Partying Like It's Feb. 7, 2010

The crime rate is down in San Diego, but as long as the Chargers are still calling America's Finest City home, local police can count on never being too bored.
Cornerback Antonio Cromartie is under investigation by San Diego police on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly hitting someone in the head with a champagne bottle at a Pacific Beach bar early Monday morning.
Cromartie denied any wrongdoing, although he apologized in a grammatically nightmarish tweet: "I want to apologize to charger nation and my fans. There's sum stuff out abt me that's not true. It will come out. God Bless."
While it's tempting to characterize this episode as the latest installment of "Thugtown, USA," instead we're intrigued by the beverage of choice for this little postgame soiree.
What in the name of karma are the Chargers doing partying it up with champagne in November?
Seriously, a champagne celebration in November? What, did they think this was baseball?
Apparently, a few Charger players were under the impression they had just won Super Bowl XLIV after Sunday's 32-3 victory at Denver. In between sips of champagne, were they also getting fitted for Super Bowl rings?
The Chargers, winners of five straight to improve to 7-3, have had a tendency in recent years to become a little too enamored with themselves when things are going well. These guys love to point out how great they are, even if there are seven other NFL teams who currently have as many or more wins than the Bolts.
If Cromartie's tweets are any indication, we're not sure many of these guys could spell humility, let alone display any.
The Monday morning champagne bottle brouhaha was first reported by TMZ.com, a point that wasn't lost on Chargers left tackle Marcus McNeill, who said: "We're the hottest thing going on right now in Southern Cal. TMZ is waiting for you. They'll probably pull me over at the light for speeding or something."
And every Laker fan in Southern California wonders: "Who's Marcus McNeill?"

Thugtown, USA: A Series Is Reborn

Just when you thought it was safe for a gal to have a Charger player as a boyfriend, Shawne Merriman is back in the news.
The star linebacker was arrested early Sunday morning for allegedly choking and restraining his girlfriend, MTV "star" Tila Tequila.
Stay classy, Shawne Merriman.
Chargers general manager Albert John Smith -- who answers to the colorful nickname "A.J." -- no doubt was thrilled about having his Sunday breakfast interrupted by this. The team's public relations staff issued a statement, in which A.J. allegedly says: "It’s disappointing to hear about the issue involving Shawne Merriman. We’ll continue to monitor the situation and let the legal process run its course."
By "monitor the situation," they mean, do nothing until they're forced to, if the legal process dictates.
Of course, if Merriman were not a star player, the response from the team wouldn't be quite the same. If he were the 53rd man on the roster, well ... he'd no longer be the 53rd man on the roster.
This latest "issue" of alleged thuggery is just the most recent in a long line of athletes gone bad stories involving Chargers and Padres players, as we've chronicled here in our just now resurrected Thugtown, USA series.
As you may recall, there was Jake Peavy's "situation" with airport security personnel in Mobile, Ala.
And then there was the heartwarming story of former Padre Marcus Giles getting handcuffed, detained and escorted from Qualcomm Stadium for allegedly getting into a fight at a Charger playoff game.
Oh, and we'll forever be grateful to Terrence Kiel for his contribution involving codeine-based cough syrup.
And it didn't take long for this Charger to get in trouble.
Jake Peavy made a return appearance in Thugtown, USA after an incident involving a brown foreign substance.
The playoffs are always a great time to get arrested, as Vincent Jackson demonstrated.
Now this latest "issue" involving Shawne Merriman leaves us with one question. Does this mean Merriman is now out of the running for NFL Man of the Year Award?

Jake The Cheat?

Jake Peavy has filthy stuff. The movement on his pitches is something else.

Yeah, something else all right ...

It seems maybe Jake the Fake has had a little help in dominating opposing batters.

According to thebiglead.com (which also gets credit for the photo above), Peavy was pitching with a brown foreign substance on his right hand during Saturday's win over the Dodgers.

And after viewing that photo, we wonder if the movement on Peavy's pitches is the result of another kind of, uh, movement.

Jake Peavy* now joins an illustrious group of alleged San Diego cheaters that includes former teammate Mike Cameron* and Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman*.

Another San Diegan, Reggie Bush, could ultimately have his Heisman Trophy taken away due to alleged extra benefits while he was at USC.

Which begs the question, should Jake Peavy* now lose his Cy Young Award?

It might be time to come up with a new name for this town. We've previously called San Diego Loserville, USA and Thugtown, USA. Perhaps now we'll start calling it Cheaterville, USA.

Thugtown, USA -- A Never-Ending Series

If you picked Anthony Waters in our Minor-League Town Poll on NFL draft weekend, congratulations.

Mr. Charger

Shocking news to report as another Charger incident with police made headlines Tuesday.
We haven't been this stunned since we learned that Tara Reid was "the meat in a rapper sandwich."
The latest Bolts indiscretion once again involves safety Terrence Kiel, who was cited for urinating in public in the Gaslamp Quarter.
This comes a couple months after Kiel was arrested for shipping codeine-based cough syrup.
And this is another in an ongoing list of police blotter items involving sports figures in San Diego, aka Thugtown, USA.
Now, for those of you scoring at home, that's two brushes with the law in a very short period of time for Kiel, but also two encounters of a very embarrassing nature.
Let's see, shipping codeine-based cough syrup? Check. Public urination? Check.
What's next for Terrence Kiel?
Really, it's only a matter of time before Kiel is arrested with a transvestite hooker.

Thugtown, USA ... A Continuing Series

Remember the old days, when the Chargers and Cincinnati Bengals were known as the biggest thugs in sports?
Ah, those nostalgic days when Chargers and Bengals players would show up on the police blotter on a nearly daily basis.
Well, all of a sudden, there's a new thug in town who's gaining quick on the outside, looking to make this a three-horse race.
Ladies and gentlemen, your San Diego Padres.
That's right, your beloved little Padres are quickly becoming the new Bengals, or at least baseball's version of an NBA squad.
On Sunday night, while you were drowning your sorrows over the sudden end to the Chargers' season, new Padres second baseman Marcus Giles was spending the evening in handcuffs. (And no, wise guys, there were no females involved).
According to reports, Giles was handcuffed, detained and escorted from Qualcomm Stadium after getting into a fight on the club level during the Chargers' playoff choke job against the Patriots.
This latest incident comes just 10 days after Jake Peavy, the alleged ace of the Padres' staff, was arrested in Mobile, Ala., after a "situation" with airport police.
Padres management, namely CEO Sandy Alderson, has talked often about the club's preference for players who are "good character guys."
And whenever Alderson or general manager Kevin Towers, who answers to the colorful nickname "KT," ramble on about this, the implication is clear -- they don't want a bunch of guys who conduct themselves off the field like Charger players.
Well, Sandy and KT, congratulations. Because right now, that's exactly what you've got.

Thugtown, USA

It's been a busy couple days on the police blotter.
Shockingly, none of it involved Charger players.
First, there was sportscaster Jim Lampley getting arrested Wednesday at his girlfriend's Encinitas apartment in an alleged domestic abuse case.
What caught our eye about this one is that 57-year-old Jim Lampley has a 28-year-old girlfriend. Yeah, that sounds about right. And she's a former Miss California USA.
Then on Thursday, things heated up again as Padres pitcher Jake Peavy was arrested in Mobile, Ala., after getting involved in a "situation" with airport security personnel. Reading between the lines, it sounds like Jake the Fake played the "Don't you know who I am?" card.
According to Padres general manager Kevin Towers, who answers to the colorful nickname "KT," Peavy was traveling to the Dominican Republic to take part in a goodwill tour with other major league players.
Oh, the irony is just too perfect: Peavy the Punk gets arrested while on a goodwill mission. Apparently, Peavy the Punk is capable of only so much good will.
OK, Chargers, it's your turn. We expect another arrest any minute now.
The San Diego Chargers are on the clock.