The San Diego Chargers traded up in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft for a player who could embody the adopted spirit of the team and its logo: lightning. Rather, Manti Te’o has been a lightning rod for sports media attention both on and off the field.
Beau Lynott thinks that San Diego is the perfect spot for Te’o, as he can avoid the harsh sports media of New York, Los Angeles or Chicago. I agree, and think that playing in the same position group as Donald Butler and Jarret Johnson will give Te’o the best chance to succeed on the field. After all, the best way to quiet talk about his off-the-field baggage would be to get Chargers fans talking about how good Te’o is on the field.
You’re reading the Sports Report, our weekly compilation of news and information for the San Diego sports fan.
San Diego Padres:
• Ron Fowler, the San Diego Padres’ executive chairman, says that the team is putting together an offer to make Chase Headley the highest-paid player in franchise history and they hope he’ll sign by mid-season Unfortunately, Headley isn’t interested in contract negotiations until the offseason.
• Padres Public contributor SDPads1 has noticed an early trend from the new Padres’ ownership to “over-promise and under-deliver” — precisely the opposite of what they promised in an introductory press conference in 2012.
• Now that the Padres finally have their two star hitters in the lineup every night, they’ve started winning games and are giving fans hope that the season is not yet lost. The starting pitching could be what determines how the rest of the year goes for the friars.
San Diego Chargers:
• A year after he committed suicide, Junior Seau is remembered by Nick Shepherd as a bad golfer and a great guy.
• The Chargers spent Tuesday and Wednesday wining and dining free agent Bryant McKinnie. But McKinnie signed a two-year contract to return to the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday, leaving San Diego to continue its search for an answer at left tackle.
• Upon the conclusion of the 2013 NFL Draft on Saturday, I graded each of the six selections made by new Chargers General Manager Tom Telesco. Overall, I think Telesco did a good job, but the “armchair GM” in my head has a hard time staying quiet during draft season.
• Former Chargers running bac, and future Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson was reportedly asked by Telesco and head coach Mike McCoy about the possibility of un-retiring to play for the Chargers. In response to the news, Ryan Mathews reportedly yawned and fell back asleep.
Stories You May Have Missed:
• Jason Collins, a 34-year-old free agent center in the NBA, came out as gay to Sports Illustrated this week. Collins will forever be remembered as the first openly gay active professional athlete, assuming he’s actually signed by an NBA franchise. The reaction to his announcement was incredible, and almost entirely positive. Almost.
• In what is quickly becoming a weekly part of The Sports Report, here’s your weekly reminder that professional athletes are freaks of nature. I’m not even sure physics could explain the spin David Luiz put on that soccer ball.
• Noble Ackerson, one of many users of Google Glass, used the wearable device to create a video of what it’s like to dunk a basketball. Naturally, it made me wonder: How far are we from professional athletes wearing the device during games?
(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 tweet me @jmglion or e-mail 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.