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Charger Fans Looking forward to a Healthy Season

By: Lee Goddard

Minus a few critical, ill-timed injuries, the 2007 San Diego Chargers could have passed into football history. They could have won the Super Bowl perhaps, but the Chargers would have been renowned as the team that stopped the New England Patriots’ run of perfection.

Injuries did happen, and they are part of the game, even if they savage a team’s superstar running back, its rising-star quarterback and the best tight end in the game. So, San Diego had to settle for second-best in the AFC, and watch as the New York Giants waylaid the Patriots’ perfect season in the Super Bowl.

There should be no doubt, however, where the Chargers believe this season should end — in Tampa, at Super Bowl XLIII, regardless of any other team’s streak or run.

It starts in back, mainly with running back LaDainian Tomlinson, the best at his position. San Diego muddled through a couple of rough regular-season patches in 2007 when Tomlinson was not consistently getting his touches. When the ball was in his hands, the team won. Interesting correlation.

But Tomlinson, who led the AFC with 15 rushing touchdowns and 1,474 rushing yards, suffered a sprained knee before the AFC Championship Game against New England. He could barely play. No Tomlinson. No Super Bowl. But he looked back in form during the off-season.

The same could also apply to quarterback Philip Rivers. Call it whatever — the light went on, he turned the corner, insert any cliché — but the quarterback seemed to firmly grasp his role during his fourth year.

And when Tomlinson went down, Rivers took over and kept the pressure on the Patriots. More impressive, he slugged it out with a torn ACL in his knee, cementing his leadership role on the team.

He should be recovered this year, and has diverse targets in veteran receiver Chris Chambers — picked up in a nice mid-season trade with the Miami Dolphins — and emerging threat Vincent Jackson. There is also, of course, tight end Antonio Gates.

Gates is a consistent 70-plus catches, 900-yards tight end. And, of the Big Three, his injury has taken the longest from which to recover. Gates, who hobbled through against the Patriots with a toe injury, is a great threat, but he must be healthy.

In some cases, a strong offense offsets a weak defense. But the other side of the ball is loaded with Pro Bowlers as well. Antonio Cromartie emerged as a dynamic corner, picking off 10 passes last season.

The linebacking corps is among the NFL’s best. Shawne Merriman had 12.5 sacks. Shaun Phillips added 8.5 and was a nice complementary terror to Merriman. Matt Wilhelm and Steven Cooper were solid inside, though Cooper, who led the team in tackles, will miss the first four games of the season for violating the league’s banned-substance policy.

The defensive line was underrated in comparison, but end Luis Castillo seems to be emerging as another top talent. Nose tackle Jamal Williams is a load inside, and plays a major role in shunting off the inside running game.

All the pieces are there for coach Norv Turner, who enters his second season with the team. When San Diego started 1-3 it looked very perilous for Turner, who brought a no-big-game reputation as a head coach. Things looked more in jeopardy when Tomlinson, with a reputation for being low-key, complained as the team was losing and the ball wasn’t in his hands.

But that was an easy problem to rectify. The Chargers got the ball to Tomlinson, bounced back, won the division, took an opening-round playoff game against Tennessee and then upset Indianapolis on the road.

It was only then that New England intervened. With a healthy team this year, that might not be the case.

Much is expected from San Diego. At least another push for the AFC Title. Perhaps even a drive to Tampa.

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS SCHEDULE

SEPTEMBER

9/7 vs. Carolina 1:15 pm

9/14 @ Denver 1:15 pm

9/22 vs. NY Jets 5:30 pm

9/28 @ Oakland1:05 pm

OCTOBER

10/5 @ Miami 10 am

10/12 vs. New England 5:15 pm

10/19 @ Buffalo 10 am

10/26 New Orleans (London) 10 am

NOVEMBER

11/9 vs. Kansas City 1:15 pm

11/16 @ Pittsburgh 1:15 pm

11/23 vs. Indianapolis 5:15 pm

11/30 vs. Atlanta 1:05 pm

DECEMBER

12/4 vs. Oakland 5:15 pm

12/14 @ Kansas City 10 am

12/21 @ Tampa Bay 5:15 pm

12/28 vs. Denver 1:15 pm

BLIND SURFING EVENT AT MOONLIGHT BEACH

Sept 14, Sunday 10am

The Encinitas Lions Club will be sponsoring their thirteenth annual surfing clinic for the blind. This event was co-founded by Larry Graff, a local surfer and Bruce King, of the Swamis Surf Association.

Members from blind centers throughout north county participated in this event. San Diego Surfing Academy donates their time and expertise to instruct their blind guests in the art of surfing. The blind surfing event will take place at Ponto south in Carlsbad.

In addition to the blind surfing event, the Encinitas Lions Club works on a variety of projects, such as free diabetes and eye testing clinics, a Christmas food drive for needy Camp Pendleton families, a recycle eye glasses project for the sight impaired and seeing eye dogs for the blind.

For more information about the Encinitas Lions Club, please contact Lion Bob Mangini at (760) 436-0069 or bmangini@sbcglobal.net or visit www.encinitas-lions-club.com.

Carlsbad’s Pinball Wizard Knows Just What To Do

By: Sean Heath

In my neighborhood there used to be an arcade known as Yellow Brick Road. Back in the 1980s, it was the place to hang out for the soon-to-be parents of the Wii set. I remember I would wander in every Friday night with a pocketful of quarters, and straggle out late in the night.

The place was always jammed, the air filled with computer bells, laser shots, and the spiraling wonk-wonk of another Pac Man biting the dust. Everyone bragged about their highest score, like it was a test of manhood. Yet there was this one kid who didn’t have to brag. He was simply the best any of us had seen.

Like the old song said, “he could beat my best.” It didn’t matter what the game was, he would school us all. But the games this wizard really liked were the old pinballs in the corner.

Keith Elwin might have been that kid.

This 36-year-old graphic designer recently became the No. 1 pinball professional in the world, according to the International Flipper Pinball Association, who has begun referring to the Carlsbad resident as the “King of Pinball.”

In a recent interview with the LA Times, Elwin mentioned that he was drawn to the game at a young age by his older brother. Although Elwin demonstrated a natural talent, he also revealed business acumen by selling the free games he won. “It’s the physics of the game that challenged me,” he said in the interview. “You have to learn angles and shots and the spin on the balls. It’s more intellectual than most activities.”

In 1994, Elwin turned pro and won the second tournament he entered. Since then, he competes in about five tournaments a year.

Some have compared the tactile sensation of pinball to another, more intimate form of contact. After all, the whole point is to keep your ball going, ringing as many bells as possible along the way. If you’re too aggressive, the machine rebuffs you with a cold “Tilt.” One can, however, skirt the edge of danger with subtle bumps and vibrations—anything to keep the score rising and to keep the ball from dropping in the hole. The problem, according to author Umberto Eco, “is to make the ball stay up where the lighted targets are more numerous and have it bounce from one to another—wandering, confused, delirious, but still a free agent.”

Elwin freely admits his addiction—after all, he has 15 machines in his home and is currently designing a DVD called “Pinball 101.” However, he does have other interests beyond the little steel ball. He enjoys mountain-biking, swimming, rock-climbing, and photography. Not to mention the no-strings lifestyle of a young bachelor living on the beach.

While Sony and Nintendo continue to push the virtual-reality envelope on computer screens, it’s nice to see someone still celebrating old-school, low-tech gaming.

Game on.

Dixon Lake Trout Derby-Escondido

Nov. 8-11, 6am - 4:45pm

Everyone is invited to Dixon Lake for the annual Trout Derby—a wonderful event for the whole family that offers anglers of all ages many ways to win great prizes. To enter, each fisherman must purchase a daily permit that is required to fish the lake ($5.00 adults, $4.00 seniors over 60, and $3.00 for kids under 16). Adults 16 and over must also have a California Fishing License. There is no additional charge to enter the derby. Fish must be weighed in during derby hours, 6 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., on the day they are caught. Since contestants can win only one prize, chances of winning are always good. Call (760) 839-4680 or visit their website at www.ci.escondido.ca.us/glance/lakes/dixon/derby/index.html.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL

By: Sean Heath

It’s no surprise that the Padres are taking one on the chin this season. But should baseball fans? At least that’s what Shelly Mason thought when a foul ball hit her 19-year-old daughter, breaking her nose.

It was July 19, 2003 and the Padres were in the middle of their last season at Qualcomm Stadium. The Masons were sitting off the third-base line, watching Adam Eaton pitch a shutout, when the Diamondbacks’ Luis Gonzales stepped up to the plate. According to Shelly, the first foul flew past them to the left, into the next section.

“When Gonzales hit the next pitch,” recalled Shelly, “we saw the ball head in our direction, but then lost track when everyone around us stood up to see where it went. All of a sudden, a man from the row behind dove over the seat to the right of us, trying to catch the ball. The next thing we knew, everyone backed away suddenly. I looked over at my daughter, and she was holding her face in her hands. She never saw it coming.”

Risk of injury isn’t generally something a fan takes into consideration when munching their peanuts, popcorn and Cracker Jacks, although it might make you think twice before going back.

On April 25, 2008 in Dodger Stadium, a 50-year-old woman was hit in the jaw by a piece of a broken maple bat. In an article describing the incident, reporter Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports! says that fans assume a certain level of risk when they enter a stadium. “There is a reason teams print warnings for flying bats and balls on the back of every ticket,” he writes. “Fans who have brought litigation against baseball clubs for injuries due to batted balls and other projectiles have almost universally seen their cases dropped due to the assumption-of-risk doctrine. Every team that sees an injury at its stadium, no matter how serious, fights helping with medical costs because of the implications throughout the rest of the industry.”

“You don’t realize how fast the ball is moving until it flies right by you,” said Mason. Physics tells us that Gonzales’ foul would be traveling more than 100 mph by the time it reached Amanda Mason’s nose. Although no official tally exists for the number of foul balls in a typical baseball game, one estimate suggested it might be 30 to 40 out of approximately 300 or more pitches thrown. Most are caught or land harmlessly, although once in a while injuries can occur. Sometimes, two fouls can land in the same place, as happened a couple of months ago during a Dodgers-Mets game. During the fifth inning, two foul balls hit by Dodger James Loney were caught by fans in adjacent seats at field level. USC mathematician Kenneth Alexander calculated that the odds of such an occurrence were 1 in 10,000.

Now, Amanda Mason has only a light scar to show for her injury. She even managed to keep the ball that hit her, and got free tickets to another Padre game at Petco Park.

Her mom can laugh about it now, but it wasn’t very funny then. “It’s given me a whole new meaning for “Keep Your Eye On The Ball,” she said.

SAN DIEGO PADRES SCHEDULE

SEPTEMBER

9/1 @ LAD 5:10 pm

9/2 @ LAD 7:10 pm

9/3 @ LAD 7:10 pm

9/4 @ MIL 5:05 pm

9/5 @ MIL 5:05 pm

9/6 @ MIL 4:05 pm

9/7 @ MIL 11:05 am

9/8 vs. LAD 7:05 pm

9/9 vs. LAD 7:05 pm

9/10 vs. SF 7:05 pm

9/11 vs. SF 7:05 pm

9/12 vs. SF 7:05 pm

9/13 vs. SF 7:05 pm

9/14 vs. SF 1:05 pm

9/15 @ COL 5:35 pm

9/16 @ COL 5:35 pm

9/17 @ COL 12:05 pm

9/19 @ WSH 4:35 pm

9/20 @ WSH 4:10 pm

9/21 @ WSH 10:35 pm

9/23 @ LAD 7:10 pm

9/24 @ LAD 7:10 pm

9/25 @ LAD 7:10 pm

9/26 vs. PIT 7:05 pm

9/27 vs. PIT 7:05 pm

9/28 vs. PIT 1:05 pm

CIF FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

The CIF-San Diego Section is pleased to announce that the 2007 Division I, II, III, and IV Quadrupleheader Football Championship Games are scheduled for Friday, December 12, 2008, at San Diego Qualcomm Stadium.

This was made possible through the cooperation of the City of San Diego, San Diego Qualcomm Stadium, Alex and Dean Spanos, and San Diego Chargers Football Club. The continued support of these organizations underscores their commitment to interscholastic athletics, and we thank them on behalf of the 112 schools and 155,000 students of the San Diego Section.

The Football Championships begin with all First-Round - Division I-V games on Friday, November 21. Division I-V Quarterfinals are scheduled for Friday, November 28. Division I-IV Semifinals are scheduled for Friday, December 5; Playoffs will culminate with the CIFSDS Championships for Divisions I-IV at San Diego Qualcomm Stadium on Friday, December 12, and the CIFSDS Division V Championships will take place Saturday, December 13 at site TBD.

For more information, contact the CIFSDS Office at 858-292-8165 or check the website @ www.cifsds.org.

6401 Linda Vista Road, Room 504, San Diego, CA 92111

858-292-8165

Fax 858-292-1375

Email jbrewer@sdcoe.net

MUD RUN-OCEANSIDE

October 18, Saturday, 9am

The Mud Run at Lake O'Neill, Camp Pendleton, is not for the feint of heart. You’ll need to be pretty fit for this race that covers 10 grueling kilometers over hills, rivers, tire obstacles, and muddy walls five feet high. You’ll also encounter water obstacles, crawl on sand and through a tunnel, climb a slippery hill, and finish at a 30-foot mud pit. You may race individually within your age division, or as part of a five-person team. The Open category has no restrictions on attire or footwear; the Boots and Utilities category, requires regulation military boots and utility trousers. Only 3,500 persons may compete and there will be no registration on the day of the race, so register early at www.camppendletonraces.com/asymca.html

FALL SURFING COMPETITIONS

PROFESSIONAL LONGBOARD ASSOC. www.surfpla.com

September 20-21 Huntington Beach on the south side of the pier

October 3-5 Oceanside Professional Longboard Association Competition

WSA www.surfwsa.org

December 7 Oceanside Harbor, South Jetty

QUIKSILVER www.surfshopchallenge.com

September 8 Huntington Beach Quiksilver Surf Shop Challenge National Championships

NSSA SOUTHWEST www.nssa.org

September 6-7 Huntington Beach

September 20-21 Oceanside

October 25-26 Huntington Beach