Nighttime nuggets: Friday, Jan. 23

Golf
You know you're hot when you shoot a 67 and it's considered a letdown. That's where Torrey Pines High School alumnus Pat Perez is at after three rounds in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. ... Here's the transcript of Perez's post-round presser. ...

Poway High School graduate Bill Lunde shot 62, his best PGA Tour round by five strokes.

Chargers
Is general manager A.J. Smith a pompous blowhard? That's what Yahoo! columnist Michael Silver thinks after reading Smith's response to RB LaDainian Tomlin's statement of desire to remain a Charger. ...

With the newspaper industry teetering on collapse, editors are becoming more daring, or more desperate. The U-T offers up a contrived debate among its columnists about the greatest Charger of all-time. Tim Sullivan picks L.T.; Nick Canepa goes for Lance Alworth. It reads about as good as the old Sports Page show on XTRA 1360 sounded.

Padres
3B Kevin Kouzmanoff's arm hasn't fallen off, after all. ...

The Chicago Tribune reports that RHP Jake Peavy's 2009 salary can be added to the Cubs payroll without busting the budget. ...

The U-T profiles new Padres TV broadcaster Mark Neely. ... As San Diego says hello to Neely, Tulsa says goodbye. He was the voice of the minor-league Drillers. ...

Hey, turns out Padres numbers cruncher Paul DePodesta is not an android. He's human. His sense of humor on his blog proves it. Check the Henry Blanco item. ...

Former Padres LHP Randy Wolf is headed back to the Dodgers. Good for him. He can spend more time in Slash's old house. ...

Former Padre Tim Flannery takes the stage in Fallbrook on Saturday.

Baseball
Cardinals 3B Troy Glaus, a Carlsbad High School grad, is out 12 weeks after shoulder surgery. ...

Pirates RHP Jeff Karstens, a Mount Miguel High School product, will take it easy early in the spring after feeling a twinge in his elbow. ...

Mt. Carmel High School grad Billy Beane, better known as the "Moneyball" guru of the Oakland Athletics, is a spokesman for a new video game that lets players experience what it's like to be a baseball general manager. Oooh, finally I get to see what it's like to duck sportwriters' calls when the shit is hitting the fan.

San Diego State
Frenchman Mehdi Cheriet is, how you say, a find for the men's basketball team.

Basketball
Torrey Pines High School grad Rod Benson is back from Europe and "enjoying" bus rides in the NBA D-League. ...

A more recent Torrey Pines grad, guard James Rahon, had a game-high and career-high 21 points to lead Santa Clara to a 70-54 road victory over San Francisco on Friday night.

Soccer
Former San Diego State goalkeeper Tally Hall has returned stateside to play for Houston in Major League Soccer. He spent two years in Denmark.

Motor Sports
Poway's Brian Ickler is back West for the Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale. After good results for several years on Western regional circuits, Ickler moved to the heart of NASCAR country, North Carolina, and competed in the East in 2008.