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NFL Talk-Will There Be Action?”

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The NFL. Everybody has an opinion.

Not about the games, but about the incidents.

President Trump, taking time out from all his initiatives, continues to tweet away pounding away at the NFL.

His continued tirades about the National Anthem have led to a league wide meeting, in a conversation that might have some real meaning.

At issue is whether the NFL players decisions to kneel, turn their back, raise fists, or stay in the lockeroom during the National Anthem, is disrespectful?

Trump, who is in the middle of all types of battles, with North Korea, Mexico, Iran, the trauma of hurricanes, the mess that is health care, and all the investigations surrounding his presidency, thinks the NFL’s refusal to mandate ‘all must stand for the anthem’, is disrespectful.

The NFL’s Roger Goodall says his players are not disrespecting the flag, but rather using free speech to discuss inequality and social issues.

The 4-hour meeting on Tuesday will lead to more meetings. The sessions are not to placate Trump, but rather find a common ground where the league can move forward as a spokesman for racial inequities.

Past history involving NFL issues has always involved talks and meetings, but not many solutions.

This might be different, because these are real life issues impacting society, and society is in love with lots of things in the NFL.

Look for the league, union and its players to set up committees to continue dialogue, on how to deliver messages to society.

The NFL wants its players to deliver messages in each of their individual cities, each city with sets of problems.

Can NFL players, standing infront of the NFL shield, deliver messages in all the NFL cities, about the need to deal with police brutality….respect of police….drugs…violence…domestic abuse and the family structure?

That should be the goal coming out of Tuesday’s meetings.

The NFL should put in place foundations in each NFL city, using some of their profits, and lots of their clouts for programs to help families, education, the poor and more.

NFL players need to give back to their respective communities.

The league is besieged with issues, some of their own doing, some of them societal problems, some out of their control.,

The concussion lawsuits, the appearance of unmitigated greed by franchises, the domestic abuse incidents off the field, the on going struggle with player discipline, the anger over franchise relocation and more.

It’s not just about faltering TV ratings, it is really about the NFL’s image, priorities and credibility.

Owners like Jed York spoke openly of having a better understanding of what social issues bother players, and it’s more than just Colin Kaeperneck.

Players like Russell Okung and Eric Reid says there is a plan in place but now they have to find action.

We should all be bothered by the Ferguson,Missouri’s of the world, what happened in Charleston, in Las Vegas and plenty of places in between.

Now the NFL Players, its Union and the owners need to join hands, become leaders, and help bring America back together.

And at the same time ignore the noise coming out of the White House.

Maybe the NFL can unify this country in a time of need, since it is apparent the President cannot.

Time to turn the talk into quality action.

The NFL is in trouble, but then so is the USA.

We’ve heard the talk. Now let’s see some action.

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“This-That-Some of the Other”

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NBA…the excitement of opening night wore off quickly, just 5-minutes into the start of the season, with the gruesome injury to Celtics big money free agent forward Gordon Hayward. He went down with a fractured tibia and a dislocated ankle on a drive to the basket. As horrible an injury to see as the Joe Theismann injury that ended his NFL-career.

NFL…Colin Kaeperneck is taking legal action against the 32-teams for not giving him a chance at an NFL contract. He is (29-30) in his career…with 70-TDs-32-interceptions. Do you know he has more career wins than longtime starters Kirk Cousins, Tyrod Taylor, Jameis Winston,Case Keenum and many others?

Packers…Cosch Mike McCarthy went off on the Green Bay media for even daring to ask questions about why the team would not take a look at Kaeperneck. What’s the risk. You sign him to a minimum deal, you get a 3-weeks roster exemption to work with him on the playbook, you see what the kid Brett Hundley can do, and you would still have half a season insurance policy if you needed him.

Browns…What a mess, now thinking of going back to rookie DeShone Kizer at quarterback. Don’t know what is worse, Hue Jackson’s leadership, the front office acquisition of players, or the continued crisis at QB, where they have hd 28-different starting QBs since the franchise returned to play in 1999.

Yankees…You need just one or two good innings from the Bronx Bombers. Just asked Houston, which lost another lead when Aaron Judge hit a homer that woke up the rest of the lineup. Six runs later New York had the lead, turned it over to Aroldis Chapman and friends. And now the series is tied (2-2).

Cubs…Surely not the same team that won the Series last year. Bullpen has holes in it…team defense leaking…the big bats, Rizzo-Bryant not hitting, and now down (3-0)in the series.

Dodgers…The group that went (57-11) mid season, than lost 16-of-17, sure has it back in gear. Everyone contributing, superb starting pitching, and a near perfect bullpen, nine straight no-hit innings, in the series against the Cubs.

NFL….So they had 4-hour meeting to discuss lots of things, most notably, social issues that concern players. No rules handed down about the National Anthem, no resolution about how it should be handed, just a discussion they will form committees and meet again.

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“NBA-Here It Comes-For Better or Worse”

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Here comes the NBA season starting tonight.

Oh they are excited in a couple of these cities. Woe to be a New York Knicks or a Brooklyn Nets fan.

Sad to be in Chicago and other places where a total rebuild is about to begin.

Growth and transition will be the key words for the Lakers, very young team, and a Clippers team undergoing a personality transplant.

And who knows if perennial losers like the Suns or Sacramento or Philadelphia will ever amount to anything.

The Lakers-Lonzo Ball era begins later this week. He’s nicked up, and his team did not have a great preseason, trying to play as many young guys as they have. Regardless of whatever junk comes out of Magic Johnson’s mouth, this will be a couple of years process with the home they can recreate ‘Showtime’.

The Clippers spent lots of money but never got to the NBA conference finals. Now they will try to mix and match 9-new faces with their only two returning stars, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. Not likely to be playing into April this year, if they even make the playoffs.

The dream teams are ready to roll the ball out on the floor.

The Golden State mini dynasty returns everyone, all with big contracts, hoping to get back and win another ring. Firepower everywhere, and the unique unselfishness of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and a loaded bench.

In Oklahoma City Russell Westbook has his new contract and two new stars to play with, in Paul George, and Carmelo Anthony. Shall be interested to see if they can share the ball, because each was the focal point job their old team’s offense.

In Houston, they debut the James Harden-Chris Paul show under the direction of Mike D’Antoni as coach. Maybe as explosive a pair of guards as their is in the NBA, to go with big men Nene and Ryan Anderson.

In Minnesota, they’ve been building and they have three young studs in Karl Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and now Jimmie Butler. Do they have enough?

Boston has been stockpiling players and draft picks, and they open with newcomers Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward as the focal point of a young team.

San Antonio has age and injury, but still have Kawhi Leonard, Pao Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge and the veteran guards. Don’t know if they have enough firepower.

Then there is King James and his court, LeBron and the Cavaliers. LeBron James and Kevin Love will be joined by 100,000 mile guards Dwayne Wade and Derrick Rose, and by mid season-ex Celtics shooter Isaiah Thomas. They are all making one last push to go get another ring before virtually the entire roster goes free agent.

The hot storyline around the league has been the ‘Dream Team’ concept, stocking stars, circumventing the salary cap, and trying to buy yourself a ring. It all began with the Miami Heat and has spread to other cities.

The bigger question, is whether this is really good for the game? The Knicks and Nets will be horrible. Indiana and Atlanta look weak. Philadelphia seems forever rebuilding as seasons of losses pile up year after year.

Sure we like to see the marquee games, but what about the rest of the league? Almost all these other cities have no chance to succeed. Is that good for the game, or will fans keep watching TV, and keep attending, when the stars from the other teams roll into town?

Here comes your NBA, for better or worse, beginning Tuesday night.

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“Aztecs-Lost Game-Lost Opportunity”

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Looks are deceiving.

San Diego State lost to Boise State, beaten at their own game, infront of her 49,000-fans, wearing red, and raging in the stands like it was an NFL game.

Lost game. Lost opportunity to go (12-0). Lost ranking in the AP poll. Lost a chance to get an 18M payday in the Fiesta Bowl.

No one expected this.

Boise, with 18-underclassmen of their starting 22, has struggled all year on offense. The Broncos though are built tough on defense.

SDSU making mistakes you’d hardly ever see from a Rocky Long coached team. Personal foul penalties. A careless quarterback lateral that resulted in a touchdown. Big Boise kick and punt returns of 54 and 43-yards.

But when Boise needed it most, they engineered scoring drives of 75 and 77-yards to blunt the Aztecs late comeback.

If they gave out Purple Hearts, QB-Christian Chapman would get one. He got no help from a young offensive line that could not block Boise’s two defensive tackles, Son Lui and David Moa.

Chapman took a fierce beating, sacked 6-times and hit 24-times by the Broncos pass rushers. He fumbled twice, both taken back for TDs.

Rashaad Penny had a 21-yard run early, but was hog tied all night. When was the last time Penny had 9-carries in a game for 1-yard or less.

The Broncos young pup defense beat the daylights out of State’s young pup offensive line.

Chapman played with great heart considering the pounding he took. But at one point his offense had run 27-plays for an anemic 68-yards.

The Aztecs, who have built a reputation as ‘cement-tough’, got out-toughed in this one.
The Broncos may not be as fierce on offense as they have been in their history, but this might be as good a defense as they have ever had.

Their have been lots of bad losses at SDSU. Losing to an (0-10) UNLV team. Giving up 70-points in a loss at New Mexico. But this was a bad one, because it had so many implications to it.

They can still run the rest of the table and wind up at (11-1) and be in the Mountain West title game. Boise still has games in its division with Colorado State and Wyoming in their division.

But these two teams might still face each other again, in a title game, but it might be on the Blue Carpet in Boise next time in December.

Lost game, lost oppoturnity, lost big time bowl berth, lost a big time payday.

For one of the few times since Rocky Long became head coach, SDSU got punished.

You had seen the best of the Aztecs recently. You thought Boise has slipped from upper echelon in the conference. It didn’t work out that way, and now it has had a big impact going forward.

Looks definitely deceiving on Saturday night.

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“Hockey Pucks & Palm Trees”

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Hockey is back tonight in San Diego. It’s the American Hockey League home opener for the San Diego Gulls this evening.

It’s year three of the Gulls franchise, reborn with the colors and name of past hockey franchises, who did well here in the past.

The original Gulls were so well received in the old Western Hockey League, in the pre-expansion days of the NHL.

Then came the World Hockey Association San Diego Mariners, with a short existence, but with good support before the league folded.

Minor league hockey came back with the new-look Gulls, in the International League, then the West Coast League, and finally the East Coast Hockey League. Championship trophies were part of that era.

I felt along San Diego would be a great market for the American Hockey League as they decided to expand West.

America’s finest city is a melting pot of residents from everywhere, including those from the cold weather north, the midwest, and Canada.

Put a good product on the ice, and they would come. They dressed up the old Sports Arena, made it fan friendly, brought back Beer Nights, and won games.

Walk thru the concourse before a game, and you will see fans with Gulls jerseys from all eras. The same concourses will see fans wearing sweaters of Maple Leaf, Canadiens, Red Wings, Blackhawks, Flyers, Kings and Ducks fans too.

As he stands on the bench tonight, starting his third season, Dallas Eakins has proven to be a gem of a coach at this level. Teacher, leader, motivator, professional in every aspect of the job.

And the job, to coach a team in the AHL, is tough.

You want to win, but the equal mandate is you must develop and polish players for the big club, the Anaheim Ducks.

The roster they have tonight, as they open with the Texas Stars, might not be the same roster by Monday night, and surely will be different 3-weeks from tonight, and 3-months from now.

Th phone rings, and they are gone. The Gulls went thru 51-players in their first year, 54-last year, by virtue of callus, trades, injuries and more.

How good is Eakins? With a turnstile gate at the front door of his room, he has a combined two year record of (82-43-11). Between this stint here in San Diego, and his tour of duty with the Toronto Marlies, he has had just one losing season in 7-years as a coach.

Take away the impossible task he had in his year and a half as coach of the NHL-Edmonton Oilers, and you realize Eakins knows the job, its responsibilities, and the goals.

Forced to play lots of 1st and 2nd round picks by an Oilers franchise desperate to win, he had no chance in hockey mad Alberta. He had no defense and even fewer goaltenders in a city that thought the next Gretzky era was just around the corner.

Now the Oilers are dominant, not just with Connor McDavid, but a roster full of talent. It takes years and quality picks to make that happen. Eakins didn’t have enough time.

GM Bob Ferguson is cut from the same cloth. A career minor league player, he got into coaching and then management at a young age. His entire career has been about scouting and developing players.

Eakins played 17-years of minor league hockey, sprinkled with cups of coffee in the NHL. Ferguson rode the same buses for years, but became a master at tactics and dealing with the ups and downs of young players.

How good are the Ducks, the parent club? Good enough to have gone to a bunch of Game 7’s in playoff series. Good enough to win the Stanley Cup. Good enough to be ahead of the curve in drafting, signing and developing young picks, from the CHL, NCAA and Europe.

By season’s end last spring, there were 8-Gulls players who had contributed to the Ducks drive deep into the playoffs.

New faces show up beginning tonight. The European collection includes high draft picks Jacob Larsson, Marcus Peterson and more. The college crop includes young veteran Kalle Kosilla and goalie Kevin Boyle. Still to be delivered is junior hotshot Gio Fiore.

Look for continued success as the club develops more young talent. Look for crowds of 12,000 on weekends, as San Diego evolves into a ‘big league-minor league’ franchise.

And look for me sitting in the corner seats, some nights wearing a Gulls jersey, other nights a Leafs-Kings or Ducks jersey.

Hockey pucks and Palm trees. What s combination. Just like good hockey and a fast developing fanatical fan base. Something special building in San Diego.

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