Daniel Chang, one of the many benefactors of the original incarnations of JUSTICE, sent me a link to this interesting piece on Antonio Garay. Of course, my eyes automatically rolled when I read the author wondering why Garay didn't get more snaps over guys like Luis Glasstillo. "That's because they're the Chargers", would be my answer to that question. Sadly, that's my answer to a lot of questions. I also agree with Daniel's hope that Garay will be on the field simultaneously with our first-round draft pick. Check out this photo that the U-T ran of him and his family. I love the kid on the left getting ready to take a nap. It gets cut off on the right, but I see a little early 80s sneaking in the frame with those sunglasses. Maybe even the 70s, a la "The Warriors?"
This has been an especially weird off-season. Technically, there's no season upcoming but don't tell that to the NFL Network. They've been hyping that "Top 100" list like there's no tomorrow, which in the world of professional football, there technically isn't. I was happy to see our Air Coryell receiving corps get the top spot on one of their programs. I wasn't too happy to have to be reminded that "only a sub-par defense kept our #1 group from a Super Bowl championship." I saw that the channel was also running "Top Ten Snakebitten Franchises" and "Best Teams To Never Win A Super Bowl." We didn't make the former, surprisingly. They were, from 10 to 1: Bills, Chiefs, Jets, Lions, Saints, Oilers, Eagles, Bengals, Vikings and Browns. Yes, they did have an addendum that New Orleans won a Super Bowl in 2009. But it's pretty sad that many of the teams on that list have done better recently than we have. When you think about it, the Browns won a Super Bowl as the Ravens in 2000.
The "Missing Rings" Chargers of 1981 made the latter group. I believe it went 7) 1986 Browns 6) 2001 Rams 5) 1981 Chargers 4) 1998 Vikings 3) 1990 Bills 2) 1968 Colts 1) 2007 Patriots. I'm not so sure that the '81 team was better than the year before. The 1980 group had a better defense. I am also not so sure that we should be so proud of our "Missing Rings" inclusion that we need to include the episode in the History Of The San Diego Chargers DVD Set. I guess it's the only legacy we've got. I suppose it's like Jalen Rose said in the "Fab Five" documentary. We didn't win it all, but you remember us a lot more than the team that did.
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Speaking of basketball, I was very happy to see the Heat LeLose. Although after the series was over, I don't think I wanted it to happen nearly as much as others did. You can certainly make a lot of comparisons between the Chargers and the Mavericks. Unfortunately, they at least had a Finals appearance before this year to go with all their first-round implosions. I don't know if we have the mettle that Dallas showed, but I do know that time is running out to show it. This has also been a turbulent time for yours truly, FAITHFUL READER. This week, The Warner Family will be renting a nicer condominium in a nicer town here in lovely Suffolk County. The DirecTV will be coming with us, although I'm not always so sure that's a positive. I would have led with the death of Clarence Clemons, but my father-in-law has been going through a tough time after his most recent colonoscopy and the passing of the Big Man quickly went off my radar.. However, it appears for Sam's dad that there may be a surgical solution in a couple of weeks so keep your fingers crossed.
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The season hasn't officially been given a start date, but that doesn't mean I haven't started thinking about football. Sarah's 5th birthday is the weekend the Bolts will be in town to play the Jets, so I'll have to miss that one. I'll be honest, I don't think I'd have a great time at that one, anyway. As I told my buddy Mike, a die-hard Jets fan, if we win I'll complain that we can't beat them when it matters and if we lose I'll bitch about that. Plus, it might be hard to bring a cardboard LaDainian head with "Judas" written across it into the stadium. However, I'll be watching in a bar in Boca Raton after we return from Disney World that morning. Sadly, that seems an appropriate place for me to view that game. I am hoping to hit the Week #2 game at Foxboro with my buddy Bam Bam, provided that he doesn't mind leaving his fellow Pat fans to sit in the Charger fan seats I will undoubtedly buy from the team. Dick Lewis, the Chargers' Director of Player Outreach claimed by phone that he will get me a Rivers autographed ball to replace the Tomlinson one I sold last year. I saw PR interviewed on the NFL Network and asked about Eli Manning's absence on the aforementioned Top 100 List. Of course, they were trying to lure him into bad-mouthing Sheli and Rivers wouldn't take the bait. He mentioned that Manning had a ring and had played at a high level for the last few years so he probably didn't lose too much sleep over it. I think many Giants fans might dispute the second part of that statement, but Rivers was just being his diplomatic self. I actually had to explain to a Giants fan this past weekend at a wedding I attended that Rivers really wasn't a trash-talker in the negative use of the term. He told me that it was weird how Rivers was so much better than their QB but that they had won a Super Bowl with him. Yeah, wierd.
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Speaking of our QB, Kelly Hair sent in these pics from Rivers' football camp this past weekend. His son attended and Kelly proudly told me that he caught his pass from Philip. He also said that Rivers was great with the kids. That is no surprise, although the pic I posted looks like PR is launching into some stand-up. I believe that the photo below is Kelly's son catching a pass. If it isn't I apologize and assure whoever's kid it is that I'm not nearly as creepy as I appear on the internet. Should the Bolts return to the postseason, my wife assures me that we will make the trip West and the kids will go to the Zoo while I glom onto Kelly's (or any other Bolthead's) posse. Since my son is too young to even grab a football with two hands, I picked up the hat pictured below for him. Sarah claims she wants an "Antonio" jersey for the coming season as well.
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Lastly, I leave you with my most recent non-football contribution to the world of writing. It was written over a year ago, but celebrates one of my all-time favorite cheesy films. Just click on the JPGs to read the article. You'll see JIC getting a mention on the second page, although my age is mistakenly listed as 44. Then again, what 40-year old would love fuckin' Earthquake? On that note, I gotta get back to packing. Thanks to all 492 Twitter followers currently tracking the hot mess known as Justice Is Coming.
Talk to you soon,
Ross Lorne








PS Yes, that is the Electric Company theme I posted with Rita Moreno starting things off. I also posted a radio interview with Jerry Garcia from 1978, right before the JGB played the Rochester War Memorial. My buddy DJ pointed out that he mentions that he "really likes that band Cheap Trick." Can't argue with that.