Chargers Franchise Sproles

The Chargers placed the franchise tag on Darren Sproles yesterday, a move that most knew was coming.

The status of LaDainian Tomlinson with the team is the next issue for the Chargers. The Chargers say that by franchising Sproles it "...does not affect our ability to negotiate a new contract with LT. We’re hopeful of getting a new deal done with him." I think some news regarding Tomlinson will be known within the next week because of the Feb. 26th cut deadline.

Many state how Sproles isn't big enough to be an every down back ... seems like a reason to keep both Tomlinson and Sproles. The brutal truth, though, is that the Chargers would likely put them self into financial hardship in regards to signing new players if they have both Sproles and Tomlinson signed to expensive contracts. Sproles is now guaranteed at least $6.6 million for next year and Tomlinson's current contract is at $8.8 million and the Chargers would obviously like to 'restructure' Tomlinson's contract so it doesn't cost them as much against the salary cap.

If Tomlinson is still on the Charger roster after Feb. 26th that, then, would be sign that the Chargers and Tomlinson have potentially agreed on either a trade or, more likely, a new contract. So now its time to just wait and see what happens...

Favre Retires, Soon To Announce Coming Back

Breaking news, breaking news...

Since A-Rod's steroid use and admission have dominated the sports media Brett Favre had his annual retirement announcement to make sure sports talkers haven't forgotten about him.

As with the previous, what(?), 5 off-seasons Favre has retired or said he is going to retire or alluding to retiring.  We should then expect a press conference in June or July from Favre to announce that he just quite can't hang it up just yet, that his desire to play football is just too great to ignore that he will indeed be coming back to play football next year.

Of course some NFL team will sign him and he will start next season for some poor team... Favre has no desire to show up for mini-camps and do any offseason work...he just wants to saunter into some NFL lockerroom on game day and heave bombs up all afternoon to pad his consecutive starts as well as his other records.  He has no intention of being a 'team' player which is clearly shown by his yearly ritual of retiring and unretiring and never being totally honest with any team that he has played for.

Most Of Clemens' Lawsuit Dismissed

In what is likely a sign of how successful Roger Clemens and his crack legal staff, headed up by hayseed Rusty Harden, is going to be in their defamation case against Brian McNamee, most of their complaint was dismissed in the Houston court that it was filed in due to lack of jurisdiction, citing that most of the 'defamation' ocurred in New York and not in Texas.

It just goes to show that Clemens and his hicksvilled lawyer have no idea what they are doing and what to do next...just that they need to do something, anything to prove to everyone that Roger didn't roid up.  Well, they would better off if they just slipped away quietly and leave things as they are.  There is nothing they can do that will change people's minds, it is as much a fact that Clemens used steroids as it is Barry Bonds, A-Rod, Canseco, McGwire, Sosa, etc...

Deadlines Loom For Chargers

The day is quickly approaching for the San Diego Chargers, the day the Chargers will be forced to publicly declare what their intentions are with the greatest runningback their franchise has ever possessed, LaDainian Tomlinson.

February 19th is the day all teams must announce their franchise player. Of course the Chargers don't and won't need to franchise Tomlinson, but if they do put that tag on Darren Sproles, which most think will happen, then it will only add to the speculation of what's going to happen to LT.  Would the Chargers dare go into next season with 2 high-paid runningbacks?  Would this be a move for the Chargers to try and get Tomlinson to renegotiate his contract to keep him in San Diego or just the opposite, a move that signals his days are numbered?  No one outside of the Chargers management knows for sure, but most everyone can agree that Charger fans are greatly anticipating whatever decision is made in regrards to Tomlinson and regardless of what that move is, it will likely polarize many a Charger fan ... some want LT to go, others can't bear the thought of Tomlinson playing anywhere but for San Diego.

What is also of interest, to me, is how this entire process is going to 'shake out'.  If there have been lines drawn in the sand already or not, if egos and money are factoring in or if there is any actual dialogue between the Chargers and Tomlinson to work something out that is in the best interest of both parties.

I think most everyone that has followed this story since the end of the season knows the situation... if the Chargers cut Tomlinson by Feb. 26th he will likely get picked up by another team and not make nearly the amount of money he once was as a Charger.  The Chargers will likely get little or very poor trade value for LT because other teams know the Chargers situation and surely won't offer to pick up LT's hefty contract and offer up high draft picks or proven players.  So if the Chargers cut Tomlinson this month, both parties walk away with neither side essentially gaining anything.

I still contend, that if both the Chargers are sincere in their wishes to keep Tomlinson in a Charger uniform for his entire career and Tomlinson is sincere in his desire to end his career in San Diego, then both parties need to sit down and make a deal that both sides can benefit from.  Now if one of the sides plays hard ball... like the Chargers not offering a fair contract or LT not wanting to renegotiate or with minimal reductions... it would show that clearly one side was not truly sincere in their public statements and in either case, it is a lose-lose situation for us Charger fans.

Chargers 50th Anniversary

Last week the Chargers announced that they will be wearing a commemorative patch on their jerseys next season to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the team and the AFL.

There will also be 2 weekends when the Chargers will be playing one of the 7 other original AFL teams and will get to wear their chosen throwback during those games.  The Chargers have chosen to wear the uniform from their 1963 AFL Championship team.

Hopefully the Charger team that takes the field next season can be good representatives of the Charger franchise during this anniversary season.

A-Rod On Roids

It is becoming pretty clear that every player in Major League Baseball was on steroids from the late '80's through (at least ) 2003.  Alex Rodriguez was outed by a Sports Illustrated article using, what were to be confidential, drug tests conducted in 2003 by MLB.  He then came out and publicly admitted that he did use steroids during his 3 years with the Texas Rangers.  He did not offer up anything that he may have used steroids before or after that time frame, but did not say anything to discount that possibility.

Seeing Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens fight a losing battle both in the courts and in the media, A-Rod is trying to side-step all that by offering his excuse for doing so and apologizing for doing it.

In the end, apologies or not, it doesn't change the fact and the perception by many, of which I am one now, that think Major League Baseball was just a bunch of juicers for the better part of a decade and a half.

NBA - Ultimate Sellouts

With the help of TNT's coverage, this year's NBA All Star festivities should reach a level of over-hype, over-production that no other event should attempt to rival. The end result will likely be a ton of TV gimmicks to try and make the NBA All-Star weekend appear entertaining and to further ruin any sense of genuineness that a person may have towards what they are watching, it likely will have some advertisement plastered all over it.

The NBA is adding a game of HORSE as one of the weekend's activities but because the NBA, with the help of TNT Television, are willing to sell any portion of their product to the highest bidder ... so instead of spelling HORSE, the contestants will be spelling GEICO.

Add a rising, swiveling set and EA sports showing "futuristic dunks" it just shows what lengths will be done to try and do anything to get people to watch. I recall last year's slam dunk contest was as close to a buzzkill as you could have gotten ... so now they are going to try and do anything to 'spice it up'.

Bonds Pleads Not Guilty

Yesterday they unloaded the evidence against Barry Bonds and today Bonds goes in and pleads "Not Guilty".

All this time and money is being spent to prove to the world that Barry did cheat because his possible punishment;

Bonds faces a sentence between probation and two years in prison.

Certainly this would not warrant much federal attention if Bonds, himself, wasn't such a prominent figure during the steroid era. But the same is with the Clemens case ... it must be done. If not, there will always be someone out there that is willing to give these two roiders the benefit of the doubt just because they saw some 'contriteness' in their public apologies or, which is more likely the case, have some personal involvement with them that has skewed their opinion to the point of blindness.

Bonds' Evidence Released

The Feds have finally unveiled the evidence they have to use against Barry Bonds to prove that he lied about his steroid use.

Among the evidence is not 1, not 2, not 3 but 4 alleged positive tests for steroids from Barry Bonds.  Bond's trainer, Greg Anderson, who sat in jail for a year instead of testify against Bonds, has said he will not testify in this trail... but the evidence that was released has a recorded conversation with Anderson describing how he injected Barry with undetectable steroids.  There is also doping calendars and notes.  

I didn't need any more proof to convince me of Bond's roid use ... Sure, he may have some super lawyer that might get him out of a perjury charge but having these sort of evidence, especially the positive drug tests, is the death-nail.  Any and all Bonds' supporters always would be quick to say "He never tested positive...".   Well, now we have proof that says the opposite ... what's your excuse now?

Charger Credentials

The fine folks at BoltYou.com have asked if they could post items from my blog on their site ... after confirming that they have indeed read my blog - I have been asked this request before and after I make sure the person has read my materials, I usually do not hear from them again - it does appear as if you will be able to read my Charger related blog entries on BoltYou.com.

But I need to make sure everyone that has read me in the past and will read my entries in the future can better understand my tact and angle with the Chargers and also, because many of my pieces are opinionated, validate my opinion based on my personal thoughts regarding the Chargers.  So I present "My Charger Credentials":

First, I am not a professional writer  - although I am fairly certain many wouldn't need me to point that out.  I do believe I have the record for most run-on sentences as well as the longest run-on sentence in the history of writing - which has yet to end for I am still in the process of writing it.  My use of punctuation is also a bit abnormal but once you can decipher the sentence and it's bizarre characteristics, I've been told, a point can be found. 

Now to the important part...my history with the Chargers ...

The year is 1980, I am 10 years old.  I live in North Dakota which is in Minnesota Viking territory.  My father, who has watched football since his youth, was a big Johnny Unitas fan and his favorite team (still to this day) is the Minnesota Vikings.  For a couple years now, each Sunday I would sit down and watch the Vikings with my father.  My father would often times turn the television off with disgust or merely just get up and stop watching.  After the Vikings were done, the television was all mine and I would stay tuned to watch more football.  The 2nd game each Sunday, during this particular season, often had the high-powered offense of the San Diego Chargers.  Now most everyone knows how that season ended ... with the Chargers winning a playoff game in Miami that many consider the greatest game of all time only to travel to Cincinnati and lose in a low-scoring, incredibly cold game and get ousted from the playoffs.  But the damage had been done.  I instantly fell in love with the Chargers and have been a Charger fan ever since.

For most of the beginning of my Charger 'fandom' watching Charger games were a bit difficult ... since (roughly) 1984 thru (again roughly) 1991 I was in my teens, the Chargers sucked so didn't get to many games on television.  This period of time was also before Thursday and Sunday night games ... you typically got the team in your region (the Vikes for me) and 2 other games on Sunday as well as a Monday night game ... But then 1991 came around, I had turned 21 and the NFL was available on satellite at several bars and I could watch the Chargers every Sunday.

Almost on cue, Bobby Beatherd - (at the time) former GM for the Washington Redskins - came to the Chargers, brought Stan Humphries with him and like a "bolt of lightning" the Chargers were in the Super Bowl in 1995 (after the '94 season).  The ride that season was incredible, especially with the AFC Championship win against the Pittsburgh Steelers being the pinnacle.  It was a game the Chargers weren't suppose to win.  No one, NO ONE, had the Chargers winning and even after it ended my roommate, and fellow Charger fan, were so excited that we hung a Charger blanket as a backdrop and took pictures of us celebrating in front of it.  It was an incredible season and year that season.

I can not say for certain, but I am fairly certain that I have watched almost every San Diego Charger football game for 18 years now.  I know there may have been 1 or 2 games here or there where something has prevented me from watching ... and that was agony, because regardless of what was so important enough to keep me from watching the game, my only thought and concern during that time was wondering what was going on in the game.

I have met one of my favorite and an All-Time Charger Great, Kellen Winslow.  I remember Tony Martin, Natrone Means, Marion Butts, John Friesz, Jim McMahon, Doug Flutie, the Micheal Vick trade, Eli Manning trade, Dan Fouts retiring, Bobby Ross and of course, from the man I have 'borrowed' his moniker, Junior Seau.

Because of this history I have had with the Chargers, I have become a very pessimistic person when it comes to the Chargers.  Oh sure, I love giving the Chargers credit when credit is due, but because I have been a Charger fan for close to 30 years now the number of times the Chargers have disappointed me greatly outweigh their successes.  Has this tempered my passion for them?  Absolutely not.  I would even subject myself to watch the Chargers during the Ryan Leaf era (and shortly after his departure) where the only thing on the agenda for those Sundays was going to be a Charger ass-kicking ... and the Chargers on the receiving end of said ass-kicking.

One only needs to read this past year's recap of the Chargers season that I posted to my blog to see my disbelief in the Chargers ... but anyone that followed the Chargers this past season had the same sentiment.

What I have is a passion for the Chargers.  I do not have 'homer' glasses on in which the Chargers can do no wrong.  I try to 'call them as I see them' when it comes to Charger related matters but of course with my own Charger biased.

I was not happy to see Rodney Harrison go.  I was not happy to see Junior Seau go.  And I will not be happy if LaDainian Tomlinson ends up finishing his career anywhere but with the Chargers.  I understand the circumstances and have already posted my thoughts on that matter.

I am a Charger fan first...a critic second with both positive and/or negative thoughts on any Charger related news.

Clemens DNA Found With Syringes

Word is that tests have confirmed that Roger Clemens' blood was found with the syringes and gauze that his former trainer Brian McNamee turned over to the feds to corroborate his story and as further proof that Roger Clemens used steroids.

Is there anyone out there that still doesn't think Clemens used steroids?  As it has been stated by several media folks already, it is almost to the point now that the more an athlete comes out and tries to deny their history of steroid usage the more likely they are lying.  

My unofficial tally, so far, is anyone that has been accused of using steroids have either came out and admitted using roids while the others have been caught lying about using roids.  Either way, I think most everyone has underestimated at how widely steroids were used in professional baseball.

Super Bowl XLIII Afterthoughts

So it's been almost 2 full days since the Super Bowl ended, so things are slowly returning to normal.

Overall, I thought the game was alright...but I do think the officiating did it's best to insure the Cardinals lost.  The 2 horrible calls, against the Cards, in the third quarter were just ridiculous ... the 'roughing the passer' call on a third and long when everyone in the world was expecting an intentional grounding call and then a roughing the kicker call when the Cardinal player was running into the holder, not the kicker, on a Pittsburgh field goal attempt were the officials making sure no one forgets who really determines the outcome of the games.  Sure, they put their whistles away after both of those horrible calls, but the damage was already done.

I also am beginning to think there is a calculated effort to make the Super Bowl game close and exciting.  For many years, from the 80's through the 90's, most Super Bowls seemed to have been over by halftime ... now, there hasn't been a blowout Super Bowl in such a long time, most everyone almost expects a good, close game.

I didn't pay attention to a single commercial, but from most of the 'buzz' from those that still care about the commercials said that most sucked...as usual.  Which gets me to my other point ... how many Super Bowls need to happen with sucky commercials for people begin to no longer make any sort of deal about them?  I think it was in the '80's when a Super Bowl actually had a good set of commercials and since that time the Super Bowl ads have not lived up to the hype since ... but every year people get all stoked up to watch the commercials ... and year after year the commercials suck.  I am happy that I pay no attention to the commercials (or the halftime act) because the best thing that might possibly happen is that they won't suck...but not likely.

Downside to the Super Bowl... the Steelers won.  Now, I don't really have a problem with the Pittsburgh Steelers but I have always had a bit of angst for the Pittsburgh Steeler fans.  Several times in my life I have been at a location where multiple football games would be airing and fans would be watching their game... without question, one of the loudest, brashest and rudest group of fans are the Steeler fans.  I knew a guy who was an alright guy until he was watching the Steelers play football ... then he was a complete asshole ... no lie.  I would hang out with him all the time and have no issues with him, he was funny and a great guy to hang with, but I quickly learned that I could not watch football, more specifically, Pittsburgh games because this guy just morphed into a total dick.  So with the Steelers win, yet again, only will amplify the dickness of all these Steeler fans making it miserable for the rest of us...

Hopefully they don't make the playoffs next year and that will shut them up for a little while... or probably not...