=========
“THINKING OUT LOUD”
=========
SAN DIEGO…Should we consider a name change, from America’s Finest City to ‘Soccer City’…What a phenomenal year we have experienced with the explosive arrival of the MLS-expansion SDFC (Azul & Chrome), to the past success of the San Diego Wave, and the perennial NCAA tourney team USD has become…Yes ‘Soccer City’ seems to fit.
AZTECS..I appreciate what Sean Lewis has done even if the Aztecs-4-Life fans (frauds) don’t…On the brink of going (10-2), he took a (3-9) team, ravaged by the transfer portal two years in a row, and flipped it. Hope he does not get hired away by someone else, but when you turn around two bad teams (Kent State-SDSU) in short order, your playbook-gameplan-blueprint, how to run a program, should be noticed. Too bad the Aztecs-4-Life Alums (frauds) have failed to show up for home games, to see how he has willed SDSU back to life.
SDSU HOOPS…It was like a tidal wave of talent…The guards destroyed Oregon on Tuesday night. Sizzling shooting from everyone. Outside shooting from BJ Davis, Reese Dixon-Waters and Elzie Harrington. Talk about a torch job burning the Ducks to the ground, it was an i mpreesive win. And I did not even mention the diverse play of Magoon Gwath and we know Miles Byrd has talent too. All this hours after they got beat by 40-by Michigan in the lst round game. And the whole nation probably saw this win. So that erases the ugliness of the home loss to Troy State. What a statement game. Just ask the Ducks how it frelt.
TOREROS…The other school on the hill deserves some credit, because USD sports operates in the shadow of everything in this town…Sadly it feels like everything is a club sport over there…But tip of the hat to Brandon Moore (8-4) in football, what Steve Lavin is doing in basketball, what Brian Quinn has accomplished in soccer, and what baseball has become up on Alcala Way.
PADRES…Sitting and waiting for the deals to come via AJ Preller’s shopping spree at Dollar General (aisle 1)..Limited budget-trust he will find some starting pitching and will find something of a power bat to compliment his lineup…Like the rumor he is interested in ex Texas power hitter Adolis Garcia and dabbling with the idea of Japanese starting P-Tatsuya Imai or Blue Jays P-Chris Bassitt…More names will come out soon I trust.
CUBS-MARLINS-BRAVES..Say goodbye to starter Michael King,headed off for a payday to the Cubs or Marlins, and Dylan Cease-who could possibly be Braves bound-heading home to pitch where he grew up in Georgia…No risk in either, just beyond Padres checking account if King’s deal is beyond 15M, and Cease gets to 20M a year on a 3-4-5 year deal.
DODGERS..Next shopping spree will likely include OF-Steven Kwan via a trade with Cleveland and it appears they will look hard at SS-Bo Bichette of Toronto (big price) and ex Padres closer Robert Suarez (3-year deal).
ANGELS..Big time trade to get Orioles P-Grayson Rodgriguez, coming off bone spur surgery, but already throwing in Florida…Next up, possibly Japanese P-Tatsuya Imai…They already have a gem of a pitching coach in Mike Maddux-just need to get him more arms and Yusei Kikuch to talk to Imai about coming to Anaheim.
RAMS..Have surely won the battle of LA and the hearts of the fans, with Matthew Stafford (30TD-2Int) and that fierce defense, putting them in the conversation of ‘Super Bowl’ type team.
CHARGERS..Just awful the injury siege that has torn up GM-Joe Hortiz blueprint for success…It’s just not the 35-sacks and 9-picks Justin Herbert has had to endure, it’s the fact they will be on their 5th different starting left tackle to go with 4-different starting right tackles, and the fact they have gone thru 4-different running backs this season, and the teeth of the schedule is still to be played.
LAKERS..Looking for points off the bench, they sign ex Gonzaga star Drew Timmie, whom last place Brooklyn let go…He averaged 12P a game at the tail end of the season with the Nets after scoring (25P) a night in the NBA-G League..Worth a look because the kid is a gamer.
CLIPPERS..Do not like what I see here, an aging team with ill fitting parts…I thought the one year rentals of Brad Beal, John Collins, Chris Paul, Brook Lopez would really add depth to the James Harden-Ivica Zubac-Kawhil Leonard lineup…It is a disaster with injuries, lack of team speed, and bad chemistry leading to this (5-13) start of the season.
HOCKEY..Nothing wrong with your eyesight if you open up the paper or check the website…The Kings and Ducks fighting for first place at times in the Pacific Division-both off to good starts….And the Gulls have already had crowds of 9-10-11,000 plus at home for a team that has goal scoring kids, an NHL ready made goalie and lots of promotions.
Thinking out loud about things here in America’s Finest City-Soccer City.
=============
