Archive for May, 2010

That other letter to Philip Rivers

Thursday, May 20th, 2010

Written by my 4th grade son and mailed this morning.  (The spelling and punctuation are exactly as he wrote it.)

Dear Mr. Philip Rivers,

Hi! My name is Jay. I am nine years old and I am just finishing up fourth grade. The San Diego Chargers are my favorite  football team. I also think you are the best quarterback in the NFL.

I really enjoy watching you and the rest of the Chargers on TV. I think it’s really cool when you throw your sixty yard pass down the feild for a touchdown. I think you always do great when I watch you play.

I had some questions I wanted to ask you and I was wondering if you could answer them. What is it like playing in the NFL with the Chargers? Which of your teammates is your favorite and least favorite? What are the best and worst things about playing the NFL? Which teams in the NFL are your favorite and least favorite, other than the Chargers? Do you have any kids? If so, How many? I would really enjoy it if you could write back to me when you get a chance. Thanks!

Pretty cool. I’d been telling him for months that he could write a letter if he wanted to, and then all of a sudden he banged that out. Rough draft and all. So, we’re mailing it this morning with a picture of Jay in his Philip Rivers jersey.

We didn’t want to send him anything to sign… we just wanted to say “hi.” I found it interesting what questions Jay chose to ask – the personal stuff he can find out from the Chargers bio pages (we talked about it a bit afterward and he thought it was so cool the Rivers family is quite large compared to ours) and the favorite/least favorite questions are typical 4th grader thinking. It was cool.

Jay’s a fiercely loyal Charger fan… the kid bleeds powder blue.  And I couldn’t be happier with his choice of sports idol.

Contributed by: Scott Copperman

That other mini-play

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

My morning – a play by Scott Copperman  (based on a true story)

Pants: you know, this is a good day to get some exercise. Let’s go.
Knees: eh, I don’t think so.
Pants: come on, you used to be all about this stuff.
Knees: that was then, this is now.
Pants: Dudes, I don’t want to end up buried in the corner like those 34s over there. Come on, we can jog/walk, it doesn’t have to be a “run” per se.
Knees: maybe later.
Pants: that’s what you said in November…. and December… and last week… and…
Back: Hey beltless, they said “no!” Now go eat a cookie or something.

*sigh*  at least the cookie was Chocolate Chip.

Contributed by: Scott Copperman

That other new running back

Thursday, May 13th, 2010

Welcome to the San Diego Chargers, Mr. Ryan Mathews. I hope you have a long and productive career for the bolts.

You have some big shoes to fill, but I have a feeling you’re going to have a good year. You have the benefit of a talented and respected passing game already in place, so you should get some room to run. And, your own talent seems legit. I’m not expecting 1500 yards from you this year, I just hope to see you be able to get a good number of 6 or 7 yard rushes off and to be able to hit the holes with a burst that we haven’t seen in San Diego for a year or two.

LT was great, and I was one of those who believed last year was going to be a big year for the man with lots to prove – but it just didn’t turn out that way. I hope no one puts the pressure on you to be “the next LT” we don’t need that. It’d be nice for everyone if you were able to duplicate his 2006 season at some point, but what we need is reliable, consistent, effective play… and I’m hoping you’ll make a name for yourself with your own style and accomplishments.

Welcome to San Diego, Mr. Mathews. My son will wear your #24 proudly.

Contributed by: Scott Copperman