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“San Diego State-A Checklist”

by Lee ‘Hacksaw’ Hamilton

CW6-San Diego

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So how do you determine the impact of the man, what he inherited, what he tried to do, what he accomplished, the legacy he leaves going forward?

San Diego State athletics has been like the ‘little engine that thought it could”, but hardly ever did..

A mid major university, in a major city, not embraced by its own alumni, trying to keep its head above water, for years, for decades.

It has finally arrived, and now that it has, it has lost its leader.

Jim Sterk, who came came here just six years ago as Director of Athletics, is leaving to go big time, as AD at the University of Missouri.

He came here after years of struggles as AD at cash-poor Washington State, where he did a good job, but it was always a year to year struggle.

He had to fight the big fight across the state in fundraising, in hiring coaches, in recruiting with the Washington Huskies. Football was a dismal failure, basketball turned the corner. But there was a cash-flow issue every year in Pullman.

The Aztecs legacy is a mixed bag of success. The Don Coryell years was a long time ago. So was the Marshall Faulk short-lived era of success.

Basketball was a horror show, till the arrival of Steve Fisher, his national prominence, leading to enormous growth, success, recognition.

Other sports drifted aimlessly. An occasional good team or two in an Olympic sport, but always a malaise hanging over the commuter school on the hill.

The Athletic Department nearly faltered in the 80s under Mary Alice Hill, amidst movements to downgrade, do away with it, or trim teams and budgets.

A bold move brought former Arizona State AD Fred Miller on board, who helped revitalize football, but whose wheeler-dealer charm, wore thin.

Rick Day, who had been an AD at both Oregon and Ohio State came on board, bringing an air of class and veteran leadership, but money always seemed to be an issue, and the failure to build on the Faulk era ended his era.

There were struggles with glad-hander Mike Bohn, who was here today, gone tomorrow to Colorado, and then out of athletics.

Jeff Schemmel came from the Big 8 and Kansas State, gaining progress with facilties and academic stability, but was forced out under the glare of a steamy relationship with a woman.

Enter Sterk, a virtual unknown in his own conference, the PAC-10.

A quiet leader, he got things done. He inherited Brady Hoke and Steve Fisher. Football turned the corner. Basketball arrived. Tony Gwynn took over baseball too.

Convincing Rocky Long to stay and take over football has been a God-send, as Aztecs football has become conference dominant.

Across campus, academic issues were solved. Support programs put in place. Infrastructure operations stabilized. Academics became a priority as the APR problems were answered.

Facilities improved in the Aztecs Athletic Center, then the new JAM basketball facility and renovations to the baseball stadium

More than anything else, donors became doers. Fund raising rocketed, as the programs succeeded.

The Olympic sports are doing as well as ever, and though not in the spotlight, are the equal in their venues to what football and basketball are to theirs.

Sterk guided SDSU thru the turbulent waters of the WAC-to Mountain West, and helped drive deals to stablize the MWC when the Power 5-Conferences were poaching everyone else.

He was to become an influential member of the NCAA Basketball Selection Committee. He was just honored as one of the AD’s of the Year in Division 1-athletics.

He leaves behind a good track record. But up ahead, more tough decisions for SDSU. The unresolved football stadium issue at the Qulcomm sight. A possible on-campus stadium. An affiliation with MLS soccer. An unsteady future with membership in the Mountain West Conference still possibly changing.

So how do you rate the legacy of a man like Jim Sterk?

On the field accomplishments, behind the scenes successes, academic growth, fund raising, facilities, and honesty.

Check all the boxes off, and say goodbye to a good man, before he accepts the next challenge in his athletic career at Missouri.

San Diego State should be thankful for all he did. San Diego State will be challenged to hire the next CEO-AD to be as good. Jim Sterk, good man, did a good job.

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“Help Wanted Pitching”

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This is pretty bad, especially in the teams in Southern Californa.

Somehow the Dodgers are staying in the National League West race, with a pitching staff that resembles a Mash Unit.

Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw has been out since mid-July with a herniated disc in his back. Weight training and rehab are all he has done. He soft tossed for the first time yesterday, but that means little for the time being.

The Dodgers rotation is made up of the skiterish Scott Kazmir, some good outings, some shaky outings. There’s Brandon McCarthy, coming off surgeries, who is only as good as his last start, because you never know what you will get start to start. Brett Anderson seems to be on lifetime rehab, injuries and surgery part of his career.

There is no Hyun Jin-Ryu, and might never be again, first the labrum, then the elbow.. Alex Wood is coming back from elbow surgery. Julio Urias is bright and young, but is on an innings limit and he is just 19.

Gone to free agency Zack Greinke. Then the failures, whom so much was hoped for, but now dealt away, Joe Wieland-Carlos Frias-Zach Lee-Mike Bolsinger.

How the Dodgers are just a game out of first with all these problems in amazing.

The Angels have a better pitching staff on the disabled list than on the mound. Pick a name, and they have been hurt.

Tim Lincecum has just been removed from the roster with a (9.16-ERA), an 83-mile an hour fastball, and having allowed 64-basrunners and 10-homers in his last 24-innings.

Once ace Jered Weaver has an ERA in the 5.00-range and is in the final days of his Halos career. His 20M running mate CJ Wilson never got out of spring training and has now had more surgery.

Promising ace Garrett Richards has a partial elbow ligament tear, trying everything rehab, hoping not to have surgery.

Promising lefty Andrew Heaney has just had elbow surgery as has young minor leaguer Colin Rasmus.

The only ones not to do down, Hector Santiago and Matt Shoemaker, and Santiago was just shipped off to the Twins, and Shoemaker keeps taking the ball. And this is a team that dealt away two top minor leaguers in arms for a bat from the Braves during the winter.

If you are in San Diego, you do remember in recent years, the brilliance of the pitching staffs Bud Black had to use. Everyone of them is gone, as is the manager.

Andy Green now gets to choose from bright light young starter Luis Perdomo, who was in A-ball this time last summer.

The rest of his rotation is made up of Edwin Jackson, who has been with 11-different teams, walks alot of guys, gives up homers, but does take the ball every fifth day. There’s Jared Cosart, now on his 3rd club, yet to harness his talents. Paul Clemens, a journeyman, gives up home-runs and is here, because everyone needs a fifth starter.

The magic of Chrisitan Friederich of early season seems gone. Drew Poneranz is gone-traded. Tyson Ross made 1-start and got hurt.

And Robbie Erlin, Colin Rea and Erik Johnson are all rehabbing elbow issues.

Once upon a time James Shieflds, Andrew Cashner and Fernado Rodney were all part of this staff, all dealt away.

Have you ever seen anything like this? This seems to be just the tip of the iceberg around major league baseball.

The Dodgers might chase down the Giants. The Padres might not be good till 2019. The Angels have Mike Trout, an aging Albert Pujols and not much else. .

I can just see it now, teams always looking for an angle to attract new fans.

Buy a season tickete for next year, and get to make a start in someone’s rotation.

Pitching, got to have it. No one does right now.

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“Best-Going to the Best Place”

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Tomorrow will be a special day for a group of men, who brought us special times in the NFL.

It’s Hall of Fame Day in Canton, Ohio, a time to salute great individual accomplishments, for men who made teams great.

The modern day best warrior goes in. The gunslinger of the Green Bay Packers. Brett Favre, the wild-armed quarterback, who led the Green and Gold to great times. The record setter. The wild-eyed thrower, who wound up with 508-career touchdowns, who fought back from painkiller addictions and injuries, to win a Super Bowl, win MVP honors, and set record after record. Courageous, fiery, flamboyant and a fine teammate.

Tony Dungy served so many so well, as a player, then an assistant under Chuck Noll in Pittsburgh and Denny Green in Minnesota. He rebuilt Tampa Bay, and took woeful Indianapolis to a Super Bowl title. A man of faith, and football, and a friend to so many.

Marvin Harrison was so quiet as a star in the NFL, you hardly knew him. But somebody had to catch all those passes Peyton Manning threw, and he, teaming with Reggie Wayne, were the stars at the other end of all those TD passes. Brilliant on the field, reclusive off it. Special player, special teammate.

Orlando Pace, said little, accomplished a lot. He played the not-so sexy position of left tackle, sometimes in obscurity, sometimes in the shadow of the Rams great quarterback Kurt Warner, and the running back Marshall Faulk, and those receivers, who made up the ‘Greatest Show on Turf”.

Kevin Green will never be mistaken for Lawrence Taylor, or Deacon Jones, who were the architects of the quarterback sacks. But Green, workmanlike, was a big time performer, who seldom got recognition. He just go to the quarterback, and did it well, for the Rams and Steelers.

Kenny Stabler was the rambler-gambler leader of the outlaw Oakland Raiders. He personified all Al Davis ever wanted on the field, flashy, fearless and the fuel that made the Raiders fire go on offense. He didn’t need to throw for 4,000-yards, and 30-TDs in a season. Just make the plays with all the other star players the Raiders surrounded him with. He was the epitome of a Raider, beard, eye patch and all.

Dick Stanfel was part of very good Lions teams and not so good Redskins teams. But for every Bobby Layne or Sonny Jurgensen on a roster, there had to be unsung heroes, and Stanfel was one of them in the 50s and 60s in the old days NFL.

Owners come in all sizes and shapes and personalities. From George Halas to Jerry Jones, lots of guys have had lots of success. None so much as the modern day 49ers, led by Eddie DeBartolo. 5-Super Bowl rings, drafting and developing people many thought would never cut it, from Joe Montana,undersized at Notre Dame, to Mississippi Valley State’s Jerry Rice. Eddie D was brash, brazen, and brilliant. He was the player’s best friend, ran as classy an organization as ever known, and delivered us the greatness of Bill Walsh amongst others.

A quality group as we’ve ever seen go in together. These 8-made the NFL very special, and now their special day in Canton, where their names will be remembered forever on the Hall of Fame busts.

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“Bosa-Big Dollars-Big Mistake”

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They’re both wrong, but no one is suffering yet. If this goes much longer, everyone suffers.

The Joey Bosa-Chargers holdout-standoff, is now 1-week old. He’s now missed a full week of camp, working at full speed, and now in full pads.

The team is still another week away from the first preseason game, but time now becomes critical, because the team is in ‘installation mode’.

Everything they want to use during the regular season gets put in. All defensive formations, alignment, audibles. All the blitzes, the calls to drop coverage, nickle-dime-zone blitz schemes.

And once you install it, you practice it till it becomes instant recognition, based on formations, on adjustments at the line of scrimagge.

Ever read the phone book. Players tell me John Pagano’s defensive playbook is like that, complex, and takes time to understand.

The Ohio State first round pick may be in Florida staying in game shape, running and lifting, but he’s not here, and the mental part of what he is missing is staggering.

NFL holdouts like this supposedly went away with the Bonus-slot system in the last CBA. Bosa is the only holdout of the 223-players drafted in April.

He wants all 17M of his signing bonus paid upfront. He does not want a chunk of it deferred till 2017 without interest.

The Chargers historically paid 66% of their bonus money on signing, with the remaining third paid March 1st the following year.

But the Chargers have not had a high number 1-pick, this high, since Philip Rivers went 1-2 with the Eli Manning trade more than a decade ago. Rivers held out 3-weeks, but he was coming in as a backup to Drew Brees at that point and facing a 2-year learning curve.

The Chargers are still trying to do NFL business as if it were under the old agreement, not the current one.

Sources say over the last four years, covering the top five picks in the draft, 16-of-20 had all their signing bonus money delivered that first year. And none of those top five picks, in any of those years, had ‘off-set’ language, in case they were released.

So all this raises lots of questions.

Do the Chargers have a real cash-flow problem, they don’t or can’t write a 17M check?

This ia new set of rules, a new CBA, so why not do what others, who have had the high-high picks have done.

Why is Bosa beefing about the guaranteed money? He’s going to get it all, lots now, the rest in 7-months. For someone whol told us he is “All Football-All the Time” and comes from a father in football-John Bosa, there sure seems to be misguided.

He’s missing alot of learning curve time, and soon, real-honest live-fire playing time, by not being here, in the classroom, on the field, and in that lockeroom.

A compromise? Yes, maybe. Have the Chargers pay him the 11.1M they want now. Deliver the other 6M with ‘attached’ interest, next March.

I don’t want to hear any excuse out of Team Spanos about money spent on stadium studies, LA-Carson-Coliseum-14 locations in San Diego-Tailgate Park. You chose that. You cannot hold Bosa and his agent responsible for all the money Team Spanos wasted away with ideas that never got off the ground.

Not accepting the ‘cash flow issue’ either, since this team makes 15-to-25M profits per year according my NFL sources.

If he’s not here this time next week, then it gets really ugly.

We’ve seen what ugly is all about, namely the Chargers defense in recent years.

Dean Spanos-quit being cheap. Joey Bosa-quit being stupid.

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“San Diego-A Cuban Missle-Sighting”

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It’s going to happen, as sure as you having breakfast this morning, and the bold San Diego Padres leadership, needs to do something about it.

The rogue General Manager AJ Preller, who has spent freely, traded wildly, and hoarded prospects like they are gold, has the chance to be daring again..

Yasiel Puig’s name is going to appear on the waiver wire shortly. The Dodgers failed to work out a deal to move him by the Monday trading deadline. Now to move him, they have to put his name on waivers first, then can deal him. If a club claims him, LA can pull his name off waivers, and open trade talks with that club. If he goes thru waivers, not likely, and 29-other clubs pass on him, then LA can move him anywhere in a deal.

The Padres, who want to build with young players, can and should afford to take this gamble. Puig is owed about 2M for the rest of this season, 7.2M next year and 8.2M in the final year of his contract in 2018, all part of his original contract signed when he left Cuba. At age 25, there’s still lots of upside and time left on the Puig clock, for him to rally, him to grow, him to get more consistent.

You remember Puig, who made his debut in June 2013 at Petco. You remember the electricity in the air. He hit (.515) the first week in Dodgers colors. He hit (.409) that first month. He finished the season hitting (.319) with 19-home runs, and an amazing glove and arm in right field.

Puig has tailed off some. His averages have gone down each year, from (.319), followed by (.296-.255-.260). His mistakes in the field are still there. But so are the spectacular plays out in right. He has 12-errors in 4-seasons, but 35-assists, gunning guys down on the bases.

The maturity issues still loom, as do nagging injury issues. Is his diet right?. Can he manage his off field time and friendships better? What about the 5-different hamstring issues over the last two years?

A Padres front office thinks it has laid the foundation for the future. Can you imagine if you brought Puig here, as a bridge to the foundation, when it arrives in 2019?

AJ Preller and Logan White are dynamic people. White has long time relationship with Latin players, and with his past Dodgers track record, might be the right link to get to Puig.

Puig has been demoted to Oklahoma City, to refine his game. It’s just a way-station till they can move him.

Like having Corn Flakes in the morning, Puig’s name is going to be on the waiver wire shortly. As badly as this Padres season is turning out, they will likely be 4th or 5th in line to put in a claim, to say “let’s talk trade LA”. And why not. They did the Matt Kemp deal with that organization. They have lots of young pitchers they could use as trade bait.

Vin Scully called a young Puig, “wild stallion”. San Diego should see if they can get that bucking bronco, and ride him.

Preller has been bold so much in his two plus years leading this franchise. Do it again for an instant player upgrade, who still has untapped potential, or as Preller likes to say ‘ceiling’.

A Cuban Missle sighting in San Diego. Why not.

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