LT Returns to Old Haunts, but not for Football

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PARIS: L.T. returns to old haunts, but not for football

BY JAY PARIS - jparis@nctimes.com | Posted: Thursday, May 5, 2011 7:35 pm | No Comments Posted | Print

ESCONDIDO -- The bright smile was familiar. Same goes for the confident stride and diamond earrings sparkling in Thursday's brilliant sun.

And when he slapped on a white helmet, there was no doubt that No. 21 was back in North County.

"L.T, L.T, L.T.!" Yeah, that guy, as the chant rose, which made LaDainian Tomlinson's grin grow wider.

Tomlinson was in gear, but not to play football. The former Chargers star was visiting the Palomar Medical Center West construction site, sharing lunch with the 800 workers building the impressive structure in Escondido.

Sporting a hard hat and delivering a modified pep talk, Tomlinson was enjoying himself as much as the hard-working men and women hanging on every word.

After shouting a winning raffle number, an electrician bounced toward Tomlinson, accompanied by whispers that his NFL heart was with Oakland.

"Are you a Raiders fan?'' Tomlinson asked in mock horror. "To be honest with you, I don't care anymore.''

Tomlinson now plays for the Jets, but he noticed that Oakland swept the Chargers last season. When Tomlinson was in powder blue, they went 15-2 against the Silver and Black.

When his Chargers career faded to black after the 2010 season, it was a separation that came with difficulty. There was sniping on both sides, which was unfortunate because a player of Tomlinson's stature needs to bow out with a parade, not potshots.

But that's water under the Brooklyn Bridge. Don't shed a tear for L.T., who displayed a stiff-arm to chatter that he was done. Instead, he rushed for 914 yards and six touchdowns and caught 52 passes for another 368 yards.

Plus his Jets -- sounds funny, no? -- advanced to the AFC title game before losing to the Steelers.

The Chargers? They didn't make the postseason, continuing a dismal three-year run that has delivered but one playoff victory.

Was Tomlinson baffled that the Chargers were sitting at home in January?

"Very surprised,'' Tomlinson said. "And part of it is obviously from that slow start they couldn't overcome. But they are way too talented not to make the playoffs. But I'm sure they are working on it.''

It was the workers building this impressive medical facility who comforted Tomlinson. After a year away, he wasn't sure what to expect.

"You never know, and I was definitely overjoyed by the reception the guys gave me,'' Tomlinson said. "It makes me happy to be able to come back and, even though I play somewhere else, to be able to say, 'You know what, this is still home and a part of my heart.' "

Tomlinson did more than win the 2006 league MVP award and lead the resurgence of Chargers football. It was the way he carried himself and connected with Chargers fans that will be difficult to duplicate.

Some of it was being the lone bright light on teams that compiled records of 5-11, 8-8 and 4-12 in the first three seasons of his Hall of Fame career. Long before the Chargers were loaded, there was Tomlinson -- and not much else.

But it was more than his NFL accomplishments. That showed Thursday, with people pleading for a handshake or imparting an encouraging word. One man even raised his shirt to reveal an L.T. tattoo.

"I think it's because when I was here, I was authentic in the community,'' said Tomlinson, who aided countless people in nine years through his charity work. "When people would come up to me, I always stopped for a picture and signed autographs.

"I was just a real person to them. I didn't try to be a Hollywood superstar and stay away from people. I wanted to be around people and I was very involved in the community, and I think that had a lot to do with.''

There's much on Tomlinson's plate these days. He called being a father to 10-month-old Daylen Oliver Tomlinson "a blast,'' and confirmed that his wife, Torsha, is pregnant with their first daughter.

"My wife said she wanted a boy the first time and she wanted a girl this time,'' Tomlinson said. "And I always give her what she wants.''

Those longing for the Chargers and Tomlinson to share a field again will get their wish: The Chargers are scheduled to play at the Jets on Oct. 23.

"It's going to be exciting, although not as exciting as it would have been coming back here,'' Tomlinson said. "It's going to be emotional, too, no question about that.''

The mystery of the NFL labor negotiations? Tomlinson didn't have any insight, although he's confident that a deal will be struck before the season.

When it's game on, Tomlinson and his teammates will be ready. They're working out at Mission Viejo High, under the direction of Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez at a camp called Jets West.

"The quarterback has to be a coach on the field, so they have to be able to know what everybody is doing, and we can definitely tell that Sanchez is at that point he knows exactly what is going on,'' Tomlinson said.

The Jets will play in the Super Bowl this season, according to their brash coach, Rex Ryan. While the Chargers' goal is to win the AFC West and see what happens, that persona doesn't fly with the Jets.

"The day after we lost to Pittsburgh, Rex said, 'Guys, we didn't win it this year, but we're going to win it next year,' and that's his mindset,'' Tomlinson said. "He wants to create a sense of confidence in his players, his coaching staff, so they know what to expect when it's time to get it done.''

Contact staff writer Jay Paris at 760-739-6650 or jparis@nctimes.com.

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In case anyone else is wondering why Ladainian Tomlinson would be visiting a hospital construction site, it turned out they hired him for $2 million to launch their fundraising drive. Not to take away from Tomlinson, but on the hospital's end the contract was entered upon in less-than-open circumstances.

While researching this story we came upon another issue that was troubling. While it is unrelated to Proposition BB it is related to the transparency and openness of the Palomar Pomerado Board of Trustees and its administrators.

Recently, a contract was entered into by the District with San Diego Chargers Running Back, LaDainian Tomlinson, for $2 million. It calls for $400,000 per year for five years. LT and his powerful, popular image is to be used to drive the massive fund raising effort that will seek multi-million dollar donors as well as the rank and file members of the marketplace. They will likely be seeking to raise in the neighborhood of $50 million.

What troubles us is we were told that the board met in closed session to discuss “potential litigation.” They came out of the meeting and handed out the contract after they approved it. There was no public discussion by the PPH Board, and the public has no input because the contract was not available to the public until after it was approved. Immediately after approving the LT contract, the PPH attended a meeting of the PPH Foundation where they had talked about creating a “buzz” in the community to implement fundraising efforts.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/08/24/news/inland/21_08_888_23_07.txt

http://www.thecommunitypaper.com/archive/2007/12_20/index.php