Memorial Day weekend. Picnics, family, Padres games, the Indy 500, the NBA playoffs and the NHL playoffs, the Stanley Cup finals. Lots to see, experience and think about.

Memorial Day weekend is a time to remember also. We see hometown heroes amongst us in San Diego. The Padres icon broadcaster Jerry Coleman flew fighters and even landed upside down on a flight deck. The late Red Sox hero Ted Williams was a fighter pilot both in the Pacific and in Korea, survived two crashes, and came home to super stardom.

There are two Purple Hearts in my house, family members who served in our World Wars, were wounded, killed, and whose relatives’ lives were forever changed.

When you come from an extended large family of that era, you are influenced by their experiences. Influenced by those you know, those you loved, those you lost.

I’ve been to Arlington, to the Punch Bowl cemetery in Hawaii, to Rosecrans Cemetery here, and know full well about the U.S. cemetery at Normandy.

I wept when I went to the black granite Vietnam Wall in Washington and was moved by the D-Day Memorial in Virginia. If you go to the Balboa Naval Hospital you are impacted. When you know them, when you care about them, when you see them, when you ache for them and their memories, it leaves a lasting impression.

Maybe it is my Baby Boomer mortality catching up to me. Friends are passing, saying goodbyes to family members. Virtually all of them are linked to the military. In this situation, Memorial Day becomes more than a holiday.

I hardly know the full background, except my dad was a Sea Bee in the Navy, in the Pacific. He built runways as the Navy, then the Marines brought in planes to continue the assault to recapture all those islands from Japan. He told me only once about being shot at and diving under planes to avoid snipers. My dad was only 22 at the time and experiencing that.

Nick was my Godfather. He was slight of build, big of heart, with no fear. He was a point man hit by snipers in a hedgerow at Anzio. His life was forever changed. He spoke only once about it to me. Twenty-nine surgeries later, he died from wounds. They gave me his Purple Heart, ribbons, the 1944 telegrams that said he was killed in action, then missing in action, then rescued.

Jack was my uncle. A decorated journalist, island hopping the Pacific with Douglas McArthur. He wrote for the International News Service, the forerunner of UPI. He saw horror and death. He interviewed Tojo, who tried to commit suicide. He covered the Peace Treaty signing on the USS Missouri. He came home a broken man. He was never the same sports journalist covering the old Brooklyn Dodgers after that. They gave me his war photos, ribbons, and wire service stories when he passed. He never spoke of it.

Danny was another uncle. I never knew much, except that he was a teenager who died on the Bataan Death March. I found his name on a plaque, but like so many others, nothing else. Gone at 19.

Vin was a paratrooper. Jumped into the dark behind the Normandy lines. He was 24 and part of the glider brigade. He was wounded twice, but did come home. His Purple Heart is in a glass case, with a piece of autographed fabric from a crashed glider that went into the woods when they missed the landing zone. Virtually all with him perished.

Vito was in South Africa, chasing Rommel across the desert. All that heavy infantry fire led to his loss of hearing.

Joe was a medic in the heat, humidity and suffering in the Philippines. His lasting memory before he died was malaria and quinine.

Smitty was 19 and a turret gunner on B-17 and B-24 raids. The average life span of those crews was 13 flights. He made 35 missions, over places like Ploesti and Dresden. He laughs that his pilot was only 19, old enough to drop bombs, but not old enough to get a drivers license in Michigan. He told stories till dementia took over his mind.

Curt was a gunner on board a Flying Fortress when 60-planes in all went down in one day over Regensberg, Germany, flying without fighter support.

Memorial Day touches friends too. Seven in my tiny graduating class on Long Island were lost in my war, Vietnam.

Murph was a wrestler and a jokester. A land mine ended it all very quickly for him. Lew was a basketball player taken out on a ridge by either sniper fire or friendly fire. Charley went off on night patrol in the jungles; he never returned after the firefight. Three others were done in not by the VC, but by Agent Orange.

Memorial Day is also about brothers. One who is a career officer, with service time in Iraq and Afghanistan. He struggles with seeing wounded men booby trapped when our medics go to treat them. He angered many by saying “if you fire on my soldiers from a mosque, it is no longer a mosque.” He has sat on transports with the caskets and body bags of his soldiers.

The other brother is in anti-terrorism, who never forgot 9/11 and what he sensed the minute the second plane went into the towers. He won’t speak, but he knows much, and this weekend means much to him too.

I will visit a cemetery to say thanks and to remember. An aging friend, who landed on Normandy, told me the only thing missing from the movie Saving Private Ryan was the smell of diesel fuel. Another in a rest home was part of the Royal Air Force and the heroism of the Battle of Britain, with burns and ribbons as remembrances.

Fly a flag this weekend. Enjoy the picnics, the Padres, the Indy 500, the NBA and the NHL, but remember the past.

Many went and came back. Many went and never came back. Many went, came back, never the same.

Memorial Day is a hard time for me. Two Purple Hearts are in my house. A thankful heart. A heavy heart too.

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“Rich Men-Stupid Decisions”

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The firestorm that won’t go away.

The NFL stokes the fires and they erupt again, This national anthem controversy has erupted again, much like that volcano in Hawaii.

And this lava spill of reaction is going to bubble and boil over the rest of the spring, and into the start of the season, again.

The NFL owners concluded three days of meetings, including intense dialogue about the national anthem protests that stained the game last year, split the fans and it players, and hurt the league’s TV ratings and sponsorships

Roger Goodall wanted unity on the issue, that began with Colin Kaeperneck’s decision to knee during the 2016 season, protesting social injustice issues involving murders, arrests, and police confrontations with blacks.

From 1-player on the 49ers, to teams, they stood, they kneeled, the raised fists, they turned their backs. All types of protests, that spread like an oil spill across the NFL.

Now the owners have voted, on Goodall’s recommendation, players will be given the choice to stand on the sidelines for the anthems, or remain in the lockeroom till the anthems are over.

But if a player elects to stand on the sidelines, and makes any form of gesture, his team will face a strong fine. And the teams will also be allowed fine their own players, if they wish.

And the NFL specified, any gesture, from kneeling, to linking arms, to raising a fist, will be viewed as a violation.

The NFL last spring said it would make 90M in funding available to be split in different NFL cities for social issues programs, this after in-season meetings between the league and a committee of players.

The world reacted terribly when Kaeperneck first knelt, and the protests grew as the season went on.

It continued early last season, with rage on both street corners, those demanding the flag be respected, vs those who believe players have a right to freedom of speech.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is demanding his players stand for the anthem, and he stood on the sidelines, arms linked with his teammates, as a Cowboy team protest.

Other owners were verbal, saying they wanted their teams to be unified, many standing, but no one disciplined anyone along the way.

As season waned, the protests lost their stream. People got back to playing football, and hopes the new NFL financed programs would help.

But now this, an iron fist decision, that is going to lead to more confrontations.

The NFL should allow the players to make their choice, stand or sit, kneel as one or do it together. Use the black fist salute as a gesture of protest over police brutality.

Bu no, the NFL,which used to have its way on anything-everything, has created another monster problem for itself, its players, it TV partners, the union and the fans.

Ratings are down 17-percent over the last two years, and what the NFL owners just did is surely to trigger more negative flashback again.

Players making 12 to 20M a year aren’t protesting how they are being treated. They are protesting the ills in society that still exist on black-vs-white issues. These guys will show up and play hard, and earn their bucks.

You may dislike Kaeperneck, who walked away from a 12.6M contract, then protested, but understand this black quarterback has given 1M of earnings to causes in 4-different cities, plus a hospital in Africa, this while being unemployed, blamed, blackballed by NFL teams..

Players should have the right to take a stance or take a knee before the game starts.

The NFL has created another showdown issue, that they can’t win, no matter how many teams they fine.

They thought they solved it last year. They’ve screwed it up again this year.

You wait and see, opening day won’t be just about 32-teams starting play. It will be about how many team defy Goodall and the rich owners, who think they can tell the players what they should feel, or what they should think.

A firestorm is coming again, and you can blame this one on Roger Goodall, not Colin Kaeperneck.

Here’s what I think should happen. America’s fans should stand and lock arms opening day in their own form of social protest against the heavy handed rich men who made another stupid decision.

What’s the NFL going to do to the fans? Fine them?

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“Thoughts About the Teams in Town”

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THE KIDS….The stressful innings are starting to pile up on the rookie pitchers on the staff. Joey Luchessi is on the disabled list, and fellow rookie Eric Lauer has had more bad innings recently than good innings. Luchessi will be back in the rotation in a week. Lauer may have to go back to El Paso soon.

CALLUPS…As the Padres audition the young arms, they have an issue. The call up Calvin Quantrill, or Brett Kennedy, the Padres would have to get them on the 40-man roster, and that means moving somebody else off. Quantrill has only 2-years in organized ball, Kennedy is in his third. Neither has had to be protected on the ’40’ roster yet.

ALTERNATIVE….They may be forced to put Bryan Mitchell back into this leaky rotation. He is (0-3) in 7-starts, but desperate times calls for desperate moves.

ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN….This is a messy outfield situation. Too many misjudged fly balls, too many late jumps on fly balls, too many circle route angles to fly balls, and collisions and near collisions. The combos of Manny Margot, Franchy Cordero, Jose Pirela and Franmill Reyes has made for some adventurous nights in the garden, and some poor play.

ALL APRIL…That’s what Christian Villanueva was, hitting as high as (.365) with 9-homers. Since May 1st, he is (3-45) at the plate with 7-errors in the field. That batting average is now at (.236).

THE DL LIST….Team bad elbow is not very close to getting 3-of its key players back. Will Myers could be out another month with the oblique injury, after back and elbow issues earlier. Hunter Renfroe has just begun to DH in El Paso, but is not throwing. And Austin Hedges is hitting, but not throwing yet, and you know what catchers must do behind the plate. That’s a lot of offense not part of their lineup.

DOWN ON THE FARM….It has taken a month, but the two highest paid Cuban free agents from two years ago, and finding themselves at Lake Elsinore in the Cal League. P-Adrain Morejon, who cost the team 22M in bonus and tax money, is now (2-3) with a 3.65-ERA after a bad start. But he’s allowed 45-baserunners in 34-innings. And OF-Jorge Ona has gotten is average up to (.250) with 3-homers. He was a 14M investment coming off the Island.

GOOD GUY-GOOD JOB…Chris Young, the Princeton man, the 6’9 veteran either, who left camp in March, rather than go to the minor leagues, is back in baseball, not on the mound, but in the office of the Commissioner. He has become a baseball ops assistant to Joe Torre, working with rules, discipline and umpires. A quality gentleman, who showed enormous grit to overcome injury after injury in baseball.

CHASE CHECKS OUT….Chase Headley left town, his 13M contract intact, and sadly a strange (.115) batting average…by Saturday, he will likely become a free agent, with the Friars eating his contract. Now he waits for the phone to ring, to see if another team picks him up as an insurance policy and 3rd and 1st, or maybe as an injury rill in. Strong willed guy, solid provs pro, disappointed for him it did not work out this time around for him. Bet he lands somewhere else, maybe with a pennant contender. Can you say Angels? Mets? Arizona?

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“Holiday Bowl-Special-Is It Now”

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The Holiday Bowl has been special in our community.

Founded early as a place for San Diego State would have a place to go play after a good season, it has taken on special significance over its decades.

Yes the Aztecs have benefitted, and given us some great post-season games, including the shootout with Iowa.

And the Holiday Bowl took on its owner personality, thanks to the brilliant early year matchups, that brought BYU, during its quarterback heyday, to face other high powered teams, like the SMU Pony Express and so many more.

Ty Detmer, Steve Young, Robbie Boscoe and Jim McMahon made the bowl game must-watch television.

Ohio State and Michigan played here, USC came here a couple of times, so did Texas, Texas AM, Nebraska and Joe Paterno and Penn State.

The Bowl game has evolved, into big time conference affiliations. Whether that was the old WAC or Mountain West champions, often times BYU or Boise against name opponents. Worth a watch.

Then came special conference affiliations, matches that would bring us Pac 10-teams, the Big 10, and the Big 12.

We’ve seen great teams and great coaches and great players, including Barry Sanders and Oklahoma State and his Heisman Trophy.,

And now they have changed it all.

The Holiday Bowl had a long run with ESPN, but has changed affiliations, going to Fox. It’s all about paydays now.

The Holiday Bowl used to be the stand alone game on a Thursday night, featuring high scoring games for the nation to watch. I first saw the Holiday Bowl while stranded at home on Long Island during a Christmas week blizzard.

I never forget the sight of palm trees and shirtsleeves, and big BY scoring plays.

And now they have decided to change dates. They will play New Year’s Eve afternoon, matching big name teams, all fine and dandy, the Big 10-vs-the Big 12..

But they no longer have the TV audience to themselves. Fox will pay them money to put the game on when there are 6-bowl games that day.

The Holiday Bowl will be played the same day as the Gator Bowl, the more familiar Sun Bowl, the Liberty Bowl among others.

Sure they will promote it as a way to kick off your New Year’s Eve celebration, come party at the game and then go to your party. But the rest of the nation won’t be watching in all likelihood. There will be competition, lots of it from the day long menu.

And of course, the next day, from morning till night, will be the full menu of the biggest bowl games we have all come to watch.

Sure it’s our game, and college fans here will watch it, and they will draw their 40,000 plus or so, but something is being lost in the process. The national allure of being the only game on that given day

I don’t see this as being a Chamber of Commerce Post card day for San Diego nationwide.

Disappointing they get shoved into an already busy game day. San Diego’s notoriety loses something in the transition. So does the Holiday Bowl.

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“Petco Park-Magic-Pitching Coach”

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For the second time in a two week span, a Padres pitcher flirted with history.

First it was Tyson Ross, coming off the blood clot surgery, then on Tuesday, Jordan Lyles nearly did the same.

In a season of lots of losses, and lousy starting pitching, in a year where the Padres top two young pitchers are on the DL, and a third one is laboring in El Paso, Ross and Lyles gave Padres fans something to feel good about in a given start.

A near no hitter.

Lyles threw 7.1 perfect innings against the Rockies, before giving up 8th inning hits. Ross was equally wicked a couple of weeks ago, nearly doing the same before running out of gas too.

The common denominator in all this is pitching coach Darren Balsley.

Jordan Lyles was a first round draft pick the Houston Astros a decade ago. Tyson Ross an Oakland A’s refugee, who did not win.

Both came to San Diego as hard throwers, but with little else. Balsley has polished them, and now we see results.

Lyles was coming off an atrocious (9.39-ERA) last year. His career won loss record was (28-48) with the Astros and Rockies.

Ross was (2-11) his final year in Oakland and (6-18) in his career before becoming a complete pitcher under the Padres pitching coach.

The assignment for the highly regarded pithing coach, fix Ross’ mechanics, which come undone with his 6’6 frame.

The challenge with Lyles, make him a downhill pitcher, with all his velocity, and teach him to throw his secondary pitches for strikes.

Ross got better and better, and left for Texas. He came back here after blood clot surgery on his shoulder, and has rallied back. Lyles was pitching to save his career, first out of the pen, and now in the rotation.

The flashes we saw of Lyles as an Astro, then as a Rockie, all came together on a Wednesday afternoon.at Petco.

Balsley’s history is amazing, all the relief pitchers he groomed, and now what he is doing with the rotation. He holds the hands of the rookie arms, Joey Luchessi and Ereic Lauer. He breathes confidence into a journeyman like Kirby Yates.

Think of names in the past, Heath Bell, Scott Linebrink, Dale Thayer and more, and you know the assembly line of success stories he’s had.

And now he has restored the mechanics and sales pitched guys like Ross and Lyles back into important roles on a troubled franchise.

Sure the conversation in the city is about draft picks, the Latin American connection, the kids on the way. But there are still games to be played this season and next, likely non playoff seasons.

On this day, in an otherwise lost season, building for the future, Balsley proved his worth again, again, and again.

Just asked Tyson Ross and Jordan Lyles.

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