Sure we had the 2016 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Petco Park and all the festivities that go along with it, but other than that, this summer hasn’t been good to San Diego sports fans.
The Padres, once again sitting in the National League West cellar, traded away a chunk of their Opening Day starters before the trade deadline and the Chargers stadium saga continues while first round draft pick Joey Bosa still hasn’t signed with the team.
But next summer should be much better and there are two reasons why: Trevor Hoffman and LaDainian Tomlinson.
In his first year of eligibility for the Baseball Hall of Fame, former Padres closer Hoffman came short of the mandatory 75 percent of votes this year with 67.3 percent and just needs to pick up 7.3 percent of the vote in 2017.
The seven-time All-Star was the first MLB closer to record 600 career saves and retired from the game in 2010 as the all-time saves leader with 601 before Yankees great Mariano Rivera passed him the following season on his way to 652. Hoffman was also a four-time MLB Delivery Man of the Month Award winner, NL saves champion twice, Sporting News Reliever of the Year three-times and has the National League Reliever of the Year award named after him. Not bad for an 18-year career.
But relief pitchers with no significant starting experience have never been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in their first year. So 2017 should be the year Trevor Hoffman joins Tony Gwynn and Dave Winfield as Padres in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
2017 is also the first year former Chargers great LaDainian Tomlinson is eligible to go into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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In 2006, Tomlinson had the best season an NFL running back has ever had. He set an NFL-record with 31 touchdowns, 28 on the ground and 3 receiving, on his way to being named league MVP, NFL Offensive Player of the Year, Walter Payton Award winner, NFL rushing yards leader and NFL rushing touchdowns leader. But that was only one year.
During his 11-year career (nine of which he spent with the Chargers) LT was a five-time Pro Bowler, two-time NFL rushing yards leader, three-time NFL rushing touchdowns leader, a member of the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team, holds the NFL record with 18 consecutive games with a touchdown and rushed for over 1,200 yards in seven straight seasons. He also hung up the cleats with the second-most rushing touchdowns (145) and fifth-most rushing yards (13,684) in NFL history.
The former first round draft pick out of Texas Christian University will need at least 80 percent of the votes from the 46-member selection committee to make it to the Hall in his first try. Tomlinson should get that in a class that has no real surefire candidate with Brian Dawkins, Donovan McNabb, Chad Johnson, Jason Taylor and Hines Ward also eligible.
Trevor Hoffman and LaDainian Tomlinson are already immortalized in the Padres and Chargers team Hall of Fames. Barring any heartbreak that San Diego sports fans are unfortunately used to, the two have a very good chance of being Hall of Famers in Cooperstown, New York and Canton Ohio next summer.
