They will meet for a couple of hours today.

The Mayor, his Stadium negotiating team, and his financial people. Across the table will be the NFL’s lead Vice President on franchise moves, and other assorted league officials. And then the Chargers representative is going to be there too.

Kevin Faulconer is not quitting on efforts to keep the NFL team in town, despite the mistreatment that comes from the direction of owner Dean Spanos, thru Mark Fabiani, his point-man, hatchet man.

In middle of all this is NFL-VP Eric Grubman, trying to sort and sift thru proposals, beliefs, philosophies and agendas.

They will meet for probably four hours today, the league and the city, to review what is fact-vs-fiction on the true financing plan for the new NFL Stadium. They will ask for specifics of why the city believes it can fast-track an Environmental Impact Study by October, so there can be a vote on a financing plan in January.

Of course there is no final financing plan, because Fabiani walked away from the negotiations about six weeks ago, six weeks of valuable time they could have used to come up with the blueprint specifics of how to actually pay for the stadium, if the EIR deal got done..

The elephant in the room will be potential lawsuits, by people who have a history of being obstructionists, who think they are smarter than anyone else.

The stadium drive has stalled. An awful lot of pollution coming from Murphy Canyon Road as to why the team no longer wants to move forward in San Diego. Probably hiding behind rhetoric and past law.

At the briefest glance, everything the Chargers asked for has been done. A fast forward proposal; a financing plan; an EIR solution. And now they won’t come to the table and are giving us an image that this won’t work, will wind up in litigation, and anything done in San Diego will kill their hopes of being a player in Los Angeles.

And that’s the issue. Spanos, who gets 262M a year from the NFL in shared revenue for San Diego, wants more, alot more, with the potential move to Los Angeles. He wants in on the bigger pie, along with his imagined friend “Stan Kroenke of the Rams, or the incompetent friend, Mark Davis in Oakland.

This isn’t so much about financing in San Diego, or EIR reports out of Sacramento, or oil plumes in Mission Valley or toxic land in the East Village. It’s about a money grab and that’s all it is.

Grubman will likely play the role of referee today in the question and answer session. The Spanos-Fabiani team will refute most everything said by Faulconer and City Attorney Jan Goldsmith. The NFL exec will have to work thru what now appears to be some real-ill-will from both sides.

But let me remind you, who does Grubman work for? Roger Goodell. Who does Goodell work for? The NFL owners, and that includes Spanos. This is not so much as finding a solution to the problem, as it is getting the best deal done, for the NFL and for its team. Grubman may say one thing about host cities retaining their teams, but at the end of the day, it’s about the money and who gets what share.

Sadly, probably not from the San Diego market, but rather Los Angeles.

So they will gather information today, adjust their agendas tomorrow, and likely continue to be at odds going forward the day after.

It’s about leverage and profit. Always has been, always will be in the NFL.

San Diego loves the team, but likely no longer the owner. But with all these failed meetings, and caustic comments, you feel like the town, its mayor and its leaders, are wasting their time dealing with the league VP and the team owner.

Expect statements later today, but likely no solutions.

 
 
What’s a man to do? In case, what is the man, General Manager AJ Preller, going to do with the fast approaching MLB trading deadline on Friday.

Today is a travel day for the Friars, still on the outside looking in, in the wildcard playoff race. You win 8-of-11, you’d think you’d make progress chasing the leaders. All the Padres are doing is spinning their wheels.

The people above them in the standings, the Giants, Cubs, Pirates, the team they have to pass, are not losing either. You win all these games, and remain 7-and-a half back of the last wildcard spot, the odds seemed stacked again you.

Now Preller has a really tough call to make.

They open a 10-game road trip and a 16-game stretch of games, where they can really put together a streak, and maybe stay in the wildcard race.

Tuesday, it is Citi Field-New York, against the Mets, themsevles trying to stay in the race. After that, the Padres play the garbage in the National League. The Phillies, Reds, Brewers, and Miami. Don’t mean to be mean or insulting, but those four teams are a combined 65-games under .500 as of today.

So what does Preller decide? He could move Justin Upton, but if he does by Friday, one of his two big power bats is gone for the final two months of the season. Probably good bye playoff hopes. Baltimore and the Angels seem to be buyers.

Upton is a soon to be November free agent, and could net you a hot young prospect, but not as much if he were on a mult-year deal.

Ditto pitcher Ian Kennedy, who had a rocky couple of months, but seems to have regained his mechanics and bulldog persopportunity. He walks in November as a free agent oo, and as a mid rotation starter, would be a good rental, for maybe the Angels-Dodgers or Astros. But you deal him, now there’s a hole in your rotation, for there is nothing at AAA-El Paso to prop up your staff. Good bye pennant hopes too.

It is hard to understand how San Diego could deal James Shields, four months after giving him all that money. But at the front end of someone else’s rotation, can you say Cubs, he’d pitch you into October. But that means no lead starter for next season.

Craig Kimbrel is dominant, and would net you much. Maybe Brandon Mauer is your closer of the future, some one of the kids, still unproven at El Paso.

Anybody else gets you fringe prospects, whether that is Will Venable to the Mets, Joaquin Benoit to the Pirates.

Just like the old axiom, players get themselves cut from rosters, the Padres play on the field will determine whether they clean house, or stay the course by Friday.

AJ Preller ‘won’ the Winter Baseball Meetings, but it is stunning his team really isn’t winning. They’re closer to last place than a playoff berth.

The GM made all kinds of deal in the middle of the night in December. Assume he will be up all hours day and night this week, if his team is in the race, or out of the race.

Buyer-Seller, somewhere in between. We’ll find out in the nexgt couple of days.

 
 
I am going to steal his line for just this one time.

You cross paths in the broadcast industry with lots of talents. Young to old. Brash to Bold, Belligerent to Bombastic. Classy to Quiet. Stupid to Smart.

This weekend we honor a great from our industry, along with the greats, who played the game.

It is the great weekend at the Baseball Shrine, the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Four of our modern days finest go in this weekend in ceremonies, Randy Johnson, John Smoltz, Pedro Martinez and Craig Biggio.

Forever their faces will adorn the gold plaques in the Hall of Fame Hallway, where the lights shine on their greatness day and night.

When they started the Hall in 1936, I don’t know if anyone imagined this would become the destination spot for baseball history as it has become.

The corridors lined with memorabilia, from uniforms to lockers, videos to baseball caps. Baseball Cards to equipment. Recalling eras of our childhood, memories of a lifetime, and glimpses of those we heard or knew about but never-ever saw in the early 1900s.

It’s about the archives of history, the research library, and old Doubleday Field, in honor of Abner, who founded the game, on some farmland there in the 1800s.

In a separate corridor we honor our group, broadcasters and sports-writers. 36 are there already enshrined, from the loudness of Harry Caray, to the elegance of Mel Allen, to our own Jerry Coleman and the artist that is Vince Scully.

This weekend, we add Dick Enberg, legendary Angels announcer, now Padres TV-Voice, a man for all seasons, including the NFL and of course Wimlbedon.

If you close your eyes, you can hear his talents. You stand next to him, and there is always a smile. Of the 36 plaques there, I counted I interviewed 24 of those Hall of Famers along the road of my sports-talk career.

Yes Dick Enberg is from a different era, and this is okay. Stories, color, flair, delivery, dynamics of the man, are all part of what you hear now. I think we should be thankful those of us here have gotten to know Dick Enberg’s work thru Fox Sports San Diego.

It will be emotional for guy from Central Michigan. He has done so many wonderful things in his career, as he reaches age 80, this is an ultimate moment. For as I told him in a congrats note this week, what he accomplished across the wide-band of sports broadcasting, is spectacular.

And like the Tony Gwynn plaque, on the top row in the Hall Hallway, where the light shines on the gold 24-hours a day, Dick Enberg’s plaque will stand forever for fans of all eras to see, remember, and never-ever forget. What a lasting, pleasing legacy.

This will be a moment of a lifetime, for a gentleman, known as quality and class. Hall of Fame broadcaster. Hall of Fame person.

An “Oh My” memory and a thanks for all his greatness.

Trying to fight their way into a pennant race…it is a baseball team full of flaws.

Here we are 95-games into the season, and the Padres still don’t have anything sorted out.

They have utilitymen trying to play on the left side of the infield. They have no legitimacy in centerfield.

Now they send Will Middlebrooks, their opening day third baseman, to El Paso with the mandate, play every inning at 3rd base, and get ready to come back and do a better job. Of course, he has holes in his bat, hitting (.211) getting on the plane to the Pacific Coast League.

They may like the spunk and versatility of Yangervais Solarte, the guy they got in the Yankees-Chase Headley deal, but his is a (.240) hitter and not an everyday third baseman, and surely not what Headley was. Of course he is cheap so that appeals to them.

Alexi Amirista plays hard, has range, but does not hit consistently. Great heart but not enough talent to be an everyday guy.

Clint Barmes, is a pro’s pro, and has had a nice season as a sub, but range is limited, and he is north of 30.

Jedd Gyroko is young, and they believe he will hit back to what he was as a rookie, when he popped 23-homers and played well at 2nd base. He has two homers this week, since re-emerging from the trip to Triple A, but who knows.

Maybe Corey Spangenberg’s occasional power, and constant energy will make a difference. Maybe his spot is the third baseman of the future, but if so, then why trade for Middlebrooks, and why not just lock the kid into the hot corner spot?

And of course there is the outfield-centerfield situation, where the hope, Cam Maybin, is now doing in Atlanta, what he did not do in San Diego. Produce.

Will Venable can get hot, but can also go cold. He gives you a glove in center, but you never know if this week will be a .300 week at the plate, or a .209 -edition. And I don’t think the recall of Abraham Almonte will put this team in a pennant race either.

They keep playing Melvin Upton, good glove with speed, but no bat. No longer the prospect he was in Tampa Bay. Obviously with a .203-batting average, and that 15M per year contract, he is more like he was in Atlanta, underachiever.

So the Padres have 4-of-8 positions with issues right now. They started the season defensively challenged. It remains so heading towards the back of the schedule. That coupled with a still inconsistent batting order and a shaky pitching staff.

To complicate it, they dealt away the high first round draft pick of a year ago, the college kid Treau Turner, already packaged off to the Washington Nationals. All he has done in a year and a half of organized ball, is hit, hit , and hit, something you haven’t seen from many infielders here..

Much has been made of the trading deadline, but this roster will be not be fixed by what they do on July 31st. We have a third of a disappointing season left, and lots more questions than answers with the Padres giving us another long-hot-disappointing summer.

 
 
Trying to fight their way into a pennant race…it is a baseball team full of flaws.

Here we are 95-games into the season, and the Padres still don’t have anything sorted out.

They have utilitymen trying to play on the left side of the infield. They have no legitimacy in centerfield.

Now they send Will Middlebrooks, their opening day third baseman, to El Paso with the mandate, play every inning at 3rd base, and get ready to come back and do a better job. Of course, he has holes in his bat, hitting (.211) getting on the plane to the Pacific Coast League.

They may like the spunk and versatility of Yangervais Solarte, the guy they got in the Yankees-Chase Headley deal, but his is a (.240) hitter and not an everyday third baseman, and surely not what Headley was. Of course he is cheap so that appeals to them.

Alexi Amirista plays hard, has range, but does not hit consistently. Great heart but not enough talent to be an everyday guy.

Clint Barmes, is a pro’s pro, and has had a nice season as a sub, but range is limited, and he is north of 30.

Jedd Gyroko is young, and they believe he will hit back to what he was as a rookie, when he popped 23-homers and played well at 2nd base. He has two homers this week, since re-emerging from the trip to Triple A, but who knows.

Maybe Corey Spangenberg’s occasional power, and constant energy will make a difference. Maybe his spot is the third baseman of the future, but if so, then why trade for Middlebrooks, and why not just lock the kid into the hot corner spot?

And of course there is the outfield-centerfield situation, where the hope, Cam Maybin, is now doing in Atlanta, what he did not do in San Diego. Produce.

Will Venable can get hot, but can also go cold. He gives you a glove in center, but you never know if this week will be a .300 week at the plate, or a .209 -edition. And I don’t think the recall of Abraham Almonte will put this team in a pennant race either.

They keep playing Melvin Upton, good glove with speed, but no bat. No longer the prospect he was in Tampa Bay. Obviously with a .203-batting average, and that 15M per year contract, he is more like he was in Atlanta, underachiever.

So the Padres have 4-of-8 positions with issues right now. They started the season defensively challenged. It remains so heading towards the back of the schedule. That coupled with a still inconsistent batting order and a shaky pitching staff.

To complicate it, they dealt away the high first round draft pick of a year ago, the college kid Treau Turner, already packaged off to the Washington Nationals. All he has done in a year and a half of organized ball, is hit, hit , and hit, something you haven’t seen from many infielders here..

Much has been made of the trading deadline, but this roster will be not be fixed by what they do on July 31st. We have a third of a disappointing season left, and lots more questions than answers with the Padres giving us another long-hot-disappointing summer.