Sez Me . . .
Welcome, visitors, to America's Most Disappointing Sports City. If your allegiance is with teams outside this area, you have nothing to worry about in terms of a threat to your favorites. We're neutral in San Diego. We accommodate. Make yourself comfortable. Have a fish taco. Just don't drink on the beach.
EARNIE GRAFTON / Union-Tribune
Chase Headley (from left), Jake Peavy and Khalil Greene stare in disbelief after Jody Gerut's shot falls short of a grand slam. It was that kind of season.
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SEAN M. HAFFEY / Union-Tribune
LaDainian Tomlinson sits on the bench with a toe injury during the Chargers' loss to Denver on Sept. 14. The team goes into Sunday's game with a 2-3 record.
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EARNIE GRAFTON / Union-Tribune
SDSU's Aaron Moore (left) and T.J. McKay
await a call during the Aztecs' loss to Cal Poly on Aug. 30. The team has gone 1-3 since.
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Here we are, into October, and our three major sports teams have won a combined 66 games. The Padres went 63-99, the Chargers are 2-3 and San Diego State's football team is 1-4. Everything considered, it's on the verge of being the worst sports year around here since 1958, when San Diego High's football team lost to Long Beach Poly in the SCIF finals.
Now, don't get me wrong. We've had bad years before and managed to get through them on our way to fiscal disaster. Next to City Hall, our sports teams are the Yankees, Patriots and Notre Dame.
You can go back to the '70s, '80s and '90s, even into the 2000s, and locate comparable ineptitude. It's quite easy to find years – heck, years on end – when the Padres, Chargers and Aztecs all stunk. But, San Diego State aside – the Aztecs really weren't expected to be good – 2008 may have them all beat.
In terms of expectation, that is. The highlight of the year around here thus far was USD's men's basketball team beating UConn in the NCAA Tournament.
Lords of the Padres spent spring training predicting the baseball team would win about 90 games. As you can see by their final total, they just missed. They also foresaw a worldwide economic boon.
The amazing thing about the Padres is that they somehow continue to draw. Historically, in this city, there has had to be a hook. These Padres had little to offer in the way of entertainment, yet still drew 2.4 million fans (either theirs, or someone else's – like you, kind visitors).
Credit the magic of Petco Park and the downtown atmosphere – and opposition worth seeing – for their continued success at the gate, although in these tough economic times, it might be wise for them to spend money on something other than low-grade cosmetics.
They should lower ticket prices. So should the Chargers.
Ah, the Chargers, preseason choices by more than one – I include myself among the fools – to win the Super Bowl. The way they're playing, a finish above .500 might be something for the Vatican to look into when it starts its next miracle search.
The Chargers, as you may well know, are trying to get a new stadium built. With the economy the way it is, and given the team's current on-the-field failings, they may have a better chance of building a dollhouse (although I still believe the 10th Avenue Marine Terminal site would do for this city's harborside what the Opera House did for Sydney).
The Aztecs? They should not lower ticket prices. They're already giving them away.
So, guests, go see the Sky Show on Saturday night after the SDSU-Air Force game in Qualcomm Stadium. Get there early. If you're lucky, there even may be some sporting activity.
Rare around here these days. . . .
Congratulations to City Councilman Jim Madaffer, a prime steak at a table full of ham-and-eggers. He's the only member to vote in favor of Proposition B, which would give the go-ahead to a massive deck for development over 10th Avenue Marine. He talked about “thinking outside the box.” Nice to see vision on a ship loaded with Mr. Magoos . . .
If I'm voting for National League MVP – and I'm not – it's Manny Ramirez . . .
Brewers' ace CC Sabathia says money won't be the only thing he'll consider when free agency rolls around. Please, is there a surgeon out there who can do something about this splitting side of mine? . . .
About this whole Chargers-Patriots “thing.” If football were played with mouths, the Raiders would have XX Super Bowl rings . . .
If ever a team didn't have room to talk right now, it's the Chargers, whose room is the size of a matchbox . . .
Bill Belichick hates the Chargers song? He'd be the first coach to have a copy made . . .
Dumbing Down of America Continued: Warren Sapp has become a star . . .
Reggie Bush is the greatest runner in space since Gale Sayers . . .
I don't know if I mind ESPN showing how fast a player is running in mph. Let's just hope they don't put the gun on Philip Rivers . . .
I'm hardly a judicial scholar, but my thinking is O.J. Simpson could get a change of venue to Bangladesh and not find 12 people who haven't heard of him . . .
Look, they'd even heard of him in Vegas . . .
See where the Chinese government is investigating the ages of three gymnasts who could have been 14 at the Sydney Olympics. If you guessed the outcome of “Titanic,” then you know how this will end . . .
FIFA President Sepp Blatter is upset with so many foreign owners taking over British soccer clubs. I don't care. I'm buying one anyway . . .
We're now in our second year of David Beckham saving soccer in America. Feels good.
Nick Canepa: (619) 293-1397; nick.canepa@uniontrib.com
