Hacksaw returns…

Will be posting on this website later Sunday evening.

Good to be back

Hacksaw

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“Bad Day–Padres–Chargers”

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It’s been a bad week for both the Padres and the Chargers.

The Padres, headed to the playoffs next week, might have to start the postseason without the ace of the pitching staff.

The Chargers head to weekend three of the schedule without their starting quarterback, his unavailability because of a medical issue with a team doctor.

Not good news on either front.

Mike Clevinger, the huge trade deadline acquisition from the Cleveland Indians, came off the mound after 1-inning in his latest start against the Angels.  The max-effort righthander threw 12-pitches, but tweaked his lower bicep near his elbow after throwing a curveball to the second batter he faced.

He felt tightness, felt a twinge, just two days after threw a 25 pitch bullpen session where he did not feel anything wrong with his arm.  He is a power pitcher, who has wicked stuff, and power delivery.

Biceps are scary.  The location, down near the blow, is scary too.  And these type of injuries, inflammation, need time to heal, and the Padres don’t have time.  They start the National League playoffs next week.

If Clevinger cannot take a playoff start, things get complicated, because fellow starter Chris Paddack has had just 1-quality start in his last 7-outings, with an ERA over 6.00-in that span.

Meanwhile the scary story with Chargers QB-Tyrod Taylor has become a hot story nationwide.  Taylor suffered a cracked rib in the season opening first series in Cincinnati.  He played the entire game, but the situation got worse last week.

Limited in practice, Taylor finally had x-rays late in the week that showed two cracked ribs.

The quarterback took a pain-killing injection Sunday morning, hours before the 2nd game kickoff against the Chiefs.  He developed pain in his chest, then had breathing problems during warmups..

Now we find out a team doctor, who gave him the pain-killing injection on Sunday morning, missed the rib, and punctured a lung.  That led to the breathing and pain problem.

Borderline malpractice?  A bad medical mistake?  This is a bad look for the Chargers organization.  Accidents like this should not happen.

Cracked ribs take time to heal.  A damaged lung is much more serious.

We have not heard the end of this story.  The NFL Union wants answers.  The doctor has not been identified, disciplined, or removed from the staff, yet, but this is serious-very serious.

One wonders what the feeling is inside the Chargers locker-room in terms of “trust of the medical people” employed by the club.

There has been a history of medical treatment issues with Charges team doctors, dating back to the Junior Seau pre-suicide health issues, all the way back to the Chargers drug scandals in the 1970s with pep pills…and pain killeers.

Yes, rookie QB-Justin Herbert played very well against the Chiefs, so he will keep the team competitive , but he is a rookie, and more big games are up next on the schedule.

And Taylor has been told he will not be playing for an indefinite period of time.

This is not a good time, with a Padres team that is now hurt, not hitting, and has lost 5-of-7.  Not a good time for the Chargers either, with a big picture question about the medical care given to players.

Injuries are part of the game.  Treatment of injuries, the intangible part of the Padres-Chargers seasons, is important too.

Bad day hopefully does not turn into a bad week and impact what many hoped would bea good season.

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“NFL-Quarterbacks—Changing of the Guard”

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You know it will happen one day.
The Quarterbacks will be gone.
Maybe it’s happened and we did not even know it.
Maybe it is common place, but still it’s tough to see great ones go.

John Elway retired.  so did Peyton Manning.
Andrew Luck up and left injured.
Eli Manning left saddled with losses and interceptions.

We knew the next wave had arrived, led by Russell Wilson and all things-Seattle. , Deshaun Watson. can play but needs more help around him in Houston.
Patrick Mahomes is now into his 3rd year of explosive Sundays in Kansas City.

Here came Lamar Jackson and his dynamic Baltimore skills.
Jared Goff had success early, going to the Super Bowl already..
Dak Prescott has won alot but not the big one in Dallas.
Ben Roethlisberger has a Hall of Fame resume in Pittsburgh and still time left on the clock.

A new coach and a new lease on life in Green Bay for Aaron Rodgers.
It has been fascinating to watch Cam Newton in New England on a changing team.
Who knows what to think about Jim Garoppolo in San Francisco.

We are waiting for Sam Darnold to become a star, but that is a bad Jets team right now..
The same for young Giants 2nd year thrower Daniel Jones on a really bad  team.
Drew Lock has shown flashes in Denver but now is hurt.

Others washed out like Blake Bortels.
The jury is still out on Mitch Trubisky in Chicago.
Ryan Tannehill won at the end of last season in Tennessee, but can he do it again?
Derek Carr seems caught in the middle of a love-me..love me not career in Las Vegas.

Carson Wentz seems to be regressing in Philadelphia.
One fears Matthew Stafford is wasting away in Detroit.
Ryan Fitzppatrick is minding the store in Miami for the time being waiting for Tua.
Alex Smith got hurt, robbed of greatness at the top of his career..

Gardner Minshew seems like a gunslinger, but can he win in Jacksonville.
It might be too early to determine Dwayne Haskins future with Washington.

Matt Ryan seems to be a man left behind by the collapse of his Atlanta Falcons.
Teddy Bridgewater is trying to hold onto his career, now in Carolina
Kirk Cousins has played poorly in Minnesota, and that’s alot of money he makes.

Who knows what to make of the ups-downs of Cleveland’s Baker Mayfield.
Josh Allen seems to have arrived now that he has good people around him in Buffalo.
And Kyler Murray is wowing everyone in Arizona.
Justin Herbert was pretty flashy in his Chargers debut.
Joe Burrow is a big game player on a low talent grade Cincinnati team.

This season may be the last for three future Hall of Famers.
Philip Rivers still wants to make big plays for the Colts, but is not the same he was before.
Sadly Drew Brees looks to be the middle of the road aging veteran in New Orleans.
Tom Brady has not dominated yet in his debut games in Tampa Bay.

The NFL is all about quarterbacks.
You got one good for you.
You have an old one-good luck this year
You don’t have one, you better draft one soon.

The most important position in the NFL, quarterback, undergoing a changing of the guard.

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“Padres Playoffs…Who-Where-Why?”

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They will play meaningful games in October, the Padres, something they have not done since 2006.

They hope to do something they haven’t done since 1998-win a playoff series.

They have a legitimate chance to win and play deeper into October, not just show up for the Wildcard round, but move to the Divisional playoffs, and who knows, maybe to the NLCS.

PITCHING…..You need starters,you need relievers, you need strength in numbers.  And the Padres have developed that.  You can pick your lead starter from Mike Clevinger, a former World Series starter with the Indians, or Dinelson Lamet, the strikeout artist, who has dominated in the short season.  Unsung hero is Zach Davies, a steady, former 16-game winner in Milwaukee.  Waiting in the wings is Chris Paddack, the ex-Angels ace Garrett Richards, and even third year starter Joey Luchessi if need be.  The key is that the Padres have starters who can be turned into long relievers in post season, guaranteeing you innings if starters have a shaky start.

RELIEVERS…A select group to choose from when the phone rings in the bullpen.  Trevor Rosenthal is hot as the closer right now.  Drew Pomeranz now has closer qualities in his portfolio.  Lefthander Matt Strahm is trustworthy in a setup role.  Craig Stammen has provided  similar results from the right side.  There is no Kirby Yates because of elbow surgery, but look at the depth.  Look around the other teams, you don’t see this kind of strength in numbers.

BATTING ORDER….They are dangerous, because they can all get hot and hit.  They get on base, they work at bats deep into the count, they drive in runs, and they hit homers, lots of homers with the bases loaded.  A strong bounceback season for Manny Machado, positioning himself as a true MVP candidate.  Wil Myers has ended three years of misery with a strong season.  Trent Grisham has proven dangerous at the top of the order.  Fernando Tatis, despite a late season slump, continues to be dangerous and dynamic.  Jake Cronenworth has pushed himself into the ‘Rookie of the Year’ conversation.  Eric Hosmer is back healthy.  Catcher-Austin Nola has given the team quality work with the glove and is hitting.  Add in off the bench bat Greg Garcia’s productivity, and the experience of Mitch Moreland, and this is a good team.

GLOVES….They play the shift exceptionally well.  The left side of the infield is spectacular.  They chase down balls in the alleys, thanks to the tenacity of Grisham and the speed of Jurickson Profar.  This is an under-rated chunk of this success story.

THE OPPOSITION…With the final week upon us, who knows whom the Padres will get to play in the best of three opening round at Petco Park.  It might be the Cardinals, plagued by the Covid outbreak and nagging injuries.  The Phillies have bats, but an ailing Bryce Harper and JT Realmuto,plus a really thin pitching staff.  Somehow Miami, and all those kids, are still in the race, despite being the epicenter of the baseball outbreak at the start of the season.  Cincinnati has had injury after injury to its lineup.  If healthy, they could get hot and starting hitting.  The Giants are still in the chase with a patchwork batting order and a strange starting rotation.

THE SCOUTING REPORT….Regardless of who qualifies for the final 4-playoff spots in the NL race, none of those teams shapes up equal to what the Padres can put on the field, in the batters box, or on the mound.  The Padres are positioned to go deep into October.  How does a showdown series vs the Dodgers feel?  Looks good to me.  And you?

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“Chargers Statement Game”

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When does a loss actually feel like a win?

Circle Sunday on your calendar because the Chargers had the lead, nearly beat the Super Bowl champions, then lost late in overtime.

In the face of fierce adversity, the loss of their starting quarterback right before kickoff, lining up 1st round draft pick Justin Herbert in place of the ailing Tyrod Taylor, the Chargers ambushed the Chiefs defense.

It was a coming out party for the debut of Herbert, the highly regarded Oregon Duck quarterback.  It was as good a play-calling game for Shane Steichen, the newly minted offensive coordinator.  And it was a salute to well-travelled QB-coach Pep Hamilton, to be able to get the rookie QB ready on short notice.

Indirectly too, a gold star for GM-Tom Telesco, whose draft picks continue to shine.  The arrival of tough guy RB-Joshua Kelly.  The impact of 2nd year DE-Jerry Tillery, making an plays at his new position.  And a besieged offensive line got some more good performances from Forest Lamp and Trey Pipkins.

And for coach Anthony Lynn, it was a significant step forward in his efforts to remold the team in his personality, tough as cement.

It was a stunning story at kickoff, Herbert trotting on the field.  it was a tremendous first half of accomplishments, outgaining KC (301-136).  It was pretty impressive to knock around Chiefs superstar QB-Patrick Mahomes to the tune of 2-sacks, 9-hits and 11-pressures.

Did Andy Reid and Mahomes figure things out in the second half, of course they did, gassing the Bolts defense, piling up 278-yards after halftime and using two 58-yard field goals to finally win the afternoon war.

But when it was over, the Chargers kid quarterback had engineered an offense that had 18-plays of double digits yardge  They wound up outgaining the Chiefs (479-414).  They had one drive that went (10:23) in time, went 17-plays and 87-yards.

Of course they lost, because Mahomes himself had a 95-yard drive and his running mates wound up with 20-plays of plus 10-yards or more.  KC does that against everybody, but for the first time, they were pushed to overtime to survive what would have been a stunning upset loss.

The packages they put in ideally fit the dynamics of Herbert’s game.  The inside-outside run game of Austin Ekler and Kelly look like a perfect match.  Guys ran open and found  seams to catch passes.  And Herbert even ran the ball creating critical yardage plays.

His only sin, a cross body throw across the field that resulted in a bad interception killing a drive and letting KC and Mahomes earn the chance to win the game.

But by virtue of his play, we may never see Tyrod Taylor start another game.  For Herbert, the stage was not too big.  He played ‘let it rip football’.  And he showed an emotional demeanor seldom seen in a 1st year player, playing in his first game ever, against you know who.

Dan Fouts didn’t do that is his debut.  Neither did Drew Brees or Philip Rivers.

When does a loss feel like a win?  Sunday in Justin Herbert’s debut as a starting QB.  Almost won the game.  May have saved the season showing his skill-intellect-moxie  level.

It’s a jumping off point for a new Chargers era with Herbert at quarterback.

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