=========

Hacksaw’s Monday Bonus Podcast
You Tube-Lee Hacksaw Hamilton
Look-Listen-Share-Subscribe

===========
“PADRES QUESTIONS”
===========

Spring Training is just around the corner, and there are unanswered questions everywhere around Petco Park this hour.

Questions pertaining to the budget, this year’s payroll, the status of the GM, the need for more trustworthy starting pitching, and the Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove situations.

Questions here-with my answers:

THE PADRES PAYROLL…Ownership has said it would be at last year’s level and it is close to being at that level, which means the franchise has at least an 8M-tax bill due this year before the first pitch is ever thrown.  And that’s without filling some spots on the roster they still need to fill.  How do you create budget space?  Trade a veteran, but then you create another hole in your lineup if you move salary.

AJ-THE-GM…They keep saying they will get a deal done for an extension.  That talk started in October and we are on the brink of February.  Maybe they have decided he serves out this final year and see what kind of season they have?  Maybe they let the new owners decide whom they want to run the franchise?  If he does not get a deal done, then to me it is a Vote of No Confidence to all the things Prellar has done to make the Padres relevant in what has become a hot baseball market.

BASEBALL LOCKOUT…The big topic of conversation in every part of the baseball map.  It is complicated with the loss ot TV revenue in more than half of the markets by the collapse of regional sports networks.  Owners may want a salary cap.  They won’t get it.  But what I want is a floor to spending, which allows each team to get better talent on the roster.  Just think if the floor was (140M) this year, more money to go to veteran free agents, that make alot of mid market teams better.  If they are all in wildcard pennant races next summer that helps the overall health of all franchises.  The floor works in the NFL-NBA-NHL.

THE UNION…It has to be collectively bargained.  Everyone is making money right now, but Tony Clark must realize he represents not just Juan Soto or Kyle Tucker, but the 25th man on every roster in baseball.  That’s why the tax and the floor have to be part of growth in a ‘Partnership’ not a ‘Dictatorship’.

YU DARVISH…An emotionally touching decision coming.  Great career-two countries-but the reality this is maybe the end of the road of that career.  The (3Y-43M) remaining on the deal cannot remain on the books.  Simple solution, restructure down the deal.  Pay him a smaller amount this year as a consultant.  If he returns to play in 2027, give him the rest of his 2026 salary.  Take the other two years owed and make it deferred based on what he can contribute on the mound, if he ever gets back on the mound.  The Padres let him keep his entire salary in 2024-when he had health issues and was away with a family crisis.  He is an honorable man, a 1st class person.  Find a common ground despite the Union wanting to put its nose into protecting the full value of his deal.

JOE MUSGROVE..Heart is willing, mind is ready, but will he be the pitcher next year, he used to be years gone by.  He has done everything he can do in rehab.  Some pitchers bounce back quickly.  Some take longer than a year.  Sometimes it is two years out.  Some don’t ever return to form.  Only time tells on this.

MICHAEL KING..A fluke year of injuries, but from all indications he is back at 100% to be the number two behind Nick Pivetta.

THE ROTATION..Where are the rest of the starters going to come from?  Trust Preller that they have stockpiled arms they believe in, whether that is from within the system (Brad Rodriguez) , return from injury (Brian Hoeing), or last year’s find (Randy Vasquez) or from somewhere else  (Tristan McKenzie-Daison Acosta).  Of course Preller has a history of last minute-early season-deadline deals too, so an acquisition can come anytime from any part of the world.

MISSING PIECES..Goodbye to Dylan Cease, a fiercely combative pitcher; Robert Suarez, what a find from Japan; Luis Arraez-popular, overpaid, but limited.  Wish there was something they could have gotten in return, but not possible.  And with ownership ‘capping’ Preller’s budget, no way to keep them.

TRADE CHIPS…If you wanted to move do-everything veteran Jake Cronenworth-you create another hole on the roster.  Oh you could shop the long awaited arrival of Luis Campusano, but probably everyone knows where the holes are in his game, with glove and bat.

FARM SYSTEM…What’s left to trade, Ethan Salas or the youngest wave of Class A-pitchers?  The GM has cleaned out the system 4X in 11-years  and the Padres have not gotten to the World Series, and that was the premise of all this.  Is it worth trying again?

SUMMARY…Fans will be excited with the words ‘Pitchers & Catchers Report’ but they need to evaluate the components of the roster, the shortcomings, the money issues, and the longterm leadership considering what the owners have yet to do with the GM.  Padres baseball, not so much known, with alot of unknowns.

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

=======

Hacksaw’s Monday-Bonus Podcast
You Tube-Lee Hacksaw Hamilton
Hot Topics on Table-Stay for Fans Forum
=======
“SUPER SUNDAY ON ROAD TO SUPER BOWL”
=======
What a Sunday in the AFC-NFC Championship games:

PATRIOTS-BRONCOS…What a wild day in the wild elements…Drake Maye does what he has done in each of his playoff games this winter-survive early-stabilize the offense-make plays…He did all that and he beat the weatherman in the ‘whiteout conditions’…The longer it went the harder it got for journeyman QB-Jarrett Stidman…The weather did him in and eventually the Pats defense caught up to him too..What a chess game it was in the first half before the weather got bad…Denver and Sean Payton dominated with motion offenses, QB rollouts, and a few big plays…But then Mike Vrabel changed everything going late in the second quarter-dialing up blitz packages that disrupted the flow of that Denver offense..And then the big plays showed up, most all made by the Pats defense…The fumble recovery…the late interception in the snow…the 4th down stop…the 3-sacks-13-pressures from that angry mob defense..and then the win.  Great season in Denver for Payton…Greater bounceback season in New England with Vrabel going from worst to first…Snowman celebration for the Patriots.

RAMS-SEAHAWKS..What a night in the Pacific Northwest in a football mad city…What a resurrection of a career for QB-Sam Darnold…What a disappointment for all the great things Matthew Stafford has brought to LA..and a heartbreak for the leadership of Sean McVay…It was ‘Chunk Play City’ all night…QBs with guns ablaze series by series…The two teams combined for 50-first downs…a combined (875Y) on offense…The Seahawks QB threw for (346)…the Rams star threw for (374)..and the WRs were dazzling, Puka Nacua (9R-165)..Jaxson Smith-Njiba (10R-153)…The defenses died with their boots on-nothing to do to stop the all out rocket assault…So it sets up the showdown in 2-Sunday in Santa Clara in the Super Bowl…The Seattle turnaround equal to what happened in Foxboro.

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

=========

Hacksaw’s Great Sports Weekend Podcast
You Tube-Lee Hacksaw Hamilton
Look-Listen-Share-Subscribe

=========
“SHOWDOWN SUNDAY”
=========
Sunday will be fun, to see who survives, who punches their ticket to the Super Bowl.

There is no Kansas City, no Eagles, no Ravens.

There is an LA Rams team seeking its 3rd Super Bowl berth in 10-years.  There is upstart New England, from worst to first.  There is a great Denver defense without its quarterback.  And there is the reincarnation of the Seattle Seahawks.

A quick look with storylines to pay attention to:

RAMS…Matthew Stafford is back, with 49-TDs on his ledger this year, complimented by big play WRs Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, two power backs, and a suddenly healthy defense.  Big question, does Stafford get the ball out before Seattle’s defense gets to him?  Second big question, does all of Stafford’s playoff history allow him to survive what is coming from Seattle’s schemes?

SEATTLE..Sam Darnold has an oblique injury and the Hawks are without one of their running backs.  The defense is almost equal to the Legion of Doom fame.  Darnold has to prove he can hold up against the Rams.  His history,  turnovers, getting sacked 9-times last year in the playoffs by LA, and throwing 6-picks this year.  Who is the real Darnold?  Will the Seahawks massive defensive front stuff the Rams run?  Can the blitz knock Stafford out of sync?  Who wins the WR-CB matchups?

NEW ENGLAND..How impressive is Drake Maye, after he rallied his team to go get touchdowns against the vaunted Chargers defense and the overwhelming Houston defense?  How dominant is this Patriots defense, physical upfront, and cohesive on the back end in their coverage packages?  What surprises will Mike Vrabel unveil against the Broncos backup QB?

BRONCOS..A myriad of problems now with the offense.  Jarret Stidham has not started a game in three years.  He will be asked to manage the game, not lose it.  But Bo Nix was the catalyst off which everything happened with that offense.  How does Denver run the ball, when that is not part of their makeup?  And how does the WR-group, somewhat erratic, get open against Christian Gonzalez and his posse in the Patriots secondary?  And of course the biggest issue, can Stidham cope with what the Patriots did to Justin Herbert-CJ Stroud the last two weekends?

WHO WINS…Taking the Patriots and the Rams to go to the Super Bowl.

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

=======

Hacksaw’s Thursday Podcast…1:30pm
You Tube-Lee Hacksaw Hamilton
Hot Topics on Table..Stay for Fans Forum
========
“NFL OWNERS…LOOKING FOR COACHES”
========
A most interesting time in the NFL, as these 10-job openings begin to fill up.

An interesting time looking at one trait across the board in some of the cities, bad ownership.  Not in every case, but in many cases.  A team-by-team look:

RAVENS…Greatness in Steve Bisciotti, who has guided Baltimore in a near two decade run, but he felt the messenger and the message had gotten old.  Star QB, tremendous RB, young defense, good draft record.  We see if he makes the right hire.

STEELERS..The Rooney family has owned this franchise since the 1930s.  A foundation of stability, values, integrity and trust.  But they need a ‘reset’ in what they do on offense, in the draft, and what they run.  Will the next hire be an offensive mind or come off a defensive tree.  As great as they are, they are not what they were.

GIANTS…Iconic Mara-Tish ownership fabric, but have lost their way with GM-hires and in turn coaching hires.  The sweep to get a proven winner, John Harbaugh, signals a new approach.  Had to considering they are (44-104-1) since Tom Coughlin left a decade back

TITANS..Huge-huge issue with leadership decisions, front office feuds, coaching mistakes.  The late Bud Adams must be turning over in his grave.  Just because you are from a football family does not mean who can be what your dad used to be.

ATLANTA..A great civic minded owner in Arthur Blank, a brilliant business man, but mistakes in his football business.  We see if Kevin Stefanski can bring this franchise back quickly.

CLEVELAND…Dysfunction junction-owner, interference and it goes on and on for team Haslam.  They have problems everywhere.

MIAMI..Steven Ross may be rich, but this Dolphin run is nowhere near the legacy that Don Shula left behind decades ago.  If you screw up at quarterback, it takes years to recover.

BUFFALO…They rebuilt it under Marv Levy, then did it again under Sean McDermott, but Terry Pegula seems impulsive and out of touch.  The talent base is superb and they hope the right hire takes them over the top before the clock runs out on Josh Allen.  Should have stayed the course.

ARIZONA..A nightmare for a long time, even if they won under Bruce Arians, who vacated.  If you want to track something, figure out how many head coaches have failed there, and how many front office lawsuits Michael Bidwill is involved in.  Searching for stability, won’t get it there.

RAIDERS..Mark Davis, you are not Al Davis.  Maybe Tom Brady can make a difference.  But the first set of choices, the Pete Carroll hire, was disastrous.  All you need to know about Raiders football is this:  since 2002-their last playoff win, the Mark Davis led franchise is (131-242).  The scoreboard does not lie.

Rate Em…some good gone off track.  Alot of bad out there in the ownership ranks.

=========

=======

“BIG STORIES–BIG REACTIONS”
=======

Stories you are following, I have opinions on.

NY GIANTS..Pretty snazzy opening press conference for new coach John Harbaugh..about wanting to be on the biggest stage (NY)..biggest sport (NFL) for the biggest challenge (Super Bowl).  Right guy for right situation.  Walks in the door with Jaxson Dart, Cam Skateboo, Malik Nabers, a young OL and a young defense that needs guidance.  Win-Win.

BUFFALO…Still stunned over the firing of Sean McDermott and the promotion of Brandon Beane, who made all the roster decisions.  Here’s the big story behind the story, since the drafting of Josh Allen, Beane has drafted just 2-Pro Bowl players out of his last 56-draft picks and whiffed on a number of free agents.  But there are those around the NFL who told me, all coaches have ‘shelf life’ and McDermott’s expired at 9-years.  Brian Daboll returning there, Joe Brady staying there might make sense.  Calling Mike Tomlin would make more sense.

PITTSBURGH…If all they are doing is interviewing guys with defense stamped all over their resume, how does that fix the glaring problem there?  You know, no QB since the Roethlisberger era, no skill players with deep threat speed?  No creativity on offense?

TENNESSEE..1-meeting-surprise hire in Robert Saleh.  He does inherit Cam Ward, does inherit a rugged defensive front, but also has holes on offense to fill.  And it’s been a front office filled with chaos.

ATLANTA…Connect the dots, Kevin Stefanski to Matt Ryan, Kirk Cousins, and this makes sense.  Right leader to make a decision on Michael Penix at QB, and add on to the skill people they have, the Falcons could be fixed sooner than later.

MIAMI..A surprise hire in Jeff Hafley from Green Bay.  Did think they would go offense.  Have to solve the QB-Tua, and WR-Tyreek situations, so they have not solved everything yet.

RAIDERS..Tom Brady-Mike McDaniel-that would be an interesting hire with QB-Fernando Mendoza coming in as the 1st round pick.  Raiders always go after the shiny object-how about a legitimate hire?

RAVENS..Waiting to see when-who they hire, but these 2nd interviews with Jesse Minter-Chargers and now Joe Brady-Bills makes me believe they are ready to move.

BROWNS..Questions everywhere at this hour-hire someone to fix the offense, or continue the growth on defense, which makes me think elevating Jim Schwartz is the right deal.  But it does not solve the Bermuda Triangle situation at QB, Deshauh Watson-Dillon Gabriel-Shedeur Sanders.

ARIZONA…Anybody really want to work for Michael Bidwell and the front office fiasco’s that have plagued the team?  Raheem Morris brings stability.  But you still have to sort out the Kyler Murray mess.

CHARGERS…A critical hire a week after the firing of the Off Coor-Greg Roman..the Tuesday night job offer…impressive convincing Mike McDaniel to bypass potential head coaching offers to take the Bolts job…The hire comes on what McDaniel did for the first two years with Tua Tagovailoa before all the injuries set in…Assume he will be in LA for a year or two-add to his resume-then leave for a head coaching job…Step one to help Justin Herbert.  Now about the offensive line?

Random thoughts about all the stories everyone is talking about.
==============