Brian Schottenheimer - A chip off the old block. The embattled New York Jets OC who would only leave if he got a head coaching job elsewhere was quickly dumped for the prolific offensive dynamo that is Tony Sparano. Would be sure to placate those Bolt fans that believe Marty should never have been fired. Not.

Hue Jackson - The Raider head coach who couldn't get his team motivated enough to show up to beat the Chargers for a fourth straight time. Seemed buddy-buddy with Norv sharing the "I survived working for skeletor" in common but did help jump start a moribund offense. Trade for Carson Palmer for 1st and 2nd was always questionable.

Todd Haley - Ex-Chiefs HC who earned his stripes coaching the offense of the Cardinals into the Superbowl. I actually think he is underrated and would be a great fit. Like Hue would have McDaniels-like insider knowledge of the personnel of a divisional rival.

Of course, none of these people will be hired because that would mean a fresh face and voice to the Chargers F.O. which believes that if ain't broke (too bad) don't fix it. Norv will call the plays (the same ones for the past 20 years), AJ will continue to reach for projects, and the OC will be a figurehead. Bolts 2012 - destination Superbowl.

The Padres have a strong and rich tradition of having dominant closers from Hall of Famer Goose Gossage through Cy Young Award Winner Mark Davis and of course most recently, second All-Time Saves Leader, Trevor Hoffman and his replacement, three-time All-Star, Heath Bell. Going from the PEN-i-tentiary to the Octopus Arms.

Brad Boxberger - A former supplemental pick out of USC. Starter turned reliever as a part of the Latos deal. Throws in the low to mid 90s but has three other quality pitches may be the longer term candidate. Projection: 8th Inning specialist in 2013?

Brad Brach- Has led three levels in saves, a little old for his league but consistently misses bats and has a 10+ strikeout ratio. Doesn't seem to be trusted to be the future closer but should figure into the equation given his stats and his closer role in A, AA, AAA. 6-7th inning speciality in 2013.

Anthony Bass - Surprisingly effective as a spot starter last year. He has a mid-90s fastball but it is very straight. Probably will get a chance to nab the 5th starter spot with Wade LeBlanc being traded but given his limited pitch repertoire seen as a reliever by some. Long reliever, spot starter by 2013?

Joe Thatcher - The oft-injured left-hander with the 3/4 motion. Came back from a major injury but strikeout ratio went way down from 12 in 2010 to 7 in 2011. Has propensity for giving up a lot of fly balls and long balls, so Petco might be his best fit. Situational lefty if can remain healthy in 2012, probably traded at some point.

Josh Spence - The fast-rising reliever out of Arizona State who was the first player to reach the majors out of the 2010 draft when he was called up straight out of Double-A. Not a thrower topping out at 87 but a pitcher who mixes speeds and knows how to keep hitters off-balance with his above average slider and changeup. Started off virtually unhittable but either the scouting reports or his own confidence seemed to catch up with him toward the end of the year. If regains his form, 7th or 8th inning specialist.

Cory Burns - Models his pitching motion after Hideo Nomo. Doesn't have the mid-90s fastball but know how to pitch with deception. Worry that deception won't translate above AA but Padres like the deception angle as evidenced by Cla Meredith and Pat Neshek. Hopefully he will be more successful. 7th inning specialist.

Miles Mikolas - the potential closer of the future is still probably at least two years away. He has the high 90s fastball along with a big curve and an intimidating 6'5'' frame. Not to mention, he has been known to eat live lizards which satisfies the closer zaniness requirement. Closer 2013?

Ernesto Frieri- Still has an above 10 strikeout rate but does give up a lot of flyballs. Has a closer swagger and throws in low to mid 90s. Will be 7th or 8th inning guy in 2012?

Luke Gregorsen - didn't really seem the same last year before or after the injury. Went from close to a 11 K/9 strikeout rate to 6 and seemed to struggle with his money pitch, the devastating slider. Wasn't the kind of progression you want to elevate him to closer unlike the buzz two years ago when his slider was unhittable. Hopefully it is the injury and he regains his form although he relies so much on his slider. I have feeling we may sell high with him either way. Traded in 2012?

Huston Street (assumed closer) - Doesn't really make a lot of sense to allow your lone All-Star Heath Bell walk supposedly because he was asking for too much money and then give the same amount ($7 M per) to a guy who was being shopped. Heath definitely seemed to be regressing last year in giving up long balls, and was obviously aided by Petco. Yes, the Padres didn't want to give three years and Street's is for two but really? Although I like the future trade chip theory. Traded by trade deadline in 2012.

I really have no idea. Thoughts?

Okay, last year, even when he wasn't exactly lighting the world on fire with his bat and for some reason forgot how to hit from his natural side, he had a high WAR, mostly based on his league leading Ultimate Zone Rating for third basemen, UZR: 16.5.  This year when he remembered how to hit from his natural side and seemed to be the first Padre to hit .300 since seemingly Quilvio Veras, his UZR drops to -4.0.  I understand that he has made more errors and has a .959 fielding percentage and he made 11 errors compared to 13 all of last year with a .966. Is that that different?  

If I am suppose to put value into this defensive metric, how can the same player playing on the same field go down 20 pts? Is he thinking so much about hitting from the right side that he's letting balls go down the line? Besides, isn't the whole point of this metric to eliminate the erroneous assumption that perennial Gold Glovers Cal Ripken or Derek Jeter who get to nothing but don't make errors are better fielders than a younger player with range like Alexei Ramirez.  Is Bartlett as bad as his -2.6?  Is Thin Gwynn who would average near 20 UZR as a Padre really that much better than Cameron Maybin who has a solid 9.0?  Is there a place to get Field F/X numbers?   

I keep waiting for basketball recruits to realize how good a coach Monty is, especially for big men but who can argue that he got the most that could be expected out and NBA notice of Brevin Knight, Chris Hernandez, Jerome Randle, Jorge Gutierrez, and Patrick Christopher, etc.  I thought Gregg Gottlieb was going to be answer after all his success in being primary recruiting lead for forming the SDSU team that went to the sweet 16 this year.  I don't understand losing recruits to UCLA, it feels like Peter Carroll/Ed Orgeron era USC or the Nike Direct Outlet/Free Laptop Program of UO.  The history is obviously vaunted and Howland went to back to back championship losses but has as little clue on how to coach offense as Ben Braun - he literally lowered the NBA draft positions of Jrue Holliday, Malcolm Lee, Tyler Honeycutt, Darren Collison, and Drew Gordon.  Westbrook and Love are dominant NBA players and weren't that in college, although you could argue maturity and game development.  

In football, Tosh Pupoi puts virtually any defensive line (and many linebacker) recruits in the country within reach as well many top Samoan prospects given the family atmosphere and traditions that he has established.  Ron Gould and Kenwick Thompson help draw mostly RBs and DBs from the huge Texas pool (the huge list of year early commits of UT is incredible).  Tedford's tie to the Elite 11 and his QB lineage always him to grab one of the top pro-style QBs from that list every year.  I don't see any similar pipelines in basketball.  While I think Monty is much better teacher and X-and O coach than Tedford, the last two recruiting seasons seem to have underperformed as some feared when he was hired.  I know they are different sports and bball has much fewer spots but can basketball learn from football recruiting?  

I like the Football Family/Group Approach to Recruiting:

Alumni Kids:

Jim Hanifan's grandson: Austin Hinder

Brian Tregg's son: Bryce Treggs

Hardy Nickerson's son: Hardy Nickerson, Jr.

SydQuan Thompson's brother: Shaquille Thompson

The Grant High Sactown Posse:

Tiny Moala

Syd/Shaq Thompson

Poka Lupa

The Gully Guiford NC Group: Chris Martin (lead gatherer)

Keenan Allen

Zach Maynard

Maurice Harris

Chris McCain

The Cali Swag 5:

Zach Kline (lead gatherer)

Shaq Thompson

Jordan Payton

Bryce Treggs

Ishmael Adams

I like Jimmer as a complement to Tyreke.  For the past two years, the Kings have solely lacked consistent outside shooting.  They have begged and conjoled Donte Greene, Omri Cassipi, Francisco Garcia, Garrett Temple, Desmond Mason, Chapu, Luther Head, Jermaine Taylor,and Antoine Wright to fulfill that role with inconsistent results at best. During the dark, dark Musselman/Reggie Theus/Kenny Natt debacle, I think many of us got so unused to seeing what competitive non-crazy "Mette World Peace" NBA players look-like that we started believing that Donte, Omri or Cisco could be NBA starters.  They are not more than situational players at best and pretty duplicative in the streaky but slightly below average 3-pt shooters with good rebounding, below average defense [limited lateral quickness (Cisco), smarts and quickness (Omri) and NBA IQ (Donte)], and inability to create their own shot.  Of the lot, I think Donte has potential as a cheap defensive specialist who can defend multiple positions. Cisco is very likeable, can handle the ball in stretches, tries hard, and is truly the only King that provides any modicum of veteran leadership with the loss of Beno.  Moving him is moot because no one would be willing to take his contract without some kind of compensation.

Omri needs to go, although it would be really interesting to go city to city and see herds of Jewish fans intermingling in the visitors section with herds of Mormon fans. Which makes me wonder if Muslim fans ever came out for Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Tariq Abdul-Wahad, and Shareef Abdur-Rahim or if they would have if the Kings would have fielded those three together?  Serbian Orthodox Christians for Peja and Vlade?  The Kings visitors section could be a beacon for religious tolerance.

Sorry, I digress.  Now with Marcus Thornton and Jimmer Fredette rotating outside, a hopefully healthy Tyreke who showed he can get to the rim at will can actually have someone to throw to and actually hit a wide open look when multiple players have to collapse on him.  Jimmer and MT23 both showed higher basketball IQ in understanding how their shooting and driving ability can lead to openings for their teammates which makes the 3 combo guard rotation workable in my eyes.  I think because they have the IQ; they will be better defenders than people give them credit for.  Salmons can give Tyreke a break for having to chase around top 2s all night and also take away some of the ball handling and initiating role.  Since the handchecking rules, no one can keep the CP3s or other top quick point guards out of the lane, so those two would not be any different and probably better than Beno and can make it up by posting up midget guards or shooting over them on the other end.

With Salmons, hopefully a better facilitator considered this team has better offensive options than the last time he was here when him just dribbling for 24 seconds was at times their best option for scoring.  But now with Tyreke, Salmons, Thornton and Jimmer, we're going to need more of an inside presence.

My bigger issue is with coaching and expecting different things from Demarcus.  People on this board have wanted him to be mentored by C-Webb.  That is exactly what I don't want.  C-Webb had a dominant post body but preferred to settle for elbow jumpers which are always going to be much more inconsistent than a physical player bodying up and finishing around the rim.  The settling for jumpers approach also does not draw fouls which minimizes the defensive risk for opposing bigs and would contribute to consistency, which was a problem even for the 2002 team. Now, I love Coachie but he has been the only consistent coach since then and almost all the bigs we've had since then then (Miller, Hawes, and now Cousins) have adopted the Princeton orientation of bigs, created for mismatched bigs, where high post passing and jumpshots are the emphasis.  

Demarcus was dominant, leading the NCAA in PER, when he was banging.  He still has the size and strength to do that in the NBA especially with his unreal quickness, spin and post moves.  But he doesn't.  David Thorpe, DraftExpress and Synergy stats have noticed but has the coaching staff?  It took C-Webb a few seasons and injuries to go the "softer" route and it took Malone like 15 before he went all elbow.  It was troubling to see DeMarcus start that way.  As DraftExpress writes, "Unlike many prospects who fail transitioning to the NBA, Cousins' issues aren't due to his skills not translating, but more so of him abandoning everything that made him a great prospect and collegiate player in order to try being a completely different type of player."  The article even mentions that this is the style he played in high school which makes you want advice Otis Hughley, his HS coach, now on the Kings sideline is giving him.  

With the very real possibility that Sammy will want to go a contender, the Kings need to find a Dalembert like post presence to complement DeMarcus which, if we remember, took them about five years to find the first time.  Hassan needs to gain like 50 lbs. to become that and Marc Gasol would be terrific, if he were willing to come.   I think JT has a much better sense of his role as the season progressed but he has his own fouling and body language problems.

I think conditioning was definitely part of the issue, especially for the fouling, and Demarcus was noticeable trimmer by the end of the year.  But part of it is the coach staff defining what it wants out of Demarcus.  I am not sure it helps or hamper to have someone like Dalembert doing what the staff would want Demarcus to do.  I do not think it is for a lack of effort on Demarcus's part.  All things considered, I think he has a passion/fire for winning that the Kings need more of.

First, from the reports about David Stern's comments before and during Mayor Johnson's presentation, where is his apology and fine?  I won't defend Kobe or homophobia but he had to apologize for something insensitive and was promptly fined $100K by the commissioner.  At a time when you're promoting the departure of the second long-term franchise in less than three years with the looming departure of a team you had to buy so it wouldn't be put on fire sale, wouldn't you be a little more sensitive about how you discuss the situation which affects millions of peoples lives?  According to Amick, "When KJ told Stern he had a possible buyer, the commish made crack about it being a local car dealer."

"That's not a high priority on our agenda," Stern said of Burkle's proposal, which would seem to be a high priority for those interested in keeping the team in Sacramento.

"In light of the history in Sacramento, that's usually an eye-roller," Stern said. "But it was a good presentation. ... So it was just felt that ... we should delve a little bit more to understand what its ramifications are."

Who made Stern god?  You discussing a huge economic issue with the Berkeley-educated mayor of the capital city of the largest state in the union.  You can't treat him like one of your expendable players and he deserves your respect.  If anything, he deserves more because he helped build the franchise as an all-star player during the enormous growth period of the league. You can fine Phil Jackson for discussing CBA and Kobe for making a slur but you can compare Sacramento to a user car and an eye roller while many serious people including legislators are working toward fixing this disaster that you created?

I never thought somebody could challenge the incompetency of the legendary Bud Selig, but Stern just eclipsed him.  He has single-handedly devasted college basketball with the idiotic one and done rule (why not either out of high school or three years in college like baseball rule.)  His three month playoffs almost necessitate that any serious contender take games during the "regular" season off to prepare for the real season and it shows with so many professional games looking like players are just showing up which drives away fans as much as the inflated ticket prices.

And now, most importantly, without any level of revenue sharing which even baseball has, he has created an atmosphere where only big TV markets and new arenas make viable franchises.  Let's triple up in the top 10 cities and relocate franchises from everywhere else.  I'm going to consider this offer seriously by removing anybody with potential conflict, Jerry Buss, and replace him with Clay Bennett who is still a four-letter word in Seattle but remain neutral on the issue.  I think it is time for Congress people to get involved with the anti-trust obligations of the National Basketball Association. 

If Burkle's offer were to be given serious consideration, the Maloofs have no leg to stand on.  If their argument is that Sacramento is not a financially viable place and they do not have the financial wherewithal to remain, then they need to sell to a billionaire like Burkle.  Having sold the bread and butter beer distributorship and with the Palms hemorraging debt, where exactly is the revenue to pay players and run a franchise coming from?  The NBA does not need to another GM style bailout and getting a loan from Samueli is only a temporary solution.  Trying to carve some scratch out of someone else's saturated market in Los Angeles is just another form of welfare that does build or help the league in the long-term.

If the Maloofs are really financially on strong footing then why do they need to move?  Mayor Johnson has presented a viable plan to build an entertainment complex and a very successful businessman (not just an inheritee) is itching to get involved in this top 20 TV regional market where basketball is a professional monopoly in sports and entertainment.

Football is a game of intensity and emotion. As four time defending division champs, a team with a history of reinventing themselves in Nov. and Dec., and being consistently told that you are the most talented team in football, the Chargers had a hard time getting up for teams they were suppose to beat.  When teams started fast and got out to an early lead (KC, Cincy, Oakland, etc.), the Chargers didn't panic (which is good) but sometimes didn't react at all (which lead to losses.) As crappy as the special teams were with Crosby rightfully canned, the Chargers have too much confidence in their own "talent" and offense to save them and rack up points like a bouncing ball in a pinball game.

As much as Philip Rivers has become more mainstream and likeable to the national press, I worry that he has come too much like his coach, Norv Turner.  He has grown more cerebral and mature and while still hyper-competitive, he seems to work to control outward displays of his emotions much like Norv.  I don't believe that Norv is an idiot or should be fired, but I think even his supporters will admit that motivating players is not his strength. 

I kind of missed the Jawing Rivers who got under people's skin. I saw him sometimes yelling at his practice squad receivers who misran routes and dropped routes but I'd like to see him be even more impatient.  In the past, he maybe broke the decorum of a franchise quarterback by trash-talking to defenders and fans, but it gave the Chargers some swagger like other playoff teams (Tom Brady's pointing and Aaron Rodgers belt-wielding.)  Yes, it is the NFL; this team has been there before and they are highly-paid professionals but just like Shaq when he played with Lakers, its hard to get up for a regular season game against a lowly team when you've already made it to the playoffs for four consecutive years. 

On the other side of the ball, Rivera also did a great job with having people do their jobs but also took a cerebral, methodical approach.  Rivera made the most of players and focused on minimizing the big plays which led to the #1 defense in terms of yard allowed and 2nd in sacks but not the #1 defense in terms of points allowed where they finished a respectable tenth yet forced only 23 turnovers.  The lack of turnovers which was much less than other top defenses that made it to the playoffs such as the Packers (32), Patriots (38), Steelers (45), Bears (44), and pretty low for a Rivera defense that focuses on creating game-changing turnovers.  The focus was on doing their jobs and getting off the field but the emotion on defense comes from forcing turnovers, scoring and changing the game. 

Know that Norv is not likely to change, the Chargers need emotional leaders to kick some asses, light a fire when they fall behind, and create some urgency in games.  Rivers has the credibility and likeablity to be that on offense.  With Merriman gone, veterans like Cooper or possibly Jammer, Weddle or Phillips need to step up to fill that role on defense.  The problem is that if all the leaders are hyper-rational and calm then the game becomes just going through the motions which is what I believe happened last year.  Emotional leadership doesn't have to be trash-talking in the Jets mold but can be rallying the troops and yelling a little like a Marino, Fouts, Peyton or Drew Brees.

Since it seems as if Tedford reads this blog, let me suggest what might seem obvious to some.  In "evaluating the program from top to bottom," maybe JT should consider recruiting or giving an alternate kicker other Giorgio Tavecchio an opportunity to make field goals.  I know GT is loveable, humble, apologetic, speaks Italian, and a darn good soccer player (like Kobe except for the first 3), but I think there is evidence to suspect that he didn't quite pull it together for big kicks.

It seems from my limited understanding of recruiting that highly-recruited field goal kickers, perhaps different than other football players, tend come from affluent, good academic schools where they can afford to go to expensive camps to work on mechanics and the mental game which have as much to do with their success as their size and athleticism.  For a great institution such as Cal with its impeccable academic reputation, it would seem a perfect fit for the upper middle class parent who started sending their kid to kicking camps and paid for a personal trainer/coach in the hopes of obtaining a scholarship to a "good" school.  Why can't Cal get a kicker who can reliably make 28-yard field goals? Stanfurd and UCLA do not have this problem. Cal didn't have this problem in the past (probably for the reason I just mentioned), even when the team sucked, with NFL kickers in Doug Brien and the ageless Ryan Longwell.

I always liked David Seawright before he got hurt (who was a heralded kicker in HS), and I think he could be doing something other than guest penning for Michael Silver. No matter how good Tavecchio is in practice, and he has mightily improved on kickoffs usually, I don't see how another kicker could do worse with the game on the line. Shouldn't JT make Cal kicking a priority at least in the future and go after a stud this year as much as another DE or LB? It seems as inconsistent and subpar quarterback and place kicker play have had a huge role in Cal's recent downward spiral.  (Sorry for three paragraphs on kicking.)

What are Tedford's strengths these days?  He represents Cal athletics with honor and integrity and isn't an a-hole like Chip Kelly, Lane Kiffin, and Jim Harbaugh.  Although I'll take Tosh Lupoi's word that Ted wasn't involved, the faking injuries thing does not tarnish Tedford's reputation for being clean and taking the high road.  He is a hard worker, often working until the early morning and sleeping in his office.  He seems genuine and honestly cares to do the best that he can and acknowledges mistakes.  But if that was the only criteria for hiring a coach, we'd still have Ben Braun. 

Tedford was once known as an offensive innovator in the pro-style offense and for his reputation as a quarterback guru.  First, has anybody noticed that not even the NFL relies exclusively on "pro-style" offenses anymore?  New England, Green Bay, Denver, Chicago, Philadelphia, Indianapolis all incorporate spread elements and throw 55/45 ratios or higher.  Clearly, Cal has not defined an offensive identity for itself for the past four years.  You cannot blame the quarterbacks. Sure Mansion looked like shit.  But how can you blame him when he never got game reps even when Cal was way up in games or way down in games.  Which was pretty much every game before Riley got hurt.  That decision falls on the head coach.  Mansion, Sweeney, Riley, Hinder, Bridgeford were all Elite-11 quarterbacks (the best 11 high school quarterback prospects in the country - Ayoob was the top JC quarterback).  Their lack of progression on the next level is not their fault.  It goes back to an incoherent or overcomplex scheme that is not being made understandable or executable by the student-athletes.  You can't blame the constantly changing offensive coordinators. Who is the guy changing them or making them want to leave after one year?  Ludwig is not perfect, but firing him doesn't exclude the offensive minded coach.  A new coach will mean a new scheme and more inconsistency which has been Cal offense's only consistency.  Pendergast's unit was more than enough to be competitive in the Pac-10 - they held the best offense in the country to 7-7 (giving up a score and taking a score).  You certainly can't blame the string of first round pick NFL running backs. Cal does not execute at a high level or even a consistent offensive focus.  After whooping up on Stanford with a run heavy system, it disappeared.  Its not balance but confusion. 

Cal will not win next year nor does it have hopes to miraculously turn around.  The program can continue to fire assistants until the inevitable point where it needs to fire the coach.  Thank god for Tedford for leading Cal football to an uphill ascent toward being almost consistenly being the third best team in the Pac-10 but another vision is needed to take us to the next level. We cannot keep hoping that 2004 is going to miraculously reappear and that Mack Brown will stop being an a-hole, the bowl system will reconsider, and Aaron Rodgers will return.  We need to be able to say something defending Tedford without the phrase, "well, at least he's not Holmoe."

If nobody has noticed, the program has a consistent downhill trajectory.  Tedford is paid within the top 10 coaches in the country at $2.85 million dollars.  If you now factor in the million dollars plus that is lost because of going without a bowl, the number is closer to $4 million.  $4 million should buy more than 5-7 without any consistent signs of progress, evolution or hope for the future.  Cal football, shit ask Cal Rugby and Cal Baseball, Cal Athletics cannot afford to continue with Tedford as coach when all signs point to the program slouching toward irrelevance. Good coaches leaders don't blame the recruits or their assistants.  They develop new solutions.  They don't keep repeating the same failed initiatives, that is the definition of insanity.  Tedford with new assistants is a road to nowhere.

Reading the U-T account in Nic Canepa's column made me rethink the PR campaign in Jed Hoyer's 1090 interview and Paul DePodesta's blog.  While the franchise is obviously do a lot right with Buddy Black's teaching and Hoyer's acquisitions, this was a definite strikeout.  It is clear from Canepa's column that Moorad was personally involved and seemed to want to teach this "young" agent, Troy Caradonna from SFX, a lesson since he was an agent too and he and Jason McLeod had done deals way bigger than this in Hoyer's words. The Padres say that they had a pre-draft agreement with Whitson and Hoyer from his interview had notes that his father said, "There's no way we're turning down $2 million." I guess that's enough to put it in the bank.

Taking at face value the words from a teenager about to fulfill his lifelong dream shouldn't really be how a professional sports franchise bases its operation, especially if in this case, the Padres have flubbed on every first round pick in the last 20 years back to the #1 pick in Andy Benes (who was mildly successful).  Hoyer reciting what Whitson said sounds eerily like Bill Gayton discussing how Mission Bay's Matt Bush had called the Padres after reading about a U-T story on signability and saying how much he wanted to be a Padre. So the Padres said okay great!  The rest of course is infamous history wasting the #1 pick in the draft on a undersized shortstop with a great arm who couldn't hit instead of Justin Verlander, Stephen Drew or the rest.

While I like the way Tim Stauffer is pitching now, you could almost go back to his draft #4 overall in 2003 and say that every pick since has had a preexisting medical conditions that was underdiagnosed and led to significant time recovering that hampered their development.  Stauffer himself showed tremendous character accepting less money and telling the Padres about his injury post-draft since they themselves were clueless. 

So after actually talking to a professional, the kid decides he wants $600,000 more not to go play baseball at one of the top schools and baseball programs in the country where both his parents are alumni.  No on principle?  The Padres refused to budge above slot proudly saying they offered at the upper end of the 8 slot instead of the 10th because the kid had agreed to $1.9 M.  $600,000, that doesn't even buy you Matt Stairs and his .197 these days!

Padres had expected a quick sign according to Jed and Paul.  But it didn't happen. 

So even without talking to the player and knowing they might be as much as $2 M apart (which is double the salary), they are still confident that it will get done in interviews last week and on Thursday and day of.  So after two months of doing nothing and hoping for the best, they try to work something out in the last 30 minutes.  Huh?  Who is playing chicken and being macho?  I'm not sure how any of this is a mystery?  The player went down from maybe $4 to $2.7 and the Padres didn't move any more.  That is not negotiating that is playing hard ball, A.J. Smith style.  - How's that working with Marcus McNeil and Vincent Jackson?

Since Moorad and McLeod had more experience negotiating than Caradonna, they decided not to on principle even though they offered, according to Paul DePodesta, over $2 M (way, way overslot) for 7th rounder AJ Vanegas and 15th rounder Sean Dwyer. Padres seem to have a selective interpretation of strictly slotting when it is not to f#@# some young agent.

From Canepa's column, Moorad, "It was a badly orchestrated agent’s game.  The kid was bawling his eyes out on the other end.  Whitson got caught up in a dangerous game of chicken played by his agent. You get the feeling, with him bawling, he got taken, too. There’s a right way and a wrong way to do things, and it was not handled well on the player’s side. We feel were misled by the agent, and it’s something we won’t forget. Lesson learned.  We had a draft-day commitment to sign the player at roughly $2 million. They stalled for two months and 15 minutes before the deadline upped it to $2.7 million. We said no. It’s the principle of the thing — and $600,000, to be truthful. I told Jed we were not going to play their game.”

As the new poster franchise for sabrematricians (how is WAR working out for you Brian Sabean?), Hoyer, Josh Hill (I mean Paul D.), and McLeod know that draft picks are a tremendous return on investment as ChickenFriars and Fangraphs have pointed out, Kevin Correia's 2009 season should have been worth $10.9 M.  Imagine how much Matt Latos' 2010 is worth and we pay him $407,000 as possibly the very last "draft and follow" before the new 2 month deadline to sign.  If you believe in the player and you're not drafting him just because he will sign at slot, then in the immortal words of Deion Sanders, "pay the man."  This move reeks of Troy Glaus and Todd Helton who went on to their all-star careers on other teams because a few hundred thousand dollars.  In this day and age, a mid market team cannot afford not to sign its #1 pick and the Padres sabrematricians know this.  Yet they did it anyway, so that their owner could puff out his chest?

Moorad seems to imply that Troy Caradonna is on some black list - dead to world.  That has worked really well with Scott Boras.  Boras will sign the best talent available and clubs have the option of either dealing with him or not getting the best talent.  Boras 182, Owners 0.

It disgusts me that Moorad would mention how Whiston was "balling" after the phone call where the non-deal never materialized.  Way to go Dan Gilbert on this one Jeff, start low and aim lower.  Wow, you really showed Troy Caradonna and a 18-year kid with mid 90s gas and the best secondary pitch in the draft who really wanted to be a Padre who was boss!  Meanwhile, the Padres will either get a high signability, low talent pick or get railed by their next agent since whoever they sign at 11 next year has them by the balls since they will get nothing if they don't sign him. Stay classy Jeff Moorad, stay classy.

I'm not sure what Ziller is watching but Omri and Donte have been huge disappointments for me this summer.  Second year (let alone third year) guys are suppose to be dominating.  Watching Sonny Weems and Demar DeRozan, I see more confident and refined players that are adapting to the NBA game.  DeRozan especially was so raw coming out of USC after one year and now he is in control and knows his own game on both ends of the floor. 

Watching Donte and Omri, you see the same athleticism and talent that is so enticing, but it is impossible to ignore the ill-advised shots, the ill-advised passes leading to turnovers, the lack of consistent handle, below average rebounding, matador defense, and inconsistent shooting.  I'm not sure I can point to one thing that either does consistently well.  I think both do best trying to drive to the basket but they are too often out of control and throw up ridiculous looks that are praying for a foul.  Let's face it, Donte's best summer league was still his first when he dropped 40 as a Rocket.  Their bodies don't look any stronger.  Donte seems more confident on team defense but seems often to be throwing up his hands because Omri has missed an assignment.

Focusing on Greene and Casspi this year, I can't help to remember the "Shock" and "Hawes" of the previous two years although Spencer famously refused to play last summer.  Just like the small forward prospects, the center and power forward prospects never seemed to be growing in a focused direction.  While obviously challenged by the revolving coaching changes, Spencer never even gain court confidence in the things that he did well - passing out of the high post and shooting and never got better at the rebounding and defense that would have made him more serviceable.  JT still brings his willingness to bang and man up on defense but he still seems to play with a 10 foul to give mentality, whines excessively, and his outside shot has actually deteriorated over time.  He doesn't look like he's bulked up in way that prevents him from still being backed down by bigger forwards. 

As I watch Whiteside, the potential is difficult to ignore but if the Kings weren't willing to allow Donte to play more than a week in Reno.  How is he going to develop?  I like Mario Elie and Shareef seems like he would be a good coach and Coachie is Coachie.  But what is going on with player development?  Adelman was notorious for not playing young players and talents like Gerald Wallace, Eddie House, and Matt Barnes became players elsewhere.  But the pattern continues.  Wes Matthews just signed for almost $6 M a year in Portland and the Kings, as talent deprived as they were last year, couldn't find a slot for a rookie that Jerry Sloan was willing to start in the playoffs. 

Tyreke  works out with his own posse and Demarcus seems like he must have been coached really well in high school.

As glad as I am that the NCAA actually completed its investigation before Reggie Bush retired from the NFL and married Kim, what does it take for the University of Spoiled Children to fire its most spoiled child?

via dailytrojan.com

"The process of self-scrutiny must [ask]: What went wrong? What should we do differently?" Steven Sample, USC University President.

"The university didn't know. We didn't know." — Pete Carroll, former USC football coach.  Okay Pete, I guess when you refer to we, you don't mean your running backs coach Todd McNair.  I guess for a guy who tweets at least once a day, you've never clicked on a link to a story about your own school since Charles Robinson from Yahoo started publishing stories about Bush in 2006.

Pete Carroll, ""I’m absolutely shocked and disappointed at the findings of the NCAA," Carroll said. "...The agenda of the NCAA infractions committee took them beyond the facts."  (The "shocked" Carroll said from the multimillion dollar Seahawks practice facility whose head coaching job he shockingly took right before the sanctions came out.)  What other facts are you referring too?  Come out with it, did the NCAA miss something in its 67 pages?

President Sample, I understand that you can't really get back at Reggie Bush and his family for making a joke out of being an amateur athlete.  Pete Carroll also is gone to his multimillion dollar NFL gig and unable to hit with repercussions.  But Mike Garrett?  He's that dude down in Heritage Hall who had to unlock the plexiglass to take out the National Championship crystal and give it back.  Todd McNair, still working for Lane Violation, is confirmed in the investigation to have known about at least some of Bush's financial arrangements. 

Call me former SC Reggie Bush running back stablemate LenDale White (not for the StayPuff Marshmellow Man look but now as reported by Fanhouse): "I don't want to bad mouth nobody, but as big as this scale is and as much as they (the NCAA) saying somebody took, for you not to know anything is kind of unbelievable to me. I don't know. If you're the athletic director I'm pretty sure you get wind of something, that somebody's put something in your ear. When I was going to school there, and we were partying too much on campus, coaches could show up at our dorm room and tell us to calm the partying down. But you can't tell if somebody took a $750,000 home? I don't know. It's weird to me...I think if I was the head of the school...I think I would have some kind of idea of what was going on...It would be really hard for me to sit here and say if I was the head coach of a program -- (Titans coach) Jeff Fisher knows everything we do, if we throw a party in the city of Nashville, he's got the flier sitting on his desk -- he (Fisher) knows every single thing you do. So it's hard for me to say that if somebody got a brand new home or supposedly got a brand new car or something, that you (Pete Carroll) wouldn't know. To me that's baloney. Honestly. He (Pete Carroll) would know. You have to know. Especially when you're in Hollywood, California. It's not hard."

"Lack of institutional control" is too low of a standard for SC?  What is the thinking, Steven- unless we get the death penalty, Mike Garrett is with us?  Wait for the appeal to fail, before you fire? You are going to hire former FBI director Louis Freeh to help teach the athletic department how to keep meddlesome runners and agents off of their "student-athletes."  Isn't that the athletic director's job?  What is Mike Garrett's responsibility - chief cheerleader, posing next to his Heisman trophy with a V in his fingers?  I actually like that he's still around because he is so clueless but why would the NCAA ban Reggie Bush, OJ Mayo from any contact with the university for the rest of their lives and not Garrett?  Isn't he the guy suppose to be in charge? Did the NCAA just assume that any reasonable university would have canned their AD after such sanctions?

I believed all this until I heard it from the horse's mouth.  From the LA Times, "I read between the lines and there was nothing but a lot of envy, and they wish they all were Trojans..Today I got a purpose for really wanting to dominate for another 10 years. ...[I] felt invigorated by all this stuff...with the penalty we got today I know we're bigger than life." -- USC athletic director Mike Garrett.  Wow, this guy really gets it.

After knowing about this investigation for the past three years, Garrett has really clamped down.  He completely tore down the house for running backs program of the Bush era and replaced it with the SUV for running backs program.  He made sure that receivers like Dwayne Jarrett paid at least half of their rent.  He made sure that USC women's tennis players have a $8000 limit on international phone calls from the athletic department office.  He hired a football coach with an impeccable reputation for avoiding NCAA violations to right the program and especially not commit violations hours into his hiring.  He made sure the basketball program avoided further media attention involving recruits with questionable amateur status while they were under investigation.

Honestly, what else can the man do? Fight on Mike Garrett, fight on!

We obviously know who his daddy is, but does that make it more difficult to send him down to Triple-A?  His daddy hasn't exactly sent SDSU to new plateaus even with all his recruits and an unreal prospect like Steven Strasburg but the field is named after him.

Junior is hitting under the mendoza line .200 with no power and was so completely ineffective in the leadoff spot that other people had to step in.  I thought it was going to at least be a platoon with Hairston but Gwynn is hitting .171 versus right handed pitching.   Is his defense, really that good?  Is he the second coming of Ruben Rivera? I shudder at the thought.  I thought Aaron Cunningham looked terrific and was near leading the team in steals during the summer.  Cunningham has always raked and has power. 

via www.swrnn.com

Doesn't he warrant a shot?  Luis Durango has that silly speed and Chris Denorfia is hitting .300 and playing good defense at Portland. Gwynn might be out of options but I don't think he would be that big of commodity to be claimed off of waivers, he seems to have shuffled back and forth for the Brewers all the time. 

via www.babyfans.com

Whenever the U-T does it's feature on whoever the Chargers pick this weekend, A.J. Smith will invariably say that he chose whoever he chose because wanted "good football players" that have a "nasty streak."  Then, why are the Chargers always considered soft?  I think critics rightfully call the Chargers soft but then I asked myself why.  Last year, even A.J. called his own team soft after the game against Denver when their record fell to 2-3.  Is it a teamwide attitude or arrogance?  Is it the style of play? Is it the players?  I decided to break down.

CITY:  Part of it may be the climate and perception of San Diego.  San Diego has a beach and is a tourist destination.  We're often perceived as fair-weather fans since there are always alternatives if our teams suck, which they often do except for the Sockers and the recent success of the Chargers.  It is hard to look or feel gritty when the TV shows 70 degree weather and people in shorts as opposed to the snow blizzards in Buffalo or New England.  Detroit, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Philadelphia are all more blue-collar cities associated with tough working class jobs and urban blight. Let's be honest, we're better looking as a people than those cities so we can't complain about that.  At the same time, San Diego has tons of military which clearly isn't soft and we're right next to Tijuana with its drug wars which isn't soft either.

STYLE OF PLAY:  "Air Coryell" is admittedly softer than "Ground Chuck."  We don't have a "Steel Curtain" or "Purple People Eaters" (okay that sounds queer when you look at it.)  We did have "Martyball" for a while. We are known much more for offense than defense which makes us soft, like the Colts.  Passing is softer than running and the recent spell of "Air Norvell" was heavily pass but I would argue that has more to do with the ineffectiveness of the future Hall of Famer/Defamer, discussed ad nauseum on this site.  Our defense under Ron Rivera seems to built around eliminating big plays and allowing the underneath stuff.  The run defense isn't as stout  as it once was although we have been known to chant "you can't run" on occasion, pre-loss of Jamal.  If it was more attacking with blitzes, we might be considered less soft but might give up bigger plays.

PLAYERS: I thought about this a little bit and thought our players were soft but I realized it was just a few of them. If we look at the Offensive Line, Kris Dielman isn't soft and  Louis Vasquez has some of the nasty along with Nick Hardwick, who does get injured a lot so that might be considered soft.   Vincent Jackson and Malcolm Floyd are two of the biggest WRs in the league and some people say Vince is up there with the much smaller yet physical Hines Ward in terms of best blocking receivers. 

Philip Rivers is slow, moves extremely awkward and throws in a feminine manner but with the exception of Big Ben or Steve McNair, most QBs are considered soft compared to other football players.  DBs might be considered soft but everyone's CBs are a little Deion-like and try to avoid contact.  Quentin Jammer is one of the most physical corners in the game and likes to support in the run game.  Eric Weddle and Steve Gregory are a bit undersized and white which might make someone consider them soft.  Weddle was trucked by Shonn Greene in the playoff loss but is usually a reliable tackler but not much of a hitter for a safety (although he does seem to put a few more licks of late.) 

Lights-Out used to be one of the most feared defensive players in the league and literally ended the careers of Priest Holmes and Wayne Chrebet with hits given his incredible size and speed combination.  Post knee surgery, he hasn't been the same guy but we all hope he is taking the two years it normally takes to recover from his kind of injury.  Cooper and Philips talk a heck of lot and are good if not great players which may lead to a soft label.  On the D-Line, Jamal was a roadgrader and Igor was known for his "superhuman strength" but both are gone.  Luis Castillo may be considered soft because his sack dance is an air salsa he does with himself but that is more a celebration of his culture.  I think Phillip has at least learned to turn down the JV hairy-back league name calling and "act like he's been there before" and hopefully the rest of the team will as well.

At running back, Mike Tolbert is no Lo Neal but is a physical fullback and Hester is a little undersized so may be considered soft.  Darren Sproles is only 5'6'' but weighs over 200 lbs and can lift a truck - as AJ puts hit, he may be soft but he's not little, or soft. Neither is Michael Turner but that ship sailed long ago.

Which of course brings us to the notable omissions: Antonio Cromartie and LaDanian Tomlinson.  I believe AJ got rid of them because they are soft.  A running game does a lot to define the identity of the club and LT, for many years, has tried to preserve himself in history in avoiding big hits by going down on first contact, running out of bounds, and generally trying to squirt to the outside.  Cro, Deion's protege at Florida State, was coached to play corner the Deion way and look for picks while preserving himself in the run game. 

In looking at this draft, I believe AJ will look to further define the Chargers as not soft.  I think he wants a bruising tailback that can get the majority of the carries and wear down a team by the fourth quarter.  Everyone seems to forget that Norv made Tyrone Wheatley, Lamont Jordan, and Terry Allen 1,000 rushers - historically, he loves the balance of the run game and probably lost the playoff game because he kept trying to get water from a dried up well.  I hope that the Chargers built up the middle on defense and get nasty players at middle linebacker, safety and nose (hopefully with a pass rush) to finally shed the soft label on their way to a Superbowl.