Father’s Day….What it means to me.Column from my archives:
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“Ode to a Father-Gone”

A weekend upon us. For some, time off. For some, time to work. For many, a time to remember. For a few, a time to forget.

A weekend of hustle and bustle. Padres games. U.S. Open golf. NASCAR race. Yard work and picnics and phone calls.

Will you take time to think of days gone by? Your heritage? Your background? Your family? Your dad?

Father’s Day has many meanings to many men.

I wonder what it was like for him to grow up in the depression.

I wonder what it was like to lose his father at the age of 15. Become the man of the house as a mid-teen.

I wonder what it was like to be a minor league pitcher in the 1930s, him wanting to be a St. Louis Cardinal, the disappointment of never getting to the show.

I wonder what it was like to be a 24-year-old in combat in World War II, a scared Seabee, building runways, avoiding snipers, seeing planes burn and men die in places like New Caledonia and Wake Island.

I wonder how hard it was to hold a job and go to night school for six years to get a degree.

I wonder what it was like to see his four children graduate from college, the private joy he must have felt.

I wonder if he ached the year we had only one Christmas present per child because there was no money.

I wonder if he knew that the richness of love and guidance he gave us was valued more than any material gift we got.

I wonder what he thought, or even if he knew he was dying so quickly, of his belief in God, family, friends and his courage.

I wonder if he knows how my career turned out and if he sees his two grandsons and all they are accomplishing.

I wonder when I see him again, what it will be like, and how much fun it will be to ask all the questions I have. I feel I hardly knew him.

We all have memories of a father.

Some who carried briefcases, some who had lunch buckets.

Some who wore three-piece suits, others who wore coveralls.

Some wore work boots, others wore wingtips.

Some had 9-to-5 jobs, others who had two jobs, some had no jobs.

Some loved us, others left us.

Some pushed us, others punished us.

Some drank to excess, others drove us to excellence.

There are good memories and bad, happy times and sad, with the man you called your dad.

As we think about this weekend, let us never forget the one valuable thing our fathers gave us: “This life to live.”

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“This-That-The Other”

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BASEBALL….This wears you out…the negotiations…the bickering…the name calling…the on-going tit-for-tat between a besieged Rob Manfred and a lack of trustworthy Tony Clark.  The Union continues on a track to squeeze blood out of the rock, trying to take every penny they can.  The latest now is trying to jam 70-games into a 72-day calendar, a schedule that would encompass alot of doubleheaders on Sunday, just for more pay-days.  When it appeared they had the framework of a deal for 60-games, with full pay for the players, Clark keeps coming back for more.  By the way, is he not putting players at health risk with so many games in such a short time?

PHRASES….My reactions to what I hear-read-see…my questions?

..Union-trying to play ball or just win the negotiations?

..Season of gimmicks or money-grabs?

..Owners-trying to save money or save the season?

..Union-trying to save face by not giving up anything?

..Players greed while trying be on moral high ground-society in gutter?

..Deal good for management-but bad for players?

..Union-Owners tearing each other down-like rioters burning down businesses?

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NFL…HBO announces Chargers-Rams will co-share Hard Knocks feature this training camp….Cannot wait to see if they feature Bolts owner Dean Spanos and his CEO-son AG to talk about how they are winning the fight for LA or how they screwed San Diego.  Here come the Rams with Sean McVay, Jared Goff, Aaron Donald and more.  The pictures of the Rams So-Fi Stadium will be fun to see.  Wonder if they will mention the miserable failure of Team Spanos to sell PSLs in the new yard?  The Bolts have Tyrod Taylor-Joey Bosa to offer in interviews.  Bet all football-all the time guys like Tom Telesco and Anthony Lynn are happy about this intrusion.  Rams will sell tickets.  Chargers will look like losers again.

NFL CRISIS….So who are you going to believe about teams opening NFL training camps in 4-weeks, Roger Goodell or Dr. Anthony Fauci?  Keeping score at home, The Texas Longhorns have 27-players test positive, go to quarantine or show anti-bodies after two weeks of conditioning drills.  There will be 4,500 players, coaches and staffs, to be tested daily when the NFL opens camps. I don’t like the optics of this return to football formula.

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LAKERS…For someone who has made so much money and done so little with his career, do not understand why Dwight Howard carries so much weight in the conversation about whether the NBA is right or wrong in starting up the playoffs in the midst of so much civic unrest.  If Howard wants to sit out and protest-fine.  Too many people have worked too hard to put this plan back into place.

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AZTECS…What should be a shining moment in San Diego State history, the purchase of the SDCCU land and the plans to go ahead to build a new football stadium, forever lost by the pandemic-civil unrest-unemployment crisis.

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NASCAR….Lost in the crush of all these Cup races on Wednesday and Sundays, is the strong final season of Jimmie Johnson, running upfront in a bunch of races, and finishing inside the top 10-multiple times.  In his farewell season, he likely will break this 110-race win drought before we get to the end of the season.

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“NBA-Return to Play”

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We will have basketball.
They will have rules.

Get ready to root for your favorite ‘team in a bubble’, as the NBA hands out a 113-page Health Protocol Book, and a calendar of events for all the teams.

Circle the dates: here comes basketball, in the bubble, in Orlando.

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Phase 1: June 12-22
All players will undergo mandatory coronavirus testing in their home markets beginning on June 23. All players who were outside the United States should have returned to their home market already (June 15 was the deadline) and all other players should return to their home market by June 22.

The Raptors are an exception, as they are the league’s only international franchise. The team will gather in Naples, Florida and use Florida Gulf Coast University’s facilities to practice.
During Phase 1, several guidelines are in play:

Team facilities are open to players and only individual workouts are permitted, though participation is voluntary. Virtual meetings/workouts are also allowed.
Once players return to their home market, they are expected to leave the house only for essentials and trips to the team’s facilities. That extends to anyone in their households.

Phase 2: June 23-30
By now, all players are expected to be utilizing their team facilities with the exception of the Raptors. Players are still expected to uphold the same guidelines for leaving their homes as in Phase 1. In Phase 2:

Mandatory COVID-19 testing will begin, which will consist of nasal swabs and oral swabs as well as blood drawn. There’s a long swab called the nasopharyngeal. That will not be used as it was reported to have caused discomfort. Players have the option of volunteering to participate in a Yale study that is designed to come up with a saliva-based test.
Players must self-report if they or a member of their household are feeling sick or have symptoms. That information will go to the team’s medical staff.

Phase 3: July 1-7
Head coaches enter the picture in Phase 3.

Workouts, which will still be conducted at the team’s home locations (again, with the exception of Toronto), will be mandatory. Group workouts are still not allowed and no more than eight players will be allowed in the facilities at any given time.

Phase 4: July 7-11
Teams will begin to head to Disney World. Travel will be staggered via either flight or bus to Orlando between July 7-9.

Once teams arrive in Florida, there are some unique guidelines and protocols:

Players and team staff will stay isolated in their rooms. That will be the case until they have two negative COVID-19 tests at least 24 hours apart.
It’s optional, but players can wear proximity alarms which will buzz if someone spends more than five seconds within six feet of another human being. For the alarm to work, the other person must also be wearing the alarm.
Team and league staff must wear the alarm. It remains to be seen whether referees will have to wear it.
Everyone on the campus will have to wear face masks. Some Disney employees will not be required to reside in the bubble nor undergo COVID-19 testing. Their temperature will be checked daily and they will be checked for symptoms.

Phase 4 Continued: July 11-21
By this point, everyone is at the NBA Campus. Group workouts will be allowed after the initial self isolation, though players will undergo COVID-19 testing routinely as well as undergoing daily temperature checks and other tests.

Players can only eat meals and participate in activities with other people staying in their hotel. The hotel situation is based on seeding, as Charania adds on Twitter. Here are the three groups:

Gran Destino:

Bucks
Lakers
Raptors
Clippers
Celtics
Nuggets
Jazz
Heat
Grand Floridian:

Thunder
76ers
Rockets
Pacers
Mavericks
Nets
Grizzlies
Magic
Yacht Club:

Blazers
Kings
Pelicans
Spurs
Suns
Wizards
The split means you won’t see Ben Simmons playing golf (one of the activities allowed, along with playing cards) with LeBron James before July 21. Some other restrictions include:

Any meal eaten with a player from another team must be done outside.
Players are not allowed to hang out in each other’s hotels.
There may be a few exceptions, but all food will be prepared on the NBA campus. However, players are allowed to hire a personal chef to prepare meals to be delivered to the campus.
Players are allowed to leave the campus, but the expectation is that they will stay on it. If a player leaves without prior approval, he will be subjected to testing, including that uncomfortable nasopharyngeal swab testing and a 10-to-14 day self-quarantine. The player could also be subjected to a reduction in pay for games he misses.

Phase 5: July 22-29
Each team will play three scrimmages against other clubs that are staying at the same hotel. Starting July 22, players and team staff are allowed to socialize with anyone from any of the hotels. Players still can’t go into another person’s hotel.

Phase 6: July 30-Oct 13
We are playing basketball.

Teams will play eight regular-season contests to determine seeding (“seeding games”). If necessary, there will be a play-in tournament for the eighth seed.
After all is sorted out, we will have a traditional 16-team, four-round, best-of-seven playoff format.
Once a team is eliminated, its players and staff will be tested and then immediately depart from the NBA campus.

In years past, players of championship teams have looked at the camera and said “I’m going to Disney World.” This year, the last remaining team at the resort will be crowned the champion.

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“Remembering Tony Gwynn”

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San Diego reflects back on all the special qualities of ‘Mr. Padre’-Tony Gwynn, who passed away 6-years ago this week.

The smile, the laugh, the voice, the base-hits, the Hall of Fame speech.

It’s been 10-years since he was diagnosed with cancer of the mouth.

Below, my column on T-Gwynn the day we learned what he was facing, written for the San Diego News Network.

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Mr. Padre faces chemo and radiation-fight of his life vs Cancer
By Lee “Hacksaw” Hamilton

Stunning. Numbing. Saddening.

It was like standing in the batters box at home plate and taking a fastball on the side of the helmet. The force of a 97 mph pitch on the side of head knocks you down, makes you feel helpless, disoriented and woozy.

 

Tony Gwynn is fighting cancer.

Courtesy photo

The news about the greatest San Diego Padres ever, Tony Gwynn, was like taking a fastball to the head.

The 50-year-old Hall of Fame icon, facing the fight of his life, to fight off cancer.The insidious disease,everywhere in our society, has now surfaced at home plate, hitting the man who wore #19.

Gwynn was found to have a cancerous cell in a salivary gland in his mouth. Lymph nodes have been removed. And he now heads down the road for chemo therapy, then radiation.

The man, who starred for two enormous decades of accomplishment with the Padres, had been missing at Petco Park for the last 30 days. Not to be seen on the field around the batting practice cage. Not in the dugout, where he would shake hands with anyone and everyone. Not along press row, where virtually every member of the travelling media would stop by and look for an angle to a story. Nor along the stands where autograph seekers mobbed him daily.

Oddly, it was last week, when his name came up in one of my conversations with an out of towner. In this case, missing did not make the heart grow fonder, but cause me concern.

His son, Tony Gwynn Jr., shielded his inner emotions, never letting on his legendary father was ailing. Junior himself was battling back from a broken hamate bone in his wrist, trying to get back on the field, off the disabled list, and trying to help the Padres get into postseason play.

Gwynn, forever jolly, was missing to from the Padres TV booth, where you surely would have thought he might have been part of the rotation, while lead announcer Dick Enberg was off broadcasting tennis at the U.S. Open.

Shame on us, for being so caught up in the pennant race, we never noticed, nor asked, “Where is T?”

We are reminded often that the stars wearing the uniforms are just like us. They may be Padres players, and they may make enormous amounts of money. But they have children who get sick, wives with health problems, in laws dying.

The popular Dave Roberts, undergoing his own battle with Hodgkins Lymphoma, has staged the good fight and has been around the ballpark. His season was a mix of treatments and scouting for the Padres. Next spring, he will be the team’s first base coach.

Roberts spoke once this summer about the trials and tribulations of the fight against cancer, the great unknown in your body. He spoke of the outpourting of love by Padres fans, and baseball men. He talked of the enormous support by Larry Lucchino, the CEO of the Red Sox, who years ago in San Diego, won his own bout with cancer.

And now all those who supported Dave Roberts and were friends to Larry Lucchino, will be asked to do it again, and will joyfully, to support Tony Gwynn.

I pitched baseball from Little League, to Babe Ruth, to high school. I got hit in the face by a line drive and beaned at home plate too, and remember the helpless feelings.

Cancer and baseball is not foreign to me either. My closest friend, a high draft pick with the Dodgers, died of cancer of the mouth at the age of 31. His brought on by use of chewing tobacco. He beat it once, it got him when it came back.

It struck down my father too, a minor league pitcher, and my best friend a first-round draft pick too.

Today, say a prayer for Tony Gwynn, for what is ahead of him. His relentless approach to hitting will come in handy, with his relentless desire to beat this cancer.

Hoping Tony Gwynn gets up from this beaning, and like that mystical .394-hitting season he had, knocks the disease thru the popular 5.5 hole on the left side of the infield.

Time for strength and support for a great player, and a greater man, Tony Gwynn.

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“What Happens Next”

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It’s ugly out there, everywhere, society and in sports.

Random thoughts on what is happening in the sports world.

BASEBALL…As bad as I have ever seen it, the vitrol between the Union and the Owners, the personality clash between Tony Clark and Rob Manfred, and the rage over money for a 3-month cut of the pie before the calendar runs out.  The two sides should agree to bring in a 3rd voice, a mediator, to sort out the crisis.  The enraged press releases each day serve no purpose.  This is now more than “I don’t agree with your offers-it has become I don’t like you nor trust you”

BASKETBALL…The Players are questioning alot of things, none of it is financial though.  They wonder about the Orlando-bubble proposal that puts players in isolation for the five weeks it might take to conduct the playoffs.  They also wonder if by playing basketball, they slowdown the message and impact they can have in the BLM movement.  Of big concern, players wanting to leave the bubble to be with family of friends, which could created another wave of the virus with that interaction.  I think the NBA could create an amazing platform-during the playoffs to deliver important messages.

NFL…Their problems are just around the corner, with the great unknown of how to conduct training camps involving 90-players and a support staff of maybe an additional 60-people.  That and controllilng players for their own safety so there is not an outbreak in these camps.  State governments could intervene with more outbreaks, and say camps cannot open, so Roger Goodell has another issue-crisis on his hands, beyond the Colin Kaeperneck conversation.

NCAA….You knew this might happen, the minute schools opened campuses to let players return for conditioning workouts….5-of-50 upper classmen at Alabama test positive after just a couple of days of workouts.  Houston shut their meetings down after 2-positive tests.  Iowa State has a problem too.  As June turns to July, will there be outbreaks within all the college programs?  On top of that, some brewing unrest at Clemson-Georgia-Oklahoma State-Iowa as players have spoken out against coaches who have made insensitive BLM statements.  We have not heard the end of this chapter.

NHL….The idea of 2-hub cities to host 24-teams sounds like a solid plan, but now this:  cross-border crossings from the US-to-Canada and back, and the 14-day quarantine limit Canada still has in effect.  Now the Canadian teams in the playoffs are discussing of holding their training camps in July, in US-cities so they don’t have border crossing situations.

PGA…It looks strange but they are playing golf with a fair degree of social distancing and no fans…no galleries.

NASCAR-Indy Car….Staging races and it feels strange with no fans in the stands, but it is working…there have been no flareups.

SOCCER…The MLS is the next on the radar with their 26-team tourney they wish to sponsor, a challenge, because you are bringing players back globally to train, live in the same hotels, then play games…imminent danger with players coming in from Mexico, Brazil and other South American venues.

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