In the wake of one local television blackout last weekend, and facing the possibility of another, Scott Lewis says that the fault should be laid at the feet of the Chargers, who are aggressively working to milk every last penny their fanbase haswhile simultaneously asking them to subsidize the cost of a new stadium. I agree with Scott, and find it both strange and annoying that the team continues to spend millions on advisory boards and “special counsel” Mark Fabiani, but hasn’t produced a plan for the people of San Diego to vote on.
It’s almost as if the Spanos family believes that if they wait long enough and make enough powerful friends, a stadium will magically appear. Doug Manchester and John Lynch of U-T San Diego are doing everything they can to help with that, greasing the wheels for a mayoral campaign for Kevin Faulconer with the intention of getting a new Chargers stadium built on taxpayers’ dime. Maybe, after he pulls off that magic trick, Faulconer can be named governor of New California.
You’re reading the Sports Report, our weekly compilation of news and information for the San Diego sports fan.
It’s Officially Basketball Season at SDSU
• On Saturday, the Aztecs football team concluded a wild, unpredictable, exhilarating season with an embarrassing blowout loss to UNLV. Not only was it a poor way to end the regular season, the loss could also end up costing SDSU a bowl game appearance.
• Meanwhile, the San Diego State basketball team spent the week reaching new heights. Steve Fisher’s team beat higly ranked Marquette and Creighton teams on its way to winning the Wooden Legacy tournament. A few days later, they were ranked 24th in the country in the AP poll.
• The Aztecs needed senior guard Xavier Thames to carry them to a close 65-64 win over the intercity rival USD Toreros Thursday night.
Chargers Continue to Disappoint, Grasp at Straws
• With their playoff hopes resting in the balance, the Chargers lost a home game to the Cincinnati Bengals with turnovers. The two most costly were the fault of future Hall of Fame tight end Antonio Gates, who may have played the worst game on his entire career on Sunday.
• Have no fear, though. The Chargers can still make the playoffs if they can figure out how to start winning games regularly. That game in Denver on Thursday seems impossible to win, but anything is possible in the wild AFC West.
• With the New York Giants coming to town, I looked back at the 2004 trade between the Giants and Chargers that brought Philip Rivers to San Diego and sent Eli Manning to New York. There are a lot of different opinions on who won this one, but I’m firmly on the Chargers’ side here.
Stories You May Have Missed
• Luke Gregerson, who has been with the Padres since 2009, is now an Oakland Athletic. The set-up relief pitcher, and sometimes closer, was traded for Seth Smith this week. Both players make the same amount of money, and both are free agents after the 2014 season. I guess the Padres felt they needed a fourth outfielder more than they did a reliever?
• Baseball America came out with its list of the Padres’ top 10 prospects, which serves as a sobering reminder of just how much talent San Diego has in its minor league system.
• Video of the Week: Somebody’s grandfather had a little too much to drink at the Chargers game on Sunday.
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I’m John Gennaro, contributor to Active Voice and managing editor of Bolts from the Blue. You can tweet me @john_gennaro or e-mail me directly at boltsfromtheblue@gmail.com.