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“Bad Baseball Now-Better Baseball Coming-Starting Tonight”

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This Petri Dish Experiment of a baseball season is almost thankfully over for the Padres, the fans, the media.

The team has 3-more homesteads left after they finish up with the Angels and Diamondbacks this week.

This week may well be the beginning of next year.

The team continues to move the chairs on the deck of the sinking season Titanic around, and may be about to embark on what a true everyday lineup looks like.

Eric Hosmer has been rock solid at first base, though not hitting for much power.

Across the diamond, Wil Meyers will move into the 3rd base role, the 5th different position he has played since coming here from Tampa Bay years ago. He can hit, and he likely can master the hot corner.

Although there has been a committee at 2nd base, Luis Urias will be here in less than a year from the minor leagues.

Ditto for Fernando Tatis, the shortstop of the future, sitting out the rest of this season with rehab from wrist surgery after back to back quality minor league seasons..

Freddy Galvis has been the glue that has held the infield together, playing shortstop like no one has played in years-decades, maybe back to the Ozzie Smith-Gary Templeton era. Keeping him around will be pricey, but he has played so well here.

The utility guys will be part of all this, Corey Spangenberg, Carlos Asuaje and the occasional long ball blasts of Christian Villanueva, who hit (.338) with power in April, but since May 1st, has a composite batting average of (.200) but does hit some home runs.

The outfield now appears set, if Myers is the 3rd baseman. Hunter Renfroe continues to grow on offense and defense, and can play both corner roles.

Manny Margot has stormed back from a bad first half, and is back doing what he did last year in center field.

Maybe there’s a platoon in left between Franchy Cordero and Franmill Reyes. Cordero has gifts but is streaky. Reyes has been a surprise at times with the bat, but a bit of a challenge with the glove.

Travis Jankowski becomes a key multi-position guy, with critical abilities to get on base, run the bases, and chase fly balls down in the field.

Austin Hedges remains the lead catcher and is hitting better now than ever. And Francisco Mejia is waiting in the wings to be part of the receiving corps by next spring.

The biggest question going forward will be the health of all the arms on the mound, in what likely next year will be the youngest starting rotation in baseball.

AJ Preller’s blueprint is not yet complete, because the young hurlers have to prove they can be trusted start to start, but at least there are lots of numbers to give a look see too, up top, and as many at least 5-more starters waiting in line in El Paso and San Antonio.

Up next will be Logan Allen, Cal Quantrill, Walker Lockett, Miguel Diaz and Chris Paddack.

I looked at the Phillies this past weekend. They’ve built with the farm system. Two years ago horrible. Last year growing. This year tied for 1st place with Atlanta. And the Phillies are not a complete team yet.

The Padres, if they can keep this lineup on the field together, they could be the Phillies a year or two from now.

And that’s a lot better than what they have been in the last decade in San Diego. This week at home should be a sneak preview to all things next year.

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“NFL preseason-Some good-Lots bad”

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Opening weekend of the NFL preseason. A few good performances, and a lot of really bad football. The NFL should be embarassed with the quality on the field, but they won’t say so, just take your money.

My scorecard.

BAKER MAYFIELD…what a start for the Browns…(221P-2TD)…moved the pocket…maintained progressions down the field…amazingly accurate with pressure all around…very composed..very impressive.

SAQUON BARKLEY…Giants running back rips off 39-yard run…..shifty…broke tackles…great cutback steps…pretty impressive in brief cameo appearance.

LAMAR JACKSON…Two games in for Ravens, just (11-28) passing…inaccuarate….scrambles first-not comfortable in pocket…not handling pressure.

SAM DARNOLD…Jets rookie really played well (96P-1TD) stayed in pocket-made strong throws.

JOSH ROSEN…Cardinals rookie had to scramble a lot…winged a lot of passes…unfair to judge playing with 3rd string…athletic-not very big though…went (6-13) 41Y-passing under duress.

ANDREW LUCK….1st outing in 19-months-went (6-9) took some hits made some plays….young OL did well.

RYAN TANNEHILL…coming off 2nd knee operation wasn’t around long enough to show much (4-6) 32Y.

BROCK OSWEILER….same in Miami as in Denver (10-21) not much there in terms of consistency.

CAM NEWTON…didn’t do much in new Norv Turner offense but it’s early.

ROBERT GRIFFIN III…now played two games (148Y) passing and playing well as Baltimore backup.

NATHAN PETERMAN…Bills rookie threw 5-picks in first NFL start-never started again…first preseason game (9-10)-not bad.

RASHAAD PENNY….Tough first game for Seattle…(8C-16Y) rushing-not much offensive line help.

DERRIOUS GUICE….Season already over-torn knee ligament in first NFL preseason game for Redskins-tough blow for him..

CHRIS WARREN…Virtual unknown, son of Seahawks RB, good debut game for Jon Gruden-Raiders (86Y) rushing.

MASON RUDOLPH….Good first game for rookie from Oklahoma State (121Y) passing in 3-way battle for backup QB-job.

SHAQ GRIFFEN…Seahawks rookie everywhere on field making plays..9-solo tackles..enormous feel good story-athlete playing with just 1-hand after child-hood disease claimed left hand.

CODY KESSLER…Cleveland refugee (139P) 2TD in first outing in Jacksonville.

DESHONE KIZER-BRETT HUNDLEY….Packers backkup QBs combined for (243Y) passing.

PAT MAHOMES…..not much for Chiefs rookie starting QB and heir apparent to Alex Smith …5-completions-33Y.

CHAD KELLY….takes firm control Broncos backup QB job (177-2 Tis) in Denver blowout loss.

KIRK COUSINS….goes (4-4) TD in Vikings easy win.

CASE KEENUM…Denver got 1-completion…5Y-passing in only series.

GENO SMITH….Wild first game for Chargers (218P) with TD-pick-fumble-3 sacks and 43-run.

CARDALE JONES…Maybe make him Chargers TE…(50P) and very erratic throwing ball….looks too mechanical

SEAN MANNION….Rams 3rd year QB goes (3-13) in horrible loss to Baltimore.

CONNOR COOK…That was a good (141Y) passing day for Raiders.

TAYSOM HILL…A combined (124Y) passing-running for Saints for ex-BYU-QB.

TYLER BRAY (181Y) 1TD passing…second strong outing in Bears camp for ex-Chiefs backup.

CHARGERS…Really ugly loss….4-turnovers-4 sacks allowed-15 penalties for 155-yards….missed field goal…allowed 2-big kick returns

RAMS….Started all backups-got blown out…didn’t compete very much in bad loss in Baltimore…

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“Football-Futbol-It All Begins”

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The NFL preseason is underway, so football fans get their fix weekly now.

The Futbol season has begun to, for soccer fans, as the English Premier League kicks off this weekend, coming on the heels of the spectacular World Cup we saw in Russia.

The 20-team league kicks off with a full slate of games this weekend in England.

All eyes will be on Manchester City to see if they can continue the dominance of a year ago, and why not. Record wins, record points, record number of goals scored.

It all begins on Friday night. A quick look at storylines.

MANCHESTER CITY….Pep Guardiola returns this high powered team intact. Kevin DeBruyn comes off an amazing World Cup, and now the Citizens add Riyad Mahrez, from Liverpool, comes on board in a transfer deal, joining other big names like Sterling, Silva and Kyle Walker.

MANCHESTER UNITED….A summer of distractions for Coach Josie Mourinho, an unhappy Paul Pogboa, a volatile coaching style, an uncomfortable relationship with players. Mourinho campaigned heavily for this job, and now it may blow up in his face. A summer of trouble could be coming to Old Trafford.

TOTTENHAM HOT SPUR….A strange summer of inactivity on the player front. Harry Kane has become a super star, but do they have enough?

LIVERPOOL…40-goal scorer Mohammad Salah returns after rejecting offers to go elsewhere. They add international star goalie Alisson, but won’t have star Alex Chamberlain for the year with knee problems. Jorge Klopp is held in high regard as coach.

CHELSEA….What a couple of week leading up to the start of the season. Keeper Thibault Courtois is on his way to Real Madrid. They spent 83M to acquire Kepa Arrizabalaga from Spain and Mateo Kovacic from Real Madrid. Still to be determined what becomes of Eden Hazard. On top of all this, a new leader in coach Mauricio Sarri.

ARSENAL…For the first time in 22-years, there is no Arsene Wenger pacing the sidelines. . Coming on board is midfielder Lucas Torseira and Pierre Aubamayeng is a star in the making. Unami Emery replaces Wenger as manager.

EVERTON…..Wayne Rooney has gone to MLS, Lucas Degne comes in with great credentials, and they’ve added Yerry Mina, Jorginho and Richardson. They could be a big time team. for new lease Marco Silva..

LEICESTER CITY….Might be a big bounce back season, with Harry Maguire and Jamie Vardy bordering on star status after World Cup play, but there’s not much left from the champion Foxes team of just two seasons ago..

FULHAM…This bears watching, as they have added 10-free agents via the transfer route after climbing into the EPL during the relegation period. They just spent 38M to acquire French goals Andre Auguissa from Marseille. The Cottagers are joined by Cardiff and Wolverhampton are the other new teams in the EPL.

“Making Money-Always Unhappy”

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They’re all making enormous money in pro sports. The superstars are earning 20-to-30M per year.

Thanks to the strength of the Players Unions, the last man on the roster makes anywhere from 500K to 1.5M per year.

And they are constantly unhappy.

It is the American way to get as much as you can from your boss on the job. But in our life and times, you wonder where the ceiling is, where the common sense it.

Go around sports, NFL to NBA to MLB to NHL, and the salaries are boggling.

I know fans cannot identify with these players, those salary figures, and the prevelant unhappiness that always seems to be out there.

I laugh when I remember the discontent of Latrell Spreewell, the legendary Golden State Warrior-NY Knicks star, who said he would not sign a 16M per year contract extension because he worried he couldn’t feed his family. He never got another offer.

Today’s pro athlete and their agents are always about one-upping the last big contract given.

So Kirk Cousins goes to Minnesota for 30M a year starting this year. Le’Veon Bell is unhappy with his 14.5M franchise tag fee.

Aaron Donald wants 20M per season from the Rams, because they just gave Todd Gurley-Brendin Cooks 16M apiece.

We are approaching the 40M per year player in the NBA, see what Kevin Durant asks for next year.

LeBron James goes to the Lakers for 36M a year.

Here comes free agency for Bryce Harper, and you can bet that agent Scott Boras will seek 10Y-400M for the Washington Nationals slugger.

The unions have done a good job helping the players earn huge dollars. If not the owners would be reaping all the profits and the players would be forever at their mercy.

But you wonder where it all ends. The average salary in baseball is at an all time high, 4.4M per player, and that includes the pitchers with ERA’s of 7.92 and the utilityman hitting (.191), in addition to what Jose Altuve earns..

The NBA has a record 81-players earning the ‘max’ salaries allowable under the current collective bargaining agreement. Did you know there were 81-superstars in the league?

The NFL pays virtually all its star players north of 15M a season, and quarterbacks now approach the 20-to-30M range.

Even the NHL has its collection of 8-10 and now 11M a year players.

The fan in the stands has to pay 200-to-300 dollars a ticket to get the choice seats. What does it cost a family of four to go to a game?

But as a Dodgers player lectured me. “No one ever complains what Tom Hanks, Bruce Springsteen, Mick Jagger or Demi Moore makes. Go enjoy the concert, the movie, the game. Let us earn what the market is willing to pay us.”

Guess the question is, how much is too much? For the player to earn? For the fan to pay? For the owners profit margins?

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“NFL Preseason Games-We Have Questions”

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Let the games begin, four weeks of preseason games, as teams try to fit new players into systems, get injured players back healthy, and become new coaching staffs. Here are the talking points for each team.

ARIZONA…Can Sam Bradford stay healthy at QB….How fast do they bring along UCLA rookie QB-Josh Rosen…Have they fixed the OL with free agent signings Justin Pugh-Andre Smith?

ATLANTA..Julio Jones holdout lasted one day-back healthy and happy…How quickly can rookie WR-Calvin Ridley become a player?

BALTIMORE…Lots of pressure on Joe Flacco to throw down the field-but adding 3-WRs including Michael Crabtree helps…Will Lamar Jackson be a special player in certain packages at QB?

BUFFALO…AJ McCarron comes in as the likely starter at QB…High 1st round pick Josh Allen is being brought along slowly…DT-Star Lotolelei joins a good defense…A healthy WR-Kelvin Benjamin makes a difference.

CAROLINA…Cam Newton meet Norv Turner-this will be fun…Add Torrey Smith-DJ Moore and Christian McCaffrey and this will be a dynamic offense…Getting Cam to complete more passes the key.

CHICAGO…The Mitch Trubisky era begins at QB…Adding 3WRs-including Alan Robinson will help. Can they score a lot-remains to be seen…..Is Matt Nagy the right choice as new head coach?

CINCINNATI….Andy Dalton needs a bounce back year, so does coach Marvin Lewis….Adding OL-Cordy Glenn and Billy Price helps..does Joe Mixon become a star RB?

CLEVELAND…Spent loads of money on free agents, and drafted a lot of talent, so (1-31) should be in the rear-view mirror..Tyrod Taylor starts at QB-with 1st round pick Baker Mayfield waiting his chance…Jarvis Landry adds a lot to the offense…But WR-Josh Gibson’s personal issues are again part of the conversation…Will it all come together to save coach Hue Jackson?

DALLAS…Life after Dez Bryant begins, but Tavon Austin and rookie Mike Gallup seem ready to contribute…do they have game breakers to help Dak Prescott and Zeke Elliott, and can the troubled players on defense stay on the field?

DENVER….Case Keenum will give them bullet-proof QB work…Is Royce Freeman the answer at RB…will they find game breakers at wide receiver and tight end? Defense has lots of miles on it.

DETROIT….New leader in Matt Patricia…same old problems though, not enough around QB-Matt Stafford….Ziggy Ansuh needs help on defense…do they have a run game?

GREEN BAY….A real foray into free agency for the first time, signing 6-players from the outside…Mo Wilkerson and Jimmie Grahame come on board to help Aaron Rodgers.

HOUSTON…Will QB-Deshaun Watson be 100% and dynamic as he was as a rookie…..Is this a healthy year for JJ Watt and Jadeveon Clowney?

INDIANAPOLIS….Andrew Luck returns after 19-months of rehab….and 3-new OL on the roster bring in strong credentials….Can TE-Eric Ebron find stardom with the Colts? Can Luck stay healthy?

JACKSONVILLE….Blake Bortels had a huge season, now can he take another step forward…New help in OL with OG-Andrew Norwell, and a load of running backs…No one takes the Jags lightly this year.

KANSAS CITY…..It’s goodbye Alex Smith, hello young QB-Patrick Mahomes and a complete turnover on offense, and a rebuild on defense. Going to be an interesting year at Arrowhead. Lots of changes for Andy Reid’s team….Offense great-defense questionable?

LA CHARGERS….Philip Rivers, Keenan Allen, Melvin Gordon and role players make a pretty good offense but they then lost TE-Hunter Henry….Rebuilt the secondary with 1st round pick Derwin James, but then lost Jason Verrett….Must prove they can stop the run and didn’t add much to address that in offseason. Cannot afford any more injuries.

LA RAMS….Loaded on offense…loaded on defense….loaded with quality coaching. Jared Goff-Todd Gurley and the WR corps exceptional…Now you add Nadomakong Suh-Marcus Peters-Aqid Talib to the mix, and this could be an explosive team…..Or could it implode with the personalities on the team. Are they ever going to treat DT-Aaron Donald fairly in year three of this contract dispute?

MIAMI…Ryan Tannehill needs to stay healthy after two knee injuries…WR’s Danny Amendola and Albert Wilson comes in to help…but this team got rid of big names like Suh-Landry-Ajayi.

MINNESOTA….Kirk Cousins-big contract-big throwing yardage…RB-Dalvin Cook comes off knee injury…Sheldon Richardson joins a great defense…what a year ahead for the Vikings.

NEW ENGLAND…Must find a LT to replace Nate Solder, and Tom Brady will be without Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola to start…Young defense really grew up on the job last year…but OL is big issue right now?

NEW ORLEANS….RB-Marc Ingram is suspended to start the season…the defense gets an upgrade in LB-Alex Okafor and Marcus Davenport, and Drew Bree’s shows no signs of slowing down.

NY GIANTS….RB-Saquon Barkley arrives with a power run style to help Eli Manning and Odell Beckham. Pat Shurmur and GM-Dave Gentleman are going to change the personality of the team…Must solve the issues with Beckham contract and the clashes of Eli Apple-Landon Collins.

NY JETS….A new QB is in the offing, Sam Darnold or Ted Bridgewater. A rebuilt defensive front is coming in. Uncertainty at WR and RB. Do they have the right parts?

OAKLAND…Here comes Jon Gruden’s leadership to direct QB-Derek Carr….New look WR-group led by Jordy Nelson…..Doug Martin joins RB-Marshawn Lynch and they added 2-OTs in draft…Big questions on defense…they rented a lot of free agents to help that side of the ball….and must address the Khalil Mack contract issue…Will this be a power-ball team till the defense grows up?

PHILADELPHIA….Carson Wentz will be back opening day, and so will insurance policy QB-Nick Foles…..return to complete health of Jason Peters and Barrett Brooks in OL adds even more to great team….What a defense too.

PITTSBURGH….Big Ben and AB…Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown are superb but this cloud cover contract issue with Le’Veon Bell still looms out there….Upgrades on defense with Jon Bostic, Morgan Burnett and Terrell Edmonds should take the sting out of the career ending loss of LB-Ryan Shazier.

SAN FRANCISCO …What a start for QB-Jimmy Garoppolo, and now they add Mike McGlinchey-OT and Dante Pettis at WR, plus free agents C-Weston Richberg and CB-Richard Sherman….Big season coming?

SEATTLE….A complete overhaul…Everything around QB-Russell Wilson is new, led by RB-Rashaad Penny from SDSU…..How do you replace Richard Sherman-Michael Bennett-Kam Chancellor-Earl Thomas?

TAMPA BAY….No James Winston to start the season…Big challenge for Coach Dirk Koetter…but what a haul on defense with Vin Curry-Beau Allen-Vita Via-Jason Pierre Paul joining DT-Gerald McCoy….Keep an eye on USC rookie RB-Ronnie Jones too.

TENNESEE..Mike Vrable comes in as head coach and so do FA’s-Malcom Butler and Dion Lewis to help QB-Marcus Mariota and the defense…Do they have enough firepower?

WASHINGTON….Alex Smith arrives-Kirk Cousins exits for a big payday….but they need lots of help on offense…Watch RB-Derrius Grice and new WR-Paul Richardson, maybe they get things done, to help an overburdened defense.

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