“Cities-vs-NFL-The Ultimate Grudge Match”

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For the third time in 13-months, the NFL has allowed a franchise to move.

Last February, the Rams won the bidding war to move into Los Angeles, their mega dollar Hollywood Park stadium deal bringing pro football back to the market.

The Chargers were given the right to also move into Los Angeles, the first choice franchise, to become the second team in the market. Almost a year to the day, they left San Diego to become a tenant in the Hollywood Park stadium.

And now the Raiders, by a (31-1) vote, get the green light to exit Oakland, again, this team headed to Las Vegas.

Each city has different issues. Each city tried but failed to please it owner, the other 31-owners, and the league office.

CHARGERS: We went thru 15-years of bad mayoral leadership. Drunks, bums, leaders with gambling addictions and social perverts. We had it all cornered in terms of no-class leadership. Of course, a crappy City Hall was just a piece of the equation. City attorney issues, a pension scandal, a rotten economy, all contributred to the failure to get something done from 2000-to-2015.

Of course, team ownership had no vision, no idea how to accomplish building a civic coalition to find a way to get a ‘yes’ vote. The Spanos family idea was to propose a new stadium, draw up snazzy brochures, give it to civic leaders, and say build it, pay for it, and give it to us, ‘we’re the NFL’. Compare the Spanos leadership to John Moores and Larry Lucchino would you please.

Until the current mayoral leadership got in place, there was never a unified city-county-civic plan. Too little, too late, because Kevin Faulconer could not convince Dean Spanos, to come to the table. Tinsel town awaited.

The Chargers fans and the community has every right to be angry, but so did Cleveland and Baltimore, who back in the day, couldn’t get stadiums built, till their franchises vacated.

RAMS: St. Louis had the best plan of all, a consortium of city-county-state financing, wrapped around corporate involvement. They had the lands, the permits, the resources.

They never had Stan Kroenke on their side, for his visions were big money deals in real estate transactions, not in the (314) area code, but rather in Los Angeles. He dreams big, builds big, makes money for everyone.

St. Louis died a second time, having lost the Bidwell owned St. Louis Cardinals to Phoenix back in the 1980s.

But bigger than that, in luring the LA Rams to the newly minted TWA Dome, the city put poison pills in the lease that would eventually kill their hopes of retaining the team.

Nobody knew Georgia Frontiere-John Shaw would sell the team. The poison pills said the dome had to be upgraded equal in amenities to the top 25% of buildings in the league, Jerry Jones World included. It put them into a corner they could never escape, and in arbitration, the city lost.

Ante up or say good-bye, and we know what the new owner, Kroenke did. Hello LA.

RAIDERS: Oakland had the worst stadium situation of all, a sewer of a facility, shared with the A’s baseball team. Al Davis left Oakland once, for a series of broken promises in Los Angeles. He returned with a promise for a stadium upgrade, and got that. But Mount Davis was ugly, it never sold out, and the team got bad.

Oakland is a near bankrupt city. Yes there is a following, and an East Bay entourage that numbers 35,000-fans. That is all. Despite the growth of a very good young team, the upper deck of that stadium remained tarped off.

The socio-economic health of the East Bay is different than Santa Clara, the new home of the 49ers. It’s surely not the Silicon Valley It’s not even the affluence of the state capital Sacramento.

The Raiders could have co-existed in the Bay area with the 49ers. The NFL could have forged a tenant deal that would have preserved the franchise there, much like the Rams-Chargers transaction in Inglewood, but they didn’t, and Mark Davis didn’t want that either.

So now, despite all the corporate prose issued by Roger Goodell, about ‘hometown communities’, the NFL has allowed three franchises to move.

All to new homes. All to new palaces. All to locations where they will be printing money in the hallways of their stadiums.

The Chargers fans got screwed by their owner.

The Rams city fathers self destructed because of their poison pills used to lure the team out of LA to begin with..

The Raiders fans fell victim to bad geography and economics more than anything else.

The worst part of all this is the public image the owners are trying to create. That a man from St. Louis, worth 12B needs more money. That an owner from San Diego, making anywhere from 10-to-20M a year profit while running the franchise into the ground, needed to be taken care of. That a cash-poor, poorly run guy in Oakland should get a free ride just because he owns the team.

At all these press conferences, Kroenke, Spanos, Davis want you to believe they are the ‘victims’ of their cities failures.

Welcome to the NFL’s new world. Do what we want. Give us what we need. Make as much money as we can.

The letters on the shield say it all. N-F-L….No Fan Loyalty.

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“Can You Top This–Doubt It”

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It’s been as wild a two weeks as you’d ever want to see in March Madness.

Not the upsets, for this year, there were very few, but rather the ferocious finishes, last second shots, and amazing comebacks.

Despite the one and done rule, college basketball has never been more competitive. Maybe it is because everyone has skill, everyone has explosive athletes, and everyone in the same boat, in a constant mode of rebuild.

So we have the the duel in desert at the end of next week.with one team of royalty, a lots of newcomers, who have never been there before.

North Carolina is making its 20th appearance, with Roy Williams bringing a truckload of young talent into Phoenix.

Mark Few has done so many special things at tiny Gonzaga, now he has a deep enough team of athletes, grinders, blue chip recruits and transfers, to say we really belong.

Oregon is playing red hot right now, lots of firepower, resolute toughness on the boards, and relentless athleticism. Dana Altman, a fine coach, may have his finest roster of all time after all those years other places.

South Carolina is going for the first time, dragged in to the finals by a fiercely passionate coach Frank Martin,with a bunch of no-name playes the nation does not know much about.

Duke is gone. Arizona didn’t get there. UCLA ran out of youthful exuberance. This time around, no VCU, or Princeton, or Florida Gulf Coast.

Just really good team, really explosive players, and some pretty good coaches.

Don’t know if next Saturday or Monday can top what we just came thru, but I wouldn’t miss it.

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“Colin Kaeperenck-Love to Hate”

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This is quite a story to try and rationalize.

Colin Kaeperneck, just two years removed from being a real star in the NFL, does not have a job yet.

It is him, his style, his opinions, his actions, his bad team….Why?

The demise of the 49ers as a franchise usually brings blame to the quarterback spot more than anywhere else.

But it cannot be placed at his front door.

His play tailed off because of injuries, that led to two off season surgeries last winter. His poor play came as a result of a roster that fell apart around him.

Free agent defections, players leaving because they did not like the chaos around the final years of the Jim Harbaugh regime.

Agents steering players away because of bad relationships, and bad front office politics in the franchise run by Jed York.

Injuries and the sudden retirement of key players, many on defense, led by Chris Boreland and Navarro Bowman. Boreland leaving because of concussions, Bowman sidetracked by bad injuries.

Utter chaos with the hiring of Chip Kelly as coach and his strange approach to offense-defense and relationships, all which led to his firing at the end of his lone season.

Kaeperneck then fueld fires with his preseason boycott of the National Anthem, and the resulting fallout, not just on his club, but the followup decision of players, mostly African Americans, to knee during the anthem, or to stand with fists raised.

All in the protest of oppression against blacks, in the workplace, by police, in society.

Kaeperneck invoked rage by his stance of how poor life is for American blacks, while he was making (14.5M) salary last year.

The quarterback stood his ground with his critical comments on American life for his race, the entire year.

And though lots of America chastised him, he did more than sound off.

He donated 500,000 of his salaries towards charities, starting in the Bay Area.

Day care centers, after school programs, targeting the inner city, in both San Francisco and Oakland. Then a donation to money troubled Senior Centers. His decision to help fund a program to battle starvation in Somalia. And his latest contribution to Meals on Wheels, facing a cut in funding.

And Kaeperneck opted out of his NFL contract to become a free agent, walking away from next years (14.5M) contract, exiting San Francisco, for parts unknown.

He is his own man, with his own opinions. But at least, he, as an individual, is trying to make a difference.

A year removed for surgeries, maybe he will be even more healthy this year. His stats last year in San Francisco were not bad.

Teams are not touching him right now. Maybe he doesn’t run the kind of offense they need run. Maybe they think defenses have figured him out. Maybe they do not believe they want to pay him the kind of money he walked away from.

Or just maybe, teams are offended at his slap at the flag and the anthem, a symbol for all who have given their lives so we can have freedom, and guys like him can be paid handsomely for their athletic talent.

There’s still time, and still a draft ahead, though this is a thin year for QB’s on the at draft board.

In an NFL, where teams still sign guys coming off arrests and substance abuse, it is hard to believe teams are staying away from this guy just based on his opinions.

You may condemn him for his stance on the flag and anthem, but you should salute him for what he has tried to do in his communities.

Fans love to hate players. This ill-will may be misdirected. Think he deserves another shot with a quarterback poor franchise. Maybe he plays again, and succeeds.

Maybe they will love to love him for what he can do on the field, in addition to what he is doing in his adopted hometown.

I don’t think he’s toxic. I believe he still has talent. Now he just needs a team.

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“Devil is in the Details”

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Nothing got done for 30-years I have lived here at Qualcomm Stadium, now everybody is in a foot race to try and get in a fire-sale bid for the 166-acres of decaying stadium, parking spaces and wooded areas.

“FS” Investors is pushing hard to negotiate a ‘fair’ price for the 79-acres they want to purchase from the city for “Soccer City”.

Doug Manchester is posting pictures of his snazzy stadium on all the telephone poles, but saying the NFL must tell him ‘they will come’ before he will bid and build on the land.

And now San Diego State wants the right to lease or buy some 47-acres for their own university run stadium, with land options for student housing, research buildings, and parking spaces.

All in the span of 3-months, since Dean Spanos scorned everyone, and followed the trail of greed to Carson, and then onto Los Angeles in 3-years time.

We know most of the players in the game, the Stones of LaJolla representing their soccer interests. Manchester, the hotel magnate. And at first glance, John David Wicker of San Diego Stater.

But there could be a hidden wheeler dealer in all this too, yet to be revealed.

Now the city must configure the best game plan for all.

Which is most important? An NFL Stadium sight? An Aztecs-Holiday Bowl sight? A soccer stadium that can be used for lots of different things?

How do you fast forward the state funding for the River Park? How-who finances student and faculty housing and parking garages? Who should control what, once it is all bit?

The Soccer City proposal lays out everything, land purchase, price, stadium financing, mixed use, and a timetable of sub-letting land for construction of various parcels.

SDSU offers ideas, no public developer, a game plan, but no financing yet.

Manchester talks generic dollar, but virtually nothing else, and his idea is linked to Roger Goodell and NFL owners signing off on giving us a franchise. That has not happened very often in NFL history.

I’m enthralled with all the interest the city is getting in these phone calls, meetings and prospectus letters.

I’m enthused to see if there can be a common ground for the city to mix the Stone-FS ideas with the creative needs at SDSU.

And I’ll be excited to learn who the real backer behind the latest set of ideas is.

The devil is really in the details.

But I am also anxious to see who is behind the package put forth in the SDSU position paper.

Who might that be? Who might be the idea man? Who might be the finance man? Who might be the catalyst to take the Q-sight a different direction?

The guy who wanted to create a “Front Door” to San Diego State via expansion?.

The Devil in the Detail guy behind the curtain, might it be John Moores, the ex-Padres owner, the philanthropist, the creator of Petco Park. Think JMI and all they have done around the country, creating and building and renovating since the Moores-Larry Lucchino Days.

Stay tuned. It’s going to get interesting before it gets done.

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“What I Think on Wednesday”

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ON THE RADIO….That was fun-getting last minute invite to co-host an hour on my station Mighty 1090 with Scott Kaplan and Billy Ray Smith…felt like I was never away…still feel I should have never been let go..

TAKING HIGH ROAD ON TV…Tough week ahead..final week me and my teammates who work together on CW-6-XETV, which is closing down its entire news room operation…77-news side staffers on waivers…really had fun 3-years doing TV..who wants to hire a damn good weekend TV anchor crew?

STUNNED…Japan players would not leave the Dodgers Stadium dugout after the shocking (2-1) loss to Team USA in World Baseball Classic…really intense-tension filled game…How about San Diego connections helping win another…Adam Jones had 2-homers and game saving catch early in series..then game winning RBI ground ball in 8th last night…Luke Gregorson saves his 2nd game in a row out of the bullpen

PADRES PITCHING…Strong outing for Trevor Cahill for Padres, solidifies his spot in San Diego wafer-thin starting rotation…(5-plus) innings and (7) K’s in victory.

DODGERS…What an outing for Hyun Jin-Ryu…4-shutouting innings and 1-hit allowed..3rd straight solid outing for lefthander who had pitched in 1-game in two years due to shoulder woes.

ANGELS…So far-so good for Halos on injury front…That is Albert Pujols batting (.412) coming off foot surgery….Garrett Richards elbow issues seem resolved-clocked at 98mph….and Matt Shoemaker, coming off fractured skull-continues to pitch impressively…Maybe use of pitch counts will help them over the top.

AZTECS…It’s just an idea sheet, not a demand from the city, but San Diego State wants to control its own destiny…build a football stadium..either buy or lease land at Qualcomm sight…Bring in their own developer..and have the right to lease other acreage to build future dorms, housing and research buildings in a university master plan…up next, see if the city can mold the SDSU needs to what FS-Investors wants to do with their soccer stadium ideas…that’s what negotiations are all about.

CHARGERS…A strange sighting at Chargers Park…the team meeting with controversial RB-Joe Mixon-who was uninvited and did not go to the combine despite being a very high first round pick…all the aftermath of a a violent domestic abuse incident dating back to 2014-for which he was disciplined…has not been in trouble since-but the spectre of all things Ray Rice still look out there..because the video was out there of the incident..Don’t think the Chargers need a running back..should not spend top pick either on a QB…can you say left tackle..can you say safety?

LAKERS LOSE AND LOSE AND LOSE…Another blowout setback-this to the team across the hallway, the Clippers…The Lakers show no commitment to play team defense…giving up more than 130 points last night…that’s 41-losses in the last 51-games…hard to believe how bad the franchise has become.

RED HOT HOCKEY…The Gulls face San Jose tonight in battle of 1-vs-2 in Pacific Division..both clubs on pace to possibly win 45-games this year-very impressive….Barracudas have snipers..San Diego has defense and goaltending.