San Diego Chargers extend their longest winning streak in three years to seven games yesterday. In fact, joining us on Morning Edition is North County Times sports columnist Jay Paris. Well, the Chargers handled Cleveland, 30-23, it was a pretty flawless game on both sides of the ball, wouldn't you say, Jay?
JAY PARIS: Yeah, they certainly played well enough to beat an inferior opponent, the Browns are struggling 1-11 this year. The Chargers built the lead and then kind of cruised in from there. A few blemishes, there always are in a football game, but this team's on a roll, with seven straight and heading to Dallas next week. It's proven it's one of the elite teams after that 2-3 start.
PAMELA DAVIS: Hall of Famer Jim Brown met LT after the game in the locker room. It must've been a really special record-breaking day for LT.
PARIS: Yeah, you know there's certain...you know, LaDainian marks off these great running backs in the NFL lore. Certain names have more mystique, and you say Jim Brown, and a football fan of nearly any generation is going to sit up and take notice. And for LT to do it with Mr. Brown in attendance, and to do it really on the same field where Jim made all his yards. It was a special day, and LaDainian was touched, and if there's soemthing we've learned about LaDainian it's that he usually wears his emotions on his sleeve. That one really meant something to him.
DWANE BROWN: Well let's look ahead to the next big game against Dallas, come Sunday. How do you see that match up?
PARIS: It's gonna be a great match up, on the road, at that palace that the Cowboys play on. If nothing else, at least the Chargers will leave with stadium envy that day because that is quite a place. You could see their old defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, and it's a good match up. I mean, the Cowboys haven't won much in December in recent years, but they lost yesterday to the Giants. They're going to be smarting a little bit, in a grumpy mood, so this is a big chance. It's a lot bigger than yesterday was, that's for sure.
DAVIS: Let's talk college football for a minute -- Cal, Utah, Arizona and Nebraska, they're coming to San Diego for the bowl games, the Holiday Bowl and the Poinsettia Bowl. What do you expect from these games?
PARIS: They should be good games, I mean the next three or four weeks here it's a little bit of football heaven with the Chargers rolling, with the high school kids playing for championships Friday, and then two bowl games toward the end of the month. I know some people wanted to see USC down here, which some people say USC is the third most favorite team in San Diego. But you know, they lost to three unranked teams. Cal, they stumbled yesterday with Washington, but that Arizona/Nebraska match up, that's going to be a good match up. And Utah always puts on a good show against Cal. So, you know, for the second straight year, the San Diego bowl games have attractive match ups, and really it's something to look forward to, and it's a reward for the student athletes as well.
BROWN: Let's shift gears a little bit, Jay, and talk about the winter meetings for professional baseball teams as they get under way. What do you expect from the new GM of the Padres?
PARIS: I expect a lot of people will be tugging at his sleeves. He basically goes to Indianapolis for those winter meetings with three cards to play. And those three cards are Adrian Gonzalez, Kevin Kouzmanoff, and Heath Bell. And the Padres have to determine if their value is so great that they want to move those guys, and try to shore up so many weaknesses this team has. But it's also going to be interesting to see Jed Hoyer, his first meetings as a general manager, if he can dumpster dive as well as Kevin Towers, and find those gems that like to come out here for a cheap price. We're just hoping Dick Enberg's not the biggest acquisition that the Padres make this off-season, that can shore up the club.
DAVIS: Alright, North County Times sports columnist Jay Paris. Jay, thanks so much for joining us this morning.
PARIS: All right, take care.
