Hacksaw roundup: Chargers free agents and disappointment at SDSU

Former Charger Chris Chambers has paid immediate dividends with the Chiefs. (AP photo)

Cap space contract: Some offseason coming up for the Bolts.

A challenge ahead for capologist Ed McGuire.  San Diego has Vincent Jackson, Darren Sproles, and Shawne Merriman to deal with.  All become free agents next February.  Philip Rivers has already gotten a $36 million guaranteed payday.  Who is brought back and what bonus money it will take to bring them back is worth watching.

Champagne Cromartie: As if there are not enough challenges for Cromartie, playing cornerback and earning his next contract, now he goes clubbing and gets involved in an alleged bottle-throwing incident that injures a man.  This on top of his incidents with Tweeting that led to a preseason camp fine, and the five paternity suits filed against him last season.  His next contract will likely be in another city.  Think he’ll like Cleveland or Buffalo?

Lights out: As if Merriman hasn’t had enough challenges, now comes this $1.5M nuisance lawsuit filed by the reality TV star Tila Tequila, a suit full of allegations about use of ecstasy, steroids and domestic abuse.  Just what he needs, lawyers grabbing Chargers players for depositions during this drive for the playoffs.  The exhibitionist and the attention-getting linebacker — some combination.

Big men, thin ranks: The ongoing struggles of Nick Hardwick to get back on the field, now coupled with the loss of Jeremy Clary — gone for the year with an ankle injury — have torn up the offensive line.  Signing a veteran warrior like Jon Runyan sounds good, but he was recovering from microfracture knee surgery. Even his old team, Philadelphia, and desperate Buffalo passed on him this year despite their own set of OL problems.

Super Bolts, super schedule: It may be a hex I am putting on this team, but there is a distinct possibility this team could run the table, win out the rest of their games, and wind up 13-3, a far cry from where they were in October when they had lost three of five.  Outside of Cincinnati and Dallas, does anyone see any roadblocks?  Didn’t think so.

Street people: The mileage this team has gotten out of street free agents Ian Scott and Alfonso Boone in the defensive front has been amazing.  The last time the Chargers picked up two journeymen defensive linemen off waivers was when Reuben Davis and Shawn Lee arrived in 1994, and what happened that year?  Super Bowl season.

New home, new role: Chris Chambers, who hardly played, and did not play well this season with San Diego, has rallied his career in Kansas City.  First game — two touchdowns in a 2:51 span.  Last week — a huge 61-yard catch-and-run in overtime in the Chiefs upset win over the Steelers.

Padres

Bell ringer: A zinger of an interview involving closer Heath Bell, who told the Boston Herald that general manager Kevin Towers was reduced to being a “puppet” during the final days of the Sandy Alderson era and prevented from making deals or acquiring players.  Bell said Towers had to run everything through the computer of Paul DePodesta to see if the incoming players fit the profile of what the team wanted.

KT to the AL: Towers is headed to the Winter Baseball Meetings next month and has confirmed he will interview with four American League teams for a job as a consultant.  He wants to scout teams in that league after spending his entire career in the National League.  The Red Sox and Yankees remain the front runners to hire him on a one-year assignment.

Trade talks: The rumors will not go away that the Red Sox remain in the hunt for Adrian Gonzalez and his highly affordable contract.  The names coming from Fenway Park seem to be changing.  Rumblings now are that the Padres will demand not only hot young pitchers Clay Buchholz and Daniel Bard, but are now interested in insurance-policy first baseman Casey Kotchman and a young power hitting minor league outfielder, either Ryan Kalish or Ryan Westmoreland.

Checking account: San Diego will get to the winter meetings with an approximately $11 million budget available to acquire players.  Not a lot when you consider mid-level players earn around $5 million.  Looking for some pop in a bat, the Chargers could go after Xavier Nady or bring back veteran outfielder Mike Cameron, who can still hit homers.  Catcher Miguel Olivo, a home run hitter with a questionable glove, is also out there.  And they have trade chips like Chase Headley or Nick Hundley.

40-man roster: There are no real surprises on the Padres offseason protected list with one exception.  Former high draft pick Matt Antonelli staggered the last two years at AAA Portland, hitting below the Mendoza Line (.200) both years in the Pacific Coast League.

Good guys get promoted: Loyal soldier Randy Ready, who put in two long years managing the Portland Beavers, was elevated to the Padres hitting coach at mid-year.  Another ex-Padre, Tim Teufel, took another step in his career, when the Mets promoted him to manage AA Binghamton in the Eastern League.  And rumblings persist that former Padres slugger Phil Nevin has talked to the Friars about a minor league managerial position lower down the farm system ladder.

Broadcast booth: Will there be a change in the Padres radio and TV crews?  Legendary Dick Enberg, a close associate of Jeff Moorad, may become an invited member of the TV crew, and rumors persist that ex-Padres fly chaser Dave Roberts may be given an opportunity to rotate into that TV booth too.

MLB mistake: New York writers have been banging on Matt Vasgersian, the ex-Padres TV voice, for his faux-pas during the World Series on the MLB network when he continued to refer to the Hideki Matsui Yankees record for most World Series RBI in a game.  He kept saying the record belonged to Bobby Thompson.  It was Bobby Richardson.  Thompson hit the “Shot Heard Round the World” for the 1951 New York Giants.  What, no producer on hand to help Matt out during the live telecast?

The beauty of the SDSU alumni center provided a strange setting for the ugliness of Jeff Schemmel's resignation. (Photo by Steven Bartholow)

Aztecs

Football failure: The progress was slow, the finish to the season agonizing.  San Diego State’s season grinded to a halt when they were run into the ground by TCU and Utah, and blew a huge lead in losing to lowly Wyoming.  From two wins to a possible 5-7 record is some progress, but not as much as Brady Hoke wanted.  He needs two more recruiting classes to really put his system in place.

Reality check: Hoke now knows much more work needs to be done.  His last regular season press conference was covered by one beat writer, one talk show host, one freelancer and no TV anchors. Kind of like a home game when only 12,000 fans showed up.  Interest seems to have plunged to an all-time low.

Can be done: As another miserable season ends, there remains hope San Diego State can turn this football program around.  Hoke took over a Ball State team that was 1-20 and by the time he was done, they were 12-0.  Anybody remember that Boise State once upon a time was a junior college?  South Florida was a I-AA program as recently as 2000 that last year was ranked as high as second in the nation.  The Cincinnati Bearcats, a commuter school, playing in an old stadium, routinely drew 15,000 and did not win.  Now you cannot buy a ticket to the team ranked fifth in the country and headed to a BCS Bowl.

Beautiful building – ugly press briefing: I thought it was stunning that the press conference where Jeff Schemmel was publicly dismissed as AD was held where it was held.  A dark moment in SDSU athletics and the announcement was made in the new $13 million Alumni Center — a proud example of alumni loyalty from people like Bob Payne, Leon Parma and Ron Fowler.

Farewell to a few: Schemmel spent time on the phone the night before that press conference, personally calling key people within the athletic department, to thank them for all their efforts through the toughest of times, with a bad economy, bad teams and all.  It must have been a very uneasy time for those who worked closest with him, to have to listen to his friendly farewell knowing what he had gotten himself involved in.

So long statement: Schemmel issued a short statement as he left the athletic department, talking about his positive feelings about the school, and the hard work that had been put in.  What was missing?  The words: “I am sorry for how I embarrassed the university” would really have been the best way to close out his exit.

The future: The Aztecs will use their own people to screen applicants for the next athletic director.  What they should do is contact two of the classiest executives in the business and use them as a sounding board.  How much trouble would it be to call the legendary outgoing commissioner of the Pac-10, Tom Hansen, and the esteemed retired AD at UCLA, Peter Dalis, to request a list of candidates they value as talents?

Sigh of relief: Stephen Strasburg will be shut down for three months after a scary dislocation of his kneecap while shagging fly balls in the final week of the Arizona Fall League.  The Washington Nationals first-round pick fell in the outfield while horsing around.  Luckily there was no ligament damage and no bone damage.  Strasburg was everything everyone thought in the AFL.  He had one bad start. His other four outings yielded a 4-0 record with a 1.10 ERA.  Spring training cannot come quick enough for Nats fans.

Lee “Hacksaw” Hamilton hosts “Sportswatch” weekdays (3-7 p.m.) on XX-1090, broadcasts NFL football for the Compass Media Networks and has been honored by the San Diego Press Club for his SDNN columns.

Tags: Adrian Gonzalez, Antonio Cromartie, Jeff Schemmel, kevin towers, LaDainian Tomlinson, Philip Rivers, SDNN, Shawne Merriman, Stephen Strasburg, SWRNN, Tila Tequila

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 at 4:46 pm and is filed under Aztecs, Chargers, Padres, Sports, Sports News . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.