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Hacksaw’s Monday Bonus-Podcast
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“PADRES CLOSE SPRING TRAINING”
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The Padres are headed home to start the 2026 season on Thursday against the Tigers.

The ledger says they went (15-15-1) which seems okay, considering the Cactus League was split up because a number of stars went to play for the flag in the World Baseball Classic.

But there are issues that I am not going to ignore, and Padres fans should pay attention too.

PITCHING:  You have their ace Nick Pivetta to lead the staff and the fast developing Randy Vasquez moving into the second slot in the rotation.

Michael King has pushed to get back to what he was before last season’s two injuries, but at this juncture, he has not proven he can dominate beyond 3-innings a start.  You will need patience and hope, but you cannot have his starts become bullpen days.

There are now official problems with the 4th and 5th starters.  Walker Buehler’s courageous battle to bounce back from his second elbow surgery has brought mixed results.  He is not the power pitcher he was once upon a time, and he has been banged around in the spring, lacking velocity.

The 5th starter has the same issues, ex Rockies German Marquez, who has had a couple of decent starts in spring but alot of rocky starts too.

All of a sudden you wonder what you can get get out of the 3rd-4th-5th slots in the rotation the first month of the season.

There will be no Joe Musgrove sighting for at least a month and you have to be concerned about what appears to be a longer-longer road back.

Dylan Cease is in Toronto.  Robert Suarez is in Atlanta.

The rest of the imports GM-AJ Preller wanted to look at have washed out.  Marco Gonzalez has been sent to AAA, Tristen McKenzie cannot find the strike zone.

Is there another potential starter to plug in?  JP Sears is already in El Paso.  Kyle Hart, who struggled last year, could be stretched out.  But beyond that, very doubtful.

Love the bullpen depth, we all do, but those guys are not starters.

BATTING ORDER:Love the everyday lineup, and the collection of guys on the bench, who have hit in the past, but there is something that needs to be addressed at this hour.

Look at the spring training batting averages of so many of the big bats.  Aside from Jake Cronenworth-Xander Bogaerts-Gavin Sheets-Ramon Laureano, nobody hit in the Cactus League.

And it was not as if they were facing aces over there in the other dugout.

You can say, I can say, Craig Stammen can say, it was only spring training…but:
..Machado (.111)
..Tatis (.222)
..Merrill (.220)
..Andujar (.220)
..Song (.235)
..Castellanos (.200)
..Campusano (.165)

Small sample size, it’s early, those games don’t count.
Okay, but those are the stats the Padres sent me as the Cactus League closes.

I am ready for ‘Play Ball’…I don’t know if the Padres have enough arms in the rotation, and I am waiting for them to hit when the real games start Thursday.

Just saying ‘I told you so’.
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Hacksaw’s Monday-Bonus Podcast
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“GOOD-BAD-UGLY-MARCH MADNESS”
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We saw it all this weekend in college basketball.

Blowout wins.  Fierce defense.  Ugly games.  Last second shots.

Pick a game, any game, something to remember.

ARIZONA-UTAH STATE…Introducing Koa Peat and a record talent roster which was too much for the Aggies, who had a good run but not enough athletes to match the Wildcats.

UCLA-UCONN..The battle of the two always-angry coaches, Cronin and Hurley.  Tough for UCLA not to have Tyler Bilodeau because they needed all their bigs against the Huskies.  A game of spurts…outmanned Bruins kept fighting back-down by 12-and scared UConn late but Alex Karabin took over late…A 5-minute scoring drought early in the 2nd half gave UConn a big lead…and they blitzed them in final 4-minutes of game..

ST JOHNS-KANSAS..The Johnnies defense would not let KU breath till late but the Jayhawks wiped out a 14-point deficit.  But Rick Pitino’s defense was awesome forcing 16-turnovers in the win. The Johnnies are playing possessed right now.

IOWA STATE-KENTUCKY…Just relentless, the Cyclones.  The once proud Bluebloods at UK got buried.  UK had 20-turnovers.  ISU ripped off a (35-10) blitz.

PURDUE-MIAMI…A 41-point Boilermaker run sure made a statement.

TENNESSEE-VIRGINIA…A furious Cavs comeback wiped out in the final minutes by blown layups lets the Vols move on

MICHIGAN-ST LOUIS…Wave after wave of big runs from their big men and the Wolves ended the really nice season the Billikens had.

MICHIGAN STATE-LOUISVILLE…Tom Izzo knows everything and the Spartans just kept coming and coming in the win.

DUKE-TCU..Poor start, sizzling finish, including a Blue Devils (24-6) scoring run led by do-everything Cam Boozer.

HOUSTON-TEXAS AM..Choke hold defense, lots of firepower led by Emanuel Sharp and a Cougar run and win

TEXAS-GONZAGA…The Zags were outmanned by a courageous effort from Grahame Ike’s 25-points against the Longhorns.

ILLINOIS-VCU…Transfer portal star Andrej Stojakovic went off for (21) and the Rams went home.

NEBRASKA-VANDERBILT..The Huskers win on a last second driving layup ending a great Vols season

ARKANSAS-HIGH POINT..Most explosive player in the tourney may be the Razorbacks Darius Acuff, who reeled off a (36P) night.

ALABAMA-TEXAS TECH..Both teams without key players, JT Toppin (injury) and Aden Holloway (drug arrest)…The Tide built a 26-point lead by halftime in a bad blowout.

IOWA-FLORIDA..The Gators, the defending national champs, just have not looked dominant down the stretch and in the tourney.  But Alex Condon has so much experience and Florida has so many athletes.  Alex Foulgaeris hits an open 3-with (:04) left for the Hawkeyes win.  A #9 took out a #1.  Wow.

THANKS FOR COMING-NOW GO HOME…Prairie View losing by 61-points…LIU getting 10-shots blocked….Northern Iowa shooting 38%…Queens losing by 33 points..Troy State shooting 28%..North Carolina blowing a 19-point lead…Georgia losing by 33-points…Idaho scoring 47-in a game…High Point put on a show with 15-3’s in their opening win and scored 88 in their Arkansas loss

A most first interesting weekend…and now we go to the Sweet 16 with virtually all the big boys still left in the brackets.
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Hacksaw’s Thursday March Madness Podcast

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Hacksaw’s Great Sports Weekend Podcast
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“MARCH MADNESS–MADDENING”
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So how do you explain Day 1-of the NCAA Tournament?

‘The way you play the day you play’
‘The 3-is the ultimate difference maker’
‘Unrelenting pressure’
‘Overconfidence-lack of focus’

And so March Madness has started.
Top seeded teams getting beaten.
The number one seed getting the life scared out of them

Quite a wild first day-night of these games.

Here was DUKE in the early morning game, trailing tiny Siena by 14-points in the lst half before their athletes kicked it into gear.

Then there was NORTH CAROLINA, which wilted, burning a 19-point lead, losing to Virginia Commonwealth.  Boy will the heat be on Hubie Davis going forward.

The school no one knows anything about, High Point University, outgunning WISCONSIN, with High Point rifling home 15-3’s in the win.

There were some blowouts and that was to be expected.  NEBRASKA torched Troy by 30-points-thanks for coming now go home.

There were heartbreaks like OHIO STATE getting taken down by Texas Christian.

There were statement games, as MICHIGAN creamed Howard putting up 1-1 and shooting 67% from the floor.

Texas survived a 35-point explosion from BYU’s star AJ Dybantsa in the Longhorns win.

A good season at ST MARY’S ended in bad fashion, getting smoked by Texas AM.

You had to do a double take to realize ST LOUIS was a real hot team when they had an 18-point lead early vs Georgia.  Then you got sticker shock when you checked back and it was a 33-point lead over an SEC team.  They scored (107P).

Of course big guy blew out little guy, HOUSTON had the (78-47) win over Idaho.

And the Big 10-swamped the Ivy League, with ILLINOIS’ lopsided win over Penn.

Finally GONZAGA spent the night fighting off Kennesaw State.  Sometimes you have to get scared to wake up.

And that was just night one of the tourney.
Get ready for Friday night fireworks-next.
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Hacksaw’s Thursday Podcast…1:30pm

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“MARCH MADNESS-LET THE GAMES BEGIN”

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We probably will never ever see again, what we have seen in the past.

Cinderella showing up and stealing the show in March Madness.

The reason, all the big boys have the big bags of money to buy the best players

The days of Butler-George Mason-Gonzaga, even the Aztecs, getting to the Final 4 are history.

Money and the Transfer Portal have changed the game forever.

The elite are at the top of the AP poll as we tip off the games on Thursday and Friday.

Firepower, athletes, depth, size.  Name it, they have it, and the. mid-majors don’t anymore.

Any of the top group tipping off can win this, but only the top group.

DUKE..Loaded led by Player of the Year Cam Boozer.

ARIZONA..Big and deep led by Brayden Burries, Koa Peat, Jaden Bradley.

MICHIGAN..Transfer U’s big men own it, Yaxel Landeberg and Aday Mara.

FLORIDA..Try to repeat with Ale Condton, Thomas Haugh and Boogie Fland.

HOUSTON..Emanuel Sharp is back as a 3rd year sarter along with hot shot Kingston Fleming.

U CONN..Collection of grizzled athletes led by Karaban-Reed-Ball and the volatile Dan Hurley.

It will be fun, but it will never be what it used to be.

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