The Chicago White Sox now have Ken Griffey, Jim Thome, Paul Konerko, Nick Swisher, Carlos Quentin and Jermaine Dye in their lineup after picking up Griffey from the Cincinnati Reds yesterday. That's a formidable order for any pitcher to face during a potential World Series run. Let's hope the pitching can do the job as it did in 2004's championship year.

Griffey is a future Hall of Famer, with over 600 home runs, but has never won a championship. This is what he needs to rejuvenate his career after a few dismal years spent with the Reds. Thus far this season, Griffey is batting .245 with 15 home runs and 51 runs batted in. I hope to see those numbers explode with his new uniform and world class city in which he'll play his home games.

(bottomlesschips) The New York Times is reporting that the Senate Judiciary Committee had sent a letter in November to the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell, asking to explain why they had destroyed video evidence of the Patriots recording the signals of the Jets in a game that was played in Week 1. For some reason the NFL didn't respond to the first letter, and Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), the ranking Republican on the committee, wrote and sent another one to which the NFL and Goodell will respond to after the Super Bowl on Sunday.

Why did the NFL not respond immediately? Why is the committee looking into this matter? Is there a cover-up by the NFL?

We'll have to wait and see about any cover-up, or why the NFL did not respond immediately (according to the article, the NFL said it took until late last week before their office received the letter).

The committee is looking into the matter because the NFL has an anti-trust exemption, which most probably was granted by an act of Congress. Sen. Specter states that cheating in sports is a concern of every fan, and that the integrity of the game must be maintained, thus he wants to investigate the "Spy Gate" incident.

(jmjbox) Tom Brady hasn't always been successful according to Lee Jenkins of SI.COM.

Jenkins described how Brady was a 2nd-string quarterback at 0-8 Junipero Serra High School in (San Mateo) California, moved on to University of Michigan to become 7th-string quarterback, and to being drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the NFL draft in 2000. According to his high school buddy, who quit after the 0-8 season to focus more on basketball, which gave Brady his first starting break, Brady's rise has been a "fairy tale" of sorts.

Gabcast! DB Blas: Mobile Dispatch #9

(AP)

Norv Pulls a Schottenheimer

Norv Turner spoke from the heart the night before the Chargers played the Colts in their AFC Divisional playoff game on Sunday. Charger players felt the emotional tone of Turner's speech and took it personally. So much so that the Chargers beat the favored Colts in a game all the pundits thought the Chargers had no chance of winning (Colts were favored by 10 points).

The Chargers felt as if Turner pulled a Marty Schottenheimer, the coach of the Chargers who was fired at the end of last year, and known for his heartfelt, pre-game pep speeches. The players responded with a win, and now the team seems ready to play an undefeated Patriots team, which will be their second meeting of the season.

At Hamilton's Tavern, South Park's unofficial Charger headquarters, where Charger fans assembled at 10:00 A.M. yesterday, the fans were a bit concerned after the Colts scored easily on their first possession to make the score 7-0. But all concerns flew out the window as soon as the Chargers mounted their first scoring drive in the 2nd quarter to tie the score. The Bolts played lights out the first half and it was clear that they were more physical, and ready to take on the Colts in the second half. And take the on they did.

For food, James Bryant, who is a regular food contributor, prepared a beef stew that was hot, healthy, and delicious. I personally had 3-4 servings. It was THAT good.

Turner has a .750 winning percentage in playoff games. The Chargers are most certainly primed to take the Patriots' record to 17-1, with their emotional victory over the Colts, and to raise Turner's playoff record to 4-1. The Chargers and Patriots tee it off at 1:00 P.M. on Sunday. Are you ready for some football?

Charger Fans Vindicated
Charger fans during the Marty Schottenheimer era were somewhat satisfied with regular season play, especially his last two seasons. But there's one gripe about which fans were most vocal--the team's inability to win in the playoffs. (Last year the team had the best record going into the playoffs, with home field advantage, then proceeded to lose their first game.)

Fans were vindicated in the calling of Schottenheimer's ouster with yesterday's playoff win against the Titans. Mind you, many fans were satisfied with the former coach's success, and were upset when he was let go. But yesterday's win is further evidence that management has been right all along.

The Return Guy: The Smallest, Most Exciting Player

Every NFL team, according to Lee Jenkins of si.com, wants a Devin Hester, a "playmaker," a strategic, intercontinental, offensive weapon, a player who can figuratively turn dirt into gold.

In his article, Jenkins describes these return men as the smallest on the team, but the most exciting on the team. Read it here.

As an aside, here in San Diego we have a newspaper columnist, Logan Jenkins, who writes for one of our local papers. Logan Jenkins is Lee Jenkins' dad. Lee, who wrote for the New York Times, is a really good writer, and it's interesting to see from where his talents are sourced.

Merry Christmas!

Gabcast! DB Blas: Mobile Dispatch #5 - Bears vs. Chargers 2007

DB speaks with Chris at the 2007 San Diego Chargers home opener against the Chicago Bears