The moments that made San Diego sports in 2010, in no particular order:
-- the Chargers lose their first playoff game in January, following a 13-3 record in 2009. That the Bolts came close to the Jets yet lost because of mistakes and weakness in the trenches foretold this fall's collapse.
-- the Chargers went to Seattle with a 1-1 record to start the 2010 season and, against a team destined to finish below .500, allowed two kickoff returns for touchdowns, turned the ball over five times and committed 11 penalties -- and lost by a touchdown.
-- the Padres won 90 games and came within two games of beating out eventual World Series champion San Francisco for the NL West crown, but on Dec. 5 traded 1B Adrian Gonzalez to the Red Sox. Gonzalez led the team in batting average, home runs, RBI and runs scored -- and they got no major leaguers in return.
-- in the middle of August, Giants hot-head P Jonathan Sanchez promised a sweep of their upcoming series against San Diego at AT&T Park. In the first game, Padres P Clayton Richard threw one of his best games of the season for a 3-2 win over Sanchez. The Padres took two out of the three games. Alas, the 10-game losing streak was less than two weeks away.
-- the San Diego State women's basketball team had a rocky regular season, entering an early-season tournament with high hopes against top competition but losing all three games, and falling in four of five conference games in February. But stuck in a tough NCAA Tournament draw, the Aztecs caught fire and routed host Texas 74-63 on March 21. Two days later they beat #10 West Virginia, falling only to #6 Duke in the Sweet 16.
-- in all the years of SDSU men's basketball, which included a small college national championship in 1941, the Aztecs had never been ranked. On Oct. 28, they were for the first time, entering the pre-season AP poll at #25. The Aztecs have done nothing but head upward since, going 14-0 to rise to #7.
-- Admit it, you left last week's Poinsettia Bowl with a sense of satisfaction you haven't felt after an SDSU football game in decades. A 35-14 win over Navy gave the Aztecs their first post-season victory in 41 years.
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Now for the predictions:
-- the Chargers will rebound behind QB Philip Rivers, a motivated WR Vincent Jackson and a reconfigured defense, and will beat out Kansas City for the AFC West title.
-- the Padres AAAA team will look good early behind some decent pitching, but the heat of summer will warm up the bats of opponents, sending them careening into last place.
-- the SDSU women are struggling behind youthful guards this year, but the men will win the MWC regular season title and enter the NCAA Tournament with a #3 seed. If they can survive their opener, no small task, they could match the women's accomplishment of last season -- or better it.
-- the SDSU football team will rout Cal Poly and Army to open the 2011 football season, but will have a tough time with a Washington State team that improved late this year and will have their hands full with Michigan. That said, they could beat a depleted TCU team at home later in the season and finish second behind Boise State in the new-look MWC.
-- the University of San Diego football team could see fortunes turn for the better in 2011 with the return of decorated DE Mario Kurn and most of a season under the belt of QB Mason Mills.
-- once basketball is done in March or, hopefully, April, the most interesting thing to watch will be USD baseball. That WCC mark of 19-2 last year hid an out-of-conference record of 18-20, so the Toreros are ranked only 28th in one preseason poll. Yet, coach Rich Hill brought in the second-best recruiting class in the nation, so if those youngsters can fit in early, this could be a darn good season. The pre-season includes visits by always strong Vanderbilt and Coastal Carolina.
Happy New Year!
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