By Jay Posner, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

Monday, March 15, 2010 at 11:35 a.m.

After missing their first show Monday due to a contract dispute with XX Sports Radio, Scott Kaplan and Billy Ray Smith charged the station with “failing to pay us according to our contracts.”

In a statement posted on their Web site (thescottandbrshow.com), Kaplan and Smith said they “hate the idea of not being on the air with you. … But there’s a problem, and it never should have been a problem.

“In January, Mr. (John) Lynch, the CEO of XX, decided he wasn’t going to pay us according to our contracts,” the hosts said in their statement. “He asked us if that was going to be OK — we said no — and he shorted our checks anyway.

“Our feeling is this: You sign a contract, you work according to the contract, and you are paid what the contract says you should be paid.

“Without boring you with contract law, Mr. Lynch breached our agreement.

“John Lynch gave us clear choices, in writing! We were free to leave, or we could work for less than we are entitled to contractually. We chose the former.”

Asked for a response, Jack Evans, vice president of programming and operations for Local Media of America, said via e-mail: “Darren Smith, Marty Caswell and Ruth 66 will host mornings for the remainder of the week.” (Ruth 66 formerly worked on the “Dave, Shelly and Chainsaw” show on KGB-FM.)

Kaplan and Smith have been a morning sports-talk team in San Diego for nearly nine years, the last seven at XX Sports (XPRS-AM). On Friday night, Lynch posted a statement on the station’s Web site in which he said the hosts would not be on the air “until a dispute is resolved.”

Also that night, Evans said the dispute was “a result of Scott and BR’s attempts to terminate their agreements prior to its scheduled expiration in 2012.” Evans said the company had “commenced arbitration against Scott and BR in an effort to protect its legal rights and enforce its agreements with them.” He also said LMA had “serious concerns” that another company was trying to hire Kaplan and Smith.

See Article Here

Jay Posner: (619) 293-1834; jay.posner@uniontrib.com

I like Rex personally… aside from the fact he handed it to my hometown team.  I like his style and I think LT did too.  This past season I always asked the question, “Would LT be better with an All-Pro line?”.  It will be interesting to see what LT can do because I think he has some gas left in the tank.  It sounds like the JETS are pretty pumped and Rex was his biggest cheer leader.  Read More…

AP Photo

“He’s too small!”  We hear that all of the time and it’s a pile of horse crap.  Ray Rice got the majority of touches for the Ravens this year and he’s only 5’8… Sproles is 5’6!  Pound for pound, Sproles is the strongest Charger on the team and has the nickname “Tank” for a reason.  Let’s take a look and see what sproles has accomplished throughout his career.

Darren Sproles played college football at Kansas State University from 2001 to 2004, starting all games in his last two seasons and setting 23 school records. He finished 11th on the all-time college rushing yards list, with the 6th most all-purpose yards in NCAA history. He led all FBS teams in rushing yards in 2003 with 1,986. He also led Kansas State University to its first Big 12 Conference championship in 2003, a win over # 1 ranked Oklahoma, 35–7. That same year he finished 5th in the Heisman Trophy voting.

Darren sproles has been a dynamic player ever since he became a Charger.  He missed his second year in the NFL with a broken leg, but returned to be the prolific player he has always been.  Darren’s abilities are ridiculous!  We finally got to see what he was capable of when LT went down before the ’08 -’09 playoffs.

On January 3, 2009, during an AFC Wild card game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sproles ran for two touchdowns in place of the injured LaDainian Tomlinson, including the game-winning touchdown in overtime to beat the Colts 23-17. With 105 yards rushing, 45 yards receiving and 178 return yards, Sproles finished the game with 328 all-purpose yards in the Chargers victory over the Colts, the third most all-purpose yards by a player in a single NFL post-season game in NFL history. He was named the NBC Sunday Night Football “Horse Trailer Player of the Game” for the second consecutive week. The week following however, Sproles was stopped by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He managed only 15 yards on 11 carries, but did have 5 receptions for 91 yards including a 62-yard touchdown.

This is not a fluke folks!  Look what he did in college.

Sproles' College Stats

If you play fantasy football, you know you want Darren in the whole game with no one else taking touches away from this guy.  He’s faster than everyone else, shiftier, and more elusive than any back I have ever seen.  This guy is exactly who we want between the 20′s and should feed him the ball 20 times a game because he has a chance to take it to the house every time he touches it.

My Favorite Charger of ALL TIME!

In case you have not heard, Ladainian Tomlinson was released by the San Diego Chargers today.  It saddens me to see him go, but in the end, I truly think it is time for the Chargers and LT to part ways.  By no means do I think LT is done.  He had career lows in yards and TD’s, but he also had career lows in carries on top of missing two games.  I am not saying he’s the LT of old, we all know he’s not, but he is still serviceable and could surprise evryone next year with “a new lease on life”.  Who knows, I certainly don’t.  Apparently, “the experts” think he’ll end up in New Orleans, New England, Pittsburgh, or Indianapolis(doubt it).  We shall see.

BOOTTOM LINE: THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS LT!

This means we need a running back now.  I’ve heard we’re interested in Lendale White.  That could be interesting in combination with Sproles.  I like LaGarrette Blount if we can get him in the 3rd round… he’s the guy who knocked out the Boise State player in the beginning of the year and got suspended for most of his senior year.  At 6’2 / 240LBS, he’s a force with which to be reckoned.

The problem is, “Scott’s Totts” was part of a hilarious comedy sketch from The Office and Reggie’s Kids actually got stiffed on their $10,000 scholarships.

“Hey Mr. Scott, What you gonna do?
What you gonna do? Make our dreams come true!
Hey Mr. Scott, What you gonna do?
What you gonna do? Make our dreams come true!

You came into our lives and made a promise, that made us honest.
Made us realize, we don’t need to compromise, cause we could have it all.
Cause you made it possible, for us to achieve the improbable.

Hey Hey Hey Hey!

Hey Mr. Scott, What you gonna do?
What you gonna do? Make our dreams come true!
Hey Mr. Scott, What you gonna do?
What you gonna do? Make our dreams come true!”

Courtesy of Channel 10 News

“SAN DIEGO — San Diego native Reggie Bush is one of many NFL stars playing in this year’s Super Bowl, but the New Orleans Saints running back is at the center of a college scholarship issue with his name attached.Bush graduated from Helix High School in 2003 and had a Heisman Trophy-winning career at the University of Southern California. After college, he was drafted by the Saints in 2006 and signed a $26 million guaranteed contract.However, two local families are wondering what happened with the money that was supposed to go to a scholarship Bush lent his name to.

In March 2007, Helix High School seniors Brandon Fountain and Matt Cobb were presented a $10,000 scholarship from Bush to use for college.”I think it’s always been in my heart, just a desire to be able to come back and give back to the high school I grew up in,” Bush said in 2007.Fountain said, “I was real excited to meet Reggie Bush.”Fountain attends Cuyamaca College, and Cobb entered San Diego State University. Each received a $2,500 installment on their scholarships in their freshman year. Both ran into problems the following year when trying to contact the scholarship’s trustee, Jerry Michaels.”Mr. Michaels never responded. A couple of weeks later, he (Brandon) sent a second e-mail and still no response,” said Fountain’s father, Bruce.It was the same story for Cobb, and after weeks of wondering they received an answer they were not expecting.”That’s when we were told he was out of funds and due to the economy he didn’t have the money,” said Cobb.10News contacted Michaels, who lives in Los Angeles. He said the scholarship program was set up years ago and Bush’s people contacted him in an effort to get involved. Michaels said Bush’s people promised to contribute to the funds but never followed through. The existing scholarship was funded by previous investments in the stock market, and those stocks did not do well.While Bush posed with them at Helix High and was credited for “giving back” to his former school, Fountain and Cobb were left with an empty promise and a scholarship with Bush’s name and without his assistance.10News’ Steve Atkinson asked, “So the only person who gets hurt in this is?”"The kids,” said Bruce Fountain.10News contacted the San Diego Foundation, which as funded more than $15 million in scholarships for local students, to find out if the Bush scholarship is common practice. They said they only receive direct funds from donors, which is never a risky investment.”We work with our donors to make sure the money they are promising students is in the bank before we ever begin talking about awarding a scholarship,” said Arzo Mansury of the San Diego Foundation.10News tried numerous times to contact Bush’s representatives regarding this story, but phone calls have not been returned.In addition to Bush’s NFL salary, he earns nearly $5 million a year in endorsements.”

As a USC Alum, I am very disappointed to hear about this and hope Reggie does the right thing!  Of course, he did try to lateral the ball on the 4 yard line in the Rose Bowl… so who knows!

Josh and I went to high school together and were on JV baseball together.  We used eat seeds and play baseball trivia on the bench.  Before the year started I emailed him to give him some props on the moves they were making.  I really felt like we were improving on our team which finished with one of the best records of the second half last year.

Hey Josh,

Nice work you guys!  I love bringing in Jerry Hairston and LOVE the Kooz for Hairston deal!
Kooz drove me nuts with his non-hitting until August routine not to mention his RISP avg.  Jon Garland is sweet and I hope Petco allows him to repeat his world series year #’s.  I really like our make-up this year and I think we’re a sleeper team.  Is Prior still on our wishlist payroll?  I hope that guy gets right… he was awesome!

Anyway man, keep up the good work!  I have been waiting several years for some level headed moves like these.

Before Vincent Jackson’s pre-playoff detainment, I read this article on ESPN about how smart Vincent Jackson is… er WAS!  I must admit that I was surprised given the fact he’s gotten two DUI’s since he’s been here.  Smart people don’t usually get two DUI’s!  If you have two DUI’s and think you’re smart, don’t rethink it b/c your brain is obviously not working properly.

“QUOTE – Jackson was a second-round pick of the Chargers in 2005, beating the odds for someone who did not attract many FBS scholarship offers. As a youth, Jackson seemed to win as many accolades for his brains as he did for his brawn.

He’s the only child of Terrence and Sherry Jackson. They were a nomadic military family. Described by his mom as a “math geek,” Jackson has a creative edge: He once won a national poetry contest in Germany.

In 1993, the family moved outside of Colorado Springs, Colo. Jackson played football at Widefield High, where he earned a 4.3 GPA and graduated fourth in his class of almost 400. Widefield primarily ran the ball; as a result, no major schools recruited Jackson for football. He was interested in Columbia University and the Colorado School of Mines, mostly for academic reasons, before the University of Northern Colorado began recruiting him.

Alcorn State head football coach Earnest Collins was the special-teams coach at Northern Colorado at the time.

“His high school coach kept telling me, ‘I have this young man who is the Randy Moss of Colorado Springs,’” Collins says. “I watched his highlight tape and said, ‘Holy cow! Why isn’t anyone else recruiting this kid?’”

Collins attended one of Jackson’s basketball games and was sold. Jackson accepted a part-academic, part-athletic scholarship to Northern Colorado, located in Greeley, Colo.

“I was thinking I’m here for school first,” Jackson says. “You hear so much as a kid that it’s one in a million making the NFL, and it’s what people should tell kids. But when it’s pounded in your head, it’s tough to think, ‘I’m going to have a pro future.” – UNQUOTE”

I don’t think we should get rid of VJAX, but the Chargers should get him a handler to keep him in check and drive him around since he obviously can’t take care of himself responsibly.  Who has two DUI’s and drives with expired tags and blaring music loud enough to attract attention to those expired tags.  I’m no criminal master-mind, but if you are rolling illegally or doing something illegal, DON’T ATTRACT ATTENTION TO YOURSELF FOOL!

Fans’ anger, Internet, radio fueling nonstory

By Kevin Acee, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

Friday, January 22, 2010 at 12:01 a.m.

SAN DIEGO – This has gotten out of hand, and so I am writing about it.

I can hardly believe this has become the issue it has.

There may well be some leadership and accountability voids on the Chargers. But those voids have to do with facing up to a few guys playing dumb and a few playing soft.

That void may well also have to do with occasional off-the-field misconduct or irresponsibility.

But this? This is a nonstory that has gotten feet because of the Internet, talk radio and fans who are angry about an inexplicable loss.”  UNQUOTE  Read Entire Crap Article

This story was written in the wake of the Chargers’ inexplicable loss to the JETS last Sunday after reports surfaced that multiple Chargers were at Pure Platinum until the wee hours of Saturday morning before Sunday’s playoff game.  They downed multiple bottles of Grey Goose and had a great time.  Good for them, bad for SD and the rest of the Chargers!

The Chargers played like SHIT against the JETS and all of San Diego is sickened by the way they played… this “non-story” is actually a HUGE story because it is a microcosm of the Chargers’ failures over the past few years.  It is an utter lack of discipline and maturity.  Kevin Acee has lost all of his credibility with this article if he had any to begin with in this town.  He is known as the Chargers/AJ Smith apologist and has gone way to far out on this limb.  Sorry Kevin, but you are way off base on this!

Keys to our defeat:

1.  2 Missed Field Goals

2. That stupid fucking headbutt!  ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!????

3. Kicking the Challenge Flag?!  What the hell are you guys thinking?

I really thought all of this was behind us.   I couldn’t help but laugh in disgust throughout the game as the Chargers imploded.  What a total and utter collapse!  I hope next year Norv doesn’t allow the Chargers to hear or read any press during the playoffs.  That was just a complete meltdown and the atmosphere was too big for the Chargers once again.

I’m hearing a lot of talk coming from the East Coast and “sports experts” about the J E T S – JETS.  It’s just annoying at this point.  The Chargers have won 11 straight and have more offensive weapons than every team in the NFL…. Yes, even more than New Orleans and they beat the JETS 24-10 with their foot off the gas in the 4th quarter.  To be perfectly honest, I like Rex Ryan and the JETS… just not this week.  Regardless of the fact that they will not be able to cover all of our guys on offense or run the ball against Blue Thunder, this is the Divisional Round of the playoffs and our Chargers are battle tested and seasoned.  Say what you want, but the playoffs are different and the pressure goes up a notch every round.  I think the Chargers are ready to take advantage of that experience this year.  Hence the ONE AND DONE!

The Chargers have gotten 0 respect all season long.  Even when LT passed Jim Brown’s career rushing mark against the Browns, the National Media only gave LT a 2 second scoring clip… with 0 coverage of the game other than the box score.  It doesn’t surprise me at all during the regular season, but San Diego finished 13-3 with the only active double digit win streak and now all we’re hearing about is the JETS.  ARE YOU FUCKING JOKING!!??  The Bengals are horrible and the JETS would not even be in the tournament if the Colts or Bengals took their games against them seriously… The Bengals are probably regretting their half-assed game week 17.  I digress… I was congratulating the JETS for beating an average team in the first round of the playoffs.  Nicely done NY… err NJ!  The East Coast controls the main stream media and we out here on the west coast have to listen to them dribble over themselves anytime they have a somewhat decent team.  I am pretty sure the Eagles and Giants were the favorites to go to the Super Bowl this year according to most pundits.  The entire NFC LEast was the division to beat.  I realize the JETS are not in the NFC LEast, but they get the benefit of the same crappy bias that pollutes American sports coverage.  Did I mention we swept the NFC LEast?… even the Cowboys, which is the new “hottest” team in the NFC.  I swear, these pundits need to grow a pair and stop flip flopping every week.  Anyway, here’s to a national wake-up call on Sunday at 1:40PM!  Enjoy your shit burger NY!  ONE AND DONE!

Chargers 42-17