If the Chargers offensive line can improve, then Mike Tolbert (35) may be
celebrating more than just the occasional touchdown. (AP/Chris Schneider)
The holiday shopping season will officially begin this Friday.
And while thousands of shoppers will be waking up at ungodly hours to get a piece of some of the best deals of the year, let’s have some fun and consider what it would be like if the teams in San Diego can go shopping Friday.
So, if sports teams can have their own Black Friday, here’s what the San Diego clubs would probably be shopping for this year.
San Diego Chargers Black Friday shopping list:
1) An offensive line. Injuries have decimated the Chargers offensive line. After already missing All-Pro Nick Hardwick, starting right tackle Jeromey Clary has been lost for the season. And even though the unit has been playing relatively well as of late, it still is not at dominant as it was back in 2006 or in 2007. If San Diego is going to make a run at the Super Bowl this year, that offensive line is going to need to improve some more.
2) More consistent running game. In the same vein as shopping for an offensive line, San Diego needs to find a steadier rushing attack. Sure, the Chargers have rushed for over 300 yards the last two games, but its’ the highest two-game output of the season for a team that used to punish defenses on the ground. Plus, it’d be nice to get some pressure off of quarterback Philip Rivers.
3) Josh McDaniels as the team’s tackling dummy. After what the Broncos head coach said over the weekend, I’m sure every single player and staff member for the Chargers would love to go at it with McDaniels. Hey Coach, who owns who exactly?
4) That new stadium. The search has taken almost a decade, but it looks like we're getting close. Escondido seems all set to pounce on the Chargers new home, but that's only if the City of San Diego fails to make that downtown stadium a reality.
San Diego Padres Black Friday shopping list:
1) Protection for Adrian Gonzalez. It must be tough being Adrian Gonzalez. The Padres had 605 RBI last year. Gonzalez had 99 of them—good for about 16 percent of the team’s total output. That needs to change. The Padres need to either develop someone to bat behind him in the lineup or sign someone who can. Kevin Kouzmanoff isn't cutting it.
2) Relief pitching. What was once the deepest and strongest component of the Padres is now one of its weakest links. San Diego relievers have up an average of 4.75 runs per game, which was fifth worst in the National League in 2009. Heath Bell was tremendous in his first year as the closer, but the Padres middle relievers at times had problems getting him the ball.
San Diego State football Black Friday shopping list:
1) A bowl game. The Aztecs haven’t gone to college football’s postseason since 1998. That streak will continue for at least one more year after San Diego State failed to get to six wins this year.
2) Fans. Even though new head coach Brady Hoke has surpassed the 2008 total in wins, the increase in the number of fans attending San Diego state football games has only gone up incrementally. Last year, the Aztecs averaged 24,376 fans a game. This season, Qualcomm Stadium saw an average of 24,464 fans in the six games played there. That’s an increase of .361 percent.
San Diego State men’s basketball Black Friday shopping list:
1) A quality win. The Aztecs were picked to finish second in the Mountain West this year. So far, they haven’t looked like a team that can make the NCAA Tournament. Two of San Diego State’s wins this year came against teams that finished below .500 last season (Fresno State and Santa Clara); the other came against Division II UC San Diego. The team has not faired well against tournament bubble teams; just look at what happened when the Aztecs played Saint Mary's.
San Diego Toreros men’s basketball Black Friday shopping list:
1) Respect. USD was picked to finish sixth in the West Coast Conference this year. They’re not expected to beat San Diego State in the City Championship next week. But the Toreros have a win over a top 25 team and the Aztecs don’t.
San Diego’s Black Friday shopping list:
1) A major championship. Not taking anything away from the Park View Little Leaguers, but San Diego is in a major drought. San Diego hasn’t won a major championship since the Chargers took the AFL in 1963, and some don’t consider that a “major” win. Even Utah has a major championship in the last 40 years (if you count Real Salt Lake’s MLS Cup victory last Sunday a major title). San Diego sports fans have suffered long enough and a championship is due. It’s actually been past due.
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