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“Padres-Indians–What To Trade”

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Questions, oh we have questions, now with the revelation that Padres GM-AJ Preller called Chris Antonetti, his counterpart in Cleveland.

Not talking about the weather, but trying to reopen trade talks for one of the Indians front line pitchers, Corey Kluber or Trevor Bauer.

Revisiting what they talked about at the Winter Meetings, when the Indians were in the midst of cleaning out a lot of high priced veteran players, saying the Cleveland market could not sustain the payroll the Tribe had created over the last couple of years of winning the AL Central.

I’ve got questions.

Do the Padres think they are close to being a wild card team, and are now willing to spend some of their farm system currency to get a front line arm to push all those teams in the NL Central and NL East for a wildcard spot this summer?

Are the Padres doing this because they now realize they cannot go thru a 162-game season with all these question marks in the starting rotation?

Are the Indians doing this because management’s mandate is to take the payroll even further lower, after dispatching Edwin Encarnarcion, Yonder Alonso, Lonnie Chisenhall, Yan Gomes,
Cody Allen, Andrew Miller, Michael Brantley and more in the off season?

Will the Padres make the right choice in which outfielder they include in the deal? Will it be the rock-solid consistent Hunter Renfroe? Do they deal deal Manny Margot in center? Can you afford to include Austin Hedges in a trade?

If young pitching has to be part of this, do you dare part with former 1st round pick Calvin Quantrill, who has yet to get to the majors, and whom you paid a combined 14M for (7M-salary-7M tax) when you drafted him?

Is Logan Allen the price you must pay in a package to get an everyday ace like a Bauer-Kluber?

Do you know if Franmil Reyes can hit again this year, like he did last year at the end? You know 29-other teams passed on him two years ago in the Rule 5-minor league draft, so the question begs, is he the real deal?

Are you willing to take on the 57M-left on the Kluber contract, or gamble on the one year left (13M) on the Bauer pact, knowing free agency is just around the corner?

Is the reason Will Myers is suddenly playing center on an experimental basis because Margot is the one to go to the outfield needy Tribe?

Is Renfroe sitting because he is trade bait and you don’t want him hurt or exposed while trying to trade him?

Would you trade Francisco Mejia back to the Tribe, after having dealt Brad Hand and Adam Cimber to Cleveland last summer at deadline day to get him?

Are the Indians playing the Padres vs the Yankees, who need front line arms, and have slugging 3rd baseman Miguel Andujar, 1st baseman Luke Voit and young minor league pitching they could trade?

Lots of questions, waiting for answers, as we await opening day next Thursday in San Diego.

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“Monday Morning Memos”

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If I were king, I’d be writing and distributing memos on Monday morning.

PADRES….Final week of Cactus League and your rotation is no clearer than it was 5-weeks ago when camp opened. Offer Dallas Keuchel a 1-year plus an option contract and get him into the rotation. He turned down (17.9M) qualifying offer from the Astros. The Padres can afford an 18M pitcher on a year deal. The draft pick compensation comes as a comp pick between the 2nd and 3rd rounds of the June draft, and it’s not a Padres pick, it’s an MLB awarded pick. You cannot open the season with what you have right now can you? I trust Joey Lucchessi and Eric Lauer. Chris Paddack has been impressive (2.18-ERA) but coming off that elbow surgery two years ago-he must be on a pitch count and innings limit this season. Matt Strahm has looked good, but can he go more than 4-innings. There were 9-arms battling for the final 3-slots in the rotation. Poor outings, 6-hurlers with health issues, and pitchers getting overwhelmed, have pretty much discounted everyone else. The Padres don’t have enough starting pitching, and opening day is a week from Thursday.

AZTECS….Jekyyl-Hyde team is typical San Diego State…rotten game vs UNLV…man up and punch Nevada in the mouth….then wilt against Utah State. Brian Dutcher needs to convince Jalen McDaniels to stay in school another year. He is 1-bad decision away from going to the NBA-G League. 1st round draft pick-I doubt it. Devin Watson finished career with tremendous displays of leadership-grit-tenacity-skill, when virtually the rest of the team was fading away. Side note-Marvin Menzies gets taken out after 3-years of (48-48) basketball at UNLV..fired hours after team was beaten by SDSU. If Dutcher has opening on his staff, bring Menzies back as assistant head coach.

CHARGERS…GM-Tom Tolesco gets contract extension after going (48-48) over five years on the job, but his team is less now than it was at end of the season. Should have released Travis Benjamin and given the money to keep Tyrell Williams at wide receiver. Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Tyrell might have been best big play pass catching combo in NFL. Still problems at right tackle. Signing aging Thomas Davis good short term rental-giving you smarts-leadership-toughness in the middle. They believe Brandon Mebane still has gas left in the tank at defensive tackle. More work to be done though, likely in the draft..

FLEET….Wild game Sunday night, the (32-29) last second loss to Birmingham Iron…Mike Martz team can move the ball and that defense can chase the quarterback, but pass coverage in the league is leaky….Fans who attend, and I am surprised at the low turnouts this year at the Stadium, are having a good time….Great story about Birmingham QB-Luis Perez, the Chula Vista player-who never played hi school ball, but wound up going to Division II-West Texas AM-Commerece…he comes off the bench and throws for (359Y) being chased all over the field, to get his team the win….He and Mike Bercovici put on a passing show…between them 6-TDs-4 interceptions and and 670-yards passing…Entertaining football for sure.

AZTECS…Football coach Rocky Long wants to return toughness to his team in spring ball, but at what price? 3-season ending surges and multiple concussions already in a couple fo weeks of workouts. Putting new spread formation into offense will take time, as witnessed by 4-interceptions and 2-fumbles in last Saturday scrimmage.

GULLS…GM-Bob Ferguson needs to get on the phone and make the call to the parent NHL-Anaheim Ducks. When their season ends in a couple of weeks, get the Ducks to send down all those top draft picks, so they can be on the Gulls playoff roster in the AHL. Adding Troy Terry-Max Jones-Jacob Larsson and others could push the Gulls deep into the AHL playoff run. There won’t be any April playoff games in Anaheim..why not San Diego?

LAKERS…What a disaster of a finish to the season. LeBron James now with minutes limit in a lost season. Brandon Ingram undergoes blood clot surgery in shoulder. Lonzo Ball gone for rest of season with 5-major injuries in two seasons in LA. Kyle Kuzma in and out of lineup with nagging injuries. Failing to make the playoffs 3rd time in last years. Bigger question, will any marquee free agent want to come play with LeBron this coming summer.

USC…Lynn Swann, under fire with the Trojans, says he won’t quit despite almost daily column criticism from LA Times. But athletic program has failed from grace, and so has university image with this latest academic entrance crisis triggered by rich parents buying their kids way into schools with forged documents-transcripts, bios. This looks like the tip of the iceberg in college academics.

PHIL MICKELSON….He admits he used the Newport Beach academic firm to help his daughter get into Brown Unversity. I hope it was just academic preparation, now academic fraud. He didn’t know-he says. He didn’t know about ‘insider trading issue’ with a gambling friend a couple of years ago.

JIMMIE JOHNSON….Hard to believe, it’s been 64-races since he won a race in NASCAR. Driver or car? Hard to believe a legendary driver wakes up one morning and can no longer compete in the sport he dominated.

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“Aztecs Basketball–Not What It Used to Be”

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So much expected. So much disappointment. The basketball program at San Diego State.

They won the game. They have another 20-win season for the media guide.

But that’s about all the good I can say about what San Diego State basketball has slithered off to.

A once dominant program, you do remember 30-win seasons, and stars like Kawhi Leonard and Jamal Russell, now struggles on the floor.

They found a way to beat an equally pitiful UNLV team on Thursday in the opening round of the Mountain West Conference tourney (63-55).

With legendary coach Steve Fisher sitting and watching, his stomach must be churning watching his program struggle, it was an unimpressive win. The late Jerry Tarkanian must be spinning in his grave watch the talent-less Rebels play boring-bad basketball, where once upon a time they owned the league and the community..

Jalen McDaniels, finishing up an erratic season, and likely to leave for the NBA, did score (25P) and Devin Watson added 19. But State survived a combined (1-14) shooting afternoon from Jeremy Hemsley and Matt Mitchell.

To watch this game, you’d think it would set the James Naismith game back 100-years, it was so poor.

The Rebels shot 32%, SDSU 29%.. The two teams were a combined (4-for-45) shooting 3-point shots

State won because they hit 24-free throws that’s all.

The first half was a nitemare, as SDSU went (3-for-15) shooting out of the gate. Then UNLV, in the second half, had 1-basket in a 9-possession stretch that put them behind, from which they never recovered.

And it wasn’t good defense, it was just plain bad shooting, by both sides.

I don’t know how Brian Dutcher gets this program out of its tailspin. McDaniels leaves for what he hopes will be an NBA career, but there are so many nights, you think he winds up in the NBA-G League.

Hensley and Watson graduate, leaving solid careers behind. You see anyone else on the roster, who is a difference maker? In a team with tradition, that always gave us college stars, there seem to be fewer and fewer yearly now.

The sellout streak at Viejas Arena is over. Empty seats lots of nights in the “Show” section where the students used to be.

A win in a win. Congrats I guess. Your reward, you play top seed Nevada on Friday and then you likely go home, without an NCAA nor an NIT tourney berth.

Aztecs basketball slipping away. Not what it used to be for sure.

So much expected. So much disappointment nowadays at SDSU.

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“NFL Free Agency-Wheeling-Dealing”

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A spending spree covering 36-hours like we have never seen in the NFL-ever before.

Big money for big name players.

Big trades forced by unhappy players too.

As you. have breakfast on Thursday morning, there have now been 9-trades as the free agent window opened, and 70-players have already changed teams in free agency.

The names in ‘neon lights’ all got moved. So did the unhappy players demanding trades.

A look at what has happened so far:

LE’VEON BELL….must have cut class at Michigan State the day they taught new math. Sat out last year in Pittsburgh, walking away from a 14.5M-payday. He finally signed with the Jets, a (4Y-52M) deal, which averages out at 13M-a year, less than his Steelers deal. The big difference, the Jets gave him a 35M-guarantee in the package, so he gets paid if he ever gets hurt. A win for the Jets, big time production guy. I think a big loss for the way the Steelers do business.

ODELL BECKHAM….tired of his act, they shipped him off to the Browns, where he has a (5Y-98M) deal still on the books. You wonder if he stays healthy, if he stays happy? How long before he asks for a renegotiation. But winning cures ills, and the Browns sure have added lots of skill talent. As they say in Cleveland this morning, from (0-16) season to possible Super Bowl team in two short years.

ANTONIO BROWN…So long Steelers, hello Black Hole. This one bears watching in that the Raiders haven’t won much, losing is part of everything there, and AB is not used to losing games. No doubt he is dynamic and a big play guy. But he leaves the structure of a great organization to move to a dysfunctional team with questionable leadership. He got a payday(3Y-54M) and the Raiders have to deal with him for just the next three seasons. Probably a win-win for all sides, except in Pittsburgh, where you just don’t replace talent like that overnight.

DEE FORD…It’s weird to see the cleansing of everything on the defensive side of the ball with the Kansas City Chiefs. Goodbye to Ford, fellow LB-Justin Houston, and S-Eric Berry, all in the last 36-hours. He goes to the 49ers, and gets a huge payday (5Y-98M) and gives the Niners a huge defensive front with DeForest Buckner and Aric Armstead. Kansas City, who plays defense now?

NICK FOLES…Hello starting job, goodbye backup role, welcome that 22M a year contract in Jacksonville. Got to be better than Blake Bortels….Was (10-3) as a starter for the Eagles coming off the bench in the most important time of the year, playoffs and Super Bowl. Eagles got wins, then had to let him go with no compensation.

TREY FLOWERS…The Lions paid a ton to sign him away from New England. Now we see if Flowers is the same impact player outside the sphere of influence of Bill Belicheck’s defense, playing for his ex-Pats coordinator Matt Patricia.

EARL THOMAS…When last season, leaving the field with a broken leg, he gave the Seahawks sidelines, and the fans the finger. Now he will play in Baltimore in a pass happing AFC-North Division. But as he moved in, moving out were a bunch of quality Ravens veterans CJ Mosely and Eric Weddle.

TYRELL WILLIAMS…Woe is us, he winds up in the division, as the ex-Chargers big play, stand tall receiver, winds up with the Raiders to play the opposite side to Antonio Brown. A pay upgrade the Chargers should have made. You cannot ignore 13-receptions of 40-yards or more and all those 75-yard TD catches while with the Bolts. A (4Y-44M) with 22M guaranteed….The Bolts could have rearrange monies to keep him-but didn’t….Raiders win-Chargers loss.

TYRANN MATHIEU….Big payday to go from Houston to Kansas City. Not bad for someone Arizona got rid of just a couple of years ago. Is he a real difference maker, I don’t know? They got rid of veteran Eric Berry to sign him. Who’s he going to play with?

CJ MOSELY…A warrior of an inside linebacker, now goes to the woeful NY Jets as part of a big couple of days of signing. Will be interesting to see if he has the same impact in New York, because he sure won’t have the big stud defensive lineman he had in Baltimore. They gave him a (5Y-85M) package but is there enough around him?

TRENT BROWN…That’s a lot of money, (4Y-66) to go from New England to Oakland. We see if the coaching with the Raiders is as good as he got in New England. Might be a huge gamble.

TYROD TAYLOR…A surprise Charges signing…can play…does not turn the ball over….competed and made Buffalo competitive….not the longterm replacement for Philip Rivers but if he goes down, Taylor will be better than any of the backups they’ve had in years.

THOMAS DAVIS…Know this, he’s tough, he’s smart, he’s a leader. Enough said for this short term linebacker rental from Carolina.

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“Power & Money Corrupt-Definitely in College Sports”

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And you thought it couldn’t get any worse.

In the era of college athletics, we’ve had the NCAA Death Penalty put in place, you do remember SMU football? We’ve have had the USC-Reggie Bush scandal from which the Trojans never recovered?

We’ve had basketball point shaving scandals, from the 1950s at CCNY, to modern day crisis at places like Boston College, SMU and more.

The academic scandals nearly left the SEC in ruins, and stained North Carolina.

And despite all the rules installed by the NCAA, it goes on and on.

This 2018 season, the Adidas slush fund scandal, enveloping 9-Division 1-basketball programs, from players at Arizona, Louisville, North Carolina State, USC and more. Prison terms are being handed out as you read this over large amounts of money filtered to players to sign with certain schools serviced by Adidas. .

And now the sleazy story of wealth and cheating to get students into prestige universities like Yale, Georgetown, Stanford, USC, UCLA even tiny USD.

The indictments handed down in Boston involve at least 50-people. You can bet more will be coming.

All this cycled thru a so called ‘diploma factory’ based in Newport Beach, that helped children of the wealthy forge documents, create fake resumes, employ others to take SAT tests.

All to impress schools that the students deserved to be admitted.

Payments of 150,000 to 4M from wealthy parents to create false images of their children.

And it has snarled coaches too. A Georgetown coach paid 2.7M over 10-years to fudge credentials to get so called athletes onto campus, people who were not even players.

400,000 given to a soccer coach. 150,000 bribes to volleyball coaches. Fake identities created for a 145 pound nose tackle. Or admittance to a university for a member of a crew team, who never rowed in high school.

America never learns does it.

This seems like the banks and Wall Street and all that we saw in 2008, only on the scale of dear old Alma Mater U, and rich parents, trying to prop up their kids by paying the freight to get them into some prestigious place, schools victimized by not so prestigious employees.

Same old-same old.

Money and power corrupts. Not just athletes and player agents in pro sports, not just boosters and cheating alums in colleges, now parents trying to front money for their kids.

Ah to be rich-wealthy and no longer know right-vs-wrong, or no longer care.

America-America…to quote boxing promoter Don King-the back in the day con artist……….”Ain’t America great?”

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