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Hacksaw’s Thursday Podcast…1pm
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“READY-SET-GO …COLLEGE FOOTBALL”
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It kicks into gear on Thursday night, rolls into Friday evening, then the tidal wave of games on Saturday, and a Holiday game of importance on Sunday.

College football is front and center.

Comments on key teams, big storylines, and rumors.

COLORADO…Deion Sanders takes time out from feuding with the media to have his team play Division 1AA power North Dakota in Boulder, infront of a stadium full of Coach Prime fans.  The real test will be in the newly expanded Big 12-where there are still alot of coaches stilly carrying grudges from his use of the Transfer Portal.  And the media war seems to be growing into a national fanfare that reporters have a right to ask tough questions and that Sanders might not survive another bad Buffaloes season.

USC..Lincoln Riley sends a very different team onto the field to open against Brian Kelly and LSU in a Sunday game in Las Vegas.  No Caleb Williams for the Trojans.  No Jayden Daniels doing everything at quarterback for LSU.  This will be a fun game.  A big hire in UCLA defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn

ALABAMA…What does life after Nick Saban look like in Tuscaloosa.  Good coach in Kalen DeBoer.  A very good quarterback in Jalen Milroe.  It’s Crimson Tide football and it should continue to roll.

UCLA..I don’t like anything I see, read, feel about the Bruins despite what everyone feels about the hire of Deshaun Foster, with no experience, as head coach.  They lost talent, lost defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, got rid of Chip Kelly as coach.  The hiring of longtime NFL coordinator Eric Bienemy is not enough.  But they are moving to the Big 10, and were picked to finish 15th in an 18-team league.  Tell me at the end of the season if they regret leaving the Pac 12.

SEC…Lost in all the conversation about college football is the arrival of the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma in the SEC.  Move over Alabama, Georgia.  The Sooners don’t have their star QB-Dillon Gabriel, Texas has two quarterbacks.  And Steve Sarkisian, a refugee from the Pac 12, has done a masterful job putting the Longhorns back on the national map.

BIG 10..Oregon kicks off the season ranked 3rd in the country, right behind Ohio State and ahead of Michigan.  The Ducks are led by the transfer thrower, Dillon Gabriel, who has 125-TDs in his career and he arrives in Eugene.  USC brings big time credentials and a big time coach and Riley continues to import talent from the transfer portal.  Ohio State has a stud transfer informer Kansas State QB-Will Howard, who set all types of passing records in Manhatten.  Michigan returns loads of talent, but loses alot, in addition to Jim Harbaugh.  And now the cloud cover of this Sign Stealing Spy Gate case is right infront of everyone with the NCAA releasing the Notice of Allegations.

BIG 12..Utah, yes the Utes, coming in from the Pac 12-rubble, might be the team to beat.  Iowa State is pretty good.  Oklahoma State has Cale Gundy and his flamboyant style, but the arrival of Arizona State-Arizona-Colorado probably won’t make much of an impact.  This conference is not what the other power conferences are, yet.

ACC..This is ugly, what’s happening around Clemson.  The rest of the conference is falling apart and you have the Tigers and Florida State trying to get out of their long term TV deals to leave the conference.  The league may be part of the Group of 4..but no one is happy at what is transpiring.  And now you drag in Cal and Stanford with losing traditions and jet lag to be a conference member.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS…They go to 12-teams this year, with the 4-power conference champions getting byes.  The 5th slot goes to whomever is the best from places like the Mountain West, Mid American, American Athletic and the like.  Sorry, don’t confuse Boise State or Toledo or Houston with the upper echelon of football when playoff times roll around.  And then comes the arguments, if the CFB will load the playoffs with SEC-and-Big 10 teams more than anywhere else.  A good idea that might go bad, and will definitely be controversial.

Enjoy the start of the season, because this may be the strangest most upside down season we have ever seen.

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“AZTECS FOOTBALL & TALKSHOW HOST”
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Full Disclosure.

I have covered San Diego State football since the day I arrived here in 1987 as a talkshow host and the Voice of the San Diego Chargers.

I dealt with Al Luginbill, whom I had known at Arizona State, as he put together the flashy years of the Marshall Faulk era.

I asked questions of a great gentleman Ted Tollner thru good days and bad.

I thought Tom Kraft had great potential with his offense, but never turned the corner.

There was Chuck Long, who was hired on his Heisman Trophy accomplishments, who was overwhelmed.

There was old school Brady Hoke, whom I thought turned the program.

There was older school Rocky Long, the most stand up guy I ever met

Now there is Sean Lewis, bringing with him a flashy neon-light resume.

It is a clean piece of paper at San Diego State.  New coach, new staff, new playbook and a newly minted roster.

As a talkshow host, and in all my years broadcasting the Chargers and the Seahawks, I thought I have seen everything, but I have never seen anything like this.  The roster turnover of historic proportions.  The transfer portal-out of control.

For the first time in my broadcast career, I DONT KNOW.

I don’t know how good SDSU can be.
I don’t know how the 48-new players on the roster will be
I don’t know why so many Aztecs, 42-in all, went into the transfer portal.

So Sean Lewis, the man who put his stamp on the Colorado Buffs offense the first half of last season is here, ready to send his team onto the field against Texas AM-Commerce..formerly known for decades at East Texas State.

Not to be confused with West Texas State, Texas Western, North Texas State or Texas El Paso.

Sean Lewis’ resume shows amazing accomplishments.  The 600-yard per game offenses at Kent State.  The record setting passing seasons at Bowling Green and at Syracuse, and what he did for half a season under Deion Sanders last fall at Colorado, where a (3-0) start became a (4-8) season.

Saturday night, the Aztecs will send out an 18-year old freshman QB-Danny O’Neil.  They will start a big time Group of 5-running back in Marquez Cooper.  The wide receiver corps is dominated by transfers from West Virginia and Portland State among others, tight ends from USC-Colorado, a truckload of offensive-defensive lineman, Arizona to Akron and anywhere in between, who transferred in.  A linebacking group including starters from Army and Utah.

This Aztecs roster is a mixed bag of kids who have done well other places, and are here for a chance to play for an offensive whiz coach they either played for, or heard about.  Throw it all into the pot, add water, heat it up, and see what this ‘Saturday stew’ looks like.

So Saturday will be all new for alot of people.  They will throw the crap out of the ball.  They may turn it over.  They think their blitz happy defense will cause chaos.

They need to come out and make a statement even against Texas AM-East Texas State-Chamber of Commerce.   Because the following two weeks, they play the alumni from the Pac 12, Oregon State and then California.

The uncertainty of this season is just not limited to Montezuma Mesa.  There are 8-new coaches in the Mountain West.  This is no Nick Saban at Alabama.  There are 4-new schools wearing Big 10 and Big 12-name tags.  The ACC has a strange look.  And there’s a 12-team playoff awaiting us in December.

We all know what’s going on don’t we.

As a talkshow host, I pride myself in knowing everything about everything.

But Saturday night, SDSU vs the Lions, how they going to do?

I DON’T KNOW.

But I don’t feel bad because the first thing out of Sean Lewis’ mouth this game week is ‘Who are We’.

How good will the Aztecs be with this new ‘Neon Light Offense’…Aztecs Air, as I call it, Aztecs Fast as he calls it?

Sean Lewis echoed the same sentiment.

I DON’T KNOW.

Going to be a fun Saturday night at Snapdragon Stadium.

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Hacksaw’s Monday Bonus Podcast
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“HOW SCARY ARE THE PADRES”
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They keep playing, they keep winning.
Is this an MLB team of Destiny
Built to win.  Built to withstand the season?  Built to succeed?
Built to be adversity?  Built to set another all time attendance record?
Built to fulfill Peter Seidler’s legacy?

Brief comments on why this team is so dangerous:

AJ PRELLER..Best job he has done in 10-years of acquisitions.  All the deals, top prospects for veteran players, the street free agent acquisitions, the development of prospects and the changing of veterans.  And hats off to Preller for his relationship with Yu Darvish-and what his agent had to say about the GM and the pitcher.

MIKE SCHILDT…Changed the culture in the clubhouse.  It’s Mike’s team downstairs, different from last year’s front office interference in that clubhouse.  Add in the magic work done by hitting coach Victor Rodriguez and pitching coach Ruben Niebla and you see a franchise hitting on all cylinders.

BATTING ORDER..The intangible with this team, they don’t strike out, they put the ball in play, and it leads to lots of rallies.  Yes they hit long balls, but they don’t rely, live or die or home run balls.  That’s why there have been 33-come from behind wins and the 8-walkoff wins.  Balls in play, balls over the wall.

PITCHING STAFF…If they can get vintage Yu Darvish back and this reincarnation of Joe Musgrove to link with what Dylan Cease and Michael King have become, that’s a 4-man rotation to use in October.  And by the way, that 7-man deep bullpen seems trustworthy, sometimes overpowering.

DODGERS..Yes they may be in first place, yes they have the huge payroll, yes all those division wins, but who knows who will be healthy, hurt, or trustworthy by the time the playoffs roll around.  Can you trust Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw in your postseason rotation?  We don’t know how many innings you can get out of Yosh Yamamoto?  Yes Gavin Stone has been a strong arm as a rookie, but do the innings catch up with him, how does he handle post season pressure?  Yes Jack Flaherty is having a good season, but it just can’t be Stone-Flaherty and a bullpen day in the postseason.  And then there’s the Tyler Glasnow elbow-injury issues, that were part of his Pirates-Tampa career, and are now an issue at Chavez Ravine.  I think more questions than answers.

SEPTEMBER…If no one gets derailed in the next four weeks, can you imagine how electric the final weekend will be.  Padres at Arizona..Padres at Dodgers Stadium, the final 6-games of the regular season.  Stay tuned.

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Hacksaw’s Monday Bonus Podcast-1pm
Coach John Kentera will co-host
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“CHARGERS-VS-PRESEASON’
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The Chargers did not have much of a preseason to talk about…but then again does it matter.

They did not play any of their established starters aside from the offensive line.

What veterans they played really struggled, so it is really hard to know what Jim Harbaugh really has  on his two deep.

Yes we know Justin Herbert is a star.  Yes they have great veterans in what appears to be a very good lineback group.  We don’t know about the defensive front, the health of oft-injured running backs, and whether they have quality cornerbacks when they face Pro Bowl calibre wide receivers.

They face some intriguing roster cutdown decisions, but not with veterans or many young players on the bubble.

QB:  Easton Stick stays despite three straight unimpressive preseason games.  And that coupled with an (0-4) record at the end of last season as a starter. Alot of doubt if he can really play at this level. Maybe a veteran comes available they might claim in the next 48-hours.

RB:  The late camp emergence of Kim Vidal and the persistence of Jarret  Patterson slots them in as 3rd and 4th on depth chart.  Isaiah Spiller never got much opportunity and did nothing with it.  The same with Elijah Dotson, who could still go on developmental.

WR:  They look 5-deep led by Josh Palmer and Quentin Johnston.  Simi Fehoko had an impressive camp and may be the 6th receiver in the group.  Brenden Rice likely winds up on the taxi squad

OL:  The group is set and top pick Joe Alt looks like a star in the making.  The backups have depth and there does not seem to be much room for anyone to step in and wind a spot.

DL:  The most interesting missing person is CJ Okoye, the international player who was on developmental last year after  getting into a bunch of preseason games last year. but virtually none this year.  The biggest suprise was Scott Matlock who got alot of preseason game action.  The unknown is Chris Hinton.

LB:  No room at the Inn, they are 7-deep in the grouping.. Can Nick Nieman play important snaps, does Travis Dye contribute and does Bud Durpree have any gas left in the tank?

DB:  A most interesting development, the fiesty game veteran S-Tony Jefferson had on Sunday night with 2-picks, the forced fumble, a sack and a tackle for loss.  He could make the team as a veteran backup, but then again he played well against the Cowboys 3rd and 4th teamers, who will be cut this week.  Did they find a gem in Tarheeb Still?  Can JT Woods make the switch to corner?  Deane Leonard needs to be consistent.

Not alot of tough decisions.

We just don’t really know how good the Chargers are, because virtually no starters played in preseason, and they have lots of holes to fill when the bullets start flying for real against the Raiders in two weeks.

Preseason didn’t answer many questions.

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Hacksaw’s Great Sports Weekend Podcast
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‘CLEVELAND LEGEND PASSES”
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Sports has had great owners over the years.

The name O’Malley is synonymous with the Dodgers, in both Brooklyn-LA.

No one who talks Yankees, will ever forget George Steinbrenner.

Robert Kraft is as great an NFL owner as the modern day ownership has seen.

Legendary names like the Mara’s in New York, the Rooney’s in Pittsburgh, Jerry Buss-Lakers, the Norris Family in hockey in Detroit are icons.

Cleveland lost one of its most unique sports owners Nick Mileti, overnight Wednesday.

Nick Mileti passed at the age of 93.

Did he win a championship? No.  He tried, but it never happened.  Did his teams have winning seasons?  Some did, many didn’t.

But there are intangible things in ownership, and what Nick Mileti accomplished in Cleveland carries such significant meaning.

His resume will show he founded the NBA-Cleveland Cavaliers, and in the Bill Fitch era, after all the losing, they captured the hearts of Northeast Ohio.

He built the big Richfield Coliseum, equi-distant from Cleveland and Akron, bonding the big population base of those cities.

He bought the near bankrupt Cleveland Indians, who had been thru good owners, bad seasons, money issues, and problems in a decaying stadium.

He brought pro hockey to the city, in the WHA-Cleveland Crusaders and signed legendary Boston Bruins goalie Gerry Cheevers.

He renovated the aging Municipal Stadium, then did away with the axiom ‘Mistake on the Lake’.

He purchased a legendary radio station that became 50,000-watts 3WE, where I worked, serving 38-states and half of Canada.

But more importantly Nick Mileti did something special for a troubled city.

Cleveland went into bankruptcy as a city.  The Cuyahoga River had caught fire.
Hough was the center of racial riots and strife.  The famous Cleveland Clinic teetered on going out of business.  The steel and rubber industries collapsed.

Cleveland was hurting, financially and emotionally.  Then this entrepreneur entered.

Nick Mileti brought pride to Cleveland.  Enjoyment to Cleveland.  The Miracle at Richfield to Cleveland. He was a feel good man.

He had visions and dreams, and became the right guy, at the right time, in a city that needed a spark for life.

Downtown Cleveland, highlited by the Terminal Tower, is alive and healthy.  The Flats, along that river, is now a vibrant business community.

The Cavs flourished.  The Indians survived.  The Crusaders gave way to an NHL franchise, the California Seals.

Where Municipal Stadium sat, now sits the new home of the Cleveland Browns.
The Coliseum gave birth to a new basketball arena back downtown.  The Indians moved to a new baseball stadium and became the Guardians.

Nick Mileti poured his heart and so much money into the rescue of that city with the arrival of his style of leadership, personality and flair,  with those teams.

He ran out of money, but sold his franchises to better ownerships with deeper pockets.  Check the standings in your newspaper and you will see what bloomed today after what he did in those many yesterdays years ago to save it all.

A unique marketing whiz who loved sports, the bright lights, and life.

In a sense Nick Mileti saved the city of Cleveland at its lowest ebb in history.  His ownership was responsible for more than wins and losses, but the emotional survival of that city.

A tip of a glass or red wine to the man, what he wanted, what he did, what he accomplished with his teams in his town.

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