The Great Flood Of '09

As most anyone that has been paying attention to the national scene is aware, the Red River of the north has been flooding for the past week hitting a record crest of almost 41 feet in Fargo.  As a result, many of the communities along the river have been at high alert with emergency and first responders at maximum preparedness.  Schools have been closed since last week Wednesday and remain closed through this week.  Hospitals, senior citizen homes and special needs people have all been evacuated.

The river has crested in Fargo, so as long as the dikes and levees hold, most citizens should make it through with little or no problems...which will be good...

So, sorry for infrequent attention here but hopefully things will return to normal some time this time...

In the mean time, here is a live 'Flood Cam' that is on the Moorhead, MN side of the Red River pointing towards Fargo ... you can see how high the water really is...

Once Busy, Now A Break

Sorry for being absent recently... but I have been extremely busy at work.  Things are settling down but that just means I want a break!  So I'll try and get back to my blogging duties shortly, but it may remain sporadic for a short time here...

Chargers-Tomlinson Agree To Terms

It is over...finally.  The San Diego Chargers and LaDainian Tomlinson have agreed to a new restructured contract yesterday.  The article states that the team's president, Dean Spanos, was a key figure in keeping Tomlinson and had every intention of doing so.  Reports are that Tomlinson will not take a reduction in pay this season but the $17+ million he was to get for the next 2 years has likely been "restructured".  

In the end, it is great news for us Charger fans that couldn't bare to see LT don a different team's uniform.  Tomlinson is probably the greatest San Diego Charger player in the franchise's history and to not make every effort to keep him in San Diego just seems so wrong.

I'm hoping next season he returns to his past form and regains his status as the NFL's premeire runningback.

Ending Cro Speculation

As quickly as the rumor of Antonio Cromartie potentially be traded was started it is quickly dismissed.  Just proving that no one really knows for sure what the Chargers have in store for any of their players and that the media continues to speculate only the worst for many of the big-name Charger players.

Chargers: Still Have LT, Cromartie To Go?

Free agency in the NFL is underway and the San Diego Chargers still have LaDainian Tomlinson on their roster.

Of course that is little guarantee that Tomlinson will be with the Chargers.  Very few think that the Chargers will keep Tomlinson on the roster with his current contract ... but who knows, that might be just what the Chargers intend to do.  A report came out last week stating that the New Orleans Saints have an interest in Tomlinson, so of course the Chargers could be trying to get Tomlinson to renegotiate his contract and then just simply trade him, to try and get some value for him because of course the alternative is to just simply cut him and get nothing in return.  These are all 'doom and gloom' for Tomlinson and the Chargers, which is all I see the hear or read these days.

And to further the 'doom and gloom' theme... a story out yesterday hints that Drayton Florence, recently cut by the Jacksonville Jaguars, is looking to come back to San Diego and, apparently, Antonio Cromartie played so crappy last year the Chargers may be considering trading him.  Are you kidding me?  Cromartie had a team record 10 interceptions 2 years ago ... the entire defense, as a whole, sucked last season and a (seemingly) realistic plan is to trade Cromartie and re-sign the guy that Cromartie beat out for the job 2 years ago?  Color me crazy but I hope that isn't what the thought process is for the Chargers.  Getting D-Flo back would probably not be a bad thing, in my opinion, but trading Cromartie, I think, is a bad thing ... Now if some team is going to over-value Cromartie and make an offer the Chargers can't refuse, then I could see the viability of doing that.  I know Cromartie's year last year was a total contradiction to the 2007 season.  I was hoping it was a year to 'grow' for him and that he comes back this season with the mindset to redeem himself.  Of course that could all be wishful thinking but so far this offseason there has been a shortage of anything resembling 'optimism' in the press in regards to the Chargers.