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Citizens victors over NFL greed
don bauder, If you are going to point out that the Chargers are last in percentage of seats filled, then I think it is only fair and just that you also point out the positive. The Chargers are are only next to last in average attendance, coming in ahead of the division leading and NFL second best record Oakland Raiders ( I guess winning isn't everything).— November 28, 2016 8:47 a.m.
Citizens victors over NFL greed
ponzi, I agree about not following this guy down the rabbit hole. But I will add this. If I remember correctly, and I am sure Don Bauder will correct me if I am wrong, Don lived in SD for around 30 yrs but has been living in Colorado for more than a decade, 12 or 14 years, I think. Now, while using his many sources, I do think Don can report on many of the things that happen in SD without ever visiting. However, that said, I do think that it is difficult for him to get a feel for everyday life in SD from the viewpoint of an "average" person without actually being there. To your other point, my daughter was born in SD. Before she was seven, we moved to LA, Calabasas to be specific. After going to school and working out of state for more than a decade, she moved back to Orange County early this year. So if she decided to move to San Diego,after more than 2 decades away, would she be considered a "native" or a "transplant?" On a couple of side notes, I have a friend who lives in SD. My wife and I met her in school. She was born and raised in Orange County and moved for Grad School I think. Thirty years later, she calls herself a San Diego native and lists her hometown as the same. In my case, my wife and I moved to San Diego as teenagers for school, but were born and raised in Tucson. We spent 40 years in So Cal. Since my wife's passing, besides SoCal, I spend part of my time in Az, among other places. And yet some of my friends, some of whom I've known since I was a kid, still think of me as a California guy. Go figure.— November 19, 2016 9:52 a.m.
"The Chargers are cheap and manipulative"
PART 2 Fourthly, as for the way the Chargers deal with their draft picks, perhaps if you actually read what I wrote, you would see that my ONLY comment to you regarding Chargers draft picks was concerning your claim that the Chargers were low balling Bosa, which was and remains patently untrue and if you know about the CBA, then you know that. I made no other comments about or references to any other Charger players. The fact of the matter is that one of the reasons I know longer follow the Chargers is exactly for the things you mentioned. These are not new issues; they have been present at least as long as the Spanos clan has owned the Chargers and will remain as long as they own the club, no different than the Padres when John Moores owned them. Fifthly(yes, it is actually a word) again, the only thing I am refuting is your claim that the Chargers were low balling Bosa, which as you said, you took straight from comments made by a kid reporter in LA. And again as I and others have said, that was simply not true. Bosa gets a $25 million contract which he couldn’t negotiate for more, and the Chargers aren’t getting out of paying that much. The only things negotiable in this case were the payment terms of the signing bonus and the offset language. But neither of those had anything to do with the amount of Bosa’s contract and therefore the Chargers’ position wasn’t “low balling”. Whether or not you give my posts credence is of no concern to me at all. And as I said, while I really don’t care either way about the Chargers, except perhaps when their poor play is of benefit to the teams I do follow, and therefore I really don’t care what they do, you do seem to have a problem with them. What it is, I really couldn’t care less; it’s your axe to grind, whatever it may be. As I said, ignorance is not something that really lends itself to a meaningful discussion. Just my opinion. Opinions vary.— September 3, 2016 11:44 a.m.
"The Chargers are cheap and manipulative"
INTERMISSION— September 3, 2016 11:42 a.m.
"The Chargers are cheap and manipulative"
Well, first of all, it's danfogel, not dan fogel. Secondly, the fact is that you actually didn't post any "facts" in the comment my reply above was directed to, but instead chose to simply cut and paste what a "contributor" to a website wrote as “fact”, without providing his own sources. And as I pointed out, his very first "fact" is incorrect, as the "draft slotting" went into affect with the 2011 CBA meaning that while players were drafted before the CBA went into affect, they were indeed "slotted” when it came to contracts, as the teams were not allowed to negotiate with until the CBA was finalized due to the change in rookie salary structure. This is something that the owners were aware of at the time of the draft. Thirdly, I haven't lived in San Diego for over 20 yrs, and while we did have season tickets for the almost 20 years when we did live there, I haven't followed the Chargers in more than a decade and have been to only a hand full of games in that time, usually involving the Broncos or Patriots, the AFC teams that I do follow. So no, I am not a blind Charger loyalist nor am I employed by the Chargers or their businesses in some capacity. End of part 1— September 3, 2016 11:40 a.m.
"The Chargers are cheap and manipulative"
don bauder Anyone can cut and paste lines from an article by a "contributor" to a website who claims them as fact without offering proof of accuracy. When considering that the very first line of these "facts" is incorrect, one has to consider the veracity of the entire article, if not question that writers credibility as a whole. As for the poster, you only need consider that his "evidence" of the Chargers "lowballing" Bosa; that being Bosa's agent claim of the Chargers "offering Bosa less money than players taken after him in the draft", which of course was factually incorrect. This poster obviously has an axe to grind with the Chargers, and as such makes it impossible to engage in any meaningful rational discourse. Ignorance is not something that really lends itself to a meaningful discussion. Just my opinion. Opinions vary.— September 2, 2016 9:08 a.m.
"The Chargers are cheap and manipulative"
don bauder Of course Bradford had advisors. But that being said, one has to consider the fact that after winning the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore and being projected as possibly the number one pick if he entered the draft, he instead decided to return to Oklahoma for his junior season. After he got hurt, I think it was probably a no brainer at that point for him to go to the NFL. As I recall he made the announcement only a week or two after he got hurt, but still about 6 months before the draft took place, giving him plenty of time to recover. BTW, while I noted his 5 yr earnings above for comparison, his initial rookie contact was for 6 years, $78 million, with $50 million guaranteed, with a signing bonus of nearly $18 million, which was paid in his second year, not his first. Also, the largest rookie contract ever in the NFL. Understandable that both the owners and players wanted the rookie salary cap that went into affect in 2011.— September 2, 2016 8:52 a.m.
"The Chargers are cheap and manipulative"
I believe that the current CBA , which implemented the current rookie salary cap and contractual structure was implemented for the 2011 season, not 2012. Actually, I know it was. It went into affect on August 4, 2011. Cam Newton, as the number one pick, was the first player subject to the new new rookie contract limits.That's why his initial contract was worth just $22 million over four seasons and fifth-year option for $14.7 million as compared to Sam Bradford's $65.1 million in his first 5 seasons. Give Bradford some credit though, at least in a business sense. Even though his junior season at Oklahoma ended early because of a shoulder injury, he decided to take the risk and enter the 2010 draft knowing the 2011 draft would have new limits on rookie contracts.— September 1, 2016 9:08 a.m.
"The Chargers are cheap and manipulative"
Here's an interesting stat. In the last 2 years, there have been 4 quarterbacks drafted in the top 10 picks, no's 1 and 2 both years. However in 2011-2014, the 1st 4 years of the current cba, there were only a combined total of 7 quarterbacks selected in the top 10, with 6 of those coming in the first 2 yrs of the cba. So in the first 6 years of this cba, there have been a total of 55 quarterback selected, with 11 in being top 10 picks. Compare that to the last 6 years prior to the new cba when there were a total of 76 quarterbacks drafted with 8 being top 10 picks. I think that points to an even simpler reason for quarterbacks being the top 2 picks the last 2 years. There are just not that many above average quarterbacks in the NFL right now and for a team to win, they need one who is at worst above average, and hopefully with the potential to be a lot better than that. And if you don't have a QB, like the Rams and the Eagles, and you can't trade for one, you do the next best thing; you draft the best one you can get ...and hope he works out.— August 31, 2016 12:17 a.m.
"The Chargers are cheap and manipulative"
don bauder, In this discussion, I assume that references to the Chargers' front office were to those involved in player personnel decisions, based on your reference to " the team's lousy record over the years". As far as I am aware, and admittedly I don't follow the Chargers beyound what I read, Fabiani was hired as a "special counsel" and has never been involved in player personnel decisions.— August 30, 2016 9:55 a.m.