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“A Strange-Sad Summer Day”

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I sat and watched the game last night.

Not Major League baseball in the middle of this 60-game shortened season.
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Not the opening round of the NBA playoffs.

It was a weird evening in San Diego.

Here it was mid August.
Here is was 104-degrees in my driveway in Rancho Bernardo.
Here was I, watching the Stanley Cup hockey playoffs in August.

It was indeed a strange sensation.  I love playoff hockey.

And there at center ice, right before the Calgary-Dallas playoff game, the lights went down.  Players stood along the blueline.  They stood at the bench. The coaches stood in the corner of each bench area.

A quiet arena without fans, became even quieter.

And there were tears in their eyes.

Hockey was about to play the National Anthem and then O-Canada.
But first they were going to honor one of their fallen.

Hockey is mourning the passing of a truly special human being, a special player, a special coach, a Hall of Famer.

Dale Hawerchuk passed away on Tuesday after a bitter multi-year battle with stomach cancer.  Taken off the ice, away from the game at age (57).

He leaves behind a wife and kids.  He leaves behind Hall of Fame memories.  He leaves behind 518-career goals .  He leaves behind friends everywhere, from fans, to the media, to teammates, to opponents.

An NHL superstar in the smallest of markets, Winnipeg and Buffalo.  An icon in both locations, and a head coach there too. An 18-year old sensation who never played a minute of minor league hockey as the first pick in the overall draft.

A teacher, a comrade, a leader, a friend, and a confidante.

His Hall of Fame of speech years ago was moving.  Not about himself.  Not about his accomplishments, or even his teams.

But instead it was about the legacy of the sport and the people in the sport, and what the sport means to every little hockey community, from the rock that is St. John’s Newfoundland to far off places like White Rock, British Columbia.  Not so much in places like Toronto or Montreal or Edmonton, but places like the Gaspe Peninsula-Quebec or in Whitehorse-Yukon Territory.

Everything about the sport was important to Dale Hawerchuk.  He gave messages of respect to the game, right vs wrong.  The dedication it takes to become a complete player. The meaning of the room, the crest on the sweater, and loyalty to the team.

His life and career was about serving, and scoring goals, and guiding others.

I met him thru Teemu Selanne while covering the Ducks.  They were teammates in Winnipeg with the Jets back in the day.

All you need to know were the tears in the eyes of the players and coaches on the ice during the moment of silence before that playoff game last night.  Grown men, about to go to hockey war, their heads cast down in a moment of silence-respect.

He was a fine player, and a better person, who squeezed everything he could out of his career talents, and every minute he could after this long courageous fight against stomach cancer.

it was a strange day, 104-degrees outside, watching hockey on ice inside, and remembering sadly a truly nice person, who left the game and players a better place, because he was part of the sport.

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“How Do You Feel This Day?”

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The mood swings led me all over the place yesterday, last night and going forward.

Think about what I say and tell me how you feel?

A bad day for the Padres.  Relief ace Kirby Yates facing season ending surgery for bone chips and left-fielder Tommy Pham having surgery for a hamate bone fracture-he too gone for the year, as a promising playoff chase seems to be slipping away..

…The Democratic National Convention begins a weeklong condemnation of everything about President Trump.

Chargers star linebacker Melvin Ingram refuses to workout in pads, demanding a contract extension from his 14M-salary due this year.

..The death toll from the Corona-Virus scoreboard now tops 170,000 in the US.

San Diego State breaks ground for construction of the new Aztecs Stadium, an event that should bring joy, but one overshadowed by the trauma in our country.

..The unemployment rate is still above 3M by virtue of the pandemic.

The Dodgers array of home run hitters powers the team into first place in the NL West in this shortened baseball season, while the Angels season slips away again, done-in by terrible pitching.

..The country is overwhelmed by a horrid heatwave, tornadic fires, overwhelmed hospitals, and bitter partisan decisions state-by-state.  The total number of sick is now 5.1M ill in our country.

The Lakers begin their drive to the NBA championship with Anthony Davis and LeBron James, hoping to fight off Kawhi Leonard’s Clippers, and the Bucks Giannis Antetokoumnpo.

..The tone of conversation across America rings with words like divisiveness, racial hate, unemployment and partisan politics.

Marco Andretti will start on the pole in the delayed Indy 500.  There will be no fans at the Masters in Augusta.  NFL teams will likely play in empty stadiums.  College football is torn to play games to make money, or to cancel the season till spring to protect the players.

..Raging rhetoric continues over opening schools and the economy at the risk of more explosions in viral outbreak.

The NHL continues to play hockey in its hub cities, it’s testing program a tremendous success.

..Peaceful protests, riots, looting, bad photo ops, the post office controversy, the impeachment movement, foreign tampering with elections.

It never seems to end does it?

You tell me-how you feel at this hour, about sports and our society.

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“Padres Baseball–Is What It Is”

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This is like Groundhog Day…again and again.

Last year at this time, we saw half a season of exciting baseball from the Padres. It infused enormous enthusiasm.  Being at Petco Park was like being at an NFL playoff game.  It was electric.

You remember them bashing the Dodgers three straight games, driving to the All Star break with a (45-45) record and hopes it might be a playoff season.

Wasn’t to be, as they fell apart, bad play, bad attitudes, bad hitting over the second half of the summer.

This year, a quick start.  Energy, home runs, good starting pitching.  Aggressive baserunning.  Strong defense.  It was a (6-2) start and they were in first place out of the gate.

Not any longer.  Now they are closer to last place than they are first place in the NL West,in this shortened baseball season.  They have lost 10-of-15 since that start.

They get swept by a rather poor Arizona Diamondbacks team.

As you have breakfast in the morning, the record is (11-12).

Home runs have been replaced by strikeouts.
The starting pitching has been pretty competitive.
The trustworthy bullpen has collapsed without explanation.

Injuries, some major, some nagging, are plaguing this year.

Kirby Yates, Tommy Pham, Wil Myers all lost this weekend as the Friars lost 3-in a row to the D-Backs.

But this is more than just those hurting, and the Yates elbow injury is big.

This is about a collective bullpen that has let this team down, something none of us could have forseen, projected or believed in.

Yates is probably facing some type of arthroscopic procedure for the bone chips in his elbow.  It could be a 4-week rehab at the minimum.

Drew Pomeranz has been 4-save strong so far, but is he a power pitcher who can do it 2-or-3 days in a row.  Matt Strahm will have to step up, and his (1.80-ERA) is second only to Pomeranz’s (0.00) over 7-innings of work.

But beyond that, everyone else is staggering.

Craig Stammen has had 3-rough outings, and has (7.27) ERA.
Emilio Pagan, who gifted Arizona the win on Sunday, is at (8.31)
Pierce Johnson is standing there at (6.14).
Tim Hill came from Kansas City and has a (9.00) mark.
Luis Perdomo is lost in whatever role they assign him (10.13).
Javy Guerra may have to go back to shortstop with an (11.05) mark
Luis Patino isn’t ready and has a (7.04) ledger.
David Bednar is at (6.23)

Maybe Michel Baez gets called back from the taxi squad?
Is there hope Gerrardo Reyes resurfaces?

Maybe they promote back Joey Luchessi, who was sent out a couple of weeks ago with an (8.14) ERA and location problems.

Not sure Jared Eichoff can really make a difference.

Jose Castillo is still recovering from his multiple of injuries, the latest the lat shoulder problem.

Andres Munoz had surgery.  Miguel Diaz had knee surgery.  Ditto Trey Wingenter elbow surgery.

The bullpen has 6-saves in this shortened season.  They have 6-blown saves this year.  The bullpen has compiled 5-losses.

Batting orders are hitting (.270) against the relievers, and (.236) against Chris Paddack and the other starters.

The bullpen brigade has given up 16-home runs in just 23-games. And the next time they call somebody in from the pen, please note that group has a collective (6.11-ERA).

Is Mackenzie Gore ready for a role?  How about Adnan Morejon?  You can have all the prospects in the world in the farm system, but is anyone else near ready to help, now that you need help?

Trevor Hoffman, Brad Hand, Kirby Yates and a list of other strong relievers of the past would be aghast.

The season is not over, but the teams above them are pulling away in the standings.

The Dodgers are 5-infront right now.  In the fight for the wildcard spots, the Padres trail the Rockies-Arizona-Milwaukee-Atlanta in the chase for the two wildcard berths.

There are alot of smart guys in the Padres front office.  Somebody better do something, whether that is Jayce Tingler, the manager, Larry Rothschild, the pitching coach imported this year, or GM-AJPrellar.

They still have lots of games against teams with lots of bats, the Astros, Angels, Athletics, Rockies and of course the Dodgers.

37-games left against a bunch of power hitting teams, in a season that is starting to get away from them.

The Padres bullpen, like a collapsing beach chair right now.

It is what it is…but it’s not good right now.

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“Mountain West Conference…Life is Hard”

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They play great football.

It’s a colorful conference.

They play in every climate imaginable, from the sun of San Diego, to the beauty of Hawaii, to the cold and snow in Wyoming.

They throw the ball.  They pound the ball.  They do, some of them do, play defense too.

Say Boise State around the country, and everyone knows who they are and where they play, and what they have done..

Say San Diego State, and people know what has been done here under former coach Rocky Long.

Mention Fresno State, or past member BYU, and people know what you are talking about.

But Mountain West is in the shadow of the PAC 12.  Doesn’t get the coverage.  Surely not the TV revenue.  Definitely not the gate receipts.

They don’t play in big markets, aside from San Diego.  They don’t often beat a Power 5-team in a non-confidence payday game.

They often play in second tier bowl games.

But at this hour, they are like most everybody else.  In trouble.

A cancelled football season.  A myriad of financial problems.  Schools in very bad ‘hot spots’ where the virus has erupted.

Not an easy time, as Commissioner Craig Thompson tries to piece together what a spring football season might look like.

Thompson spoke about the toughest decision he has ever had to make, the cancellation of the season, on the Mountain Network.  Take a look-give a listen:

https://we.tl/t-DaKiKyOz20

Who knows what the next football season will look like, when, how many games.

The Mountain West Conference just like the Big 10 and Pac 12…in scramble mode.

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“Somebody says something everyday”

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Everybody has an opinion and here’s mine, responding to the opinions of everyone else.

PAC 12 CONFERENCE…Yay to them for seizing the business of universities away from Athletic Directors and Coaches and cancelling the fall football season with hopes they can play in the spring.  End of discussion happens when the CEO Group says ‘science and medicine directed us to do this’.  It was not a coach screeching we have to play because =======.

PAC 12 PLAYERS…Continuing to fire shots at Conference leadership, now for cancelling the season.  Players wanted a seat at the table with the President’s CEO group.  I am sure a second year tight end is going to be able to deliver a message that the leadership of these schools has not thought about.  Bitch about the testing program, rightfully so, but direct that to Mark Emmert, head of the NCAA.

BIG 12…Their medical team told the ADs…’don’t let the reports about cardiac issues make the decision for you’.  What.  Who you going to believe if you don’t believe Medicine and Science?  Might be as dumb a thing as I have heard.

NCAA-MARK EMMERT….Last seen continually kicking the can down the road, failing to put together a ‘National Testing Board’ five months ago when this virus broke out.  Failing to put in place a national testing program for all of the Power 5-Conferences, that might have alleviated fears of the unknown.  Letting the ADs and state Governors handle this was a egregious malfeasance of his leadership.

MICHIGAN-JIM HARBAUGH…Barking out about the UM testing program and if the Wolverines could do it so could others..but not wanting to share how they do what they do in Ann Arbor with Michigan State or Ohio State or anyone else.  Oh they are rivals.

LOU HOLTZ…A bit of a reach talking about ‘accepting risks’ when you play football and trying to compare it with the Greatest Generation landing at Normandy..’they knew there would be casualties’.  Poor comparison.  A bit out of touch at age 83.

MISSISSIPPI…The Governor who refrained for months from demanding his citizens wear masks till the hospitals were over-run, now comes out and says ‘college football is essential’.  Not as essential at ventilators, ICU beds, education, jobs, solving racism in the Magnolia State.

ACC…Should stand for ‘Awful Crazy Comment’ for saying the Big 10 and Pac 12 were cancelling the season…’afraid of lawsuits and bad press’.  How about because of deaths, no vaccine, lack of testing, and costs in terms of dollars and health.  Guess they don’t have any problems in Florida-Georgia-North-South Carolina-Virginia.

NEBRASKA…Saying they would play football regardless of what the conference did.  24-hours later the Big 10 told them you cannot be an independent.  Maybe they should leave the league and go back to the Big 12-which still wants to play despite the outbreaks in Texas, Oklahoma and other places.  Hey Cornhusker, read the rule book, the bylaws.  You really going to give up 50M a TV revenue to play in an empty stadium in Lincoln?  Not very smart, and football umnder Scott Frost has not been very good either. Maybe they should go back to the Big 12.

Everybody’s got an opinion.  That’s mine.

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