LT No Longer A Bolt, Will Always Be A Bolt

My two favorite LT moments are these:

1. Sunday, October 20, 2002, Chargers at Raiders: I am in my third year of law school in D.C. and spend a good number of my Sundays at the ESPN Zone on 12th St. downtown. It is a pretty low time in my sports fandom as I have to concentrate on school, and neither the Padres or Chargers have been competitive for a long while (not since '96 for the Bolts). I'm aware that LT is a good young running back - possibly a great young running back - but haven't seen enough evidence to know for certain he is The Man. Then I watch this game against the Raiders in October 2002.

LT ran 39 times for 153 yards, leading the Bolts to a 27-21 OT victory over the eventual Super Bowl runners-up. What I'll never forget though is when LT broke through the line in OT and scampered 19 yards for the game-winnning TD. An incredibly powerful and fast run that no man should have been capable of on his 39th carry of the game. Just an astounding performance. That was the high point of that particular Chargers season, and one of the most fun games I've ever watched. Thanks, LT.

2. Sunday, December 10, 2006, Broncos at Chargers: The day LT set the single-season touchdown record. For my 30th birthday my wife bought us tickets to a Chargers game. We'd had the tickets for weeks and booked a cross-country flight to spend the weekend in the Diego (where better?). I knew the Chargers were good when we planned the trip, but didn't know they were on their way to their best season in team history. Likewise, I knew LT was the best RB in the league, but I didn't know he was on his way to an MVP season.

Well, this game was the absolute coronation of both that great Bolts season, and LT's season of the ages. The Broncos were a competitive team but the Bolts exploded to a 28-3 halftime lead, including a 1-yard LT touchdown run. That put LT two TDs away from breaking the record. The Broncos pulled to 28-20 in the third quarter, but then the Chargers went into pulverize mode, and scored 20 unanswered points in the 4th quarter, including two LT touchdown runs, the latter of which - the record breaker - you see above. I saw that moment live and will never forget it. Thanks, LT.

There are many more great LT moments, and I'll chronicle a few more here in the coming weeks. Until then, all I can say is what I've already said:

Thanks, LT.

A Padres Game I Attended: D'Backs at Padres, April 29, 2005

You know those games where you have a feeling how its going to play out? Where your instincts give you a sense of what will happen? Almost like a Spidey-sense letting you see things happen before they do, in fact, happen?

This game in April '05 was one of those games.

I was in L.A. for work during the day and, instead of staying in L.A. for the night or flying on the redeye back to New York, I decided to drive down to the Diego for the ballgame.

Good thing I did. First of all, it was a Peavy v. B. Webb ballgame and the Peav did not disappoint. He threw 8 innings, K'd 7 and left the game with a 4-3 lead. It's kind of sad to think there won't be any more games from Peavy like that - at least not in a Padres uniform - and I'm grateful for every chance I got to see him throw as a Friar.

And second, there was a feeling, at least in my mind, that the Padres just weren't going to lose. Even when Tony Clark lined a game-tying double down the first base line off Trevor with two outs in the ninth - a moment I could also feel was coming - I knew the Padres would win. And as inning after inning went by, I remained optimistic; an optimism that was rewarded when Phil Nevin singled home Xavier Nady with the running run in the bottom of the 15th.

By that point of the game I was one of maybe 5,000 fans still left in the ballpark and was sitting about five rows back behind the Padres dugout.

So choice.

A Padres Game I Attended: Mets at Padres, April 22, 2006

This game didn't go too well.

It was a chilly Saturday night in the Diego. My Dad and I had choice seats along the third base line. I drank quite a few beers and remember saying over and over again on our way out of the stadium, "Three hits? All we got was three hits?"

I'm sure that didn't annoy anyone.

In fact, I don't even remember Xavier Nady's home run. That probably upset me at the time. Why? Because he was on the Mets. The only Padres run was a second inning bomb by Mike Piazza off Pedro Martinez.

When I tell my grandkids I saw Mike Piazza hit a home run off Pedro Martinez, I'm going to tell them it happened in 2000, not 2006.

Worst Home Loss For Illini Since 1976, i.e. Since Before I Was Born

I was going to lead this post with the statement that Sunday's 72-53 loss to Ohio St. was the worst Illini home loss of the Bruce Weber era. That is, until I read Mark Tupper's blog post last night and realized it was not just the worst home loss of the Weber era, but the worst Illini home loss since January 1976.

Holy Lou Henson!

That's not a good way to start the stretch run of the Big Ten schedule.

I came away with a couple competing thoughts from the game. On the one hand, after watching Ohio St.'s performance against the Illini, I'd venture that they are a national title contender. They have an extremely talented starting five and, with the possible exception of a matchup against John Wall and Kentucky, will have the best player on the court no matter who they play (that would be Evan Turner for those lucky enough not to have watched Sunday's game). If David Lighty and Jon Diebler are hitting shots and making dagger plays like they did Sunday, and it is conceivable they could go on a run of 4 or 5 or 6 games playing as well as they did Sunday, and Dallas Lauderdale continues to man up in the post and snag rebounds and putbacks, I'd put this Ohio St. squad up against anyone.

On the other hand, Illinois played Sunday's game like my Grandma's rec league team (note: my Grandma doesn't even have a rec league team). I'm pretty sure I, like Jon Diebler, would have hit 6 of 11 threes against that threadbare Illini perimeter defense. Not to mention that not one Illini could make a shot on the offensive end. Demetri, D.J. Richardson and Chris Paul made it look like Thad Matta invented the 1-3-1 defense minutes before the game. News flash: there's a reason not many teams play a 1-3-1 zone ... and that reason is it has wholesale weaknesses against strong guards who can push the ball up the court, swing it around the perimeter and either find a big man on the weak side post or hit an open shot resulting from a late-rotating defender.

But I'll give credit to Matta and the Ohio St. players. They took advantage of the freshmen Illini guards and schooled them.

My only hope is that Ohio St. used up its juice in this more or less meaningless game and now the Illini can learn from the loss and bring the fury in their next meeting.

McCamey v. Turner: Cage Match

Oh man, that was a choice win over Wisconsin last Tuesday. Bo Ryan's squad had never lost a home game to an unranked team during his tenure. Not only that, he's now only lost 6 home games to Big Ten teams in 10 years - 3 of those losses have been to the Illini.

Our boy Demetri was once again a huge part of the Illini victory. He was 11-17 from the field for 27 points, including 3 of 4 from beyond the arc. He added 7 assists because, at bottom, he is a generous guy.

Today will be an equally dangerous test for the Illini. McCamey will lead the Illini against his old high school cohort, and current National Player of the Year Candidate, Evan Turner.

No doubt Evan Turner is strong with the force, but McCamey has been an absolue Jedi lately.

Tip-off in Champaign in about 5 minutes.

It's Getting A Little Foutsy In Here

Yesterday, my advisor Tatt Mareeco forwarded around an article by Jason Whitlock with the note, "Obviously Bevormo won't like this."

I read the article - which was Whitlock's ranking of, in his view, the 10 greatest QBs of all-time - and noted immediately that the Great One, Dan Fouts, was not on the list.

Obviously I couldn't let this go without a fight. Fouts needed a champion.

A little research was in order.

Taking a look a Pro-Football Reference.com, I found that Fouts ranks right around the 10 spot among QBs in a number of major statistical categories. To wit:

career passes completed - 10th
career pass attempts - 10th
career passing yards - 9th
career passing TDs - 12th
career passer rating - 54th (F this stupid stat, though Phil Rivers is currently #3 all time)
career passing yards/game - 8th (a few guys ahead of him are still active so in theory he could gain here)
career pass completion % - 47th (whatever, he was a gunslinger in different era)
career passes intercepted - 12th
career sacked - 26th (quick release! quick release!)

Without doing an in-depth comparison, and factoring in his tendency for dagger playoff picks, I'd say Fouts is right in the 6-12 range all-time, depending on how you adjust for differences between the eras, playoff success, etc.

Of course, of the QBs never to reach a Super Bowl, he's most definitely #1 (sorry Warren Moon fans), which makes everything in life suck just a little bit more.

Looking Ahead To Peoria, AZ (aka Spring Training)

Spring Training approaches, folks, and in anticipation of that glorious time of the year, I recently posted a comment over at Ducksnorts asking Geoff Young, the renowned Padre blogger, what he plans to focus on when the Padres take the field in Arizona next month.

Geoff decided to use the comment as the basis for his post today at Ducksnorts.

It should come as no surprise that Geoff highlights several of the most intriguing issues facing the Padres as they prepare for the season. In addition to Geoff's points, I'd just add the following notes:

1. CY watch. While I am optimistic that the Padres as a whole can exceed expectations this season (85 wins and in the Wild Card conversation as late as mid-September if things break right), I am not overly optimistic as to Chris Young's chances to pitch an injury-free, ace-like season. He's just burned me too many times. I'll be rooting for him, but I'll also be keeping a wary eye open to any more shoulder and back problems that could further impede a return of the old CY.

2. Blanks and Headley. A key part of my optimistic projection for the Padres is that Blanks and Headley mash and, along with Adrian, form an actual, real live, scary heart-of-the-order for the Padres. I'm not sure that's possible - a Padres lineup that actually scares people - but if there is any chance of it happening then Blanks and Headley must perform like the #1 prospects they used to be.

3. Query the Padres bullpen? I have high hopes for these guys - Heath, Mike Adams, Luke Gregerson, Ed Mujica, Joe Thatcher - so high, in fact, that I think they have the potential to be the best in baseball. But other than Heath, there is not a long record of consistency and injury-free baseball from this group. In Arizona, I'll be watching for indications that these guys are for real, and that they won't regress or spend a lot of time this season twiddling their thumbs on the DL.

So that's that. Thanks to Geoff for using my question for the basis of a post, and let's get this season underway.

Paging Jack Ingram

Anytime the Illini travel to the Kohl Center to take on the Badgers, I am reminded of Jack Ingram's clutch performance on January 25, 2005.

Sconnie had won 38 straight at the Kohl Center when the 19-0 Illini rolled into town. The Badgers were ranked #10 in the country with a roster of the likes of Ray Nixon, Sharif Chambliss, Alando Tucker and Kammron Taylor. They even led midway through the second half.

Enter Jack Ingram who drained two clutch threes (one with 8:19 to go, the other 4o seconds later) to give the Illini the lead for good. Jimmy Augustine, Luther Head and the boys would lead the way in finishing off the Badgers improving the Illini to 20-0 on the season.

Tonight's game may even have higher stakes. After Saturday night's huge win over Michigan St., the Illini need at least one more impressive victory to cement their tourney status. While they have a few more shots to pick up that win (Wisconsin at home, Ohio St. twice and at Purdue), a win tonight would be some kind of nice.

Let's get it dun, Illini.

Congratulations, Pierre Thomas ... Former Illini Beast

Well played, Pierre.

Coryell Was Robbed

Don Coryell did not make the NFL Hall of Fame last Saturday.

In his place were voted in the likes of Russ Grimm, John Randle and Rickey Jackson.

Rickey Jackson? An above-average linebacker gets in over a coach who revolutionized the game of football and whose offensive innovations are the most widely-copied schemes in the current NFL?

Dubious.

Nothing against Rickey - who was like Shawne Merriman before Merriman got hurt - but this strikes me as a pick that piggybacked the fact the Saints made the Super Bowl. New Orleans was on everyone's mind and so they voted in an old-school Saint.

If the Bolts had made the Super Bowl, I bet Coryell makes it and Rickey is on the outside looking in.

A Photo To Think On

Oh well.

S-S-S-Signing Day!

Today is signing day in the world of college football.

The Zooker's class isn't as heralded as in years past - at last look on Scout.com I counted only 1 four-star recruit, 6 three-star recruits and the rest 2 and 1 star guys - but there are some hidden gems.

Chandler Whitmer, for instance, is a Drew Brees-clone who will compete for the starting QB job with Jacob Charest and Nathan Scheelhaase.

Another interesting character is Trulon Henry, Arrelious Benn's 25-year old, ex-felon, half-brother. He's a safety and no doubt adept at keeping guys from going deep on him.

Some offensive line help will come from big kids Shawn Afryl and Alex Hill. Hill, a Louisiana kid, was originally committed to Duke but changed his mind once the Zooker gave him some love.

Finally, Earnest Thomas, a three-star safety out of Orchard Lake, MI, has some speed and looks to be a big hitter. He may get some immediate playing time in Vic Koenning's new D.

Get r dun, Zook!

Drew Brees And The Chargers

It's no secret that I'm a Chargers fan first and a fan of any individual player a distant second. Philip Rivers is my current favorite Charger, but if he was released tomorrow I'd root like hell for whatever QB A.J. and Norv decide should wear the lightning bolt next season.

And that's not never gonna change as long as the Chargers play in San Diego.

The question could be asked, I suppose, which quarterback I'd prefer played for the Chargers. Or, to put it in specifics, would I rather it be Drew Brees or Philip Rivers quarterbacking the Bolts?

Though its not a reflection on either player, I go with Philip 100% of the time.

Drew Brees has developed into a great quarterback, but I don't wish that he was still a Charger. Brees had every opportunity to succeed in San Diego and started to fulfill his promise only after two subpar seasons that did little to convince the San Diego brass that he could develop into a top-tier QB.

For a refresher, here's the timeline of events:

April 2001: Brees drafted in second round;

2001 season: as rookie, Brees rides pine behind Doug Flutie and sees his first career action in week 8, nearly leading the Bolts to a comeback win over the Chefs, but then never sees the field the rest of the season as the Bolts go from 5-2 to finish 5-11 ... Mike Riley is then fired;

2002 season: Brees installed as starter under new coach Marty Schottenheimer ... team storms to a 6-1 start and is sitting at 8-4 after a December 1 overtime win over the Broncos ... team loses its final 4 games to finish 8-8 and miss the playoffs ... those losses include a blowout loss to the eventual Super Bowl runner-up Raiders (Drew played poorly) and a dagger loss to the Chiefs (Drew played well);

2003 season: a bad bad season on all Bolt fronts (except LT, of course, see this game, and this, and this) ... a tough early season schedule mires the Bolts at 0-4 and they never recover, finishing a dismal 4-12, with Brees completing only 57.6 percent of his passes and throwing 15 picks to only 11 touchdowns;

2003-04 offseason: faced with Brees' poor 2003 season, the Chargers trade for Philip Rivers ... Drew Brees begins ridiculous off-season training regimen (one wonders why he had not undergone such a regimen in previous off-seasons);

2004 season: after a Rivers holdout, Brees earns the starting job ... after a few dicey early season performances that result in losses to the Jets and Broncos, Brees starts to roll and the Bolts finish 12-4, with Drew completing 65.5% of his passes for 20 TDs to only 7 picks ... Brees also performs well in the dagger playoff loss to the Jets, going 23-33 for 279 yards and 2 TDs;

2005 season: an up and down season with outstanding highs and dagger lows that ends with Brees' shoulder getting crumpled in the finale against Denver, a game in which Drew probably should not have even played ... Brees last walks off the field as a Charger with his throwing arm lifted awkardly over his head;

2005-06 offseason: faced with uncertainty over Brees' throwing shoulder, and a ton of caysh already committed to Philip Rivers, the Bolts offer Drew an incentive-laden contract with little guaranteed money ... Drew signs for more cash with the Saints.

So that's pretty much it. Drew Brees was a Charger, and now he is not. The Chargers made a tough decision under tough circumstances, based on widely varying evidence of Drew Brees' potential as a starting QB. I'm glad it has worked out for Drew but there was no guarantee that it would. I don't fault the Chargers for going with Rivers then, now or going forward.

If Drew wins on Sunday in Miami that's great, but whether he does or not has nothing to do with, and is no reflection on, the San Diego Chargers.

My Dad's Birthday

In honor of my Dad's birthday you see above a photo of the USS Chevalier, one of the ships my Dad sailed on during his time in the US Navy.

According to the website where I found this photo, it was taken circa 1969 near Point Loma in San Diego. It's possible my Dad was on board when this photo was taken.

We celebrate my Pops around here because it was he that moved to San Diego to join the Navy in the late 1960s, thus solidifiying a love for the San Diego Chargers that had started while, from his sofa in frigid Central Illinois, he watched Lance Alworth and the rest of the Bolts play in sunny Balboa Stadium and dominate the AFL with their high-powered passing attack.

A love for the Padres followed as he witnessed first hand their struggle as a fledgling franchise throughout the 1970s.

In 1978, facing economic pressures, he moved his family from San Diego back to his hometown of Peoria, IL.

The moral of the story is this: if my Dad doesn't spend those years in San Diego and become a passionate fan of the Padres and Chargers, I probably grow up as a Cubs and Bears fan.

Oh my.

Happy birthday, Dad.