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“Chargers Questions-My Answers”

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Week 3-of NFL training camps begins and he’s still not here…he being RB-Melvin Gordon.

Here are fans questions and my answers on an ugly holdout.

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WHAT IS GORDON ASKING FOR?
..He is due to make 5.6M in the final year of his contract before he’d become a free agent. He is asking for an immediate contract upgrade that puts him on a par with top RBs like Le’Veon Bell-Jets…Todd Gurley-Rams…David Johnson-Cardinals.

WHAT DO THEY MAKE?
..Gurley is beginning a (4Y-63M) contract coming off superb seasons, but is plagued by an arthritic knee issue that must be managed. Bell, after his Steeler holdout, is making (13.4M) a season on a 4-year deal, after sitting out last year refusing to sign a (14.5M) franchise tag deal-money he’s not going to makeup. Johnson is earning (13M) a year in Arizona.

WHAT HAS GORDON DEMANDED?
..After four very productive seasons, Gordon is asking for at least a (3Y-39M) contract upgrade immediately. That would average 13M per season. The Chargers refuse to give him that type of huge pay raise.

WHAT HAVE THE CHARGERS OFFERED?
..They offered him a (5Y-41M) extension the was promptly rejected because it would average just 8M per year, well short of what other elite backs are getting.

WOULD THEY TRADE HIM?
..The agent asked for permission to seek a deal with another club but the Chargers denied that. If they put him on the trade block, they might get a 2nd round draft pick with a team that runs and throws the ball to backs like him.

WHO NEEDS A RUNNING BACK?
..Think New England-Houston-Miami-49ers-Green Bay..but the salary demands may kill a potential deal. Gordon has (5,205) all purpose yards and 1,079-touches in those four years.

IS HE INJURY PRONE?
..He has had 4-different injuries in 4-years, two of them fluke injuries. He suffered a knee injury last year when he was leg whipped while running a reverse. He tore meniscus another year at the end of the season. He’s had a minor hip and hamstring issue, but played thru that. He has missed 9-games in 4-years, but nothing catastrophic. He has been a quality heavy duty running back.

DO THEY NEED HIM?
..Of course they do. I think it’s an injustice to say any of the other RBs on that roster could replace him. Austin Eckeler-Justin Jackson-Dextraze Newsome have all performed well in cameo appearances, but none has ever been the lead back for a 16-game schedule, and none have the dynamics Gordon creates on the field.

WHAT IS THIS HOLDOUT COSTING HIM?
..Gordon gets fined 40,000 a day for missing camp, and Monday will be his 12th day out of camp, so he faces 480,000 in fines so far. If he is not in camp by Thursday’s preseason opener, he gets docked a game check 330,000 for each game missed, regular and preseason. The club can rescind the daily fines, and most teams do, when a holdout ends. He won’t get back game checks though.

WHAT ARE HIS OPTIONS?
..Holdout the season entirely, but then know he still owes the Chargers a full season that would have to be played out in 2020 if he missed 2019. If he comes in and plays the final year, he could be a free agent in 2020-but the team could ‘Franchise Tag’ him on a 1-year deal that would net him about 14.5M for 2020, but gives him no signing bonus and no job security beyond 2020, nor any injury protection. He could ask the team not to Franchise Tag him next year, but clubs normally do not give up any options to players.

WHAT LEVERAGE DO THE CHARGERS HAVE?
..They can let him sit, but they lose an integral dynamic in their offense. They could give him a pay bump this year to 8M and then give him a 2-year extension to 12M and 14M the final two years. The wear and tear factor on RBs makes anything longer absurd.

WHAT IS THE SALARY CAP ISSUE FOR THE BOLTS?
..QB-Philip Rivers is in the final year of his contract, and wants an upgrade that would take his salary to 22M a year or so, and that includes a big signing bonus. How does the Spanos family cash flow sit, and can they handle giving big bonuses to both Gordon-Rivers? They also have to deal with the possible season ending blood clot issue to LT-Russell Okung and his 13M cap figure this year.

WHAT SHOULD THEY DO?
..If I were king, give him a pay bump right now. If they were to franchise tag him next year, they’d have to pay 14M plus anyway. He has outplayed the contract. Find a common ground. With him they are an AFC powerhouse team to challenge the Chiefs-Patriots. Without him, this derails Tom Telesco’s blueprint, and there’s too much on Rivers plate to do this by himself this year. Of course if I were king, I would have never moved the team out of San Diego.

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“Baseball–Winners & Losers”

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The day after, the pennant races sure look and feel different.

Thirty trades were made at the trading deadline, but 1-deal made at the 11th hour, turned baseball upside down.

Time to look at the Winners & Losers at the deadline.

WINNERS….

ASTROS…Big bats now supported by big arms. We’ll see who Houston has to play in the World Series, for it seems they have locked up the American League pennant. The trade for Arizona ace Zach Greinke and his 78M in remaining contract, stunned everyone. The deal came moments before the second Astros deal was announced, the arrival of Blue Jays starter-reliever Aaron Sanchez. Greinke joins Justin Verlander and Garritt Cole in a big three unmatched by any other rotation in baseball. That trio right now has a combined (36-13) record this year, with 2-months left in the season. That starting staff helped by all those big bats, Altuve, Correa, Springer Bregman and more. Wow.

ATLANTA…They need relief help, and they dealt for relief help. Shane Greene comes from Detroit with a (1.94-ERA). Veteran Mark Melanin and his curveball arrives from the Giants. Setup man Chris Martin dealt from Texas. They will help former starter Sean Newcomb, who was pushed into the bullpen at midseason. Atlanta has a pretty good hitting lineup, now they have closers with a track record to hep the starters.

CUBS…Though Chicago seems to have chronic relief pitching problems, they added another bat and multi-position player in Nick Castellanos, who will like Wrigley Field a lot more than the big Comerica Park in Detroit. Castellansos will find a lot better pitches to hit surrounded by the likes of Rizzo-Bryant-Baez-Schwarber-Heyward in that batting order. The Cubs are ready to battle the Cardinals.

INDIANS….The pitching staff is finally getting healthy, but the offense was anemic. Getting Corey Klubeer back in the rotation with Shane Bieber and Mike Clevenger made Trevor Bauer expendable. The home run power that Franmil Reyes-Yasiel Puig provide will greatly aid a Tribe batting order. Cleveland was tired of Bauer’s antics too. They are ready for the dogfight with Minnesota.

A’s…They did this week what they did this time last year, and it got them a 90-win season and a spot in the playoffs. Trading for starter Tanner Roark, Homer Bailey and reliever Jake Diekmann will help. Getting hurt starters back off the DL, will also help in the next 6-weeks. The A’s are still waiting for Khris Davis to find his home run groove since coming off the DL.

WASHINGTON…A strong midseason surge has put them in the pennant race. Strong starting pitching, though you hope Max Scherzer’s back issues arento chronic, but they have gone thru lots of relievers. They added 3-at the deadline, so they hope 1-can become trustworthy.

LOSERS….

YANKEES….Strangled by the luxury tax, and still trying to get all their home run hitters back in the lineup off the disabled list, New York just could not find the right fit. They didn’t want to deal away chunks of the farm system and now they pay the price for the decision. The starting rotation is running on fumes, with a (7.09-ERA) in July alone. There’s no one left in the farm system, and a tired and ailing group of veterans in the rotation is all that’s left with 8-weeks to go.

BOSTON…They need bullpen help, but didn’t want to overpay. Chris Sale and Ric Porcello are having substandard seasons, and the batting order is not what it was this time a year, when they were dropping home run bombs everywhere. They’re up against the luxury tax too. They cannot matchup with the other AL-power in Houston.

DODGERS…Tough to be critical when you are (71-39) at the deadline, but they need help for Kenley Jansen, their legendary closer, and they did not do it. Getting veteran infielder Jedd Gyorko from the Cardinals helps, considering they have 3-ailing infielders. Gyorko will hit some home runs and can play 3-infield positions. The wildcard for LA, the ability to move a starter or two into a bullpen role, which is where Kenta Maeda-Julio Urias might wind up. They just did not want to give up any of the next wave of blue-chippers in the bullpen.

MILWAUKEE….Pitching problems to start the season, pitching problems in the playoff race. Trading for Drew Pomeranz and Jordan Lyles does nothing to fix the season long weakness they have had.

ANGELS….Everyone wanted young outfielder Jo Adell in a deal. The Angels kept him, so no deal for a pitcher, and no hope any longer in the pennant race. The death of Tyler Skaggs, the surgeries to the staff, the wasted money on Matt Harvey-Cody Allen killing the team.

PADRES….You can stockpile lots of talent in the farm system, but nobody gives out Rings for winning the minor leagues. The Padres, desperate to end losing seasons, dealt away a 24-year old proven bat, Franmil Reyes, for a 21-year old prospect. Over the long haul, it just won’t be the same offense the rest of the season, and likely another sub-500-season for a team we thought might arrive this year.

MINNESOTA…A great season and a great lineup in Twin Cities. They needed bullpen help. Just don’t know if Sergio Romo or Sam Dyson acquisitions are the right ones.

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“Padres-2 Trades…Why They Did-What They Did”

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The Baseball Trading Deadline has come and gone….MLB teams made 28-trades on Wednesday….The Padres rumored trying to make a deal for a frontline startin pitcher, and getting offers for their relief ace, made 2-deals, both rather insignificant for this season..

They said goodbye to power hitting OF-Franmil Reyes to pick up Cincinnati Reds hot prospect Taylor Trammel, and then dealt for ex-Cubs setup reliever Carl Edwards.

They said goodbye to a 27-home run hitter for a 21-year old outfielder, a Reds prospect, who could be two years away.

They bought low on a Cubs reliever, who put together a couple of big seasons with Chicago.

It means they might not be as competitive the rest of this season, but looking forward to growth next season.

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General Manager AJ Preller’s comments:

..Taylor Trammell is an exciting player, gets on base, plays both sides of the ball….Great athlete-demonstrated a lot in first two years.

….We have righthanded heavy big league club-we need someone to balance out the lineup…wanted a 2-way player…Taylor checks out all the boxes.

..Franmil been with us since age 15…developed at great pace….he impacted us with his bat and his personality….We just had too many right-handed hitters.

..Hunter Renfroe-Will Myers-Manny Margot have bats…and we believe in them….Now they play together.

..Cleveland fixated on Reyes thru the talks..then we got the Reds involved as a third team.

..Important to get starting pitchers…we can still trade or do it via free agents once we get to the off season to get another veteran starter..

..This year our priority is give all of young guys a chance to pitch…they’ve shown well in flashes..

..Roster issue…we can manage 40-man roster…will deal with this in off season…this was not about opening slots right now..

..Trammell does lots of good things at age 21…he is exciting…he’s one of youngest players in Southern League…Reds viewed him as untouchable…but we all got what we wanted in this 3-way deal

..Trammell will play CF-in Amarillo….let’s see his athleticism in center…Edward Olivares-Buddy Reed-pretty athletic outfield so Trammel will get a chance to play with good kids.

..Trammel gets on base at high clip..makes things happen on the bases…goes gets balls….we’ll know when he is ready….just go out and develop…heading to Amarillo now for the final month…Good players come quick

..We believe in this roster-we had excess in righthanded power bats and this helps us in the future.

..1st half of season…not Will Myers we knew….he’s capable of a lot and a lot of belief in Will…it’s an opportunity now-to get back on the field…and be a contributor…get alot of good swings…..

..Carl Edwards….one of the better relievers in National League over three years…dropped in performance this year…he has been as tough as anyone to hit in National League.

..He pitched lots big games in postseason…Young age-experienced…lots of upside….Willing to take on him as a project.

..Time to get back to playing good baseball…we are not a finished product. Our young pitching is growing…but we need guys to get to 7th inning…New faces showing up in the bullpen to help Yates-Stammen.

..We are still in bottom of the league in runs scored-so we need to be more consistent.

..Trading deadline deal on possible Syndegaard acquisition or dealing Yates…We are always prepared…Philosophically, we have targets of what we want in a trade…or what we are willing to pay for a frontline player…..It is a year long process…we are prepared…and we are flexible…this time we did not find the right fit.

..Years past we lined up deals and did them…Francisco Mejia…Fernando Tatis…Chris Paddack….Anderson Espinoza…this time we did not get across the line….I am not doing deal that our collective group did not feel comfortable with…..there’s still an off season to do deals to get more pitching if we want.

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“Aztecs Football–It Must Be Different”

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He had a fire in his gut. His face got flaming red. He spoke with resolve, he talked with passion.

It was Rocky Long and it was San Diego State’s preseason press conference.

It might be a new football season coming, but you can tell the ‘sting’ or the ‘stink’ of what happened last year, is still very much there in his gut.

The Aztecs open preseason camp on Friday, and things are different, and will be different.

The team that collapsed after a (6-1) start, the one that lost 5-games late in the season, then got punched in the mount by Ohio in a (27-0) loss in a bowl game, has not been forgotten.

Long promised in January a full evaluation of the program after an extraordinary finish to a campaign, football like we haven’t seen on Montezuma Mesa since the Chuck Long era.

Lots of things are different, starting with maybe the two most important acquisitions in the off season, not players, but coaches.

Ron Caragher, former head coach at USD, San Jose State, with a strong reputation from his days at Kentucky, joins the staff as passing game coordinator with the responsibility, install the ‘spread’ attack and rejuvenate a dormant passing game.

Brady Hoke returns, as defensive line coach, after losing his job at Michigan, and bouncing around to Oregon, Tennessee, and the Carolina Panthers. He brings emotion, teaching skills, motivation techniques, to that side of the football.

Those two are difference makers, so give Long credit with having the brass to want to add more quality assistants, former head coaches, to what had become a younger coaching staff.

He tore down the team’s off-season training regimen. They ran, ran, and ran more. Conditioning will be their middle name. They had huge gains in the weight room. Spring ball was the most physical it’s been in the last four years. Long went back 8-years to revisit fundamental drills that had been on the shelf.

SDSU replaces a near four year starter at quarterback, but fiesty competitor Ryan Agnew, out of Texas, got tons of experience last yer year when he was forced to play because of the injuries to Christian Chapman, the long term starter. He brings a strong personality to the huddle, and makes plays..

Injuries wrecked the offensive side of the ball. The quarterback, then the star running back Juwan Washington, then the fullback Issac Lassard, and then problems in the offensive front, with injuries and attitudes. They staggered to the finish line.

The Ty Roemer suspension was something we had not seen in years with a Long team up on the hill. A poison in the lockeroom, possibly. For the first time in years, there seemed to be no leadership from the players themselves. There was no Damontee Kazee, no Rashard Penny, no DJ Humphrey.

Long has gone heavy into the transfer venue. Former starting offensive linemen from Oregon and BYU have arrived, and are ready for starting jobs. Transfers from Arizona and Nebraska are on the roster. A couple of hot JUCO’s have arrived, and four more could be here by opening day.

Chemistry and attitude, two things missing last fall, look to be back on campus. That looks like it will change. Offensive center Keith Ishmael, a 3rd year starter, says there won’t be any ‘dark days’ in that locker room now. Agnew exudes spark as a personality in the huddle. Tariq Thompson seems ready to assume a role as a verbal leader.

It’s been two years since the Chargers left town, and yet this city, and those alumni have not embraced the program the way you would imagine. Long is (71-35) with the Red & Black. They’ve been to 8-Bowl games. They’ve beaten teams from the Power 5-Conferences.

The Aztecs have been everything that Boise State was when the Broncos moved to the upper echelon of the conference. But the crowd support has not grown as the program has grown.

A school trying to build a new football stadium, needs a return to the top and be in the running for a New Years Day Bowl Game.

Long pulled his new found phrase out of his pocket….’being just OK is not OK at San Diego State, championship matter.’

The term ‘redemption’ seemed to emminate from different coaches offices I visited on Tuesday. Talk is one thing. Results are important.

Long talked a good game on Tuesday. Now we see if the new quarterback, the load of transfers, the coaching additions, can make a difference.

San Diego State needs it to..
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“Padres Clubhouse-You’ve Been Traded”

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Everyone around the country is talking about them, the Padres, and the trading deadline, that comes up at 1pm on Wednesday.

The Padres, the players, the manager, they’re not talking about it, at least not much for public consumption.

But every baseball insider thinks the Padres should trade, or will trade for, New York Mets pitcher Noah Syndegaard. The names being floated range from hot young pitching, to struggling veterans and more.

A bunch of teams will be buyers. A select few sure look like sellers. The Padres could be one or the other, or could sit tight, and just continue to play the kids they have spent so much money on.

What’s it like to have your named tossed around in all these trade rumors?

I asked Padres reliever Craig Stammen, the senior member of the pitching staff, who has been thru a lot of these trade deadline scenarios. Interesting candid answers to my questions.

CLUBHOUSE….It’s harder on the older players, because they don’t know what other teams think of them, or what their own club really thinks of them. The younger players, they don’t know because they have not been thru this. If you get dealt, leaving teammates is hard.

THE STANDINGS….If you are on a team out of contention, those type of teams make these kind of deals. Take a veteran player, send him to another club in a pennant race, get younger parts to build with. Trade impending free agents, you can’t sign, for prospects. It’s the way the business is right now. If you look at the pennant races, you do think about what a team would do, who they would get.

A FAN….I love baseball, I play baseball, I’m a fan of baseball. Do I play GM and wonder what I’d ask for in a Noah Syndegaard trade, no. But it’s fun, if a guy gets dealt, to figure out how he helps a team. I pay attention to see who gets traded where and then what other teams do in response. I’m a fan.

THE MEDIA…There’s a lot of noise out there. I’m a fan, so I like to read about the teams and players. You have to take the attitude, if your name is out there, I’m glad to be wanted. I don’t have ups and downs, I’d rather concentrate on who I have to get out the next time I pitch in this Orioles series. I watch ESPN for game highlites and pay attention to the stories. Do I live on twitter or the internet, no.

TEAMMATES…Some guys get caught off guard. Some get upset. Brad Hand was like that, caught off guard.. Other wives rallied around his wife to help her pack and deal with move to Cleveland. Chase Headley’s wife was 8-months pregnant when he was moved tot he Yankees. Some guys are shocked by it. Families are leaving friends and moving, and it’s hard on them. I go to a clubhouse and meet new guys. Wives and kids go to cities as strangers.

AT HOME….My wife is 8-months pregnant-due next month, so we have talked about ‘what if’ and how we’d handle it. The reality, I have no control over this, so let’s not worry. It’s tough on a family. I have a clubhouse, they have to leave a home.

MOVING….The teams take care of everything, that’s part of our union deal, packing, moving, paying for things, your apartment lease.. But when you have schools and kids, it’s complex, families take care of that, especially just weeks before kids start classes..

NEXT 24 HOURS….The phone might ring, it might not. It’s part of baseball. I like this team, we have so many good young starting pitchers, I’d like to see this grow. It’s fun to look around this clubhouse, and to watch the kids grow. It’s amazing we have 10-potential starting pitchers now, starters who could be in the rotation a long, long time. They are learning to be their best when they have to be their best. It’s baseball.

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