========Hacksaw’s Monday Bonus Podcast-1-30pm
You Tube Channel-Lee Hacksaw Hamilton
Hot Topics on the Table..Stay for Fans Forum
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“STORIES & OPINIONS”
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A unique Sunday, considering there was no NFL to watch on my TV-your TV.
So I went Channel surfing and saw some good-some bad-some that merit comments.

DODGERS-PADRES..Should have been a fun thing to see, but instead of the renewal of a great rivalry, the Cactus League game was  ‘your farmhands-beat-my farmhands’.  Not much for the paying public to see at Camelback Ranch.  First weekend of spring training games, okay, but fans really want to see the stars, not the kids who will be at El Paso-Oklahoma City-San Antonio or Amarillo.

DINGED UP..Two of the pitchers you think would be in the running to be setup men for the Friars bullpen are out…Sean Reynolds with a possible stress fracture of his foot, and Bryan Hoeing with shoulder soreness.  They have 5-weeks to get healthy.

GOOD NEWS..Dodgers pitchers on the mound came away feeling good.  Dustin May with electric stuff in his 1-inning of 95mph heat against the Padres.  Good, considering the dangers he had from that emergency throat surgery last year.  Shohei Ohtani took first live batting practice on top of 3-strong bullpen sessions within a week.

ANGELS..I don’t know what to take out of the weekend.  Their pitching staff gave up 24-runs in 2-spring training games, and nobody has really hit either.

AZTECS..Your heart had to sink seeing Magoon Gwath go down two minutes into the game at Utah State with a hyperextended knee.  Whatever the injury is, sprained knee, bruised knee, or worse-torn meniscus or ligament, it is not good for SDSU’s tournament hopes.  And they have to turn around and play New Mexico on Tuesday too.

I AM NOT BIG…I don’t give out ‘Moral Victory speeches’ or ‘Participation Trophies’ but SDSU’s gritty comeback at Utah State without their star big man game was an ultimate compliment to hard work and grit, to rally, wipe out a deficit, actually take a lead, even if it ended badly at the free throw line.  They are (18-7) and in trouble.

UCSD..The other team in town is really good.  What a job by Eric Olsen, what a collection of smart guy-student athletes, who shoot threes, rebound, move the ball and win.  And with their win over UCI and then Irvine’s followup loss, the Tritons are in lst place heading to the Big West Tourney.

CHARGERS..Hard to believe this might happen, the Bolts releasing Joey Bosa and risking the loss of Khalil Mck, one a cap decision, the other a free agent issue.  Just do not think the Chargers want to pay Mack 30M a year at his age, and will not pay Bosa, whose cap figure is now 36M plus next season.  Solid-strong players, but on a team that has not won much even with Justin Herbert at QB.

RAMS..Speaking of not buying into this, if the Rams trade QB-Matthew Stafford they take a big salary cap hit.  Same if they release him.  How does that value you rather than giving him an extension, keeping continuity and trying to get back to the Super Bowl one last chance.  And WR-Cooper Kupp will depart, so names you knew-liked-trusted will be exiting.  Hopefully Stafford will not.  Not for Aaron Rodgers I hope.

LAKERS-CLIPPERS…Roller coaster rides here.  The Lakers lose awful games to lowly Utah-Charlotte, then go into Denver and trash the Nuggets and the 9-game winning streak they had.  Weird watching Luka Doncic lumber up and down the floor.  But he did hit shots, lots of them.  And on that night, opposing big game, the Joker, Nikola Jokic had two baskets in 35 minutes.  The Clippers, why do I get the feeling they are on borrowed time with Kawhi Leonard.  Now he has a foot issue in addition to the monitoring of his career long knee issues.  He is building his minutes and contributing but not to the explosive nights he has had in the past.  Just don’t think this comeback will work out like fans hope it will.  His greatness may be in the rear view mirror.

HOCKEY…They may not be a playoff team, the Ducks, but they are playing better with all these young kids staying on the ice and starting to produce.  7-wins-in 8-games is something we have not seen here in awhile.  And the AHL-Gulls young kids are playing well. A (7-1-1) spurt has to feel good, with young forwards Sam Colangelo, Sasha Pastujov, Nestor Nestorinko and vets Justin Bailey and Ryan Carpenter starting to score consistently.  Matt McIlvane has the ‘patience of Job’ coping with the trials of young guys sent here by the Ducks trying to learn in the AHL, or survive in the AHL.

ALL THINGS SOOCER…What a start for SDFC-our MLS expansion team, the Sunday road win debut against the Champion LA Galaxy in their yard.  Anders Dreyer scored 2-goals on rocket shots off his left foot in the 2-0 win…Overwhelmed early SDFC weathered the barrage and dominance and got stronger and stronger as the game moved deep into the second half.  A 2-0 opening day win..awesome.

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