Nighttime nuggets: Sunday

Chargers
The Atlanta Journal Constition's game story on the Falcons' victory over the Chargers on Sunday led with the fact the Falcons now can win even when they don't play their best. Well, against the Chargers, duh. ...

You know it's bad when Union-Tribune beat writer Kevin Acee takes off the rose-colored glasses and writes off the season. ...

Here's the Associated Press gamer. ...

Yes, the understudy outshone the star: Falcons RB Michael Turner got the best of his "matchup" with LaDainian Tomlinson. ...

The L.A. Times catches up with former Chargers RB Chuck Muncie and his current good works after a long love affair with drugs.

Padres
MLB.com beat writer Corey Brock has a Padres Mailbag piece posted. You'd think an online outlet would just use e-mail these days rather than mailbags. ...

The Chicago Tribune reports the Cubs are being cost-conscious as they consider trading for RHP Jake Peavy, even with a payroll in the top five in the majors.

USD
As well as the Toreros finished the men's basketball season last spring, it's easy to forget they lost to Cal State Bakersfield during the season. Well, the Bakersfield Californian remembers. The rematch is Monday.

Basketball
La Costa Canyon High School product Chase Budinger scored 22 points despite first-half foul trouble in Arizona's 74-57 victory over Northern Arizona on Sunday. San Diego High School alumnus Jamelle Horne had a big dunk in the Wildcats' decisive second-half run. ...

James Rahon has made the transition from Torrey Pines High School to college quite well. The Santa Clara freshman had 12 points off the bench in a 71-68 victory at Montana and is average 9.8 points through six games. ...

San Diegan Luke Walton's playing time has diminished with the high-flying Lakers this season, but he got five first-half minutes Sunday against Toronto. He made some nice passes. Good thing, because he finished with two points in nine total minutes. ...

El Capitan High School alumna Heather Molzen scored 12 points for Washington State. The Cougars lost 82-71 at San Francisco in a tournament final.

San Diego State
Wyoming has selected Missouri offensive coordinator Dave Christensen to be its new football coach. Why is this under a San Diego State header? Wyoming and San Diego State fired their coaches on the same day. The Aztecs are still looking. Hmm.

Soccer
A couple weekend notables from the Americans overseas report on Soccer By Ives: Mt. Carmel High School alumnus Steve Cherundolo started for Hannover 96 in the Bundesliga but played only the first half of a 3-2 victory over Karlsruhe. And in Denmark, former San Diego State goalkeeper Tally Hall dressed but did not play for Ejsberg.

Morning mishmash: Sunday

Padres
MLB.com has a nice overview of the factors that go into a team's decision whether to offer arbitration to its players who became free agents. The deadline is Monday. The Padres conceivably could offer arbitration to closer Trevor Hoffman, but CEO Sandy Alderson said that is unlikely. ...

A blogger offers a detailed analysis of whether 2B Jesse Barfield has become a lost cause since leaving the Padres in the Kevin Kouzmanoff trade. Warning: heavy on the stats. ...

The Union-Tribune's Tom Krasovic writes about the flip side of the Padres' paring of their payroll: no bad long-term investments. ...

The Orioles are said to be the third team that could help the Padres close a deal to send RHP Jake Peavy to the Cubs. ... Here's the original report from the Baltimore Sun.

Chargers
Here's the Associated Press take on Falcons RB Michael Turner returning to San Diego to face the Chargers. ...

The Chargers have struggled on offense in the red zone this season. ...

Former Chargers assistant coach Sylvester Croom resigned as Mississippi State's head coach on Saturday. ...

Patriots WR Wes Welker, inexplicably cast off by the Chargers after one game, gets a nice write-up.

San Diego State
The Union-Tribune's Nick Canepa implores San Diego State athletic director Jeff Schemmel to look beyond the familiar in his search for a new football coach. ... Why is Terry Bowden interested in the job? He knows the clock is ticking on any return to the sideline.

The Aztecs' 76-47 victory over Hampton in men's basketball was notable on two fronts: It was the most-lopsided championship-game score in the 31-year history of the Great Alaskan Shootout, and it was Steve Fisher's first in-season tournament title in 10 seasons at San Diego State.

Soccer
North Carolina's Casey Nogueira, daughter of former Sockers goalkeeper Victor Nogueira, is among 15 semifinalists for the Herrman Trophy, awarded to the top player in college soccer. ...

UCLA reached the NCAA women's soccer final four in a big way, beating Duke 6-1. San Pasqual High School product Shannon MacMillan, who starred for the U.S. national team and the WUSA's San Diego Spirit, is a Bruins assistant coach.

Basketball
Francis Parker School graduate Tyler Bernardini scored 19 points for Penn, but the Quakers fell 73-63 at Albany. ...

La Jolla Country Day School Mercedes Fox-Griffin scored 14 points as Oregon State's women's team gave North Carolina a game in a tournament in the Bahamas before falling 82-78.

Midnight snack: Saturday

Soccer
La Jolla Country Day School graduate Ali Hawkins was the star of the day Friday, delivering the game-winning goal in the second overtime as North Carolina beat Texas A&M 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the NCAA women's playoffs. The North Carolina SID recap says Hawkins drilled a low shot in the left side of the goal from 8 yards out in the left side of the penalty area. ...

Notre Dame beat Florida State 2-0 to remain unbeaten. Rancho Bernardo High School product Kelsey Lysander got the shutout in goal, but it took a play by La Costa Canyon High School alumna Carrie Dew to keep the shutout intact. The defender cleared a shot by Tiffany McCarty late in the game to keep the Seminoles off the board. ...

Another La Costa Canyon alumna, Allison McCann, had a goal waved off, but her Stanford team still advanced with a 1-0 victory over Portland.

Padres
The San Diego Union-Tribune quotes Padres CEO Sandy Alderson as saying it's highly unlikely the team will offer salary arbitration to free-agent closer Trevor Hoffman. That would close one path back to San Diego for Hoffman after contract talks fell apart. ...

OF/1B Justin Huber, who opened 2008 with the Padres, speaks enthusiastically about the improvements Australian baseball has made going into the 2009 World Baseball Classic. ...

Sticking with the international theme, RHP Justin Germano will pitch in Japan in 2009. He signed with the Softbank Hawks.

Media
The Chargers-Raiders game Thursday on the NFL Network will be shown in high-definition 3D in select theaters in three cities, a test of the new technology. The game is fine, but the league would be well-advised not to show any Raiders fans in high def, much less 3D. Then again, Chargers fans are used to Raiders fans in 3D: drunk, dirty and dumb. ...

The same media column linked above says Rangers radio announcer Victor Rojas and Mariners TV broadcaster Dave Sims have been interviewed to replace Matt Vasgersian on Channel 4 San Diego's Padres coverage.

San Diego State
Former RB Marshall Faulk played for the Aztecs before the formation of the Mountain West Conference, so he still holds some Western Athletic Conference records. His mark of 57 career rushing touchdowns was tied Friday by Boise State's Ian Johnson.

Football
Former Chargers coach Mike Riley, on the verge of gaining a Rose Bowl berth for Oregon State, gets a nice write-up in the Portland Oregonian. State rival Oregan stands between Riley and Pasadena.

Basketball
El Capitan High School alumna Heather Molzen had 18 points for Washington State, but the Cougars fell 86-79 to Northern Colorado in a tournament at San Francisco. ...

La Jolla Country Day product Mercedes Fox-Griffin chipped in 12 points in a balanced Oregon State attack as the Beavers defeated Arkansas 69-56 in the Bahamas. ...

The Arizona Daily Star writes that La Costa Canyon graduate Chase Budinger has emerged as a leader at Arizona. ...

Former USD player Nick Lewis scored 18 points to help Bakersfield win its NBA Development League season opener at Los Angeles 116-90. The defeated D-Fenders got 24 points from SDSU product Brandon Heath.

Morning mishmash: Friday

Media
The Union-Tribune's Jay Posner has a piece on former Padres announcer Matt Vasgersian returning to Qualcomm Stadium to announce the Chargers-Falcons game on Sunday. Vasgersian, by the way, works alongside former El Camino High School football star JC Pearson.

Soccer
The NCAA women's playoffs are down to the quarterfinals, with three games today and one Saturday:

• Texas A&M visits traditional power North Carolina at 11 a.m. PST. The Tar Heels' leading scorer (23 goals, eight assists) is Casey Nogueira, daughter of fomer Sockers goalkeeper Victor Nogueira. North Carolina regular lineup also features La Jolla Country Day School graduate Ali Hawkins.
• Undefeated Notre Dame hosts Florida State at 4 p.m.. The Irish have benefited from the play of standout defender Carrie Dew, a La Costa Canyon High School alumna, and starting goalkeeper Kelsey Lysander out of Rancho Bernardo High School. Lysander has a 0.46 goals-against average.
• Stanford hosts Portland at 7 p.m. The Cardinal features two midfielders from North County: La Costa Canyon alumna Allison McCann and Torrey Pines High School graduate Kelley Birch. Freshman Katie Finley, out of Francis Parker School in San Diego, is redshirting because of an injury.
• Duke visits UCLA at 7 p.m. Saturday.
  

Morning mishmash: Thanksgiving

Basketball
Nick Lake, a graduate of The Bishop's School who lives in Rancho Santa Fe, led the way with 14 points and nine rebounds as Princeton beat Fordham 73-61 on Wednesday night at New York. ...

San Diego State product Brandon Heath is on the season-opening roster of the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA's developmental league. ... ... USD product Nick Lewis, meanwhile, is a forward with the Bakersfield Jam.

Chargers
There's plenty of coverage out there this week about Falcons RB Michael Turner's return to San Diego to face the Chargers. Here's an interesting one about Turner's blocking back, Ovie Mughelli. Seems he studied film of Lorenzo Neal, the fullback who opened holes for LaDainian Tomlinson and Turner before this season. ...

The Chargers' waiver claim of RB Michael Bennett might have helped RB/FB Andrew Pinnock secure employment. The former Charger was signed by the division rival Broncos on Wednesday to shore up their depleted backfield. Many speculated the Chargers claimed Bennett to keep him away from Denver. ... Note a little farther down in that story that S Marlon McCree, another ex-Charger, is unlikely to play for Denver this weekend because of an ankle injury.

Midnight snack: Thanksgiving

Padres
Seems former 1B/OF John Kruk remains thankful the Padres traded him to the Phillies. ...

Former OF Eric Owens is starting a managerial career. He was tabbed by the Angels to take over as Single-A Rancho Cucamonga manager. ...

CEO Sandy Alderson said on his weekly visit with XX Sports Radio that free-agent closer Trevor Hoffman's camp has not responded to overtures to re-establish communication. ...

Utility player David Newhan is on the market after refusing a minor league assignment by the Astros. He broke into the majors with the Padres.

Chargers
Minneapolis Star Tribune columnist Mark Craig lists the Chargers as the NFL's biggest underachiever. ...

C Corey Withrow, released during the exhibition season after reaching an injury settlement with the team, has signed with the St. Louis Rams and practiced Wednesday. The Rams lost starting C Nick Leckey (broken foot) for the season, but Withrow will be a backup.

San Diego State
Here's the Associated Press account of A.D. Jeff Schemmel's meeting with the press in his hospital room. ...

The Aztecs are long gone from the Western Athletic Conference, but they left some records behind. Boise State running back Ian Johnson needs two rushing touchdowns to break Marshall Faulk's conference record of 57, scored from 1991-93.

Soccer
San Pasqual High School product Jovan Kirovski won't have to wait until 2009 to debut with his new team, the L.A. Galaxy. He's on the travel roster for a December trip to New Zealand for an exhibition game against the Oceania All-Stars. ...

Former Sockers player Mike Stojanovic was selected to the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony is June 6. ...

USD product Ciaran O'Brien was exempt from the MLS expansion draft on Wednesday. That's because he's a Generation adidas player for the Colorado Rapids -- basically, a developmental reserve spot that doesn't count against the roster. Colorado left Poway High School graduate Greg Dalby there for the taking, but the incoming Seattle Sounders did not bite. ...

Odd story on Goal.com. U.S. women's national team midfielder Aly Wagner, who had a spin with the old San Diego Spirit pro team, talks about how beneficial the sport is for girls, yet the author writes it as an advice piece to soccer mom Michelle Obama. Not one of Wagner's quotes mentions the first family, however. Hmm. ...

The Queen's Birthday Honours are a big deal in the land of tea and crumpets. Citizens are recognized for their accomplishments or public service. Former Spirit player Julie Fleeting was one of them last summer, named to receive an MBE (Order of the British Empire, Civil Member). She picked up her award in person Friday from none other than Prince Charles.

Here goes nothing

A latecomer to the blogosphere, I started this blog to spotlight and consolidate some San Diego sports news that is slipping through the cracks, or might not be getting the highest possible number of views. The "mass" of mass media is increasingly frayed, so this is just one more outlet to find things. I hope to mix in a little bit of insight now and then and maybe even some actual original journalism, if time permits. (This is a sideline.)
The are going to be a lot of links to kick things off, and I hope to add content as I get the hang of blogging. I welcome interaction on the comments, especially by those who have interesting items to share or have the jump on breaking stories.
The start will be small and humble. The end might be the same. Or not. We'll see what happens.