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Hacksaw’s Monday Bonus Podcast
You Tube-Lee Hacksaw Hamilton
Hot Topics on Table-Stay for Fans Forum
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“CHARGERS–UGLY WIN–STILL A WIN”
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The Chargers won a game they should have lost.
They won a game against a really despondent Miami Dolphins team.
The standings now show a (4-2) record.
The NFL does not give out style points.
But the Bolts are lucky; they play anybody else on Sunday, then get beat.

Justin Herbert’s magic, tenacity, escapability and raw talent got them the game winning TD with 3-seconds left.  Sure to be sacked, again, he scrambled in a fire drill move, heaved a pass that wound up being a 42-yard completion to Ladd McConkey, that got the Chargers into Cam Dicker’s 5th field goal of the day, and the win.

All this after Miami’s struggling QB-Tua Tagovailoa somehow led the shorthanded Dolphins on a late TD drive to get them the lead with (:46) left, only to see Herbert do his Houdini thing again to bail his troubled team out.

It was really a pitiful game.

The makeshift Chargers offensive line, looking like a patchwork quilt of players, struggled to protect Herbert.  He took a sack, took 8-more hits and 6-pressures.  Add in the bucket full of procedure and holding calls.  So you know why guys like Bobby Hart, David Sharpe and others were on the unemployment line till the Chargers called.

There was the usual assortment of Charger personal foul penalties again that could have been fatal along the way.  DT-Teair Tart, building quite a reputation as a cheapshot artist, nearly cost his team the game with a head shot on the Miami QB on the last Miami drive in the final minutes.

Bright spots, yes, young RB-Kimani Vidal busting big runs of 19-27-38 yards that led to a career afternoon of (124Y).  McConkey, who has been MIA the past couple of weeks, caught (7R-100Y) and rookie TE-Orande Gadsden hauled in 7-more passes-despite an early fumble.

Pass rusher Odafe Oweh, who came in a trade from the Ravens, had a sack, a pressure and a deflected pass in limited play.

The Chargers defense picked off 3-passes, and Tagovailoa looked intimidated, with no rhythm to the offense, and little accuaracy throwing down the field.  Of course there is no Tyreek Hill in Miami now, and Jaylen Waddle cannot do it by himself.

Coach Mike McDaniel’s play calls were  bizarre, and his failure to get the ball into the hands of TE-Darren Waller was really strange.  Nothing looks right in Miami.  And the bad look, all the empty turquoise seats in Miami Gardens.

So the Bolts come home, knowing they were lucky to survive Sunday. Next weekend the surprise Indianapolis Colts bring their new look offense into LA.

And the Chargers have to keep on winning because Denver has a full head of steam, while the Chargers are not now what they were earlier, when they went (3-0).

At the end of the day, did you win?  Yes they did.  But if they don’t get this offensive line healthy, they are not going to keep winning.  Because there are not very many more Miami type teams on the schedule.

An ugly win, is a win none-the-less.
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Hacksaw’s Great Sports Weekend Podcast
You Tube-Lee Hacksaw Hamilton
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“NBA-LA-ISSUES–ALREADY”
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Time out from the Dodgers-Phillies wild playoff series….Rams pursuit of first place… the Chargers roster issues…USC’s hot streak..and UCLA’s adventures.

Time in for NBA teams in camp with the season a week away.

Stop the presses.  This is a hard to believe story.

LeBron James won’t play for the Lakers opening night.  In fact he won’t play for a month.

From what was a minor nerve issue in his glute has escalated to a full blown case of sciatica, that will knock him out for 4-weeks.

As if there are not enough questions about new pieces trying to fit in together, now the Lakers become Luka Doncic, a new center, and new guys off the bench trying to win right from the get go.  Without King James.

Deandre Ayton has played poorly in preseason, this coming after he played himself off the roster of the Portland Trailblazers.  He seems a shell of the player who broke in with the Suns years ago and did so well.

Marcus Smart is coming off surgery and may need conditioning time.

Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura will be the other starters, but now there are question marks all around Doncic.

LeBron missed the end of last season with a foot injury after having ankle injuries early.  Now he shows up hurt, has never practiced and is now out into likely December, if this hip-back-leg issue does not linger.

Not what the Lakers need as James enters his 23rd season of a never to be matched career.  But that’s lots of minutes-games-banging-grinding.

You hope this is a fluke injury, not a wear and tear complication of the 200,000 miles on his body.

The last hurrah for LeBron will be delayed.  You hope he is not becoming sidetracked by a body breaking down.

An LA-issue already.  No one saw this coming.  No one wants thisl.

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“COLLEGE FOOTBALL HOT SPOTS”
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PENN STATE..Really have doubts that James Franklin is in trouble as Nittany Lions head coach, though his team disappearing down the elevator shaft of the AP-ratings in two weeks time is shocking.  The Lions are (5-21) in Franklin’s career vs Top 10-teams…and (1-18) vs Big 10-teams ranked in the Top 10.  Cannot ignore that.  His coordinators may pay the price.

COLORADO..Deion Sanders has issues on field, and again off field-with his health.  Life after his QB-son Shedeur and his Heisman Trophy star Travis Hunter has been rocky.  They are (2-4) this year, and (0-3) in the Big 12.  Not moving the ball well.  Cannot stop anyone from moving the ball either.  And now his health is troubling again.  Emergency surgery to solve recurring blood clot problems in his legs, where he has had toes amputated already for blood clot damages while at Jackson State.  All this in addition to his summer long surgeries for bladder cancer.  He says he is not stepping aside though many football friends think he should.

NORTH CAROLINA..So how has life gone for the NFL’s 33rd team, as Bill Belichick described he would build when he took the Tar Heels job.  Now reports that Chapel Hill-Bill is coming apart at the seams, raging on his transfer laden roster; feuding with the media; demanding the school not put anything related to New England Patriots QB-Drake Maye, a UNC star, on their websites.  Oh he also banned all Pats scouts from being on campus.  Guess that’s what an (0-3) record against Power 5-schools will do.  His team has been outscored (120-33).  And his honey Jordan Hudson has stopped tweeting after posting ‘we have arrived’ after wins over Charlotte and Richmond.  What followed were terrible beatings at home, where fans are booing and stopped showing up.

TEXAS…Cannot find them in the AP-top 25 rankings.  End result of losing so many skill players in the draft, and way too much hype about young QB-Arch Manning.  They will be back.  Steve Sarkisian did not lose his ability to coach overnight.  Just way too young a roster at the skill positions.

UCLA…That was a shocker of a win over Penn State, but it was just one victory and there are still lots of games to be played, and the program is in need of a credibility hire of a new head coach plus coordinators.  And solving what appears to be a long standing feud with Bruins alumni players-who feel rebuffed by Chip Kelly and Deshaun Foster.  Anybody know Pat Fitzgerald’s phone number, the ex-Northwestern head coach problem solver.

OREGON STATE…It all seems to be slipping away from Trent Bray; the roster is thin.  Getting Duke transfer QB-Malik Murphy solved the passing problems, but nothing else.  Wonder how much longer this can go on.  Mike Riley and Dennis Erickson saved the Beavers twice decades ago.  They may need new leadership in Corvallis shortly.

WISCONSIN…Hard to believe Luke Fickell has lost his way at Camp Randall Stadium, but he keeps losing QBs and that makes it so hard to compete.  He is on his 3rd starter in 6-weeks after Maryland transfer Billy Evans went down with an injury, and San Diego State transfer Danny O’Neill became a turnover machine.  They are not happy in Madison.

FLORIDA..Billy Napier may be the next two go.  The drop off in the quality of great players the Gators used to get is alarming and so is the up and down QB play.  Where have you gone Tim Tebow?

Oklahoma State (Mike Gundy)..Arkansas (Sam Pittman)..UCLA (Deshaun Foster)..Virginia Tech (Brent Puy) have already been tossed.  More could be coming shortly.

Halfway point of the college season is coming.  Lots of upsets of top ten teams.  Lots of upset alumnis and fan bases.  The coaching hot seat is getting hotter.
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Hacksaw’s Monday Bonus Podcast
You Tube-Lee Hacksaw Hamilton
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“MORNING MEMO ON BASEBALL”
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PADRES…Begin in house meetings to evaluate what to do with the roster after the teams annual playoff failure…Same time, John Seidler sends out ‘thank you letter’ to fans for the record setting season…Makes mention re-evaluation of roster is a must…

Of course decisions have to be made on whom to re-sign (Michael King)..whom to let go (Dylan Cease)…whom to try to get to stay (Robert Suarez)..and what changes need to be made (Luis Arraez salary)..Ryan O’Hearn insertion at first base…

The great unknown, how much gas does Yu Darvish have left after three years of elbow issues…Will Joe Musgrove be the pitcher he was prior to his elbow surgery…No comment on whether the payroll will bump up from its (211M)  figure of this past season…

Best situation, the Padres could have as much as (65M) budget space, but that would mean everyone is leaving the building who could leave-which would create massive holes…

Track record of AJ Preller-shop at Dollar General and find cost saving replacements, and go back to Japan-Taiwan where there is an ever increasing pool of players available yearly.

Long off season ahead-lots of decisions to be made.  Coming up, opt-out dates for guys who can leave, followed by the (22M) qualifying offer date of free agents you might to keep.

Stay tuned, a busy and important off season is coming
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Hacksaw’s Monday Bonus Podcast…1:30pm
You Tube-Lee Hacksaw Hamilton
Hot Topics on Table-Stay for Fans Forum
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“CHARGERS-POWDER BLUE-BLACK EYE”
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WTF was that?

No easy way to describe what happened on Sunday, this ugly loss to the Washington Commanders.

All you needed to see was the ‘glazed’ look on the face of coach Jim Harbaugh, running out of ways to avoid using coach-speak to talk about the demise of his team, losing first to the winless NY Giants and then the badly banged up Commanders.

Shell-shocked is about the way to describe QB-Justin Herbert-battered again by a pass rush, betrayed by a sagging offensive line.

Stunning the mess that piled up after the Bolts had a (10-0) lead go away

..Washington had 5-sacks, 6-tackles for loss, 9-hits and a ton of pressures.
..The Commanders sealed the game with a 99-yard TD drive in the 4th quarter.
..Jayden Daniels threw for (231Y)..ran for (66Y) and scrambled well.
..Rookie RB-Bill Merritt grinded out (111Y) in the win
..WR-Deebo Samuel ran open all day (8R-96Y).
..Quinton Johnston fumbled a ball away after a 19Y-catch
..The Chargers wiped out a punt return TD-by Ladd McConkey-penalties
..The Chargers had 24-41 yard pass plays voided by flags
..OT-Trey Pipkens took back to back flags
..The Bolts roughed the punter in the end zone
..There were pass interference penalties and 10-more flags in all

It went on and on.

Herbert made big plays despite taking big hits.
No one else did anything else.

The record may be (3-2) but the last two losses have been gruesome, the injury list keeps growing, and a head coach remains unwilling to call out his team in public.  His GM, Joe Hortiz, does not have many options either to go find any offensive lineman unless he is willing to trade a decent draft pick to take on someone else.

Not what we expected.  What should have been a (5-0) start has now been stained by an awful loss to a winless Giants team, and then another loss to a Washington team that came across the country with a two game losing streak, and hit the Powder Blue with a Black Eye shot to the face.

Like I said, WTF-Chargers.

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