Sproles stands tall in gutsy performance
Jan. 4 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
To appreciate the difficulty of tackling Darren Sproles in the open field, try grabbing a hummingbird with a pair of pliers.
Try herding cats from astride a donkey. Try catching a wave and then holding it in place.
More Tim Sullivan Columns
Jan. 4 (UNION-TRIBUNE)Moorad appears poised to stabilize Padres: In his previous life as a player agent, Jeff Moorad represented Manny Ramirez. Baseball fans are advised to disregard that connection, however.
Dec. 28 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Bolts back from the abyss – almost: December dawned with the Chargers circling the drain. They were 4-8, ostensibly bound for oblivion, indisputably manhandled by the Atlanta Falcons, apparently destined to be remembered as a disastrous disappointment.
Dec. 24 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
TCU trio happily rushes by committee: When Joseph Turner takes an ego trip, he covers no more distance than a tired turtle. TCU's leading rusher plays well with others, shares more than he probably should, and accepts being listed as a third-string tailback as gracefully as he runs.
Dec. 19 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
The court of public opinion is waiting for Giles to speak: Brian Giles is the most patient of hitters, but he's picked a lousy time to leave the bat on his shoulder.
Dec. 17 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
New coach has presence that last two didn't: Both physically and philosophically, Brady Hoke is built like a bouncer. He's a man with a thick neck and narrow, unbending sensibilities, the kind of wing man you'd want late at night and far from home.
Dec. 16 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Padres caught in the middle of owners' divorce: There's no denying the Padres have been damaged by the divorce of owners John and Becky Moores, but it's heartening to hear that the ballclub is not being used as a pawn.
KANSAS CITY, Mo., Dec. 15 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Onside kick reboots Bolts' improbable drive to survive: By the time he's finished with his embroidery, Kassim Osgood will have retrieved the football from the jaws of a crocodile in the depths of a swamp, by crawling out of the ooze into a mine field, snipping the barbed wire with his bicuspids beneath an artillery barrage while favoring a strained hamstring.
LAS VEGAS, Dec. 12 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Financially, they can't afford to retain ace: The Padres will be hard-pressed to keep Jake Peavy, but they are not yet prepared to give him away.
Dec. 11 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Club, closer still need each other: LAS VEGAS – The case for Trevor Hoffman is conditional. It is predicated on the departure of Jake Peavy and the return of peaceful coexistence to the Padres.
Dec. 10 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Moores' next pitch may be aimed at buyers: LAS VEGAS – A prospectus has been drafted. Goldman Sachs has been retained. Wheels are in motion. The Padres are in play.
Dec. 9 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
He had diamond vision: LAS VEGAS – Heeding Yogi Berra's advice and Nostradamus' example, Greg Maddux has observed a lot just by watching.
LAS VEGAS, Dec. 8 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Towers knows art of making a big deal: Sean Mulligan grounded out on the only pitch he ever saw in the major leagues, but the thing that made his baseball career unique was that he was traded for a used treadmill.
VEGAS, Dec. 7 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
De La Hoya lacks punch in matches that matter: Oscar De La Hoya works better as a product than as a puncher. He is boxing's Golden Boy, a multinational, multi-platform, multi-and-then-some-millionaire. But as big as he's become as a corporation, De La Hoya keeps coming up small as a contestant.
Dec. 6 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Greene's a victim of his lofty ambitions: Perfection has eluded Khalil Greene. So, it seems, has joy. The shortstop who left the Padres on Thursday for St. Louis departs as a riddle wrapped in a mystery beneath a Jeff Spicoli haircut. Greene spent five seasons in San Diego, mostly hidden in plain sight, much of it brooding.
Dec. 5 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Sproles' big game sparks Chargers: Darren Sproles hit the goal line pylon spinning horizontally, but he landed in the end zone flat on his small stomach.
Dec. 3 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Turner is here for the duration, - at least for now: The head coach has been addressed. End of story. Close of subject. Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith's abrupt answers to pointed questions about Norv Turner may not be what you want to hear, but they're about all you're likely to get.
Dec. 1 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Offensive front contributed heavily to Bolts' latest defeat: When the gun sounds, LaDainian Tomlinson is no more elusive than a bulldozer. He's a cutback runner, but a straightforward speaker: direct, succinct, all eye contact all the time.
Nov. 28 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
10 things that fans should understand: No matter what you've heard, perception is not always reality. It's the mirror image you find in a carnival funhouse, except for the degree to which the distortion is accepted as accurate.
Nov. 26 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Davis has no time to waste on pity party: When Kelvin Davis made his entrance, it was almost time to make for the exits. Ninety minutes into San Diego State's two-hour basketball practice Monday, Davis walked into Peterson Gym for the end of the day's drills. Working at first by himself, he dribbled the length of the floor a few times before joining the full-court, full-contact workout.
Nov. 24 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
San Diego gets another gift but again fails to capitalize: How many gift horses do you get? How many times can the Chargers depend on the Denver Broncos to stink up their own joint like so much football fertilizer and then fail to make hay in the aftermath?
Nov. 22 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Turner vote of confidence always subject to a recall: Dean Spanos says it is “ridiculous” to speculate on Norv Turner's job security. A.J. Smith has called it “foolish.”
Nov. 21 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Ivy colleagues: ANAHEIM – Chris Young saw the fight coming before the first face-off. The Padres pitcher has yet to attempt ice skates, but the man knows his hockey.
Nov. 18 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Struggling Bolts miss key players: The Chargers are essentially the same team that played for a shot at the Super Bowl last January. But not exactly.
Nov. 16 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
SDSU football coach gets another beating in nightmare season: Chuck Long looked like 1-10 feels. Lost and forsaken. Drained and depressed. The San Diego State football coach sat down to review last night's 63-14 loss to Utah like a man dreading an appointment with his parole officer.
Nov. 15 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Peavy trade winds masked by smoke screens: The next move in the Jake Peavy trade talks is to see who moves next. Padres General Manager Kevin Towers, cornered yesterday between the 17th green and the 18th tee at Torrey Pines South, said he's back to “square one” after a deal broke down with the Atlanta Braves.
Nov. 12 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Team should have shaped the story: Sandy Alderson is smarter than this. He is too clever to be playing catch-up in his own game, too skilled to be reduced to self-inflicted damage control.
Nov. 10 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Aggressive mind-set keeps Rivers confident, successful: Philip Rivers called it a “silly throw,” and then he didn't. Two minutes into his post-game news conference yesterday afternoon, the Chargers quarterback was backpedaling rhetorically, adjusting on the fly, searching for the precise phrase for an imprecise pass.
