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Hacksaw’s Thursday Podcast…1pm
You Tube Channel-Lee Hacksaw Hamilton
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“PADRES BASEBALL-DO YOU BELIEVE THIS”
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There have been some great times in modern day Padres history.

The Steve Garvey home run vs the Cubs, that put the Padres into the World Series against the Tigers.

The Tony Gwynn-led Padres getting to the World Series against the Yankees.

The phenomenal pennant race run that included a big upset of the Dodgers in the playoffs.

The last summer of success that put the Padres into the NLCS against the Phillies just a couple of years ago.

But what is happening at Petco Park this summer has been something.

Sellout after sellouts.
Gallagher Square’s launch.
The blockbuster trades.
The state of the art contract extensions.

A new manager bringing a new culture into the clubhouse.
The arrival of a star in the making in centerfield.
Veteran cornerstone players at 3B-1B
The ability to withstand the loss of two starting pitchers and the star rightfielder.
Hitting the jackpot on role players.

It is amazing what we are experiencing with the closer who was a refugee in Mexico and Japan-Robert Suarez.

Jurickson Profar is having a career year, considering he was a last minute winter signing after spending the off season on the streets.

My Rookie of the Year should be everyone’s Rookie of the Year-Jackson Merrill.

The arrival of Michael King and others in the controversial Juan Soto trade have benefited the team so they could make the Dylan Cease trade.

Luis Arraez and Manny Machado have been rock solid on the corners.

Look at the roles and the success that Solano-Peralta-Higashioka have had.

Unsung heroes have to include Mike Schildt, and his closed door approach to running the clubhouse.  And the same for pitching coach Ruben Nieblo, who has solved numerous mechanical and mental confidence issues with a pitching staff.

So we are storming thru August and we have a pennant race that could be the greatest the Padres have ever experienced.  The Dodgers have survived a traumatic season of injuries and are still in first place.

The Padres head to the weekend having won (19-of-22).  Arizona has won (18-of-21).  The Dodgers were (71-49) when I last checked.

The architect of all this, the guy many thought was on the brink of losing his job when the Padres went to the Cactus League in the spring.

AJ Preller, bold, brazen, irresponsible, creative, dynamic and free wheeling deserves as much credit as anyone.

Who could have imagined the Friars and the World Series could be mentioned in the same sentence this late in the season?

Who could have imagined Preller as Executive of the Year, but very possible if this team gets to the Fall Classic.

Do you believe what you see?  Some Padres summer so far.

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“DODGERS-EPIDEMIC”
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The Dodgers have done so many right things over the last decade.

But now they have a problem, and it is alarming.

No not Dave Roberts alleged shortcomings as a manager in post season.
No not their 290M-payroll.
No not the deferred contract they gave Shohei Ohtani.
No not the mega trades this big market franchise always makes August 1st

The problem is on the roster.
The problem is on the pitching staff.
The problem is on the disabled list.

There is something very wrong right now at Dodgers Stadium.

The 1-sentence press release talked about hot young rookie pitcher River Ryan, the kid with that (1.33-ERA) in his first 3-major league starts, is headed to surgery.

The real story is the fact he is the 6th young Dodgers pitcher to have major surgery on an elbow or a forearm in the last calendar year.

Walker Buehler has had 2-elbow surgeries and has yet to return to the form that made him an elite starter.

Dustin May has now had 3-surgeries, two on his forearm, the third for a throat condition, and he is 2-years removed from a start.

Emmett Sheehan was brilliant last year at the end of the season, helping in the pennant race, and never got out of spring training this year-because he needed surgery.

Kyle Hurt arrived, and went down this year, and is rehabbing the same surgery too.

Veteran Tony Gonsolin is recovering too from that surgery as well as knee complications.

And now you add River Ryan to a list of young arms, who have to be out 12-to-18 months in rehab.

It’s Tommy John surgery, named after the legendary pitcher.  Sports medicine is fabulous, but there is no guarantee that a blue chip pitcher comes back the same, or better after the procedure and its long layoff-rehab schedule.

Starting in February in spring training, thru today, there have been 51-Tommy John surgeries across MLB, front line pitchers, promising kids, veteran arms.

It’s a bizarre set of circumstances, all those injuries to all their bright stars in LA.

And keep in mind, the total score of pitching injuries.  The long comeback of Clayton Kershaw.  The start and stop debut of Japanese phenom Yosh Yamamoto.  The injuries that put ace Tyler Glasnow on the DL.  The shoulder woes of another hot young arm Bobby Miller, who has yet to return to the rotation after early season success, then setbacks.

And I haven’t really mentioned all the nagging injuries to the wide variety of veteran relievers the Dodgers have had on and off that list all year.

In all the Dodgers have had to use 34-pitcher this season.  They have had a combined 18-pitchers go on the DL for various injuries,including the most serious elbow procedures.  they have  used 12-different starters since June 1st.

And with all that, and with the losses of Mookie Betts-Max Muncy, the Dodgers are still in first place.

But there needs to be a meeting of the minds, because the analytics guys that Andrew Friedman gives carte-blanche to, need to evaluate why virtually every top young arm has had the same injury.

Is it seeking the triple digit 100mph pitch?  Is it the violent arm action to throw a sweeper?  Is it the grips of the ball to get wicked movement?  Is it a need to have pitch counts?  Extra days rest?  What they do in bullpen sessions?

The Dodgers portray their front office as ‘smart guys’.  They better find an answer because this is a bad epidemic at Dodgers Stadium.  And this cannot be solved with a vaccine or holy water.

Smart guys.  They better find an answer.  Not for the fans nor the media.  But for the pitchers who wear that uniform.

The ‘Dodgers Way’ seems to be setting a dangerous trend when it comes to their top pitching prospects.

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Hacksaw’s Monday Bonus Podcast
You Tube Channel-Lee Hacksaw Hamilton
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All things baseball-Padres-Dodgers
A look at weekend one in the NFL preseason
San Diego State football tries to find itself
Controversy-Colorado-Coach Prime
Olympic snapshots

All on my Monday Podcast…enjoy it.

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Hacksaw’s Monday Podcast 1pm
You Tube-Lee Hacksaw Hamilton
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“SEEN-HEARD-COMMENTS
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A weekend worth commenting on:

PADRES…What a road trip.  Come from behind wins.  Jackson Merrill elevating his star status.  Never say day Padre lineup.  An overused bullpen.  And yet this team has won 16-of-19 as they come home.  They have an astounding (36-24) road record.  And in the midst of this ‘must win’ 15-game stretch against bottom feeders, they have pulled themselves back into the chase for 1st place, taking a 9-and-a half deficit and cutting it down to 2-and-a half.

DODGERS…Now the Calvary is coming back.  Mookie Betts is returning as a right fielder.  Clayton Kershaw has returned.  Walker Buehler comes back mid week.  Yosh Yamaoto is headed for one rehab start.  We have not seen the Dodgers as a whole team in months, and yet they are in first place still.

CHARGERS…What a letdown, what a poor performance, this opening preseason loss to Seattle at an empty So Fi Stadium.  A putrid offensive performance with a backup QB-Easton Stick, who went (0-4) last year and was awful on Saturday, with 6-3 and out series in a row, an (0-7) ledger on 3rd down, and no first downs over a 25-minute span. There was no run game, and that was with 3-#1 picks in the offensive line.  They never targeted young receivers Quentin Johnston nor Brendan Rice.  The blitz package on defense was active, but they gave up (155Y) rushing to the Seahawks.  Alot of Jim Harbaugh work to get done.

AZTECS..This new Sean Lewis offense will be a process to learn.  Only two field goals in the first half. in a big scrimmage.  Dropped TD passes, penalties wiping out some big gains.  Did hit some big pass plays and an odd run play.  New playbook, a ton of new players, and new quarterbacks, and not alot of time left to fix it all.  It will take time.  Big disappointment to me, only 2,000-fans showed up on a Saturday night. Don’t know where the deposed Chargers fans have gone.  Obviously not to San Diego State games at Snapdragon Stadium.

OLYMPICS…How cool from start to finish, some 17-days in Paris.  It was theatre, artistry, and magnificent athletic performances.  It was joy, smiles, confrontations, dominant wins, wild finishes in events and upsets.  What an opening ceremony, the Parade of Nations,  then equalled by what happened in the stadium on the final night.  It was Simone Biles’ resilience; Katie Ledecky’s dominance; the USA gymnastics and track teams.  It was the two gold medalists from bombed out Ukraine returning home with Gold.  It was the weeping and tears of Scottie Scheffler and Novak Djokovic.  The stunning finishes in the long distance running events.  The strangeness of break-dancing and rock climbing.  It was the brilliance of NBC’s production and broadcast teams amidst the time zone differences.  Yes it was the pollution in the Seine, the beauty of the Eiffel Tower, and the Marathon run around and thru the gardens of the Palace of Versailles.  It was the City of Lights and the best Paris could offer, and they got a Gold Medal for what they did…Merci Paris.

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Hacksaw’s Great Sports Weekend PODCAST
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“A REAL PENNANT RACE”
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We have been waiting for this for the entire season.
This being the Padres playing up to the payroll they are paying out.
The Padres are in a pennant race now.

They have earned it, winning 14-of their last 17-games.
They have survived the loss of Fernando Tatis, Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove.

They have taken a 9-game deficit and chopped it to 2-and-a half games heading into the weekend.

It is more that pitchers Dylan Cease and Michael King.
It is beyond just Manny Machado’s bat and glove.
It is in addition to the Rookie of the Year candidate Jackson Merrill’s heroics.
It is not just the arrival of the stardom of closer Robert Suarez.

Unsung in this storm trooper drive towards first place, is the arrival of so many role players.

Luis Arraez at the top of the batting order and his productivity.
David Peralta and his multi position offense.
Kyle Higashioka’s bat and glove, once a throw in via the Yankees trade
Donovan Solano’s super utility plus .300-batting average
Jurickson Profar’s career best year as an everyday player

Then there is the evolvement of a wide variety of pitchers.

Matt Waldron’s growth as a back of the rotation guy
Adrian Morejon finding a 1-inning role as a setup guy
Randy Vasquez giving more good innings than a bad inning
Steven Kolek-a Rule 5-gamble, pitching well enough stay
Jeremiah Estrada becoming a dominant setup bullpen guy
Yuki Matsui growing into a role-hist first year out of Japan.

It has been a great turnaround, for a team that grossly underachieved last year and finally learned how to win from midseason on.

It’s Mike Schildt’s leadership, Ruben Nieblo’s teaching of pitchers, and a confidence we have seen bond together this second half of the season.

The Padres and Diamondbacks are surging.  The Dodgers are staggering.  There are 7-weeks left in this season.  Still a bunch of games to be played.  But this is a very different Padres team, physically and now emotionally.

We have a real pennant race now.
Now time for the Padres to finish the deal.

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