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And the chains they crash like thunder
While the weak ones all retreat

Gotta draw first blood

Or they'll read your funeral rights

When the lightning strikes

I'm still superstitious enough to go with the Aerosmith for the second week in a row.  You probably saw my B/R article already on my continued fears about Rivers.  Incidentally, those of you that worried about and for me when I began writing pieces over there will want to read this article on Bleacher Report. All I'll say, is that I still feel like it's been a good arrangement.

As I mentioned in the aforementioned piece, I know that tomorrow night's game is inconsequential compared to the Denver game the following week.  But for my confidence in this team, it's a huge deal.  Let's be honest, no one thinks that they can win tomorrow.  Between the Saints being "due" at 0-4 and Brees having a big game the previous week, the stage seems set for them to get their first victory.

Factor in the face that the NFL is letting Payton attend the game to watch Brees break Johnny U's record and you've got everyone pulling for New Orleans.  Brees and Payton built a system that utilizes Drew's strengths better than anything Brian Schottenheimer could cook up.  I'm sure you remember, FAITHFUL READER, that Brees played in a spread offense at Purdue.

You remember this catch?  Of course you do, FAITHFUL READER.  It was at the end of the first half of the Sunday Night game in 2006.  It is the only time the Chargers have beaten the Steelers since the 1994 AFC Championship game.  It was the first time we saw that Philip Rivers could truly pass the Chargers to a win.  Malcom Floyd would also go on to prove himself as the Chargers best deep threat that season.  Yes, Jackson did catch that miracle pass in Seattle.  But Floyd blew past his man in Cincy and I still maintain that if he hadn't gotten hurt (what a shock, I know) that we might have been able to Patriots away in January.

In fact, Floyd caught Rivers' first touchdown pass ever.  In the 2004 finale against Kansas City, Rivers threw what appeared to be a massive chuck in the corner of the end zone.  It ended up being a touchdown, of course.  At the same time, the Jets were backing into the playoffs by losing to the Rams.  I was at a bar watching the Bolts, obviously.  That was the first of our many missed opportunities.

I hate to start things out like that, but it's what we think about all the time while watching this team.  It's impossible to be a Charger fan without watching them through a prism of disappointment.  When they finally atone for their playoff pratfalls, we'll stop dwelling on the past.

No, that is not me at the 2004 game against the Falcons.  However, I approve it's message.  The only tunes I included in this week's post is a link to the Elvis Bootleg "Cut Me Ane I Bleed."  If you don't want to deal with Youtube and want to listen on your own media player, you can listen to it here. Tomorrow's game is a big one.  I know it's only Week 3, but the Bolts have a lot to more--to their fans most of all.  Whether it was the Sunday Night shellacking in Foxboro in 2007, the "soft and embarrassing" loss at Pittsburgh in 2009 (see photo posted below), or the meltdown against New England last year, the Bolts haven't answered the bell in September in quite a while.

I know that you don't want to play your best football at this stage of the season.  The Falcons are further proof that regular season wins don't mean shit.  But they are coming into San Diego looking to finally get out of the first round, as the Chargers were in 2007.  The Bolts can't really be satisfied with simply getting back into the postseason.  I don't care what everybody says.  Rivers, Gates, Hardwick, these guys want to finally run to the end.  While these games don't indicate whether a team will be the only one to end its season with a win, the Chargers could really use a victory tomorrow.  I just rattled off three games in which they fell flat early on.  I'd say they were a pretty good indicator of how the team fared at the end of the season.  In 2007, they were able to finally go toe to toe with New England in January.  But it wasn't good enough.  If Michael Turner gets past the late Junior Seau on 3rd and goal, maybe. 

As I'm sure you've discovered by now, I was generally satisfied with what I saw on Monday Night in Oakland.  There is a lot to improve upon, but the biggest thing is that I never felt like the Chargers would inevitably make an asinine play and lose.  That speaks volumes after what we all suffered through last season.  When we were 4-1, we all vented about how the team would go nowhere with the comedy of errors they put forth.  I believe Eric Weddle even said that if they kept up the level of play they showed during those four wins, that they'd never be successful.  So that's why I liked what I saw on Monday.  Check out my scribblings from approximately 1:00 EST. My notes look like the scribblings from the poster for the movie about George Bush vs. The Dixie Chicks. 

I know, it's liike looking inside the mind of a madman.  Nonetheless, you have to be happy that Rivers was able to "manage" the game.  With Ronnie Brown looking less agile than Gary Brown (wherever he is), I am sure Rivers was really itching to start throwing passes all over the field.  Settling for field goals won't suffice once the competition heats up.  I am sure Ryan Mathews will really help in that part of the field.  However, it sounds like he'll wait a week before suiting up.  I don't think that's a bad idea.  This is a game that we night not need him for.  That's not to disrespect or underestimate the Titans.  But Mathews will be needed more for the remaining fourteen games than the one tomorrow afternoon.

Sure, the place will be loud.  I don't fault local fans for waiting to make the game a sellout.  This is definitely a "wait and see" season.  The ceremony for Junior will bring even more emotion from the seats.  But we also know how quickly this team can deflate its own crowd.  The key will once again be to see if they have learned from the mistakes they've committed time and time again.

While there are a lot of new players, the ones who have erred the most in the past are still around.  That includes, Rivers, of course.  Hopefully, he'll realize that there's no crime in living to fight for another down.  I didn't get a chance to point it out in any of the various outlets I wrote for this week, but Floyd's catch was a thing of beauty.  It was reminiscent of the touchdown grab he had against Pittsburgh in 2006.  That's the only time we've beaten the Steelers since the AFC Championship game of 1/15/95.

Seriously, so much of what the Chargers did (or didn't do) in 2012 rested upon a seemingly meaningless New Year's Day game in Oakland.  While the Traitors needed the game in order to make the playoffs and it's always great to beat them, the game really didn't have significance for the Chargers.  Actually, it apparently convinced Dean Spanos that he justifiy bringing Norv back for another year.  AJ avoided the ax, but if you believe anything you read (and I don't) in the U-T and North County Times, the coach would go before the GM.  Deano, after all, credits our "success" since 2004 to Smith most of all.  By the way, if you haven't been able (or wanted to) read the Union-Tribune's Charger coverage since they went to a pay-for-content business model, you can still find the articles on the Google "Discussion" site.  I'd keep that tidbit of info on the down low, but if you're reading this I assume I can trust you.

I inadvertently deleted a 1 TB of music while actually trying to back up my computer a couple of weeks back.  When you tether yourself to as much useless shit as I do, it's a pretty catastrophic event.  However, only a fraction of those tunes actually are in my daily rotation.  I assume you know what bands are on that playlist.  However, I did retain the 18 disc release from the Justice Is Coming House Band.  You know you're old when concerts you've attended are part of an epic archival release.  You can listen to big chunks of it here.  If you're really interested, e-mail me and I can direct you towards the entire set.

Sam and I are taking the kids to Martha's Vineyard for the week tomorrow.  This means seven days of Jaws references, cigars and tequila with my dad and one big trip to Costco beforehand.  So as I approached the wholesale club yesterday here on Long Island, I was surprised to get an eyeful of the most offensive football logo imaginable.  You can see my instant reaction posted to your right.  No matter where I am or what I am doing, that's the most natural reflex I possess.  It's been over a week since the preseason opener and unless Ryan Mathews really can diagnose himself, we'll probably be without him Monday Night in Oakland.  I care less about whether he plays in that game than whether he plays the majority of the games this season.  More than anything, I'm concerned that his durability will soon make Malcom Floyd look like Cal Ripken.  Even more concerning than Mathews is Jared Gaither.  I don't doubt AJ for one second for letting McNeill go.  His recently announced retirement confirmed the intelligence of that decision.  Actually, McNeill's performance last Halloween in Kansas City did that for me. 

Beyond his "Big Lazy" reputation, Gaither has a history of injuries.  I'm not suggesting that we will have another Bob Sanders on our hands, but I get a little more nervous each day with Gaither.  That independent specialist visit was a little too reminiscent of Shawne Merriman circa 2008.  Of course, Merriman never got surgery after the 2007 season.  He can't blame the Titans for that.  Mike Thomas' rise from undrafted rookie to Philip Rivers' blind side makes for nice copy, but I don't feel great about that arrangement come Septemeber.

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August 9th: This is of course the anniversary of Jerry Garcia's passing.  I know this information doesn't interest everyone, but I find each year that more and more Justice Leaguers have a fine appreciation for his music.  How am I spending this day?  Writing about the Chargers, obviously.  I do have to take Sarah to a birthday party at some kiddie farm before I settle in for the beginning of preseason.  It's been a very pleasant summer, but I am sure within fifteen minutes of tonight's kickoff, that will fade.  Jared Gaither won't start to protect Philip Rivers' blindside.  But that's not nearly as much of a concern as the uncertainty as to when he will play.  We're all so fed up that we're just expecting AJ's commitment to Gaither to backfire, aren't we? 

It was the right move, since the Halloween meltdown told me all I needed to know about Marcus McNeill.  However, Gaither's back does worry every Charger fan.  I want to postpone as long as possible that first Rivers pass under pressure that results in an interception.  That Green Bay game from last year was the one that made me write that Rivers should sit.  I still stand by that.  I didn't think it would do anything to him mentally, good or bad.  But his playing was that detrimental to the team.  I see that in the training camp report from the new Sports Illustrated that Vincent Jackson is showing great leadership in Tampa.  Just wait until things get tough, Buc fans.  Until the Chargers finish the job, I will always be keeping an eye on the guys we've let go.  Once we do something ourselves, that might stop or at least diminish.  Incidentally, the Bolts apparently have inspirational saying painted in the hallways leading to the locker room.  This year's is "nunc coepi," which is Latin for "Now I begin."  Considering the fact that almost every Charger hat of mine has some weird-ass mantra that I thought would help (half of them say "Justice is Coming" in some form) scribbled on it, I don't feel so bad knowing that The Organization has resorted to similar tactics.  I still like "protect the dream," which was a sign they had up reminding players to hold onto the ball.  I think it's a metaphor for the mission that the Chargers, or least the fans, find themselves on.  "Don't shit on the dream" would also have been acceptable. 

Ah, home, sweet home.  I wasn't making a Motley Crue reference.  It just feels good to be here within the Halls Of Justice.  My article on Junior was pretty well-received, as you can see from the Tweet to the right.  It seemed like my tribute to LaDainian also struck a chord, although in a far different way.  However, it's been almost since April that I got in front my keyboard for and old-school JIC entry.  I know there are mixed feelings about my involvement with Bleacher Report.  Rest assured, FAITHFUL READER, that I have many of those same feelings myself.  However, I think the arrangement is a good thing and that it can develop into a better thing.  There are people out in cyberspace that think I'm just some guy who's always bitching about Norv, AJ and Kaeding.  That's why it's so important to lure them over to the site to find out what being part of The Justice League is all about.  Get here any way you can.  It could be Twitter or the JIC Facebook page.  I mentioned on Twitter that Sarah and I went out to Friendly's when she decided to try to get under my skin by telling me that the Chargers stink.  After she immediately knocked her bowl on the floor, I joked that her it jumped from the table in retribution. She actually laughed at that.  However, she does hear me yelling at the television every Sunday.  It's a good thing she'll be fast asleep when the season kicks off late in the evening of Opening Monday.

This piece combined two of my interests that are not related to the Chargers.  It was originally written for the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) Journal under the title "The Old Lion And Papa Bear."  However, it made its way over to American Heritage and was purchased for their website.  It appeared there on April 5, 2006.  Not everyone approved of my connection between these two figures, but it led to American Heritage purchasing the Hendrix and Springsteen pieces which also appear here. 

Theodore Roosevelt And Jerry Garcia: Brothers Under The Skin?

While reading William N. Tilchin’s touching memorial to John Gable in the last TRA Journal, I was instantly forced into a double-take.  He recalled that the late Doctor had written him a letter in August of 1995 “that lamented the passing of Jerry Garcia.”  I chalked that tidbit up as an interesting anomaly until I later read in Major Gregory A. Wynn’s tribute that Dr. Gable had “attended 13 Grateful Dead concerts.  The first was in Providence, RI.  The last was in March 1994 in the Nassau Coliseum.”  Dr. Gable had apparently verified his show total in his “Commonplace Book,” an idea he had admittedly borrowed from George Washington.  These books, whose origins date back to the Renaissance, were originally used to help students understand all the innovations and achievements of the era.  Later Commonplace Books of men like Washington and Jefferson contained the words that motivated them and provide historians a unique view of how these figures actually viewed themselves.

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This piece was originally published on August 13, 2007 to commemorate Bruce's historic stand at The Bottom Line.  It got some nice reviews and was later used by my favorite Springsteen cover band, Tramps Like Us, to promote their recreation of the August 15th show.  

The Week That Made Bruce Springsteen

In the Summer of 1975, Bruce Springsteen was backed against the ropes. His first two albums, Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J., and The Wild, The Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle, had been critically but not commercially successful. Jon Landau of Rolling Stone, who famously wrote in 1974 that Springsteen was “rock and roll future,” had taken leave from his job to help him finish his third record. The album, to be named Born to Run, had kept Springsteen in the studio for over a year, and he knew it was his last shot at a breakthrough. But if it was to be his defining statement, he needed an audience to validate it. He got that audience with an electrifying ten-show stand at a 400-seat club in Greenwich Village called the Bottom Line. It would propel him onto the October 27 covers of Time and Newsweek simultaneously and mark a turning point both for his career and for rock music.

Having been “discovered” by John Hammond, who a decade earlier had brought a young Bob Dylan to Columbia Records, Bruce was predictably hailed as “the next Dylan” in 1972. Even though his first two albums didn’t really sell, his incendiary live shows made him a cult favorite. Columbia executives hoped to use this magic to build a buzz for Born to Run. His official manager, Mike Appel (who would soon embark on a bitter power struggle with Landau), was so convinced that Springsteen was ready for the big time that he originally tried to book him into Madison Square Garden, but he wasn’t popular enough--yet. So his 10 shows took place over five nights at the Bottom Line, from August 13 to 17.