Colts Smotls

I know the Colts are on an unreal run...19 straight wins...regular season wins that is. I dont see what the big fuss is all about. They have only really won 11 straight. Thats elven games in 2009.

Why is it only 11 games? Because Darren Sproles dominated overtime in the playoffs and ended the Colts 2008 season! What a game!

For some reason the Chargers have had Peyton's number in the past couple years. Dating back to 2005 the Chargers are 4-1! Not to shabby against a team that has basically the best winning percentage in the world of professional sports!

BEST PART OF THE STORY: Two of the Chargers wins in the past two years against the Colts have come in the Playoffs! Which means the Bolts have ended the Colts season the past two years!

Let me ask you this... Will Peyton be happy if he faces the Chargers in the 2009 playoffs?

Gobble Gobble

Happy Turkey Day everyone!!! Lets take a look into Chargers history on Thanksgiving Day. The Bolts have not made a Thanksgiving Day appearance since 1969. At that time, the bolts were in the AFL and wore these uniforms. The most notable Charger on the roster this year was Lance Alworth, here is the Chargers Roster form 1969.. In that game the Chargers won 21 to 17 over the Houston Oilers.

In the Chargers history, they have played in 4 Turkey Day games. Their overall record is 2 wins, 1 loss and 1 tie.

1964: Buffalo Bills 27, Chargers 24
1965: Buffalo Bills 20, Chargers 20
1967: Denver Broncos 20, Chargers 24
1969: Chargers 21, Houston Oilers 17

When is the next time the Bolts will get a Turkey Day game? Personally, I would rather have the Bolts play on Sundays. Gives them a few extra days rest.

Big Game Broncos

The Bolts are back on TOP! AFC West again belongs to the Chargers! I'll talk about the game in posts later this week but, I just want to point out the BIG GAME BRONCOS.

Last year, in a winner takes the division game, the Chargers blew out the Broncos 52-21. A 31 point victory for the Bolts. This win catapulted the Bolts to a third consecutive AFC West Division title and an exciting win over the Colts in the wild card round!

This year, in a winner takes the division lead game, the Chargers blew out the Broncos 32-3. A 29 point victory for the Bolts. This has been a great climb for the 2009 Bolts and has to be a testament to their true abilities and potential.

Big Game Broncos, on the other had, have been in a downward spiral and have some difficulties in their upcoming scheduling:
-NY Giants
-@ KC Chiefs
-@ Indy Colts
-Oakland Raiders
-@ Phily Eagles
-KC Chiefs
The must wins are going to be against two teams who are starting to play better, the Chiefs and Raiders. Chiefs have won two in a row! Raiders benched JaMarcus and finally have at least a shot of winning! Giants, Colts and Eagles are going to be tough! Assuming the Big Game Broncos win ALL three against the Chiefs twice and Raiders, they will need two split two of three from Giants, Colts and Eagles.

The Broncos tank is on empty and the NFL season has 6 more weeks to go! The Chargers just filled up on premium, high octane jet fuel and look to be heading for their 4th consecutive division title!

Breaking News From Denver

BREAKING NEWS DENVER (CO)--Denver Broncos football practice was delayed after a player reported finding an unknown white powdery substance on the practice field. Head coach Josh McDaniels immediately called federal investigators. After a complete analysis, FBI forensic experts determined that the white substance unknown to players was the GOAL LINE. GO BOLTS!

*Nothing is true about this breaking news except the Broncos suck!

**I repurposed this post from a few weeks ago!

Antonio Gates on the League

Not sure how many people have been watching "The League," a show on FX that airs after "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"? I have caught the first 4 episodes, and have to say, as an avid fantasy sports player, I am enjoying the humor.

I especially liked this weeks episode which included a cameo from San Diego's own Antonio Gates. It wasn't a big role but he did get some air time! He was the first active NFL player to make an appearance. Two weeks ago, Terry Bradshaw made his cameo, but I think Gates may have out done Bradshaw. Above is a preview for the episode which includes a small portion of Gates' cameo.

ENJOY!

LT and Ricky

At this point we all know Ricky's story. It's a short and sweet story. Gave up football in his prime to get high. He was 27 at the time. Ricky has since, studied holistic medicine in Grass Valley, CA, played Canadian football in Toronto and signed again to play with the Dolphins again.

I want to talk about Ricky today, not because he is from San Diego and a graduate of Patrick Henry High School, but because I would like to take a look into his age compared to his production in the NFL.

Ricky was born in 1977, LT was born in 1979. Granted Ricky took a hiatus from professional football, he is still two years older than LT. Career rushing attempts: Rickey 2,050 and LT 2,772.

As we saw from last night the 32 year old Ricky still has some tread on his tires. In comparison the 30 year old LT has that same tread!

Let's hope we can see this production this week in Denver!

Believe in the Bolts!!!!

Poor Mans Sports Center

Haha, check out this poor mans sports center preview of the Chargers vs Broncos game! They mention the Chargers need for a running presence and to pressure Orton if he indeed plays. Plus a lot of stuttering, ummms and ahhhs.

Either way they nailed it! Prediction, Chargers beat the Broncos! It still isn't the worst sports cast, CLICK HERE FOR BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE (Best and worst sports cast ever at the same time)!

Heeee's Baaaack

Now I'm not saying he's back to the same form of the 2006 season in which he scored 28 rushing TD's. But he is back to being a productive back! Also, LT is now comfortable with his role as just the RB. Philip carries the load that LT once took his shoulders. And let's be honest, the reason his production has been down is, 1. Injury and 2. The Chargers have been playing from behind and have had no choice but to throw.

As long as the games play to similar fashion as the game against the Eagles, LT will get his 15-20 touches and over 100 all purpose yards. As you can see from the video, LT passed a few more milestones Sunday! And should be setting more as the season rolls on!

LT! LT! LT! LT! LT! LT! LT! LT!

Mile High Showdown

"The last two games were important," said Captain Obvious. I had been saying for the past month the Chargers needed to win 2 of 3 games against the Giants, Eagles and the Broncos. We have already done this and we need to beat the Broncos!

I think the Chargers, myself included, are getting greedy and need to beat the Broncos. And I mean greedy in a good way. I think a better word than "greedy" is the Chargers "desire" a win. This is good news because a few weeks ago, a lot of people didn't think the Chargers had the desire to be a championship football team.

THE FIRE IS BACK!

Believe In The Bolts is the motto of the season. A lot of fans fell of early in the season and are now back. For us TRUE FANS who never left and never plan on leaving, we know what's up and we know what a win against the Broncos will do for this team.

It would be the best confidence boost! Not to mention such a demotivater and demoralizer for the Broncos!

"THIS IS A BIG GAME FOR THE BOLTS," CAPTAIN OBVIOUS!

LT is gonna be a Daddy!

In October, everyone was jumping ship! Already looking towards Baseball season, and the draft. I said to Believe in the Bolts! And all you true fans stuck with me and I with you and US with the BOLTS! And it has paid off in the form of a 4 game win streak and a share of First Place in the AFC West!

Here we are, halfway through November and I want to welcome all of the non-true fans back. I still believe 12-4 is very attainable and 11-5 is both respectable and realistic.

On another note, LT is going to be a father! Congrats!!! Ladainian came into the locker room after a strong 2 touchdown performance to find a hand written note from his wife. On it, LaTorsha wrote that she was pregnant with their first child! Congrats!

I also want to thank the true fans for standing behind the bolts and forever procliaming......

.....Believe in the Bolts!!!!

Saving LT?

AHHHHH what an image of LT! I had it on my wall for the majority of my College career. It brings back memories of when LT was in so dominate at the RB position. We all know over the past years LT has been broken down going into the end of the season and the playoffs. What did that mean for the Chargers? Very little run game, if any run game at all in the post season.

Is Norv doing this on purpose? Is LT being saved for the post season? Will LT dominate the second half of the season?

I don't buy into this theory. I could be wrong, Norv could be a genius and be quietly saving LT for the post season. Imagine having a full strength LT in New England in the 2007 season. Would LT have pulled in the safeties and opened two touchdowns over the top in the pass? And given us a Super Bowl birth over the Pats and against the Giants?

Lets look back at this season. Last in the league in rushing yards and third to last in attempts. Is this a masterful strategy to save LT's legs for the post season? We gotta hope so, because if not, the run game needs a jump start.

Legen.... wait for it..... DAIRY

I love it! Weeks ago I asked, begged and pleaded for people to continue to "Believe in the Bolts." What do we have now? We are only 1 game behind the once dominant Broncos.

The game against the Giants was Legen... wait for it... DAIRY!!! The Rivers Draft day trade seems to have DIRECTLY paid off. Rivers, of course, threw the game tying touchdown pass, Keading kicked the go ahead extra point and Merriman closed the game out by sacking Eli Manning (Chargers drafted Eli, and traded him for Rivers and two future draft picks who were Keading and Merriman).

The bolts had their problems in the game, but I want to talk about what they did great on Sunday.

1. 2 minute drill
2. Pressure on Eli
3. V Jax coming up huge
4. Field position!
5. Forcing 3rd and long
6. Blitzing Schemes (Defensive Play Calling)
7. Aggressive play calling

With this there is plenty of room for improvement. For instance, forcing 3rd and long was something we did well. Some thing the Bolts didn't do well was, stop that 3rd and long!

All of us TRUE fans never stopped Believing in the Bolts! And for those of you who did stop believing, WELCOME BACK!

Home Blues

I'm not talking about losing at home, I'm talking about the home Blue Jerseys. We have not taken the field in a regular season game in the Dark Blues yet.

And were not gonna see them this Sunday in New York either. Giants wear their home blues in NY. Which, by default, puts us in our whites. I like the white uni's but I think next chance we get, the Chargers should wear the ever menacing Dark Blues!

Rivers Vs. Manning

This will be the first time Rivers and Manning face off. Last time, Manning faced the Chargers Brees was behind center and the Bolts shoved it in Eli's face.

To say the least, Eli is not spoken highly of or very welcome in SD. But still, Rivers has to be envious of at least one thing that Eli has. And that thing is a Super Bowl Championship ring.

As a Charger fan, I am too! But as a Charger fan I believe we will still get our first ring under Rivers. During the season of Mannings Super bowl, the Giants started off terribly, starting 0-2, before running off 6 consecutive wins.

This is why as a Charger fan, I am not overly concerned about the position we are in at the current moment. Sitting at 4-3 is not where the Chargers want to be but, in no way can you write us off!

I'm not even calling this a make or break game. Sure, a win will tell us we can hang with tough teams. A win will inch us closer to the Broncos. But if we go 2-1 in our next 3 I think we will make the playoffs! Not looking down the barrel of the New England or Indy or New Orleans gun for the rest of the regular season is promising.

How do the bolts get there... Let's start sunday by beating the Giants through the air on their home turf. Keep Rivers upright, and keep his Super Bowl Ring hopes well alive!

Believe in the Bolts

And Then it was 13

The Chargers have extended their winning streak against the Raiders of Oakland. The current win streak is now up to 13 consecutive games against the Raiders. This game in San Diego had its moments and the Raiders were mathematically close to capturing victory from the jaws of defeat. Luckily for the Chargers, JaMarcus Russell is the QB of the Raiders. As long as he is the quarterback of the Raiders, the Raiders will not be successful. He misses too many wide open receivers. He just is not accurate.

A few game notes:
-Shaun and Shawne both had sacks! And Merriman actually looked like he wanted to be there.
-Great first half on all sides of the ball.
-Offense looked in control and even scored on the Wildcat!
-Defense was dominate. Turnover and good against the run with the rushing TD exception.
-Special teams
-Second half was less productive in all areas. Half time adjustments were not made, or the wrong adjustments were made.
-Lost the field position battle due to a Sproles fumble. The poor field position defensively led to scores by the Raiders.
-Offense was not productive in the second half on a whole. On the other hand, when they needed to score Philip Rivers and the Chargers took the ball the length of the field to set up Kaeding for a chip shot and an 8 point lead.
-On the last drive the defense did stop the Raiders but I do feel JaMarcus did a better job at stopping the Raiders.

All in all, I'm excited about the win, the Broncos loss, 2 TD's for LT and the fact that the Bolts are taking on the Giants when the are not playing consistent football!

News from Oakland...

BREAKING NEWS OAKLAND (CA)--Oakland Raiders football practice was delayed after a player reported finding an unknown white powdery substance on the practice field. Head coach Tom Cable immediately called federal investigators. After a complete analysis, FBI forensic experts determined that the white substance unknown to players was the GOAL LINE. GO BOLTS!

*Nothing is true about this breaking news except the Raiders suck!

True Chargers Fan....?

Take this quiz to find out if you are a true Chargers Fan!

Click here to take the True Charger Fan Quiz

Were you born a Charger Fan like me and the little man in this picture?

I trust everyone who takes this quiz coming from this blog will receive the highest honors on this Chargers Fan Quiz because people on this blog are true chargers fans!

Until Now.... (Well done Miller Lite)

HAHA! I laughed soooo hard when I saw this for the first time, and second time and every time I see this commercial!

Enjoy!!! Anyone else have an urge for a Miller Lite beer?

Believe!

I wrote last week to continue to believe in the bolts and big things are here to come! This stands true today! The Chargers are going to continue to gain momentum over the next week. The Chargers face the Raiders for Raider Week 2 of 2009. Will the Chargers continue the dominance over the Raiders. The current Chargers vs Raiders streak is at 12 consecutive games.

We all know the last one was a nail biter! I know because I was there, and narrowly missed an ass kicking!

But let's get back to the purpose of this post. BELIEVE! For all those nay sayers out there, I'm glad us die hard fans have had a chance to weed you out! No matter the Chargers record, I will blindly follow, love, root and cheer for my BOLTS!

Chargers are now 3-3 and moving in the right direction with Raider week next week. Who do the Broncos take on next week you ask? The Ravens coming off a bye week. Here is a big test on the road.


BELIEVE!!!

Momentum

Ya, I know the Chiefs are terrible but, you got to start somewhere. And why not pick on the Chiefs?!?!

Let's take a look into what the Chargers did good today:
1. Down Field passing. This has been the most consistent part of the Chargers game this season. VJ leading the pack

2. Special teams looked solid. Bolts even blocked a punt and picked it up in the endzone. (And by that I mean, Jacob Hester blocked a punt and picked it up in the endzone)

3. Running the ball. LT had his longest run of the year today. That was followed by red zone issues inside the 5.

4. Run Defense. The D Line and LB's looked to actually push a team around. Haven't seen that in a while.

5. Can I really be writing PASS RUSH?!?! Yes I am, 4 sacks, granted two were by the secondary, but two were added by Shaun Phillips himself!

6. Pass D. Basically had a solid game, no big plays.

All around, the Chargers beat the Chiefs pretty bad, in all phases of the game, which makes 4 straight against the team from KC! Look for them to continue this in their next game against the Raiders.

Season prediction (12-4 or 11-5):
@Chiefs W
Raiders W
@Giants L
Eagles W
@Broncos W
Chiefs W
@Browns W
@Cowboys W/L
Bengals W
@Titans W
Redskins W

PS How Sweet did those uni's look?!?! All white!

Believe in the Bolts

"Believe in the Bolts," a phrase coined in the '94-'95 super bowl season. As bad as they have looked at times, we did show improvement, in some areas of the game last night.

On D, everything but the pass rush looked better. We slowed the run, newly signed Ian Scott did his best Jamal Williams impression. Secondary did well considering they had to cover receivers for extended periods of time. Rookie Ellison was in on a ton of plays in the second half (he was either being picked on by the Broncos or he was all over the field), either way, making plays!

On O, everything but the pass protection looked good. Rivers got the ball to his receivers when he had time to. LT looked strong (didn't get the ball at the goal line???). I know we have the largest receivers in the league and can get the ball down field, but can we get a slip screen to a receiver for god sakes. Every team in the league runs those plays but us! Running those type of screens draws the safeties up and opens up the down field even more!

Special Teams, cover your kicks!

All in all, we need to improve pass rush, pass protection, kick coverage and PLAY CALLING!

Let's take a look at the Wild Card picture... Out of second place, AFC Divisional teams, the most wins are 3. That puts us 2.5 games out behind... the Steelers and Bengals and 1.5 behind the Ravens, Jets, Texans and Jaguars. NOT OUT OF IT YET...

Now let's look at the remaining schedule:
@Chiefs W
Raiders W
@Giants L
Eagles W
@Broncos W
Chiefs W
@Browns W
@Cowboys W/L
Bengals W
@Titans W
Redskins W

Let's say conservatively we go .500 against NFC East Opponents. And at least the Chargers don't face the Saints, Colts or Vikings! (Brees, Manning or Favre)

Current Record (2-3). Predicted Record (12-4) or (11-5).

It is a daunting task... Can the Chargers do it? Maybe. If they do? We will have quite a streak going into the playoffs!

Say it with me now "BELIVE IN THE BOLTS!"

Immature Reality

I feel as if the majority of the Chargers are immature 20 somethings who don't get it (MOSTLY DEFENSE). They have been given the responsibility of holding each other accountable BUT do not execute!

If I can make a comparison to a household with an immature young adult. Right now the head of the household (Norv) can not get his young adults (Defense) in line! That was never a problem with Marty. We all knew who was in charge and the D was held accountable every play! It's too bad Marty told AJ to go F-himself one too many times!

But that "go F-yourself, it's my way or the high way" is the best way to treat the 20 something, newly made millionaires. But now we have a "yes man" in Norv.

This post is not a blast on Norvs play calling (Which I also think is terrible), it is about his management and coaching style.

The above picture says it all! Would you want to do anything to piss this guy off? Go to Camp Pendalton and get a drill instructor to get these Bolts in line!!!

Ding Ding Ding 100th post!

I found this video today when on YouTube. It's enjoyable. Let's keep positive thoughts and take down the Donkey's this Monday!

Don't Panic... Yet

Chargers Upcoming Games:

Broncos Win
@ Cheifs Win
Raiders Win
@ Giants Loss
Eagles Win
@Broncos Win
Current Record (2-2). Predicted Record After 2 games against Broncos (7-3)


Broncos Upcoming Games

@ Chargers Loss
@ Ravens Loss
Steelers Loss
@ Redskins Win
Chargers Loss
Current Record (5-0). Predicted Record After 2 Games against Chargers (6-4)

My point... don't panic. Yes, we didn't expect the Broncos to be 5-0 at this point. And more or less, I expected the Chargers to be right where they are or, one game better. The Broncos have a difficult schedule coming up and I expect them to be one game behind the Bolts after week 11.

If the bolts do happen to be unsuccessful next Monday versus the Broncos, HIT THE PANIC BUTTON!

No Loss Tomorrow

... but with that, there will be no win... the bye week is amongst us and all eyes will be on the damn Broncos of Denver. You will not hear me say this often, but this week (and this week only) I want the Patriots to win.

Then da bolts will be one game back of the Broncos, playing them the following week! Interesting enough the Broncos/Patriots match up features the Student and the Teacher.

Keys to Victory

This week the bolts matchup with the Dolphins. I'm expecting them to be able to run all over us. That is not easy for me to say, but the bolts just aren't good at stopping the run right now. Hopefully they will prove me wrong.

Here are the "Keys" to victory:

1. The defense must limit the run yardage. Everyone in the league knows the best way to get yardage on the bolts is on the ground. The fins are going to run the ball... lets just try to limit the yardage, in other words I know we can't stop the run, we can only hope to contain it.

2. Just like last weeks number 2 key to victory. Rivers... stay hot, that is all!

3. Turn overs. If the bolts are able to contain the Dolphins run attack, we will need to generate turnovers through the pass rush. Lights Out, Phillips and the pass rush attack need to get after Pennington. If we can rush Pennington, I think our secondary will have a few opportunities. Look for a Cro-ception (patent pending)!

4. Ball control. If we are able to win the time possesion battle, the Chargers will an increased opportunity to win the game. It takes the Dolphins tons of time and plays to score. Limit the time they have the ball, limit their score!

In the words of Jim Rome... "Chargers need to take some advice from Jim Rome... light suckers up, knock out chumps, smoke fools, talk noise about it and beat the Fins!"

Note: These comments are in now way shape or form endorsed by Keyshawn Johnson.

Thank You NFL Network!

Thank you NFL Network for airing the Chargers Dolphins game from 1995. This is the comeback game before the bolts went to Steel-town to beat the Steelers and eventually go to the superbowl! I remember this playoff run like it was yesterday! After Stan "the man" Humpries, Natron Means "business," Junior "Say-Ow," and one of my favorites Stanley "the sherif" Richards take down the Dolphins I remember a young Tyler losing my shirt and running like a mad man through the neighborhood! Besides the win, my favorite part was Don Shula riding around on the Rascal! HAHA Here is what a RASCAL is...

For those of you who don't have NFL network here is a link to the last few minutes of the game! Enjoy!

For a blast from the past here is the '94-'95 roster.

Lowered Expectations

Remember that Mad TV skit called lowered expectations. Well Kevin Acee of the UT is trying to get us to buy into this theory but replace date matching with the Chargers. Here is the UT Article if you want to reference my comments...

I feel it is quite presumptuous of the UT to think they have the power to lower our expectations. And I do expect them to win every game! Or at least have a chance to win every game. They very well had that chance (many times in the redzone) to win that game. A lot of the blame is on the shoulders of Norv and some has to fall on the players for not getting in the endzone. Personally, I blame Norv, bad call at the end of half with 10 seconds left and on the last play of the game. The players got them in position for Norv to make a play call to get them in the zone.

Kevin Acee... I'm not buying what you are selling. I watch each week (just like the bolts step on the field believing) they can win this game.

Week Two is in the Books

The good news is, I found a good bar in SF to go to for the games that are not of National Television. Bad news, we lost. At times we looked REALY good(offensively). At times our defense stepped up!

Norv is going to get a shit storm starting tomorrow and for weeks to come until the Bolts are above .500 again. Rightly so, I must say. What kind of call was the 4-2 run to Sproles. A similar call worked against Oakland last Monday. Imagine if that was a PLAY ACTION PASS!?!? Would have been a TD for sure, right?

I know Norv is going to man up and take the blame for the loss, as he should. As of now, I'm not worried. THE BOLTS WILL BE BACK! Good news... 14 games to go and one game out of first!

Keys to Victory

In the words of Jim Rome... "Chargers need to take some advice from Jim Rome... light suckers up, knock out chumps, smoke fools, talk noise about it and beat the ravens!"

This weeks "Keys" to victory are simple:

1. Without Jamal Williams, STOP THE RUN. Even though Joe Flacco beat the Cheifs last week because they were forced to pass, the best way to win is to make Joe Flacco beat you. MAKE FLACCO BEAT YOU...

2. Rivers... Stay hot, that is all!

3. Chargers need Sproles to keep his head on his shoulders. The Ravens hit hard, can Sproles make his moves and move right around them? That is offensively and in the special teams game too.

4. If the bolts can stop the run, I believe we will get a better pass rush today and take down Flacco. That said, field position will be big!

Note: These comments are in now way shape or form endorsed by Keyshawn Johnson.

Bolts on TV

Charger fans! The game will be on TV in SD! ENJOY!

Best Charger Bar in San Francisco?

To all my loyal readers... After pulling out a close one against Oakland, I am finding myself looking for a bar on Sunday to watch the game at. Are there any charger bars in San Francisco. If no body knows of a charger bar in san francisco, why don't we make a specific bar in san francisco our charger game day bar in san francisco? Ideally this charger bar will have the bar stool shown above!

Any suggestions? Last season I went to the Bus Stop on Union St often. But it gets so damn crowded there, but on the other hand, the Bus Stop is the sister bar to THE BEACH COMBER!!!! Either way I'm open to suggestions, so leave a comment and let me know what you guys think?!?!

Chargers Vs Raiders 2009

Duh duh duh DDUUUUUHHHH! Badom badom! If you can't read that, click here!

Game day baby! GO BOLTS! I don't think the Raiders stand a chance! But I will be at the game for a sideline report! (By sideline, I of course mean upper deck/Mt Davis Report)

Thunder and lightening will light up the sky!!!

WOW! Loudest thunder I have ever heard in the Bay Area. Literally thunder and lightening, not a figurative making a metaphor for the Chargers. But I think it is a great metaphor for the Chargers coming to town!!!!

And they rode in like lightening!

Whaaa?!?!

As all Charger fans know by now, Shawne Merriman has been accused of a few felonies! Not good, not good at all!

Shawne did issue this statement: "On September 6, 2009 the San Diego Sheriffs Department responded to a citizens complaint that was initiated by Tila Nguyen (aka Tila Tequila). I was taken into custody based upon that complaint. At the time, I was concerned about her welfare given the intoxicated state she appeared to be in and I encouraged her to stay until safe transportation could be provided. We would all do our best to help a friend if we considered their actions to be detrimental to their personal safety. I in no way caused any harm to Ms Nguyen, however, paramedics were called and she was examined but no injuries were reported. She was released and has since returned to Los Angeles, California. There have been no charges filed against me. I want to thank the San Diego Sheriffs Department for their professionalism. I will continue to cooperate fully with the Department and I look forward to clearing my name regarding these false allegations. I want to put this behind me so I can continue to focus on a successful season for the San Diego Chargers."

The facts from this statement appear to clear his name. First, paramedics found no injuries. What I do want to know, Tila's blood alcohol level? This could be the missing piece to the puzzle. Second, Shawne cooperated with the police. That's all I got though.

This all said, Shawne did something that upset her in one way or another. I do believe Shawne will be cleared of all accusations simply by the inconsistencies in the story.

I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt as of now. Innocent till proven guilty right?

GO BOLTS!

Best Fantasy Football Team Names

Before the fantasy baseball season I wrote an article about the best fantasy baseball team names. I feel obligated to create a Best Fantasy Football Team Names article. So here we go:

10. Green Bowl Packers
9. 12 Packers
8. Vick-Tory!
7. Pacman's Posse
6. Matt Jones' Drug Dealer
5. Turd Furgeson
4. The NFL Billy Beane
3. Play Off Beards
2. I. P. Excellence
1. 2 Mannings 1 Cup

Please leave suggestions if you have any better...

ENJOY

All Time Padres: Pitching Staff

This edition is going to highlight 5 man pitching rotation.

1. Jake Peavy
2. Kevin Brown
3. Andy Benes
4. Randy Jones
5. Ed Whitson/Eric Show (Share spot starts because of their awesome mustaches!)

All Time Padres Recap:
All Time Padres RF: Tony Gwynn
All Time Padres CF: Steve Finley
All Time Padres LF: Ted Williams
All Time Padres 3B: Ken Caminiti
All Time Padres SS: Gary Templeton
All Time Padres 2B: Bip Roberts
All Time Padres 1B: Adrian Gonzalez
All Time Padres C: Benny Santiago

All Time Padres: C

I grew up playing baseball my whole life. That said, catcher is a position that is close to my heart. For the all time padres catcher I am going to chose someone I grew up emulating. And by that I mean, I was trying to throw out runners from my knees!

Benny Santiago is my All Time Padres Catcher. I mean really, how cool was it throwing from your knees!?!? One thing I wasn't a fan of... his swipe tag at the plate. He is a catcher... block the plate with you body!

All Time Padres Recap:
All Time Padres RF: Tony Gwynn
All Time Padres CF: Steve Finley
All Time Padres LF: Ted Williams
All Time Padres 3B: Ken Caminiti
All Time Padres SS: Gary Templeton
All Time Padres 2B: Bip Roberts
All Time Padres 1B: Adrian Gonzalez

Game Day!!!

I know it's only pre season but today is a game day! Regular season is getting ever so close and I can wait! GO BOLTS!

All Time Padres: 1B

I'm the type of guy who is looking into the future and I believe Adrian Gonzales is that man. If I were building the All Time Padres Team, I need me some Adrian playing 1B. In the past 3 seasons he has hit 30 HR's or more and is on pace for his third 100 RBI season. This is all happening on a BAD Padres team.

I know there are a few honorable mentions that I must honor. Nate Colbert. The bald Wally Joiner. And the Crime Dog Fred McGriff! Sorry boys, you can't compete when I'm a homer and my man Adrian grew up in SD.

All Time Padres Recap:
All Time Padres RF: Tony Gwynn
All Time Padres CF: Steve Finley
All Time Padres LF: Ted Williams
All Time Padres 3B: Ken Caminiti
All Time Padres SS: Gary Templeton
All Time Padres 2B: Bip Roberts

Back in Business

Sorry about the hiatus! The football season is just about to start and were going to pick back up where we left off. Were in the middle of the All-Time Padres Team and will continue that!

HAHA!

Not sure how many of you have seen this very funny video, but here it is. Sorry the subtitles are so small...but take some time to watch!

All-Time Padres: 2B

Some names that need to be mentioned in this post: Roberto Alomar, he broke into the league as a Padre and made his first All Star team as a Padre. Tim Flannery, he spent the entirety of his career (as a player) in San Diego. His stats are nothing to write home about...but Flan is a great club house guy...that alone might earn him a spot on the All-Padres Team.

But in all seriousness, the second base position comes down to two Padres, Bip Roberts and Quilvio Veras. Bip played with the Pads longer than Q. Bip also had superior offensive stats. On the other hand Q was part of the team that took the Padres to the World Series. Q was in the leadoff spot for the majority of the season.

I'm going to have to go with Bip. Statistically Bip out performed Q and I have seen Bip do a sideline report. He would be great for the club house. He is also a very versatile player, in case of injury he could fill in at almost any position. The alternate would have to be Tim Flannery because he would be a great clubhouse guy!

All Time Padres Recap:
All Time Padres RF: Tony Gwynn
All Time Padres CF: Steve Finley
All Time Padres LF: Ted Williams
All Time Padres 3B: Ken Caminiti
All Time Padres SS: Gary Templeton
All Time Padres 2B: Bip Roberts

All-Time Padres: SS

All time Padres shortstop really comes down to two guys: The Wizard and Jumpsteady (Ozzie Smith and Garry Templeton, respectively). This debate is a surprisingly underwhelming statistical analysis - both were pretty terrible hitters as Friars.

The Padres traded Ozzie Smith for Garry Templeton in 1981 after Templeton had a Milton Bradley-esque (circa LA Dodgers Milton) moment, flipping off the fans in St. Louis. The trade worked out better for the Cardinals than it did for the Padres, but Templeton did wind up being the Padres all-time leader in games played at shortstop. Prior to the trade, Templeton had won another Silver Slugger award and made 2 All-Star appearences in 6 years with the Cardinals. The Wizard of Oz merely went on to win 11 Gold Gloves and make 11 All-Star teams in a row (and 3 more All-Star teams after that) with the Cardinals. Nice move, Padres.

As a Padre, Ozzie Smith hit an abyssmal .231 with only 1 home run, although he did steal 147 bases in his 4 years with the club. Smith was the runner-up NL Rookie of the Year in 1978 (probably would have won it if he had hit a damn thing), won Gold Gloves in both '80 and '81, and made the All-Star team in '81.

Templeton fared a little better at the plate, hitting .252 with 427 RBIs over 10 years. He won the Silver Slugger award in 1984, and was an All-Star in 1985. Templeton is by far the longest-tenured Padres shortstop, playing 1224 games at the 6 spot - 543 games more than the runner up, and 642 more than Ozzie.

I've got to go with Garry Templeton here. Both had above-average-but-less-than-stellar careers as Padres, but I've got to give the nod to the guy who played here for a decade. I would have gone with Smith, but amazingly, it is IMPOSSIBLE to find good highlights of Smith's barehanded play as a Padre. All I found were a bunch of lame tribute videos posted by sycophantic Cardinals fans. What kind of fan base wears all red because they're told to? It's not charming or particularly advantageous. Cardinals fans are almost on par with Cubs fans, BoSox fans, and, yes, even the most-hated Giants fans. Just giving a friendly heads-up. There's still time for them to salvage some dignity.

Also, fun little side note that had no bearing on the outcome of this posting: I worked with Garry Templeton's son, Garry Templeton, Jr. for a while.

All Time Padres Recap:
All Time Padres RF: Tony Gwynn
All Time Padres CF: Steve Finley
All Time Padres LF: Ted Williams
All Time Padres 3B: Ken Caminiti
All Time Padres SS: Gary Templeton

Bolts to the Bowl

Launch Party
I know it's probably a bit early to start talking Super Bowl. It's probably a bit early to be talking Chargers in reality...But I am officially launching my "Bolts to the Bowl" campaign! We all know this year HAS to be the year. The core of the team is healthy. We look great on paper. We have the experience, both regular season and playoff. Our coaches have been here long enough to have no excuses.

All Time Padres: 3B

This is a unanimous decision. Mr Ken Caminiti is by far the best 3B in the history of the Padres. He beats the likes of Sean Bouroughs and even Gary Sheffield. We all know he won the NL MVP in '96 and was on the team which won the Western Division for the first time since '84.

I would like to share a little known story about Ken. In '96 the Pads were playing the Mets in Mexico City, Ken, dehydrated and sick had a reputation of playing through pain and it didn't stop him from playing in this game. He took two liters of IV solution to rehydrate and two "snickers" bars and got back into the game. He hit two homers en route to a 8-0 win over the Mets and this win put them in a tie with the Dodgers for first in the West. I have a suspicion that the "snickers" had a bit of steroids lodged in them. I call them "Snickeroids".

Another memory, he made a diving play on the third base line and thew the batter out from his backside!

Pictures of Ken Caminiti:

Ken Caminiti '98 Championship
Caminiti Swing
Colleague
Nice Dive at the Q

All Time Padres Recap:
All Time Padres RF: Tony Gwynn
All Time Padres CF: Steve Finley
All Time Padres LF: Ted Williams
All Time Padres 3B: Ken Caminiti

Lil Mac

Mac Attack is Back! I don't own a Wii but this commercial is forcing me to get one. Talk about an awesome commercial...Glass Joe is back along with all the other favorites.

10-0

Perfection! This has been a great start to fantasy baseball season for me...A perfect 10-0 in my two leagues! I'm not only showing this to brag (my counterpart Tommy is #2 in my division in the CBS league...Blackout Wednesday) but I'm also showing this to build my credibility...

In the words of the great Ron Burgondy...when it comes to baseball, I'm kinda a big deal

Say it Aint So

And no I'm not talking about Manny and how baseball is full of cheaters/roiders/liars. I'm talking about Lorenzo Neal signing with the Raiders!

Say It Aint So! I'm not worried he will lead the Raiders to victory. I guess you can say I'm disappointed. Lorenzo was a "Raider Hater" in San Diego. But I guess we all need a paycheck...right Lorenzo? I'm going to cut you some slack and say it is only for a paycheck.

Chargers have an 11 game winning streak against the Raiders...There is no reason it wont continue....GO BOLTS make it 13 in '09!
PS...How awesome is that pic of Neal smashing Morrison!

Mannywood: Population 0

I have to say...I am extremely happy to not be a Dodgers fan! To start, the "Baseball Boogie"?!?!? They missed the mark on this one. I know the "Super Bowl Shuffle" had great reviews, as it should. But at least it sounded like Grand Master Flash.

At any rate...we all know about Manny! Going to miss 50 games because he took a banned substance. He says he got it from his personal doctor and didn't know it was banned. I want to say, this excuse has been used and I wont accept it as an excuse anymore. I will also no long accept the excuse of a "tainted sample". But how hard is it to get your agent, doctor or YOURSELF to call MLB and ask if it's OK to take it.

But, Dodger fans, all I can say is, you had to expect Manny to do something out of this world this season.

Out of Town Fans

I couldn't help but to notice a large portion of the readers of this blog are reading from out of San Diego. I'll let you in on a secret...I'm writing from out of town! I don't want to sound like an MLB.com spokesman for their streaming video, mainly because spokesman GET PAID and I'm not. But I got to tell you...this is a sweet product.

This is my first season out of SD in a while and if you are like me and need to watch the Padres, or any team for that matter, this is by far the best way. And look at the picture, it's always that clear! Last night T Gwynn was in the announcers booth doing the game and I got to listen to All-Time Padre call the game!

And if you are interested here is more information about MLB.tv

All-Time Padres: LF

I'm going to take this one in a little bit of (perhaps) an unexpected direction - Ted Williams. Teddy Ballgame played left field for the Padres from 1937-1938 when they were a part of the Pacific Coast League. The Red Sox bought him from the Friars before spring training 1938, so he really only had one post-high school season in San Diego.

Williams played reasonably well with the Padres before heading off to Boston, posting a line of .271 BA, 23 HR, and 98 RBIs. While this clearly doesn't constitute an exceptional stint in a Padres uniform, we make an exception for the Splendid Splinter.

Williams was arguably the greatest hitter to play the game (and missed 3 years from 1943-45 when he was 24-26 YEARS OLD to serve as a pilot in the Marine Corps in WWII!!!). Lifetime line: .344 BA, 521 HR, 1839 RBIs and never struck out more than 64 times in a season (his rookie season, no less). Between his status as one of the 10 best players to ever put on a uniform and a US Marine (a fantastic connection to the city of San Diego), there's no way to leave Williams out. Read all about Williams' experience with the Padres here: http://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/95winter/williams.htm.

Left field is another thin position in Padres history, making this pick even more justifiable. As a big league club, the only notable left fielders were Greg Vaughn and Rickey Henderson - both quality players (particularly Rickey, who can easily be argued as the greatest leadoff hitter of all time), but neither had extraordinary careers as Padres.

All Time Padres: LF

Teddy "Ball Game" Williams wins the All Time Padres Team for right field on a technicality/loop hole Tommy and I think is fine to exploit. The best of the rest leaves us to look at the careers of Greg Vaughn and Ricky Henderson. Vaughn hit 50 HRs one season with the Padres but I have to go with Rickey.

Rickey once hit a HR and on that HR he broke the MLB record for runs scored. Rickey then rounding third with no play at the plate, slid into home plate for his record breaking run. For more Funny Rickey Henderson stories click here Some of my favorites, #4-#10, #16 and #21. Heck, I love 'em all. Please take some time to click the link and read these awesomely funny stories!

All Time Padres Recap:
All Time Padres RF: Tony Gwynn
All Time Padres CF: Steve Finley
All Time Padres LF: Ted Williams

9th Inning Tease

Local Celebrity at the Padres game last night. And that is all the highlights...a fan in the crowd, Phillip Rivers. GO BOLTS!

Jakkkkkkkkkkkke did have 12 K's. D-backs commit 4 errors and the Padres capitalize by scoring 0! What a tease though...bases loaded in the 9th, 0 outs and the Pads get 1 run on a double play...

They won last night, if they won tonight, that would make it two in a row. If they win tomorrow it would have been 3 in a row. It's called a winning streak, it has been done before...

Chargers Mini Camp Pics

This is a pic of the Chargers 2009 Draft Class. Visit this link for a complete mini camp pictoral. Go Bolts!

All Time Padres: CF

Center field may be the least competitive of all positions in Pads' history. Steve Finley is the obvious choice - which is sad, considering Finley played only 4 seasons with the Friars (although as T-Bone has pointed out in conversations, Tony Gwynn played a few games in center, so the dearth of talent may make this a reasonable argument).

The majority of the other center fielders in Padres history is a collection of "who's that f---ing guy?" guys. The only notable exceptions being Mike Cameron, Mark Kotsay, Dave Roberts, and, yes, Ruben Rivera. Just kidding. Rivera sucked.

Cameron won hisself a Gold Glove as the Friars' center fielder, so is the most accomplished as a Padre. Problem is, he only played 2 seasons. Kotsay was fun to watch and always seemed to have a lot of outfield assists, but only played 3 seasons and never did anything of note. Roberts is really only famous for having saved the Red Sox' season in 2004, but he was a fun catalyst for the Padres for a season.

I've got nothing. This is easily the weakest position in Padres history. Why did we not trade for Griffey when the Reds were shopping him around? At least then we would have had a guy going into the Hall. This article doesn't even warrant a picture.

All-Time Padres Recap:
RF: Tony Gwynn
CF: Steve Finley

All-Time Padres Team: CF

Steve Finley took us to the World Series. Need I say more?

Well he had an 18 year career with many teams where he compiled over 2,500 hits and 304 HR's. The matter here is Finley was excellent in the clutch! I can remember his game winning shots...a rocket in the gap or home run, and the two arms go straight up in celebration!

Now lets talk about his glove. Best defensive CF the Padres ever had. And this is back in the Qualcomm days (The Murph) when there were flimsy, padded outfield fences with palm trees behind them. Finley mastered the art of running full speed into that thing and snagging an extra base hit or HR away. Finley makes the All-Time Padres Team with his clutch hitting and his glove in the outfield.

All-Time Padres Recap:
RF: Tony Gwynn
CF: Steve Finley

It's A Walk Off...

Yet another dominating pitching performance from the Padres pitching staff. Almost spoiled by a lack of run support. Heath was fired up and dominant. Even Geer was impressive.

But you want to know what surprised me the most? Brian goaddamn Giles! Where does he have the balls to finally hit a ball in the gap? Don't get me wrong, I love it. But man, Giles has been looking like broken down 38 year old he is. But the Padres have got one win under their belts this week and now play Arizona. This week is a mini test to see if they can bounce back from the domination of the Dodgers. Peavy is scheduled for tonight...expect another low scoring affair.

All-Time Padres Team: RF

So, this one isn't much of a debate. Clearly T-Gwynn wins this one in a landslide, but for the sake of argument (and because he was the Padres' first Hall of Famer), I'm going to say Dave Winfield ought to be the choice here.

Dave Winfield clocked 882 games in right field (1117 games as a Padre total - 3rd all time) for the Padres from 1973-1980. He hit .284 (10th all time), slugged .464 (7th all time), .821 OPS (9th all time), scored 599 runs (2nd all time), 1134 hits (3rd all time), 179 doubles (4th all time), 39 triples (3rd all time), 154 home runs (3rd all time), 626 RBI's (2nd all time), 463 walks (4th all time), and stole 133 bases (4th all time). He ranks in the top 10 in virtually all hitting categories as a Padre - and did it in only 8 seasons.

While with the Padres, Winfield won 2 Gold Gloves, was a 4-time All-Star, and was twice in the top 10 in MVP voting (10th and 3rd).

Tony Gwynn is the only Padre Winfield is consistently behind in any of these categories, and much of that can be attributed to Gwynn's 20 years with the club.

Winfield's career numbers are significantly higher than Gwynn's in many categories (notably HR's and RBI's).

All that said, Gwynn is still The Man. Sorry, Dave.

All-Time Padre Team: RF

Tony Gwynn
I get the distinct honor and privilege of writing about "Mr. Padre" himself. T. Gwynn was the reason I became a Padres fan. T Gwynn is the reason I why my life long dedication for the Padres persists. In a time when Mark McGwire goes from the A's to the Cardinals and Wade Boggs goes between AL East Division rivals Yankees and Red Soxs and finishes his career in Tampa, T Gwynn played for only one team.

Do we need to review his career statistics as a Padre?
Career Batting Average: .338
Career Hits: 3141
Allstar Games: 15
Gold Gloves: 5
Silver Sluggers: 7

"The Batman", "Mr. Padre", "T Gwynn". He discovered/created the 5.5 hole. He made his living with his consistency at the plate. Quite possibly can be called the best at his craft of all time, as mentioned in Sports Illustrated.

Enjoy these pictures:
Young T. Gwynn
Batman Tony
BBall Tony
Mr. Padre
Wheaties Gwynn