Eric McCoole's San Diego Chargers fan blog

I am very sorry everyone, it has been a while since I have last checked in.  Finals, military duty, and just a busy week have kept me away for I while.  Okay, enough about that, I have a few quick hitting topics to bring up.

 

March Madness-  It has officially began.  I actually thought it began with the wild finishes in the Pac-10 regular season in the UCLA vs. Cal game last Saturday and USC wiping the floor with Stanford that same day.  This past Monday the University of San Diego Toreros defeated the #22 Gonzaga Bulldogs in a rather large upset for a bid to the NCAA tournament and for the WCC conference tournament title.  I will be rooting for USD they seem like a Mid-Major team with a small run in them.  With all that said, the four #1 seeds are locked in my book with UNC, UCLA, Memphis, Tennessee, in that order.  It should be a fun one!

Continue reading "Sometimes Less is More"

Wow!  He finally did it, Brett Favre will be and an NFL quarterback no more.  Well Brett, not that I wanted you go, but I am glad that you just up and did it.  I am so tired of every off-season for the past three or four seasons, the entire sports world is hanging on by Brett’s every thought of playing or if he’s going to retire.  At least that part is over!

 

Favre is the NFL record holder for many for many Quarterback stats but his record of the most consecutive games started in the NFL, passing touchdowns, and interceptions shows what kind of player this man is.  This guy seemed to put everything he had into to his performances on Sundays as is proof by those before mentioned records.  Being a San Diego Chargers fan seeing Favre go is nothing that will hang me up any longer than to write this post. However, most NFL fans will miss the guy and hearing reactions from Green Bay Packers fans on sports talk radio, you would think someone in their immediate family died and can they do to move on? 

Continue reading "Life After Favre."

Randy Moss must be licking his chops right now.  Over the course of this Saturday Randy has seen two of his wide receiver colleagues score huge on the free agent market.  Bernard Berrian and Donte’ Stallworth were both locked up for 6 and 7 years respectively. 

 

The Cleveland Browns and Minnesota Vikings both got some of the highest rated free agents of this off-season.  The only problem is that this free agent class is weak, yet the before mentioned teams paid these men like superstars.  The full details of Stallworth’s contract were not available but Berrian’s contract was worth a possible $42 million. 

 

What I have gathered from this early stage of the 2008 free agency period is that Randy Moss is going to be a very rich man.  Okay, I can kind of see Stallworth because he is a dependable wide out that can stretch the field from time to time.  However, looking at Berrian, he is a guy that most people had barely even knew existed.  As Tony Kornheiser would say, “I wouldn’t know would Bernard Berrian was if he walked up to me with a sign saying my name is Bernard Berrian.”  Minnesota: that was money poorly spent!

Continue reading "Randy Should Thank His Old Team, the Vikings!"

The first big name to sign a free agent contract in the NFL this off-season is Pro-Bowl cornerback Asante Samuel.  The 5-year veteran inked a 6-year contract that could possibly be worth $54 million with the Philadelphia Eagles. Samuel will with out a doubt upgrade an already impressive Philadelphia secondary.

I have just one question for the Asante, why would you sign with the last place team in the NFC east?  Guess what, he answered my question.  "I just want a chance to be able to win and get back to the Super Bowl," Samuel said. "That's why I picked Philadelphia.”  I smell something, and it’s the stuff that comes out of the backside of bull.  Sam-Man, let me get this straight, you left the team with the best chance of winning a Super Bowl to play for those dirty, stinking birds?  That bag full of money must have hit him in the head and prompted him to make stupid remarks. 

Continue reading "Free Agency: Money Talks"

Well, that didn’t take long.  One day after holding the first ever #1 ranking in its school’s history, the Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball team chocked away their prime position for the NCAA tournament.  The Houn' Dawgs in orange lost to Vanderbilt on Tuesday night by 3 points 72-69 in an entertaining game that was worth the watch.

 

Now don’t get me wrong, I really like Bruce Pearl.  I think the man is awesome when he yells across the court for the entire game, sweats through expensive suits and paints his chest orange for Lady Vols’ games.  Bruce has true passion and an excellent nose for the game of college basketball.  All that being said, how does Bruce not have his team ready to play?   This was the classic “trap game.”  You have a very talented opponent in their house just after you got done wiping the floor of with an in-state rival the University of Memphis who was ranked #1 at the time, and all this equals: DISASTER!  I know this and so does Bruce Pearl, so Bruce, this loss was on you my man.

Continue reading "Bruce All-Knowing?"

Kobe Bryant is a MAN.  Even with that torn ligament in his shooting pinky he showed he is still the best player in the National Basketball Association.  Still more important for Kobe, he it did on the night that his former teammate the self proclaimed Superman, Shaquille O’Neal who made his debut for the Phoenix Suns.  Kobe scored 41 points and he got some help from some of his friends in the newly acquired Pau Gasol with 29 and the unpredictable Lamar Odom with 22.

 

Kobe and the Lakers spoiled the Suns’ first game with Shaq by beating the Suns 130-124.  Shaq did look as if he was getting his old form back with 15 points and 9 rebounds but nowhere was Shaq like his old self as he was on the free throw line.  I know Shaq has never been Reggie Miller on the line but watching Shaq on the stripe is more pathetic than his acting career.  Also, Shaq looked winded trying to play in the Suns’ up-tempo offense and trying to get back on defense.      

Continue reading "Kobe v. Superman"

Yesterday saw the mandatory report date for Spring Training Camp of the San Diego Padres along with the other 29 teams of Major League Baseball. As a fan of the friars, I am cautiously content with the off-season work that General Manager Kevin Towers and his staff produced for the dog days of summer.

Bringing in an aged Jim Edmonds to roam the vast centerfield of Petco Park is a questionable move but Towers has proven he can still find talent in older players with something to prove, hello Mike Piazza, Woddy Williams, and Greg Maddux. The acquisitions of two pitchers coming off arm surgery in Randy Wolfe and Mark Prior for chump change could prove to pay dividends. Finally the quick pick up of San Diego area native Tony Clark for just under a million bucks to be steady bat off the bench is the best pick up so far. Trust me, he will produce because it’s his 4th season in the National League West and the man is a true athlete. The key for all four of these players is one word: HEALTH. Can these four stay off the training table? Your guess is as good as mine.

Continue reading "Greene an S.D. Heartthrob, More Like a Heartbreaker"

When Andy Pettitte came out quickly after the Mitchell Report and admitted that he had used Human Growth Hormone (HGH) I knew he was going to basically get a free pass on what he did. 

 

Hey Andy: Do not pass GO do not collect $200.  Yet Andy Pettitte did collect his $200, well… actually he will collect $16 Million form the New York Yankees while pitching for the 2008 season.  What about Miguel Tejada, I am quite sure he showed up on the Steroids Inquisition yet he is still due to make over $13.8 Million and look at Eric Gagne who is to make $6 Million in 2008.

 

Here’s where I have a problem, an admitted cheater of the game of baseball will be the 4th highest paid player on the team with the highest payroll in Major League Baseball.  To me MLB needs to step in and take these admitted cheaters and hit them where the sun doesn’t shine, their playing time and THE WALLET. 

Continue reading "Wanted: Clean Baseball"

Sons of Westwood:  You can take that big sigh of relief.  The disgusting display of hoops by the Bruins on Sunday February 10 in Seattle against a clearly weaker Washington Huskies team was just a small let down and not dreaded back-to-back defeats.  And, oh yeah, the Bruins beat down their cross town rivals the USC Trojans, avenging their loss earlier this season at Pauley Pavilion on January 19th. 

 

Darren Collison rebounded well with a cool 14 points after he could not buy a bucket against Washington.  The unstoppable Kevin Love had another typical “K-Love” night, with another double double while going for 13 points and 11 boards.  These are the Bruins that we know can get it done.

 

Hey, Josh Shipp: Where are you? I know, I know, nice dunk in SC’s face on Sunday and yeah, yeah, you had 19 in a losing effort against Washington (losing being the key word in that sentence).  But in the last few weeks you have been a non-factor for UCLA going down the stretch of Pac-10 play.  It’s time to think about stepping up and being that 3-point shooter that we have seen you be, it’s time to take over a game.  You should be able to do it because you are a veteran leader of this team, aren’t you?

Continue reading "O.J.? Oh, No Thanks, and Hold the Mayo"

 San Diego Chargers fans:  Yes, your team was so close to Super Bowl XLII and you (as well as me) were extremely disappointed.  We are tired of hearing “next year” when speaking of a Super Bowl championship for San Diego but ladies and gentlemen let’s not make any rash decisions.

          

I heard some small whispers from a number of both Chargers fans and sports talk radio hosts that say it’s time to explore options for trading Chargers star running back LaDainian Tomlinson. This ridiculous idea is entirely due to his 2008 playoff performance, which was highlighted (or low lighted) by Tomlinson playing only three plays in the AFC championship game on January 19th 2008 in a loss against the New England Patriots.  These “Brain Surgeons” could not be more off the mark.  Did they forget Tomlinson is off back-to-back NFL rushing titles?  Tomlinson is in the prime of his career as an NFL running back and he has been compared to the all-time greats.  Would you trade Jim Brown, Walter Payton, or Emmit Smith in the prime of their career?  I didn’t think so!  Besides, what players on the NFL trade block would be equal value for Tomlinson?  No one, that’s who!  Talks of trading him are foolish and don’t even need to be entertained. 

Continue reading "(Chargers) Think Before You Act"