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Hacksaw’s Thursday Podcast..1:30-pm
You Tube-Lee Hacksaw Hamilton
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“PADRES–ROSTER OVERHAUL”
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For the first time, he didn’t win the Winter Baseball Meetings.
But for AJ Preller, it’s not from a lack of trying.
The Winter Meetings are over but that does not mean deals are not coming.

As long as his cell phone battery is charged, he can make a deal anytime, and he has.

But this time has a different feel to it, this Padres off season.
Almost like a time of desperation, trying to fix an ill fitting roster.
And his roster has some holes to fill, and limited resources to make deals.

Taking trade offers for Nick Pivetta makes no sense.  If the Friars have a gun to their head (Pivetta can opt out after next season), I assume you don’t get a haul for him on the trade front because the club trading for him has to deal with the same situation with him next fall too.  So no one overpays for a 1-year rental, though Preller overpays alot.

And here in lies the problem.

He has a rag-tag starting rotation beyond Pivetta.

No Yu Darvish.  No idea if Joe Musgrove can be Joe Musgrove pre surgery.  No Michael King.  No Robert Suarez.  That’s a lot of reliable talent not part of 2026.

Anyone believe Randy Vasquez is ready to be your #2 starter?  Beyond him, is anyone at AA-ready (Brad Rodriguez)  for this big a jump to the majors?  Don’t see anything I believe in via El Paso.

Shopping a good-glove light hitting Jake Cronenworth might net you a back of the rotation guy, but who?  Croney is a (.246) bat with a strong glove and spark.

You are not going to deal from the depth of the bullpen.

The price of pitching is so high.  Yes it will come down, but by then the type of arms you might get won’t be equal to what has left.  Maybe it’s a rent-an-arm acquisition.

Sorry, I do not see the assets to bring back Mackenzie Gore.  Is Ryan Weathers a bellweather number 2-3 guy-no so sure?  Is there a proper price to get Sandy Alcantara or Edward Cabrera from Miami?  Waiting to see if a Mitch Keller-Pittsburgh or Luis Castillo-Seattle might fit this budget?

Anybody have any interest in a rental-flyer on troubled people like Julio Urias or Trevor Bauer?

Preller’s problem is deeper than the price of pitching.  Franchise sale.  Traded the farm system away 4X.  Limited currency on his own roster to use as bait.  Age-bloated contracts he gave out.  Everyone sees it-knows it.  Now to find a way out of it.

And of course the reality, the Dragon up north (Dodgers) continue to spend on payroll and luxury tax too.  Getting close to the Dodgers two years ago was special.  That’s in the rearview mirror now.  We are dealing with today’s dollars and the Padres limitations too.

Is there a creative way to get Japanese blue chip P-Tatsuya Imai?  Can you convince Michael King a 3-year deal to stay here is better than a 3-year deal to go pitch for someone else?  Should he regret the 6-for-2 Orioles deal for Laureano?  Or the package you gave up, DeVries included, for the A’s Mason Miller?

Overhauling the roster means you don’t win in 2026.  Not fixing the roster means you don’t win either in 2026.  But there is time on the clock.  So we will see if there is a unique Christmas Gift this GM can give his fans under the tree?

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“AZTECS–GO BOWLING”
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A good season, and now another game to play.
A (9-3) season goes to the New Mexico Bowl
Next up, the Aztecs electric defense.
Next up, North Texas State and it’s high octane offense

Coach Sean Lewis on his team and his search for a new Def Coordinator
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Exciting day begin prep vs Big Green
N-Texas number 1-in offense in country (504YPG)
Players back in weight room-get back on grass

Rob Aurich thankful for 2-years work on our staff
Demetrius Sumler will be our interim defensive coordinator
He learned alot under Rocky Long then on our staff
He has experiences
Our team is built on culture to cope with change
Nebraska wanted Rob in-house immediately
I needed to have everyone all in
He has to experience the flow of this game
Lots of interest in this job if we go outside
I have done hiring alot as head coach..do it right
6-week window to decide
Want right people in our bui9lding from 1st day on the job
Listen to my players about next hire-make right decision

Have a good pulse on my team-who is staying-who is leaving
Going back to New Mexico..nothing shocks me
I had all my calendars laid out spending time-where we might go

Practices..get 10-extra days…great for young kids
We coaches evaluate every day-every practicer
Each day matters for young kids too

Electric Defensive Unit vs Hi Octane offense-Combustible game
Great matchup of styles
N-Texas..they score points in bunches
Mestemaker-one of best QBs in country
Resilient kid-did not start a high school game
Do all things he did in his journey…amazing
Leads nation in passing..(504YPG) offense
Dudes that stress you out…QB knows where answers are
He knows what defenses will throw at him…he has found a solution
They have a really explosive team

Our defense-continuity-consistency important deal with him
We have runway to build game plan

College football-moment adaptation and growth
Transfer portal will be different…Everyone has finances in order
Might be movement at fast pace-no spring portal
Each program has a unique set of circumstances
There is no 1-rule to solve all the issues..solve your issues in house

College game is chaos…have to know how to control it
I have learned valuable lessons as a young coach-now as veteran coach
Start season..Finish the season..game left to play
My players don’t owe me anything…want them to want to play together in 19-days
December 27th- we will go separate ways
I understand if they want to leave for the portal

Mimic NFL calendar…change portal..playoff structure
Start season early..have championship weekend..have final game on January 1st

Looking forward..health…
Settle our QB room
Fixing this was not snap of the finger
Alot hard work-alot of responses
Have always thought this was possible-I am not reactionary
I know what we signed up for
Believe in culture-structure
We learned to win in alot of different ways
Focused-accountable..I have vision-future
Next 6-weeks define who we will be in 2026

Travel Christmas Eve to New Mexico Bowl

2-Group of 5’s in playoffs
There is a path for everyone to get there now
My 7th year as a head coach…changes yearly how to operate
Football is America’s game…Fans are passionate about the game
What is best for the eco-system of college football
Hope decisions not being made by 1-entity (conferences)
If we could build a railroad from 1-side country to other..or man on moon
We can fix this system
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Hacksaw’s Monday Podcast
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“CHARGERS MUST WIN–DO WIN”
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It was a war of attrition.
Justin Herbert did not deserve to lose.
Jalen Hurts did not deserve to win.

The Chargers, with an awful outing from their offensive line, got a win.
The Eagles, despite a ferocious pass rush, wound up losing because of their QB.

It is the worst pounding I have seen a Chargers QB take dating back to the Ryan Leaf-Craig Whelihan era.  Do you know how many years ago the Bolts were (1-15)

For a Super Bowl team, it was a miserable game, played by a frantic QB behind his own beat up offensive line, done in by panic stricken passes.

The stat sheet was full or red ink, or maybe it was blood.

Herbert, took 8-sacks, 10-hits and was pressured 18-times, and was still standing at the end to shake hands with his teammates.  What a pounding and that included a pick, a lost fumble and another fumble recovered by his team.

Hurts was beyond awful-freaked out by the pass rush.  4-interceptions and a fumble later the Eagles got on the plane with a 3-game losing streak, and a wasted (122Y) rushing effort from Saquon Barkley.

Cam Dicker, the best the NFL has ever seen, hit 5-field goals including the OT game winner from 54-yards out to cap the see-saw war.

The Eagles had (365Y) of offense.  The Chargers trailed in virtually every offensive category and yet Herbert, bloodied and with a cast on his left hand, willed the team to win.

The Eagles had 12-plays of plus ten yards, while the Chargers had just 8, but just enough to get it in close range for the game winning kick.

The Bolts defense came up with 3-picks off high throws or deflected throws, or passes into traffic.  There were 3-turnovers on one snap in the game, and bodies limped off the field thruout the night.

They had to have the win, for the Bolts still have to play Dallas, Houston, Kansas City and Denver in the final month of the season.

The unhappiness in Philly will grow even more after this wretched outing from last year’s Super Bowl Kings.

Just remember this, the toughness, the grit, and moxie, the pain tolerance of Justin Herbert.  He played in the style of all things Dan Fouts.

Only counts as 1-win.  Had to have it.  The quarterback willed this rag-tag bunch on offense, patchwork lineman and kid running backs, to victory.

Must win-did win.
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Hacksaw’s Monday Bonus Podcast…1:30pm
Hot Topics-Stay for Fan’s Forum
You Tube-Lee Hacksaw Hamilton
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“YOU WANTED A COLLEGE PLAYOFF”
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College football fans got what they wanted.
College football got what it wanted.
And now no one is happy.

Just hours after the Classic 1-vs-2 Indiana-Ohio State matchup.  Just 4-quarters after the QB duel of Fernando Mendoza-vs-Jaylin Sayin.  And the night after the number 1-vs-2 defenes quit beating on each other.

No one is happy.

Especially Notre Dame, and even the late arriving Texas Longhorns.
Miami is happy-you bet.
James Madison is thankful.
The Atlantic Coast Conference is really upset.

Hopscotching around what we have seen.

INDIANA-OHIO STATE…Everything you could want.  QBs under pressure.  QBs making passes.  WRs with great catches.  And a defensive war led by relentless pass rushes.  Ever seen two star QBs scramble for their lives as much as they had to on Saturday night?
Bet we might see Ryan Day and Curt Cignettin in a playoff rematch.

FINAL POLLS…That committee won’t be getting Christmas cards from some people later this month.

NOTRE DAME…How do you win 10-in a row and fall in the final poll, when you had held your position thru the CFP polls the prior four weeks?  Probably weak schedule in South Bend after the two early season losses.  Sadly, in a real fit of anger, the Irish then elect not to play in any Bowl game.  Seems really unfair to those kids.

ALABAMA…Been leaking oil the back half of the schedule and yet did not drop much in the polls, got in, and did not get knocked out of the playoffs after getting floored in the SEC title game.

MIAMI..That early season win the difference maker, but a mid year surge of crummy games did not overly douse their chances, but truly a strange formula of how the win over the Irish did not mean much in the polls until the final poll came out at 9am-on Sunday.  Seems unfair to South Bend.  Think they will meet their match in their first round game with Texas AM.

ACC..Steamed, because Virginia lost to Duke in the conference title game, but Duke does not get in because of a 5-loss season and not ranked high in the final polls.

TULANE…They get in because of the ACC mess and a higher ranking, but how really good are the AAC-teams.

JAMES MADISON..Great couple of years, but do they really belong on the field with the big boys, and now they have to go Oregon in that first round game, a likely 69-6 game.  By the way, no wins against any Power 4-team-seems the system in flawed.

JUST ASKING…What counts more, head to head (when you played?)
JUST ASKING..Do you get in by being the best team, hottest team, or most deserving?
JUST ASKING..So what has to change next year to make all this fairer?
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Hacksaw’s Great Sports Weekend PODCAST
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‘FOOTBALL PREVIEW”
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So what game are you going to watch this weekend?

OHIO STATE-INDIANA…This might really be the national title game, matching the two unbeaten (12-0) teams, the two Heisman Trophy candidates Saylin-Mendoza, and two amazing defenses giving up 7-and-10 points a game.  And on a neutral field to boot.

ALABAMA-GEORGIA..SEC title bash and how about the two QBs, they were both buried on the depth chart a year ago, and now Tyler Simpson and Gunnar Stockton have combined to throw 50TDs this season.

VIRGINIA-DUKE..Transfer QBs make a difference so this Darian Mensah-vs-Chandler Morrison passing show should be an ACC- doozy.

BYU-TEXAS TECH…Do you remember when the Big 12 was all about Oklahoma-Texas-Nebraska?  Not so any more, here is Bear Bachemeier vs Behren Martin in a QB duel that decides the league title.

BOISE STATE-UNLV….This very well could have been-should have been San Diego State-New Mexico, but the final Mountain West Conference title game forever before the best teams in the league cross the state line into the PAC-12….Should be a throwing contest with Maddux Madsen-vs-Anthony Colandera.

Enjoy your football Saturday.
Come Sunday they release the final CFB playoff poll and the matchups.
Sunday too, the bowl matchups come out
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