Hello there. My name is John Gennaro and I’d like to welcome you to a new weekly feature, the Sports Report. Each week, it will be my goal to keep you up to date on all of the important news and analysis regarding San Diego’s sports teams. I’ll also include the best general sports writing I stumble across throughout the week. There will be plenty of humor along the way, because these are just silly games that are meant to be laughed at, but the main goal of the Sports Report will always be to provide a smart and informative take on our local teams.
You’re reading the Sports Report, our weekly compilation of news and information for the San Diego sports fan.
San Diego Padres:
• Just before the start of the 2013 Padres season, we took a look at how this year’s Opening Day lineup compared to 2012’s Opening Day roster and struggled to find many differences. The Mets soundly won Monday’s matchup, 11-2.
• Padres fans are getting tired of wondering “What if,” especially in regard to injuries to their young starting pitching prospects. We compared their string of bad luck with the good luck of the San Francisco Giants’ pitching staff of recent years, and wondered whether the Padres might be doing something wrong.
• The guys over at Padres Public are disappointed in this year’s promotional schedule. RJ’s Fro criticized it publicly before showing the team how it should’ve been done. He reminisced about how the Padres used to handle promotions in 2003. I still have no idea how Russian nesting dolls went out of style.
San Diego Chargers:
• Two lawsuits concerning the suicide of former Chargers linebacker Junior Seau have been consolidated with ongoing litigation against the NFL by former NFL players. Voice of San Diego’s Scott Lewis wondered how the NFL would deal with the issue of brain trauma after Seau’s suicide in May 2012.
• LobShots broke the news that new Chargers GM Tom Telesco and new Chargers head coach Mike McCoy would be throwing out the first pitch for a San Diego Padres game. The team confirmed that the duo would do the honors at the April 12 game against the Colorado Rockies.
Don’t be surprised if both undergo Tommy John surgery, as all members of the Padres pitching staff inevitably do.
• The Chargers released Jared Gaither, their starting left tackle and the prize of the 2012 free-agent class, after he refused to attend a face-to-face meeting with Telesco. Maybe he was confused and thought he was being invited to practice or work out.
Stories You May Have Missed:
• San Diego’s local CBS station was the only affiliate in the country that chose to show children’s cartoons instead of NCAA basketball at the beginning of the March Madness tournament and San Diegans were not happy about it. Well, San Diegans over the age of 10.
• Brian Banks, a former standout high school linebacker from Long Beach whose dreams of playing college football were destroyed by a wrongful prison stint, was signed by the Atlanta Falcons. Active Voice contributor Beau Lynott wrote this post about the San Diego connection that helped free Banks: Cal Western’s Innocence Project played an instrumental role in securing Banks’ release.
• Rutgers University fired men’s basketball coach Mike Rice after video surfaced of him abusing players at practice. Rice is essentially unhirable by any NCAA basketball program with this stain on his record, leaving many to wonder, “Who will Mike Rice throw basketballs at now?”
(Want to recommend this sports newsletter to someone? Share this sign-up link.)
I’m John Gennaro, contributor to Active Voice and managing editor of Bolts from the Blue. You can reach me directly at boltsfromtheblue@gmail.com.
Voice of San Diego is a nonprofit that depends on you, our readers. Please donate to keep the service strong. Click here to find out more about our supporters and how we operate independently.