====================

Hacksaw’s Weekly Podcast
You Tube Channel-Lee Hacksaw Hamilton
Look-Listen-Share-Subscribe

 

======================
“NFL Notebook”
======================
We move into Weekend 10-of the NFL schedule.

Storylines you should pay attention to:

CHARGERS-LIONS…Geez Chargers fans are going crazy with this two game winning streak.  Easy dude.  You beat the Bears and the Jets.  You are (0-3) against the good teams you have played on your schedule.  Here comes Detroit and they will challenge your manhood on Sunday.

49ers-JAGUARS…Coming off a bye week-Brock Purdy needs to play better after 5-turnovers in last 3-losses, yes losses.  Trevor Lawrence has a complete team-though their explosiveness cannot match McCaffrey-Samuel-Ayiuk and the QB.  Good game.

RAVENS-BROWNS..Deshaun Watson meet the Ravens defense.  Or maybe the storyline is Lamar Jackson-vs-Myles Garrett.  This might turn into a game of turnovers, low scoring, with field goal kickers.  The AFC North is pretty tough isn’t it?

JETS-RAIDERS…Everyone is excited that the Silver-Black won their first game against the New York Giants JV last week.  Now they face a really good Jets defense.  Aiden O’Connell may be like that frat guy in Animal House, ‘thank you sir can I have another’.  This will be a hard game.

PATRIOTS-COLTS…They’re writing in Boston, if Bill Belichick comes home (2-8) he might lose his job.  They could lose-they are so bad.  Don’t know if the coach gets fired yet, but the Pats GM (Bill) has let down the Pat coach (Belichick)

BENGALS-TEXANS..Cool matchup Joe Burrow-vs-CJ Stroud.  Bengals are rolling.  The kid QB in Houston having a great season

SAINTS-VIKINGS…Josh Dobbs worked magic last week in a wild win.  Now he has to match talent-skills-big plays with Saints QB-Derek Carr.

PACKERS-STEELERS…Jordan Love, TJ Watt is coming to get you.  Green Bay season slipping away from them.  This weekend with Pittsburgh will be hard.

TAMPA BAY-TITANS…Messy seasons for both.  Will Levis starts again for Tennessee-the Tannehill era looks over.  Wondering if a Kyle Trask sighting is coming soon for the Bucs, who have lost 3-in a row.

ARIZONA-ATLANTA…Maybe Kyler Murray makes his first start after coming off knee surgery rehab.  Both are a mess.  Arizona might be (1-9) by Sunday night

DALLAS-GIANTS…Just awful season for New York, shame on them for the batteering QB-Daniel Jones has had to endure.  Cowboys keep chasing the Eagles, and Dak Prescott is playing very well.

SEAHAWKS-WASHINGTON….QB-Sam Howell looks like the real deal in Washington, throwing as much as he does.  Geno Smith sure does not look like the same QB from a year ago

BUFFALO-DENVER…This won’t be pretty, but it is odd wondering how Buffalo got to (5-4) this year with all that talent.

Enjoy this NFL weekend.
=======================================

================

“ANGELS–GOING TO HELL”
================

Explain this one to me, the Halos hiring of Ron Washington as their new manager.

Ron Washington, once upon a time, a trusted bench boss-coach in the early 2000-winning years with Billy Beane’s Oakland Athletics.  Long time ago.

Washington, the manager who took the Texas Rangers to 2-World Series, but was just a shade over .500 in his entire tenure.  Long time ago.

The former manager who has not been a manager since 2004-nearly 20-years ago, long before the world of analytics took over the game.  Long time ago.

A guy who left his managerial job under the cloud of a terrible substance abuse issue and a series of relationship issues.  Long time ago.

A coach who has interviewed for manager’s jobs the last 3-years and was never hired.

A guy who agreed to only a 2-year contract with the Angels, when 24-hours prior, the Cubs gave a record (5Y-80M) contract to hot managerial hire Craig Counsell.

Do we read into it, Washington was willing to take any type of contract, or Arte Moreno intends to unload the team in the next year or so, ending his horribly disappointing run as owner of a franchise that is on skid row?  Cheap hire-next owner can solve the issue?

Or maybe Washington was hired to ‘groom’ the manager of the future from a young coach he might bring with him?  Can you say Torii Hunter or Erstad?

He has been praised for teaching skills, motivating talents, and his ability to communicate, though he also is profane in a tough-love type of conversation.

Even AJ Preller, who hires everyone with ties from his time with the Rangers, didn’t move on hiring Washington, despite making 3-managerial changes…in the last nine years.

So what do we make of this Arte Moreno hire?  Why Ron Washington and not someone else?

They bypassed Buck Showalter, who had all that success with the Mets, Texas, Arizona and even the rebuilding Orioles.  That may well have been a money-length of contract term situation.

They did not meet with Don Mattingly, who had success at Dodgers Stadium. among other places.

Smart guy Bryan Price, with a good reputation having worked in bad situations in Cincinnati and Seattle, and a guy who has a history of dealing with young pitchers, whom the Halos have plenty of.

Young guys like Andy Green-Cubs, proven veteran David Ross-Cubs, or fast riser Clayton McCullough-Dodgers did not even merit a sit down meeting.

Didn’t want to promote from within, their own coach Benji Gil, who has worked under some good people in baseball?

Bypassed a popular experience Darin Erstad, who knows MLB baseball, and who ran a very good college program at Nebraska, and is beloved in-around Angels Stadium.

This is as strange as it gets.

The ousting of Phil Nevin was because he was a victim of circumstances, all those bad injuries in Anaheim.  Did as good as he could in a bad situation.

They failed with the creative hiring of Joe Maddon prior to that, when most people thought that was a steal, based on his run with the Cubs.  But that blew up mainly because Maddon was so obstinate about analytics.

And now the new manager, with alot of old-school traits, has to convince Shohei  Ohtani to stay, eventhough it has been a decade since ‘Wash’ was making all the dugout decisions as someone’s bench boss.

Not sure GM-Perry Manasian’s inner thoughts why this was the right hire. Maybe it does not matter, since the GM has one year left on his deal, and might be ‘dead man walking’ when-if Moreno sells the club.  Manasian crossed paths with Washington while working in both Texan and Atlanta.  Maybe there is a ‘trust factor’ that comes into this.

Anaheim-Orange County is a baseball market unto itself.  Sorry Arte, you are not LA-never have been-never will be.  The Bill Rigney-led Los Angeles Angels, was a long time ago.

Halos fans should be furious with the decision making of a once popular owner who has lost his fastball and his credibility.

What a shame for Mike Trout.  What a disappointment for the fans who cheered so long-so hard in the eras of Ryan-Tanana and Langston-Finley-Salmon-Erstad.

I said last week that Moreno, who has contacts everywhere, needed to find a sounding board to give him insight and opinions, how to fix this franchise.  I said a veteran exec, who rebuilt teams and stadiums with the right hires, like Larry Lucchino was just a phone call away.

Looking for a modern day young exec with unique insight, why not call the Commissioner’s office and talk to Theo Epstien as a sounding board?  Last I checked what he did at Wrigley Field-Fenway park with the Cubs and Bosox was pretty impressive.

The Angels are going to hell as a franchise.  The only ones who don’t see it are the owner and the aging manager he just hired.  Out of touch they are.

Turn out the ‘Big A’ stadium light on the 55-freeway.  Don’t see a successful season coming.

=====================================

 

 

====================

Hacksaw’s BONUS Podcast
You Tube Channel-Lee Hacksaw Hamilton-Sports
Look-Listen-Share-Subscribe

 

====================

“PADRES BASEBALL–NEED AJ MAGIC

=====================

He has done so much as GM of the Padres, AJ Preller-GM.
Bold trades.
Spending sprees.
International signings
Huge contracts-money and length.
Winning the Winter Baseball Meetings

It brought excitement to our baseball community, the one that went thru the horrors of the Arnholt ownership, the Tom Werner firesales, the Jeff Moorad caretaker years.

Preller and Peter Seidler created a buzz like hardly ever seen before in San Diego, at least not since the John Moore-Larry Lucchino World Series years and the arrival of Petco Park

Expectations haven’t really been met, with the exception of 3-months last year when the Friars got to the playoffs and shocked the Dodgers.  So that is the sum total of the Preller period spread out over his 9-years run.

That was then, this now, a team that could be in trouble in lots of ways.

Seidler is fighting health problems again.  His ability to lead the way he wants is now open for debate.

The team, that choked away the 2021 season, gave us a summer of shame in 2023, with gross under performances by virtually everyone of the high paid stars.  There was no playoff October.

And what was supposed to be a multi year run to get to the World Series could have the window closing quickly.

The payroll, that rocketed to (253M) this year, has led to a tax bill for (296M) in total expenses.  It appears the Padres owe MLB some 30M in tax payments.

And now Preller, facing a (50M) reduction in payroll, needs a 48-hour workday everyday this off season to figure out how to navigate the financial numbers and his roster.

In trading for Juan Soto from Washington, 6-players, virtually the top of the farm system, went to the Nationals.  Soto delivered big hits and lots of walks, but the team did not win, last year when he arrived and this year, what was supposed to be a year he settled in, it failed.

And now Preller has to deal with agent Scott Boras, who will want more than the (33M) Soto will likely get in arbitration.  Cut the payroll, and give Soto a hefty pay-raise.  How does that work?

It appears ace Blake Snell and closer star Josh Hader will exit as free agents.  The Padres are not interested in a Boras asking price of (25M) for Snell, or upwards of (20M) for Hader.

Now Preller has to find a cost effective replacement for his top starter and his  top fireman.

Add in the fact that Preller put hefty option year contract figures in the deals for Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo and Nick Martinez.  The 3-righthanders bet on themselves, and now want to cash it to the tune of (15-16M) each.  Awful lot of money for the back of the rotation arms.

Complicating all this is the health of Yu Darvish, coming off the bone spur elbow surgery, and the quiet concern of Joe Musgrove, who missed the back half of the schedule with shoulder capsule issues, something you have to monitor going forward.

So that totals 7-issues with what was a power base of the team, the pitching staff.  Luis Garcia is unsigned after a bad year.  That’s an 8th pitcher in question.  Adrian Morejon, who has done little despite the big signing bonus deal he got, could cost 900,000-making you wonder if the Padres can keep him.  Now that’s 9-pitchers in question.

So the Padres could get a decent return in the Soto potential trade, but that opens a huge hole in your batting order.

Of course you assume Manny Machado-Fernando Tatis-Jake Cronenworth can bounce back from substandard seasons, but there are no guarantees that happens.

So here we are.  Cutting payroll, possibly dealing Soto, losing a big chunk of your pitching staff.

Preller can wheel and deal, and he has.  But now he has restraints on him, problems with whom he has to deal with (Boras) and the fact he does not have leverage.  Add in, ownership is calling back the ‘blank check’ he was given to go get players, because it did not work out.

The Padres GM-needs some ‘Magic’ to fix this, and keep the Padres in contention.  And nationwide, with the storylines the team had to secure a 50M-loan to pay its bills in September, and knowing there will not be a 60M-Bally TV check  for 2024, this team looks like it has real problems infront of it.

And by the way, guess what people are saying in November about the Padres GM?  Same thing they said in the spring.

‘This is not sustainable-this was reckless’.

Anybody know where the Magic Wand is stored at Tony Gwynn Way.

The Rock Star GM seems to have been a 1-hit wonder like some artists in rock-n-roll music.  A huge challenge is just ahead.

Email the Padres GM-he needs to find magic right now.
=============================

==============

“MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL–AWFUL”

===============

 

It was a win, it was ugly, it didn’t mean very much.

The Chargers defense choked the New York Jets to death in the (27-6) win in an ugly Monday Night game the entire nation had to witness.

A win is a win and this one evened their record to (4-4) with still alot of football left to be played.

Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack, and Tuli Tuapolutu combined for 6-of the 8-quarterback sacks against overwhelmed QB-Zach Wilson.

On the sidelines, Aaron Rodgers, recovering from that Achilles tear, is probably glad he does not have to play behind that Jets offensive line.

Wilson, the high first round pick three years ago, just looks lost.  Physical talents but not much ability to go thru progressions, nor throw accurately.  When can Rodgers get back?

The Jets defensive line played really hard, and should sue for divorce because of the ineptness of the Jets offense.

Coach Robert Saleh looked sick to his stomach, watching this fiasco, as his team reached the midway point of the season.

It was not much of a night for Bolts QB-Justin Herbert, who at one point was (10-20) throwing, took 5-sacks, got hit 13-times, and is probably glad he did not get hurt further.

Even though this was a victory Monday game for them, the Chargers issues remain.  Sacks allowed, hits on your gold standard QB, no power run game, and now without both Mike Williams and Josh Palmer, the Chargers better work hard to get some help for WR-Keenan Allen.

The pass coverage by linebackers is weak, there are still holes in coverage in the secondary.

Cam Dicker keeps hammering field goals, adding a 36-and-55 yarder on Monday night.

So it’s a win, but there are still 9-left on Brandon Staley’s schedule.  Next week, Detroit rolls in with a reputation of trying to make every game a gang fight.  Still on the schedule too, the NFL’s mean-street defense Baltimore, hi powered Buffalo, another matchup with the Chiefs.

Lots of bigger games to play, so you you take the win and move on.But they have to get better and you wonder if they can take the next step.

As for the Jets, woeful, pitiful, wasting a great defense.  It would be a horrible story but their fellow tenants at the Meadowlands, the Giants are even worse.

Dreadful football in the Big Apple.  Just think those teams have 9-more weeks of misery coming, and winter is coming too..

Monday Night Football, has to get better, because this one was not very good, not very watchable, at all.

 

==============

T

 

=================

“FOOTBALL DART BOARD”
=================

Ever throw ‘Darts’ against the target on the wall.

I’m throwing them right now.

CHARGERS..Must win Monday night game against the Jets.  Justin Herbert should be able to throw the ball despite a strong pass rush.  The Bolts defense should add on to Zach Wilson’s 23-sack number and the turnovers he has piled up this year.  Should and will, two different things.

RAIDERS..Mark Davis, bad owner of a bad team for whom he has made alot of bad decisions on GM-coaching and playing hires.  They pounded their way to a win over a badly beaten up Giants team on Sunday, but it only counts as one game in the Antonio Pierce regime.  But alot of bad things are being said about Josh McDaniels, coaching, relationships etc.  That should also spread to Davis’ decisions

RAMS..No Matthew Stafford at quarterback, no hope to win, and now the Rams are (3-6) and the season is getting away from Sean McVay.

MIAMI…Can’t win street fights against good teams, thuys the losses to to the Chiefs-Eagles-Bills.  They are fun on offense, kicking sand on bad teams, but that does not work in the alley.

COWBOYS-EAGLES..That that harkened back to the old days of the NFC-East in the Parcells era.  Those 2-QBs really playing at high efficiency.  Pretty good throwing contest between under siege-QBs Dak Prescott-Jalen Hurts..Then again the DBs were under siege too. Probably will face each other again in the NFC playoffs…Some day with Prescott throwing for (374Y)..Cee Dee Lamb third straight double digit reception day…Eagles win-Cowboys are rolling

MINNESOTA…Who needs practice.  Josh Dobbs spends two days with his new team-Vikings, comes off the bench and rallies them to a huge win over Atlanta.  Rental players can do this, but to do it over the next 7-weeks, we will see.  Backup QBs usually revert to backup QB-status.

HOUSTON…Some rookie season, some statement game by QB-CJ Stroud (470P-5TD).  Some kind of trouble Tampa Bay is in with a once proud defense.  Todd Bowles could be in trouble as Bucs coach in this (3-5) plunge.

ARIZONA…Stoned by the Browns, they are (1-8), with no talent on the field (outgained (326-58) and the continued landslide of front office problems under owner Mike Bidwell.

PATRIOTS…Pretty pedestrian offense GM-Bill Belichick gave Coach Bill Belichick…all time worst (2-7) season in Foxborough.  Bob Kraft reaching the end of the line with the hoodie’s leadership platform?

BEARS…(2-7) not very good and playing a Division II-quarterback has caught up to Tyler Beagent, turnovers and the like.

SEATTLE..Now that was a stunner, the smoke job Lamar Jackson and the Ravens defense laid on Seattle (37-3).  Geno Smith sure does not play like the big play guy we saw last season.

GIANTS…The whole organization is circling the drain and now QB-Daniel Jones goes down with a knee injury, after recovering from a concussion and a neck injury.  Bad situation there in Meadowlands now getting worse..

BILLS-BENGALS…Expected fireworks-got fireworks.  They will face each other somewhere down the road in the playoffs again too..but the turnover bug is part of Josh Allen’s DNA.  Joe Burrow looks like Joe Burrow and that means the Bengals hi-octane offense is back

That is all for now…carry on..your turn with the Darts.

====================