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“Thinking Outside the Box-On a Tuesday”

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Padres….Wouldn’t it be nice if the Padres stopped trading veteran players having good seasons? The young kids are playing better, and a veteran starting staff has had more good starts lately than bad ones, and the bullpen has found its niche and role. Why trade Brad Hand, Brandon Mauer, Jhoulys Chacin or Travor Cahill. The Padres have added 110-young players to the organization thru the draft and international free agency since June lst of 2016. How many more young players do you need to develop? How poor will this season and next be, if you move more veterans off a fairly young roster?

Chargers….The building is almost empty and you ache when you drive by it, Chargers Park in Mission Valley. Be prepared for emptiness a week from now when NFL training cmaps open, and we have no team to watch, nor talk about. You do remember the days of the open training camp in the Pacific Breeze on the UCSD-campus?

Aztecs….They are the only team in town now, and yet they continue to do business in a strange way. SDSU is holding its football media day on Thursday, with players given access to TV and newspaper working media. But Coach Rocky Long and his staff won’t be part of it. Makes no sense, when you have a captured media in attendance, not to flood them with every possible interview guest you can, especially with a vibrant quote a minute guy like Long..

Lakers…A fascinating two weeks in the Las Vegas Summer League, the growth of Lonzo Ball as their lead guard…the sharp-shooting of Kyle Kouzma, the Utah rookie…and the discovery of explosive guard Vander Blue. They still need help with veterans on the roster though aside from the importing of C-Brook Lopez..

Clippers…Weeks ago Jerry West said ‘changes are painful-but you have to make changes’, and so he did with the Chris Paul-blockbuster trade to the Houston Rockets. He got firepower in guards Pat Beverly and Lou Williams…a 3-point shooter in Sam Dekker and then imported Dino Gallinari and his offense from Denver. It will be a very different team, more athletic, a bit younger.

Gulls…They didn’t lose their coach, but they lost their goaltender if the off season deals. Dallas Eakins did interview last week for the Arizona Coyotes-NHL job that went to Rick Tocchett, and has bypassed the chance to go be an NHL assistant. But as he returns, they lose goalie Jhonas Enroth, who is headed to the KHL to play in Russia this season. The Gulls will get 30-year old goalie Rito Berra, a former Florida Panther, who played in Switzerland last year.

Golf..Phil Mickelson looks sharp in practice rounds at Royal Birkdale. Can he string 4-rounds in a row to win the British Open this week in Southampton.

Horse Racing..The summer racing season kicks into gear at Delmar this week, with Bob Baffert’s stables showing off Arrowgate in what promises to be a couple of weeks of entertainment where the Turf meets the Surf.

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