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“Chargers-Problems Everywhere”

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It’s only week four of the NFL season, and the Good Ship Lightning Bolt is taking on water in every compartment.

Chargers owner Dean Spanos, who holds the media in disdain, met with the Editorial Board of the Union-Trubine yesterday, and tried to sales-pitch them on the idea, building the downtown Stadium is good for everyone, the city, tourism, his team. Of course it’s good if the bulk of the stadium is paid for by an increased hotel tax, fans purchase of PSL’s and Corporate stadium naming rights, and he doesn’t put any of his money in the pot. .

GM-Tom Telesco’s team is falling apart with more injuries, especially in the offensive front. The idea to open the season with a roster of backups, all young, fast, but inexperienced, has put his team in jeopardy. Not to say the hardline stance they took towards DE-Joey Bosa, has worked out either. He held out, got hurt in his lst workout, and looks like he is washing out at least the first third of the season, unable to get on the field.

Coach Mike McCoy is under seige. A twitter poll of fans responding, more than 800 in all, voted (91%-to-9%) “no confidence” that he can make this team a winner. Two more fourth quarter collapses this season have a tendency to do that to your credibility.

Offensive line issues are everywhere, now with the migraine headaches plaguing LT-King Dunlap since last week. McCoy must have cut class at Utah the day they taught medicine, because the coach does not think migraines have anything to do with the 4-NFL concussions Dunlap has had. LG-Orlando Franklin is ailing, shoulder, and RT-Joe Barksdale has a foot issue. Rookies await their chance to play.

Look for teams to load the box to slow down Melvin Gordon and the run, meaning Philip Rivers receivers will have to win lots of 1-on-1 battles to make catches, get yards, get first downs and score TDs. Against a pitiful Colts defense, San Diego had 1-offensive touchdown in 10-drives. Sign of things to come?

The defense isn’t what we hoped for, and now there is no Mantei Te’o nor Jahleel Addae. The defense is giving up (403) yards per game. Any real Jerry Attaochu or Melvin Ingram sightings.

Special teams is a bit iffy right now. A missed extra point from Josh Lambo. A whole game of shaky punts from Drew Kasor. Not so good this early in the season.

And here comes Drew Brees and the pass-happy New Orleans Saints. Yes the Saints defense is in shreds, worse than San Diego, giving up a horrific (448Y) per Sunday. But Brees makes up for it by leading the NFL in passing, with an offense that goes up and down the field to the tune of (423Y) per game.

So come Sunday, unless the Chargers get some water from Lourdes to help the ill-injured and infirmed, or unless the Saints are allowed to play CFL rules, 12-on defense, it will be a shootout. Maybe 38-35-last guy touches it wins. And we know how end of the game efforts go in San Diego.

Hope the Good Ship Lightning Bolt doesn’t capsize. If they lose, and go (1-3), the season will be sunk. And Dean Spanos thought he had just Stadium problems.

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“Voices We Will Hear Forever”

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It is a week of farewells in baseball, with the final games on the schedule to be concluded this weekend.,

They will be leaving the press boxes of their lives this weekend too.

Vin Scully, the artist, the voice of the Dodgers. Dick Enberg, the professor, TV voice of the Padres.

They have graced us for decades with style, class, storytelling, color, flair, and brilliance.

Both are in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Scully thrilled an 8-year old boy growing up on Long Island. I remember his early days on radio at the old WMGM with Connie Desmond and Jerry Doggett.

I was forever hooked on baseball on radio at that point, and of course spoiled too, because the Yankees had Mel Allen-Red Barber-Phil Rizzuto. And the Giants gave us Russ Hodges and Lon Simmons, I listened to them all, all the time.

It was indeed the era of D’em Bums, the Bronox Bombers and the Gints.

Enberg was the king of Los Angeles. So popular as the Voice of the Angels on KMPC, during the Gene Autrey-Nolan Ryan-Frank Tanana days. Of course, he is forever linked too with John Wooden-UCLA-Pauley Pavilion era of excellence in basketball..

And then there was Breakfast at Wimbledon and the US Open and his great stories abroad. Add in the Olympics and Super Bowls and NFL network TV.

If he was broadcasting it, it was a big event.

Time marches on. The Dodgers and Giants broke the hearts of Gotham and moved West. The old memory I have is of walking the sands at Jones Beach on the south shore of Long Island, and never missing a big play on Sunday afternoon, because everyone had transistor radios listening to the Dodgers or Yankees.

And much the same at Chavez Ravine, with Scully’s brilliant calls, or the fans reactions to something he said on the air. in the stadium.

And it was the equal to the eloquent voice of Enberg on TV, hearing-listening to him describe McEnroe-Bjorg, Connnors-Nastase. So many big NFL games teamed with Merlin Olson. And ditto describing all the electric no-hit moments of the Halos and the Von Ryan Express.

Curt Smith, the noted baseball historian has written so many great books about baseball and broadcasting, highlited by his book “Voices of the Game”. His chapters on Vin and Dick detail excellence.

Close your eyes, hear those voices. Back in the day memories that will forever be part of baseball fans scrapbrooks going forward.

So pleased to have known them, interviewed them, been friends with them.

So thankful for Vin Scully’s invite to me one day at Vero Beach “pull up a chair”. So excited to steal Dick Enberg’s words, to describe his career “Oh My”

And the best of all, their plaques in the Hall of Fame wing honoring the media for all they have done.

For in Cooperstown, their names, and those voices will resonate thru the hallways, as part of the grand old game.. The Hall of Fame honor is ‘forever’.

Scully-Enberg. Great broadcasters. Greater people.

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Different Dugouts-Same Leaders-Different Results”

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Covering baseball the way I do, you spend alot of time around these guys, the mangers.

I spent an hour alternating between the Dodgers and Padres dugouts last night, talking baseball and baseball philosophy with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, then Padres boss Andy Green.

Two baseball lifers I have come to know, like and respect. Green staggering thru his first year in San Diego, with his GM having been suspended, and all his big money players traded away. Roberts, his team having clinched the National League West pennant on Sunday, now making plans for postseason games.

LA has won the NL West four years in a row. The Padres have a streak too, ten straight seasons without a post season game.

Roberts has gotten to the top despite losing virtually his entire starting rotations this year with injuries, including Clayton Kershaw. He also survived the summer long soap opera of Yasiel Puig.

Green’s summer has been spent dealing with losing streaks, injured players, contract dumping, and petrie dish experiments with career minor leaguers and guys off the waiver wife.

The Dodgers bench boss spent his time with me talking about the excitement of postseason, setting up his rotation, and how hot his team is. The Padres first year manager talked in sentences involving expectation, rookies, future prospects and hope.

Dodgers ownership has lots of s of money. Padres ownership has wasted lots of money, and is now reinvesrting in the future in the minor leagues.

LA’s clubhouse was fullof stars, talking about the lst round of the playoffs with Washington. The Padres clubhouse was filled with guys just playing out the string, half of them likely to be gone in the offseason to make room for more rookies.

It was strange. The Dodgers (90-66) looking forward, the Padres (66-90) with just misery behind.

Roberts and Green, quality leaders. Everything else about these franchises totally opposite.

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“Arnie’s Army Says Goodbye”

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How should we judge the man?

1-of Golf’s greatest has left us. Leaving us with memories of his brilliance, his business accumen, and beloved stories of all time.

Arnie Palmer has passed, leaving a legacy of accomplishment and class.

You think history, and you think of Old Tom Moore in Scotland and the founding of the British Open at the Royal & Ancient.

You remember names like Bobby Jones, the golfer and architect, the legendary Byron Nelson, the dynamic Sammy Snead.

The personalities of the eras led by Chi Chi Rodriguez and Gary Player.

And then there was Palmer and there was Jack Nicklaus. The duo made the golf tour what it was to become.

Big events, big rivalries, must-see action, whether in the gallery or on television.

Oh they dueled, whether it was at Augusta or the Greater Hartford Open. They played every week, and they were adored by one and all. It must have been hard to be a pro in their era, and hoping the best you could do would be to finish third, something akin to the dominance that Tiger Woods enjoyed in the last decade or so.

But Arnie Palmer was so much more than a man who won 7-Grand Slam events, 4-Masters and 62-tourneys in all.

He was a fan’s man, the everyday man, who wanted to play evderyday.

He always had time for autographs and the paying public.

He was an entrepreneur, working with golf manufacturers to improve clubs and balls, in an era before anyone ever thought ot technology. He was big business too, creating and founding the idea for the Golf Channel.

He travelled the globe as a golf ambassador, but he was always comfortable at home in Western Pennsylvania, where his hometown village of Latrobe was famous for Rolling Rock Beer, the Steelers training camp, and the simple home Arnie Palmer lived in.

He did commercials for Pennzoil on his old tractor, and he bought Bay Hill outside Orlando and made it a destination point for fans who wanted to play the game on a PGA course.

The son of a groundskeeper, he bought his home country club for his father.

Arnie Palmer was to golf, what Babe Ruth was to baseball and what Muhammad Ali became out of boxing. A true-true American Ambassador.

I close my eyes, as a young fan, and I see the smile of Palmer and the laser focus of Jack Nicklaus. I see the big birdie putts they made at the most importnt times along the tourney trail.

And I will never forget growing up and hearing and reading about Arnie’s Army and the Golden Bear, what they did, and what they represented.

Arnold Palmer was an American success story, as a player and as a person. A global icon from a tiny place outside of Pittsburgh. He came from Latrobe, he will be buried in Latrobe. A proud man from the Pennsylvania highlands, who accomplished so much.

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“You’ve Got Chargers Questions…I’ve Got Chargers Answers”

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People amongst us have questions about another troubling Chargers season.

Q…What cannot this team win close games?
A…They are (3-11) in the last year plus in games decided by a TD or less since opening day 2015. There are so many young players on the roster, so many backups due to injury, the quality of the roster does not carry with it great game-day experience. Aside from QB-Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates, where is there true experience on the roster?

Q…What happened in Indianapolis?
A…They got mugged at the line of scrimmage on boths sides of the ball. Indy’s defensive front won the battle in the trenches, which is why the Bolts had just (37Y) rushing, and they harrassed Philip Rivers into a day of uneven passing. He lost his footwork at times as the pocket moved. He made 5-poor passes, and was hurt by 5-drops, and some costly penalty flags.

Q…What happened to the run defense?
A…They got mugged, blown off the line of scrimmage, and the linebackers could not get off blocks, especially in the first half. And this from an Indy team many viewed as soft.

Q…What’s going on in the secondary?
A…Injuries are wearing the back end down, and there’s little experience behind the starters. TY Hilton torched Jason Verrett and then he got nicked up. Brandon Flowers cannot cover much anymore. The safeties did not make big plays. Casey Hayward looks excellent as a ballhawker, but the loss of Addae is damaging.

Q…What do you make of the linebacking?
A…Disappearing act by Jerry Attaochu, not much for four quarters from Melvin Ingram. If I see the inside and strong side backes cannot cover receivers, tight ends, crossing routes, what do you think these offensive coordinators see on tape. The linebacker coverage thru all 3-games has been horrible.

Q…Andrew Luck the exception to the rule?
A…He held up to the bloitz,. They called 26-blitzes and sacked him just twice. He escaped, moved the pocket, found hot receivers. Disappointing the Chargers did not back out of the blitz and drop more into coverage and force Luck to hold the ball longer.

Q…Another injury-how bad?
A…Pretty bad for Mantei Te’o, in that it is an Achilles, and there is no experience behind him, not Jataious Brown, who can run but cannot cover; Josh Perry, who is not ready; and Jerry Dzubnar-more special teamer than anything else.

Q…Is Mike McCoy’s job in jeopardy?
A…He must not think so. There did not see much urgency in the postgame press confernce yesterday. Did not seem panic has set in. The Chargers are suffering from a thousand paper cut wounds, with so many injuries, because there is no experience behind the starters. Bill Belicheck, who wins all the time, seems to cope with it. Mike McCoy, who has not won much recently, cannot seem to overcome all the adversity.

Q…What happens next?
A…Home cooking helps with the Saints coming in. What does not help is facing Drew Brees, who will throw and throw and throw. Maybe a (39-35) game at the Q. We knew the front 8-games would be hard.
The Bolts are (1-3), could have been (3-0), but they are not a complete team by any stretch of the imagination.

Q…Do you think a Chargers winning season or losing year impacts the Stadium vote?
A…Absolutely not. There are too many political agendas downtown, and too many unanswerd questions for this to pass. That coupled with the fact Dean Spanos has no political currency after he allowed Mark Fabiani to use a scorched earth poolicy for nearly a year as the City-Country tried to put together a Stadium package at the Q.

Q…Is Los Angels still an option?
A…On paper yes, but in the real business world, absolutely not. Spanos missed the boat on the move. The Rams own the LA market, emotionally, and financially now.

Q…What happens then if it is a ‘no vote’.
A…A year from today, the Chargers are negotiating some package for a new stadiium at the Q.

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