can go to just as effectively. Revis can't cover them all. I see Malcolm Floyd having one hell of a game tomorrow (as well as Antonio Gates).

As for our defense, they were called out early in the season and have truly gelled together. Now, with the exception of a handful of games, (Miami, K.C. – both times, Denver – the second game, and Tennessee) the games this season have been very close, nail biters, yet, for the most part, the defense has bent, but not broken. That should be the formula for Sunday's match up. Don't give up the big play and allow rookie QB Mark Sanchez to make the error (which he will) and running backs Thomas Jones and Shone Greene (rookie) the opportunity to fumble. The offense will put up the points, we don't need to worry about that, let's just hope the defense does what they do best and keep the Jets just out of reach of winning the game.

Onto our beloved minor league team, the San Diego Padres. Yesterday, Kevin Kouzmanoff was traded to the Oakland A's. One of the most efficient third basemen in the league today, gone. But, we got Scott Hairston back…what, not that excited? The Padres also acquired some other players you've never heard of and are going to have both an outfield and infield of young, inexperienced, but most importantly, cheap players. I firmly believe that the other shoe is soon to drop, that being the trade of Adrian Gonzalez. Was trading Kouzmanoff a way to keep Gonzalez? I don't think so. Adrian's value is as high as it has ever been and the new regime at Petco Park is looking to unload as much debt as they can. Yet, there should be much rejoicing, the new president of the team, Art Garfunkel, or whatever his name is, says they are going to lower the price of parking, beer, and tickets. Here is my response to that:

Parking: I've been to 25 of the 30 major league ball parks. San Diego, by far, has the worst parking situation. It's not the cost, necessarily; it's the actual ability to park. I've missed several innings in the past just trying to find a spot. Good thing is, no one will be going to the games this season, so there should be ample parking and I guess the decrease from $20 to $15 is nice, if it still wasn't highway robbery. We are coming to your facility, spending our hard earned money on tickets, food, and merchandise, the least you do is offer affordable and ample parking.

Beer: I worked for the Los Angeles, California Angels of Anaheim from 2005 – 2006. The new owner Arte Moreno, as a peace offering for changing the name of the team, lowered beer prices. That wasn't what packed the fans in the stands that season, it was the Angels vigorous off season hiring's and the extending of contracts of popular players…oh, and winning. 2006 was the first season the Angels ever had to start a waiting list for season tickets. Trust me; it had nothing to do with the beer. It was the quality of the team on the field and the buzz around Orange County. Everyone wanted to be a part of the action. Padres buzz, who wants to go to a game with me? Didn't think so.

Tickets: I've written several times in the past, in this very blog, that the Padres ticket pricing is not justifiable in this economy and with the product that they have. I was obviously right because last season was one of the worst attended seasons in Padres history and the worst attended season in Petco Park history. We often wonder why San Diego is considered a small market. It has nothing to do with size or population; it is simply due to the fact that the Padres are often relegated to a brief mention on Sportscenter because there is no passion for the team, here in San Diego. Why should there be? The new ownership says they are going to give us cheaper beer, tickets, and parking…and think that we can be manipulated like children, when all we want is a competitive team. Is that too much to ask for?

Let's leave this week's blog on a positive note. Go, Chargers! Bring home the first major championship to San Diego.

A shout out to Antonio Garay: I hope the Chargers keep you next season, man and thanks again for the interview. Your story is very inspiring.

A not so cool to former (I think he's former…he was on the Rams) NFL QB Kyle Boller: You're dating Carrie Prejean? First you play for the Rams now you are dating that train wreck…do you hate yourself? Come on Kyle, sign with the Raiders and try and steal Jessica Simpson away from Billy Corgan. It'd be a major step up in both scenarios.

Until next week (I promise)…

Chargers likely to be blacked out this weekend, Adrian likely to be shipped out to Boston, and The Answer retires

Well, I was certainly wrong. Here I thought Charger fans were going to head out to the "Q" in force on Sunday now that the team is in control of the AFC West and winning again. Guess not. With less than 24 hours to go and needing to sell 6,000 tickets (on Thanksgiving) to avoid a black out this weekend, it looks like Chargers fans are going to miss out on watching the game at home for the first time since 2003. My friend, Nick Canepa, in his column today wrote a few reasons why they black out was inevitable, but he forgot one of the main points. Right now on eBay, tickets for the game are essentially being given away. Those do not count as part of the 6,000 when they sell. Why in the world would anyone pay the face value and get a nose bleed seat, when they can pay less than half the face value and have a pretty good seat? I don't think a sponsor, or Chad Ochocinco, is going to buy the 6,000 seats and alas, the game, even on DirecTv, will be blacked out. Knock knock, is that the L.A. market calling the Chargers back when Arnold's new stadium is built? I think so.

In other cheery news, trade talks for Adrian Gonzalez are increasing. Knowing that his value may never be higher, our new GM is doing his best to unload our home grown hero and supply us with a bunch of unknowns for essentially a wasted 2010 season. Call it rebuilding if you want, but I call it no interest at all in providing a quality product, thus I think fans should boycott the entire season. Why pay major league prices to see a minor league team?

I have to say, with the news of Allen Iverson retiring; I am a little bit bummed. I don't think the NBA will be the same without him and am shocked that no team was willing to give him a chance. The New Jersey Nets have lost 13 games in a row. Iverson would love to play in the New York market and he couldn't hurt the team. He'll go down in history with Dan Marino, Junior Seau, Karl Malone, Cal Ripken, Jr. and other greats of their sport that never won a championship. We always want those guys to go out like John Elway, but that rarely happens.

Finally, a follow up to the Antonio Cromartie story, he is still being investigated for throwing a bottle of champagne at a patron in the bar that he, Stephen Cooper and Shaun Phillips were at, at 1:15 in the morning following the dominate win over the Broncos . I am still not sure what was said to cause Antonio to toss the bottle, but the picture is pretty gory. In case you haven't see it. Here it is:

http://www.tmz.com/2009/11/23/antonio-cromartie-photo-bloody-nfl-san-diego-chargers-deadly-weapon-assault-nightclub/

I want to wish everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving. Until next time.

Cromartie has a smashing good time after Chargers win, Adrian trade talks, and the MLS Cup

Okay, so, this is my first "shorter" post, in my attempt to write more a week while keep them smaller and to the point. Let's see how I do.

First of all, can we get some competition, please? The Chargers vs. Broncos game was great on many levels, but lacked any doubt in the outcome. The Chargers are now in first place and look to run away with the AFC West (don't get excited about your wins yesterday Raiders and Chiefs fans…too little too late, although incredible wins). Why the Broncos did not go out and sign Jeff Garcia immediately is beyond me. Anyway, we all know the score (Chargers won 32-3), but it could have been much higher. On too many occasions, drives were stalled and ended in Field Goals. Fantasy football players are not loving the Chargers right now, expect Nate Kaeding. Despite the game being the biggest let down of the weekend in terms of hype, not of final score (the Browns vs. Lions was much more exciting), the Chargers have a lot to be thankful for this week. The running game was balanced yesterday with L.T., Sproles, Hester, and Tolbert all getting in on the action and the game was relatively injury free for the Bolts. Now it's time to pad the lead with a win over the Chiefs this weekend. I am sure the "Q" will be full of Charger fans this Sunday. All the season ticket holders made their money back with the Eagles game last weekend. Now it's time to ask Santa for some money to pay for the playoff package.

The Chargers top 50 players of all time were announced this past weekend:

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009/nov/16/this-chargers-list-rings-true-canepa/

The fans could not have been more right about the selections. As predicted in two previous articles that I wrote for the San Diego Jewish World, Ron Mix and Sid Gillman were obvious choices. You can read those articles by visiting:

http://sandiegojewishworld.com/san-diego-jewish-authors/jewish-authors-seymour.htm

Now onto the, "Why can't we just get a win without any drama" section of the blog. Last night, while celebrating the win in a local San Diego bar, Antonio Cromartie apparently decided that it would be fun to throw a bottle of champagne at someone. That someone suffered a minor cut and now Cromartie is being investigated for assault with a deadly weapon. Cromartie and two other Charger players, unidentified at this stage, were at Bar West in Pacific Beach when the altercation took place at 1:15 am. Why in the world were they out at 1:15 in the morning after a huge game and a flight home from said game? I know they are adults, but given the Chargers past of incidents like this post game, you would think that Norv would highly suggest the team go home from the airport and rest up. The season isn't over yet and to be honest, a 32-3 butt kicking, that's not worth celebrating. The game was a walk over.

Padres news: Adrian Gonzalez's trade value could not be higher right now and the Padres are either going to have to pay the man or he is walking after 2011. So, what will they do? Right now they are discussing trade options with the Mariners, Dodgers (gasp) and the Red Sox. Our new GM will become an instant villain in San Diego if his first move is to cut Edgar Gonzalez and then trade Adrian Gonzalez. And Jeff Moorad wants me to come back next season and support the team.

Finally, did anyone else watch the MLS final last night? I watched from the 90 minute mark and have to say that the shoot out was very exciting. I don't know anything about soccer, but I do think that if the majority of games ended in a shoot out instead of a tie, that they would be much more interesting to watch. Also, David Beckham is now stating that he'd like to own an MLS team after his contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy is up. San Diego would be a big market for MLS, "Hey David, why don't you start an expansion team down here and bring your spicey wife with you."

My goal was 500 words. It's about 700. I tried. Until Wednesday…

Chargers look to dash the hopes of the Donkeys, SDSU looking to steal away USD’s AD, and Enberg the new voice of the Padres?

Well, it's been a couple of weeks. I've been healing up from a little surgery I had. Fine now, but man, there has been a lot going on in San Diego sports while I was recuperating. Also, I am going to try a new tactic for the next couple of weeks. Instead of one massive weekly blog, I am going to break it up into three smaller blogs a week. I hope you enjoy this. Please let me know your thoughts. Anyway, on to my thoughts about what is going on.

First, of course, the Chargers; since I last wrote, the Chargers won an amazing, last second road victory against the Giants and got a pretty decisive home win vs. the Eagles. In both cases, we saw the passing game really come to life. However, the real story has been daddy-to-be, L.T. finding a last gasp and the end zone a few times. While other running backs of his generation are ending up on the dump heap, Shaun Alexander, Edgerrin James, and Larry Johnson to name a couple, L.T. (most likely fueled by the exciting news that he is going to be a first time father), has gone the route that Ricky Williams has in Miami. Each man has shaken off criticism and found themselves; once again, an important factor in their team's offensive. They've got their fear factor back. Yet, I am hopeful that the Chargers will not use and abuse the resurging L.T. Remember, they still have Sproles who can take a lot of the pressure off. If L.T. is going to be a part of the Chargers surge in the playoffs, he'll need to stay healthy. Just because he's showing glimpses of the old L.T. we know and love, the Chargers need to stick to the passing game first, with Floyd (now that freeloading Chris Chambers has been sent to K.C.), Jackson, and Gates while sharing time with Sproles. If they do this, the Donkey's will be left in the dust this weekend.

Another quick note on the Chargers and Eagles game, I was there and the "Q" was packed. However, there was a lot of green in the stands. Is it possible that the Chargers slow starts have to do with the fact that the fans don't show up until the end of the season when they begin to make their run? Qualcomm will be packed in December and January with Charger fans, but September – November, are these the months that we sell our season tickets on eBay, so that we can afford the playoff package in January? Possibly.

Another juicy sports scandal in San Diego is taking place at the SDSU. Disgraced home wrecker, now former Athletic Director, Jeff Schemmel resigned yesterday after, among other things, being caught attempting to get gas and car rental reimbursements for a trip he took to Alabama to see his mistress. Now the school is looking down the 8 to recruit USD's Ky Sndyer to take over the role as the Aztecs main man. SDSU may be able to offer Sndyer a more lucrative deal economically, but the job itself has proven to be a disaster for those who have previous held it. The Toreros are not only keeping up with the big boys at SDSU and UCSD in athletics, but in many cases, surpassing them. Synder's program at USD is a finely tuned machine and it is my hope that he remains. Good luck to the next sucker who takes the job at SDSU.

In positive Padre news, the team is attempting to sign San Diegan, Dick Enberg to become the new voice of the Padres on Cox 4. Enberg's presence would not only bring about a refreshing change, but also a respectability of having one of the greats broadcasting the games, like the Dodgers have. Also, it would be a sign that the new ownership is truly looking to bring the team out of the gutter and create an interest in them again.

Tomorrow, the Lions of the San Diego Jewish Academy will play in their first CIF football playoff game. It will be the first time in history that an all-Jewish 11-man high school football team competes in an American high school playoff. They take on take on Tri-City Christian tomorrow at El Camino High School. Kickoff is at 7:15.

The Chargers are now looking at a possible site next to Petco Park to build a new stadium…if this actually comes up for a vote with the city, get your popcorn and lawn chair ready, the protests will be very entertaining. I hope negotiations with Oceanside reopen. To me, personally, that is the best location. Easy to convince more L.A. and O.C. fans to come down and spend their money while keeping the team in the county.

Shout out to Adrian Gonzalez for winning the NL Gold Glove this season (you can read about Adrian's career through the minor leagues and growing up in both San Diego and Tijuana, in my book…shameless plug). The news must have been a bit bittersweet since the day before, the Padres cut Adrian's older brother Edgar.

A not so cool to Jeremy Tyler, the SDHS basketballer who left high school to play in Israel. Not only is he not playing well, but his coaches are calling him immature and are, for the most part, regretting their decision to sign him. You wanted to go be an adult Jeremy, better start acting like one. Your NBA stock is quickly dropping. When I drive through McDonalds next year, don't forget to give me my sweet and sour sauce.

Finally, what kind of a sports writer would I be if I didn't mention the Bill Belichick call from last weekend's Patriots vs. Colts game? I am thrilled the Patriots lost, but I understand the call and I think, if the Patriots would have got the first down, people would be singing Bill's praises. He is, and it pains me to say this, a great leader and he made a call, that is what leaders do. It did not work out this time, but it has worked out many more times in the past. This will not hurt the Patriots chances to play in the playoffs and there is a chance that the two will meet again than. Can we please drop this now?

As mentioned, I will write the blog three times a week now. I hope you will keep up with me and as always, please let me know your comments and ways you think I can improve this piece. I will post on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Baseball Bedroom Drama (no not A-Rod’s picture of himself as a Centaur), San Diegan wins NYC Marathon, and the Chargers barely avoiding Blacking Out…again!

First off, I am not feeling so great. I had to have a minor surgery that has actually taken a lot out of me, so this won't be the longest post. However, I will try to give my thoughts on what is going on in the world of San Diego sports to the best of my ability. I am hoping you saw my interview on Channel Six on Monday morning with Marc Bailey. It was a lot of fun and Marc is a class act. What I found a bit humorous is the story that preceded my interview. It had to deal with more Charger fans getting arrested than Raider fans at this weekend's game. That is probably because the game was in risk (yet again) of being blacked out. So, a good number of tickets were purchased by sponsors and given away. When you are not spending any money on the ticket, you have more for beer. That is possibility number one. Also, I am sure the tickets were just given out to basically anyone who wanted to attend. A final thought is that Raider fans are no longer making the trip down the 5 from Oak town to see their team get beat (for a 13^th consecutive time). At some point, even the most die hard, dedicated, Darth Vader mask wearing Raider fan has to realize that it is not worth the cost of gas (or plane ticket), admission, hotel, etc…to come San Diego just to see their team lose to the Chargers…again. Even my Dad who is a long time Raider fan and lives in San Juan Capistrano did not bother to drive the hour down to Qualcomm to see this game. This brings up another topic, look at the upcoming opponents, beyond the Eagles (which should have a good turnout from PETA) the Chargers face the helpless Chiefs (now with Charger throw away Chris Chambers), the Bengals (who are off to a good start, but I am not sure Bengal fans are ready to take the paper bags off their heads just yet), and the Bingo caller led Washington Redskins. Sponsors, get your check books ready, you're going to be buying a lot of Charger tickets this season. By the way, on eBay right now for the Redskins game, the average price for a pair of tickets is $75, that is less than face value for one.

As for the game, I know I have been skewering L.T. lately and I'm going to do it again. Yes, I know he had two touchdowns, but they were pretty much gift wrapped and my 95 year-old great grandmother could have got through those holes. Also, they were playing the Raiders. Let's see how he does this weekend against the Giants defense. Now with Chambers sent to play in KC, the wide receiving core of Floyd, Jackson, and Gates is about as awesome as you can get. All the Chargers need, in my humble opinion, is a running back that can block and help protect Rivers while he airs it out to one of those guys. Every once in a while, toss in Sproles for a run to mix things up, but just let Rivers do what he does and throw the damn ball. Don't bother with any of this "wild frog" crap. Give Rivers time and protection and the Chargers will be back in the wild card hunt (notice I did not say divisional race, because that is not going to happen this season).

I just finished an article for the San Diego Jewish World on Sid Gillman and found an interesting nugget. Gillman was the first head coach when the Chargers were Los Angeles and then moved to San Diego. He was also general manager during his eleven seasons with the team. His record was 87-57-6. Do you realize he still holds the record for most wins as a Charger coach and the highest winning percentage? No one in the team's history, besides Don Coryell even comes close and even Don was 15 wins shy of Gillman's record. The Chargers have had 14 total head coaches only 6 have winning records and 2 of those 6 are Schottenheimer and Turner. I know it is a bit of an aside, but man, the Chargers have had some bad coaching over the years. On to baseball drama…in the bedroom, not the diamond.

Screw the World Series, boring…is it as funny to you as it is to me that both the Dodgers and Padres are going through mirroring, team shattering divorce scandals? Jaime McCourt cheated on Frank (which, I only have met Frank a couple of times, but he is a really great guy) and John Moores cheated on Becky. Even though the details are sensational in both cases, TMZ is only focusing on the Dodgers situation. That could be a good thing for Padres fans. However, the bottom line is, in an effort to pay lawyer fees and such, John Moores had to sell a major portion of the Padres and it is possible that Frank will have to do the same with the Dodgers. The people that actually get hurt the most, in this particular case, is the fans because the quality of the players decreases since there is a lack of funds to field a team and the NL West will once again become the joke of MLB…all because Moores and McCourt felt the need to go outside their marriage for a little extra lovin'. I hope this new law making it illegal to divorce in the state of California actually wins at the ballot boxes next November…for the sake of our sports teams.

In related news, CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz was ordered to pay $864,000 in alimony to his now ex-wife after admitting to an affair with a 29 year-old. What happened to the sanctity of marriage?

Major shout out to former San Diego High School star, Meb Keflezighi (I hope I spelled that right) for winning the NYC marathon this past weekend. He was the first American to do so since 1982. He is now being considered a favorite to medal in the London Olympics of 2012 after his run which he completed in 2 hour, 9 minutes and 15 seconds. Just incredible.

I would also like to thank Bill Walton for his years not only representing San Diego as a basketball player (even playing for our awful Clippers), but as an ESPN analyst. He always made the games more fun to watch. Walton is stepping away from the mike due to increased back problems.

My favorite story of the week: Our favorite slum lord, Donald Sterling agreed to pay $2.73 million dollars to settle allegations that he refused to rent to Hispanics, African Americans, and families with children in his 5,000+ apartment units that he owns in Los Angeles. The amount is a record since the enactment of the Fair Housing act which prohibits this type of discrimination. Maybe now Sterling will have to sell the Clippers. That would be a good thing.

Finally, did anyone notice that Brett Favre completed his mission this past weekend? He can now retire a happy man. Another Super Bowl ring? Screw that. He wanted to beat the Packers in Green Bay and he did. However, that is not the best part of the story. Security had to be beefed up significantly in the sleepy town of Green Bay and armed guards were designated to protect Brett specifically from the moment the Vikings plane landed on Saturday until the moment he took off on Sunday. You could tell with the chorus of boos that rang down every time he got into the huddle, that there is no love loss for Brett in Green Bay. I guess there will never be a retirement ceremony for Favre now and if they did build a statue, they would need to hire security to protect it. Hope it was worth it, Brett. The whole state of Wisconsin wants your head on a cheese platter.

That's it for now. I guess I ended up having more to say that I thought. Hope you enjoyed it. Also, please come out to the San Diego Hall of Champions this Thursday, November 5^th for the launch party for my book. The party starts at 5:30pm and lasts until 7:30pm. There will be door prizes, snacks, a discussion on the book, access to the museum after hours, and an autograph session. For more details visit: http://sunbeltbook.com/BookDetails.asp?id=203

Oh and if you did not get the A-Rod reference in the title, it was reported by an ex-girlfriend that he has two portraits of himself in his bedroom as a centaur, half man, half horse.

 

Chargers to L.A. inevitable? Hoyer named new Padres GM…that’s wicked cool.

We'll start with the news of Los Angeles getting closer and closer to breaking ground on a new NFL stadium in the San Fernando Valley. Last week the Governator signed a bill that will speed up the process to build a new $800 million stadium, which supposedly will be the site for Super Bowl 50 (as per NFL wishes). Obviously the stadium will not be built and then torn down after the event. The goal is to have a NFL team willing to relocate. Seven teams were listed as possible candidates. Let's weed some of the out right now, shall we?

Buffalo Bills: The Bills would move to Toronto before they moved to L.A. Last season they began playing a regular season game in Toronto and will continue to do so. It does not make any sense for the Bills to move far away from their established fan base, if indeed they are to leave Buffalo.

Minnesota Vikings: Even though they have had issues in the dome, the fan base of Minnesota is very loyal and would never allow the team to leave, especially after this season and all that Favre and Peterson are doing to put the team into Super Bowl contention.

St. Louis Rams: The Rams burned L.A. fans and were the red headed step child to the Raiders. Also, the potential new owners will be looking to keep them in St. Louis. What they will need to focus on however is putting a better field on the team. The Rams have been so bad for so long now, that fans have given up. Yet, if a quality product is put on the field, St. Louis fans will support them. Cardinal fans are some of the most diehard in MLB. They'll come back, if they have something to root for.

San Francisco 49ers: Are you kidding me? Do I even need to go on? The 49ers are a staple of San Francisco and even though their stadium is awful (not as bad as the Oakland Coliseum, but close), the fans would never let that happen. They would agree to a tax hike in San Jose to build a new stadium there before the team ever moved.

Oakland Raiders: Al Davis won't move them back to L.A. and after the crypt keeper dies, any new ownership, whether they want to move the team to L.A. or not will be met with resistance. The Raiders left a stain when they departed and it is my opinion that fans would not welcome them back. The team comes with a lot of baggage and I think, for whichever team eventually moves into the stadium, there will need to be serious consideration given to the fact that fans will want to make that team their own and I do not believe L.A. wants the Raiders back.

That leaves two teams that I think are the best and most likely candidates.

Jacksonville Jaguars: The team is hurting so badly economically that any opportunity to move to a location that will allow them to stay afloat would be warmly welcomed. Their games have been blacked out this season and the product on the field is not so good. Jacksonville, besides Green Bay and Buffalo, is one of the smallest markets in the league. A fresh new start in Los Angeles would be just thing remedy for the Jaguars. Also, I believe that L.A. would embrace the team.

San Diego Chargers: Issues with Qualcomm stadium and the city of San Diego continue to be sore subjects for both parties. New locations for a possible stadium come and go with the wind. When you speak to dedicated fans and ask them what they would think if the team moved, they say, "let them go." When the Chargers are competing for the AFC West title, the Q is packed. When they are not, you see a sea of the other team's jerseys. Also, San Diegans are no strangers to teams up and leaving them. Finally, the move would make the most sense geographically and economically. The diehard fans would travel to the new stadium, L.A. and Orange County fans would want to be a part of the scene, and so it would be a win-win for the NFL and Los Angeles. I certainly hope this does not happen. I think the Chargers belong in San Diego and that the best possible solution would be a stadium in North County, one that is close enough for L.A. and Orange County fans to come down to and support the team while San Diegans would still have the chance to keep the team in their county.

There is another scenario in which the NFL could get a team in Los Angeles and no current team, including the Chargers, would relocate to the San Fernando Valley. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has made it no secret that he would like to have a team in London. If this were to occur then it is highly possible that Los Angeles would get an expansion team and two additional teams would be added to the league.

Enough about the move, for everyone who saw the Chargers route of the Chiefs yesterday, don't get too excited, it was the Chiefs. For those who say "this is how we started last season" and are holding on to hope, start planning on next season, because even though yesterday's win was a dominant one, a few major hurdles remain. The first being a sense of loyalty to L.T. Norv Turner attempted, on four downs, to get L.T. a touchdown and failed all four times. It was pathetic. The defense, for the most part held their own, but once again…Chiefs. The third, and most important issue, is that the Broncos are flying high (in their balloon) in Denver and if they get past the Ravens this week, will amass a lead that I do not believe can be overcome, like last season. The Chargers will dominate the Raiders this weekend, but in order to get back into the race, they need the Ravens to step it up and bring the Broncos back down to earth, maybe in a nice, soft, grain field.

Final football note, my condolences go out to the family of Walt Daniels who died last week from injuries sustained after falling out of the Press Box prior to last Monday Night's game.

The San Diego Padres decided instead of history (hiring the first female GM) to go with Boston Red Sox GM, Theo Epstein's, protégé 35 year-old Jed Hoyer. You've got a mighty task in front of Hoyer, Good luck. Also in Padres news, CEO Jeff Moorad and the sales staff decided to send a mass mailing campaign urging former season tickets (of one I am which) to return in a highly glossed folder that came with a DVD of Moorad stating all the reasons why we should return. Let me share some of them with you…maybe you'll get excited and want to give the Padres your hard earned money:

1. They've kept the season ticket prices the same as 2009. How nice, they are not jacking up ticket prices from a team that lost 87 games and were essentially out of any race prior to the All Star Game. Come on, Jeff, you should be smarter than that. Lower the ticket prices and prove that you've got a decent squad for 2010 and then the fans will be willing to trust you.
   
2. Removed new membership and relocation fees. I've never heard of relocation fees and if you were charging new ticket holders fees to join, maybe that is why Petco was so empty last season.
   
3. Printed the day of the game price on season tickets instead of discount prices. The only people who ask to do this are ticket brokers who are trying to make a profit. Basically, you've just said, "okay third party ticket brokers, now we've given you a chance to hose our fans."
   
4. Given season ticket holders a "go to" account specialist. What did they do in the past, call an automated system? Was your customer service that bad in the past that you needed to revamp them with these new account specialists? Another reason why the stadium may have been so empty, but awful business practice if true.
   

He goes on to note some of the up and coming prospects. Whether or not they turn out to be good, I can assure you that up and coming prospects do not excite fans, especially in this economy. They want to know they are getting a bang for their buck and that bang is in the form of a big time, free agent…no, not like David Eckstein.

It is a desperate attempt, albeit a good and pretty one, I am just not sure fans are going to fall for it. From my days working for the Kansas City Royals, their fans knew that they could walk up on the day of the game and buy great seats behind home plate, thus they never bought packages. This is the future for the Padres unless they lower prices and bring in a big name that they can rally behind. In 2005/06, I was with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, California and even though they had a strong team, they brought in a few more free agents to make the team more solid. All that did was sell out the season ticket allotment for the first time in team history.

The last story I want to bring up is a "no good deed goes unpunished" tale. Hot tennis star Caroline Wozniacki (you remember her from the U.S. Open) was winning her first round match at the Luxemburg Open last week 7-5, 5-0 when she retired due to injury. She knew she was hurt and would not be able to compete in the next round, by retiring it would give her opponent the chance to go on. Well, she made the decision with her father/coach who came on the court to discuss her options with her. Too bad her dad could be heard on the open mike and thus a wave of bets in Europe for her opponent came pouring in, after the exchange. Wozniacki retires and a couple people make a quick buck. Gambling in tennis, like most sports, is a sin, but now Caroline's deed has come under fire. People believe her and her father had something under handed planned. I think that is ridiculous and I hope she gets better soon. Also, what casino's are allowing bets to continue to come in after the match begins? That's crazy.

Shout out to Mark McGwire the new batting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals. While others who took steroids continue to play, Manny, A-Rod, Pettitte, Big Papi and others, McGwire had to hide in the shadows (and yes I know he's never admitted it, but come on). He is one of the greatest hitters the game ever had and along with Sammy Sosa, helped save the game of baseball during their historic (although tainted) home run race.

A very not cool to Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson who has been throwing around homophobic slurs like hot potatoes lately. Now GLAAD (gay & lesbian alliance against defamation) is asking the NFL to take action. I certainly hope they do. Larry, come on man, I know you are frustrated with the way your team is playing and the decline of your career, but you don't need to use these words to express your emotions.

I think this is my longest blog to date. There was a lot to cover. Anyway, on November 5^th from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm there is a "Kick Off" party for my new book, San Diego's Finest Athletes: Five Exceptional Lives, it would be great to see you there. Here is the link to register. There are only 200 tickets remaining before the event sales out. Click on http://sunbeltbook.com/BookDetails.asp?id=203 to reserve your spot today!

Okay…now it’s time to bolt ship.

I wanted to wait until tonight's incredibly important and eventual season ending match up with the Broncos was over, before I wrote this. I think reliving the nightmare would be pointless, but with a 3.5 lead to overcome and already one loss, there is no chance for the Chargers to win the division. Also, there is no way the AFC West is sending two teams to the playoffs this year. The question remains, what went wrong? The Chargers were picked as Super Bowl favorites in the beginning of the season and no one gave the Broncos a second thought. Well, what happened is simply, the Charger defense is awful. The secondary can't wrap up and allows a ridiculous number of yards after the catch. Tonight Broncos Quarterback, Kyle Orton, had no pressure, while Philip Rivers was running for his life. The defense is not the only negative element to this ship wreck, L.T. can't block, he can't run, and he has a bad attitude. The two turn over's Rivers had were simply L.T.'s inability to block the oncoming rush. How is it that the 5'6 Darren Sproles can block monster defensive ends and L.T. can't? This was L.T.'s best game of the season and he had 68 yards. Wow, I'm impressed. It's time that L.T. backs up Sproles for good. Finally, on the first scoring drive, when L.T. was benched for Sproles, he threw a temper tantrum on the side line. L.T. you have no right to complain. You don't deserve the ball. Someone call Atlanta and beg for Michael Turner back. Finally, the play calling was abysmal. The Norv Turner chopping block conversation needs to begin soon, not until after the season of course, because…well, this season is over for all intents and purposes and what are we going to do, promote Ron Rivera? Yeah right. Curious to see what the crowds look like over the next couple of games? Raiders and Philly games should be okay, but K.C., Washington, and Cincinnati; it's going to tough a tough sale.

The Padres may be looking to make history with the choice of their new GM. Kim Ng; assistant GM for the Dodgers is being rumored as the top candidate to replace Kevin Towers. Wonder if that'll be a blow to Tower's masculinity? I think Ng would do an excellent job and the Padres could use the positive publicity, but as a man, Towers might be a bit embarrassed that he is being replaced by Ng. She's been with the Dodgers for 8 years after working for the Yankees and White Sox. Keep your eyes on Kim Ng, she may be running the show soon enough, especially since CEO Jeff Moorad seems like a hands off guy.

Up the freeway from Qualcomm, well take the 8 to the 5 and then north from there, the Angels may have saved their World Series hopes with a fantastic come from behind, extra inning game vs. the Yankees while the Dodgers in Philadelphia had the game and a chance to tie the series until the bottom of the ninth with two outs and Jonathon Broxton on the mound, they blew their lead and are now down 3-1 to the Phillies. As predicted, the Freeway series won't happen, but let's keep our eyes on the Angels. A Phillies – Yankees series will bore anyone not on the east coast. A final baseball note, the Dodgers – Phillies game on Sunday night got a worse rating in L.A. then the Sunday Night Football game, Bears vs. Falcons…I think Dodger fans have jumped ship already. That's a nice thought for Padre fans.

Major props to the Aztecs for hanging in with #18 BYU in a losing effort. The game was much closer than the 10 point loss seems.

USD men's soccer is alone at the top of the WCC and looking good for a national ranking. Our American footballers may not be up to par this year, but our college footballers are on top of their game and look to continue their streak against Loyola Marymount this Thursday.

A prayer for Walt Daniels, a Qualcomm Stadium worker who, prior to tonight's game, fell 30 feet from the Broncos Press Box to the Loge level. Daniels' sustained a head injury and was rushed to the hospital. No further update has been given on his condition.

My final thoughts on this week in the NFL are as follows, Favre looked good as the Vikings remain undefeated. Former Charger, Drew Brees was lights out against the Giants and will be leading his team to the Super bowl, possibly against former Charger Michael Turner and the Falcons. P.S. Brady's back. Six touchdowns, five in the second quarter, are you kidding me? Thank goodness he's my fantasy quarterback. Raiders shocked Philadelphia, but Eagles fans are too busy cheering on the Phillies to care. Rams, Lions and Redskins suck. Finally, all teams other then the Dolphins need to stop using the wild cat. You can't do it.

A shout out to Pini Gershon, head coach for the Maccabi Tel-Aviv Israeli basketball team who threw an awesome tirade in the team's preseason charity match up against the New York Knicks. Pini refused to leave the court after being ejected for disputing a call until a Rabbi came down to the court and calmed him down. You have to see this.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4574912

A not so cool to Steelers tight end Matt Spaeth for being cited in public for peeing in the street outside a bar after the Steelers win over the Browns on Sunday. Kicker Jeff Reed was arrested for public intoxication. Come on guys, you beat the Browns? Is it really a cause for that much celebration?

That's it for this week. I'm going to mope some more over the Chargers loss, but not for too much longer.

On November 5^th, the San Diego Hall of Champions will be hosting a "Kick Off" party to celebrate the release of my book, San Diego's Finest Athletes: Five Exceptional Lives, the event will start at 5:30 pm and last until 7:30 pm. The cost to attend is $15, but that gets you an autographed copy of the book, participation in the discussion on the book, sports themed snacks, and access to the museum. I hope to see you there. Please contact me with any questions.