Brad Cesmat
I met Carl when I was 15. I was head over heels for his daughter, Chris, who happened to be a high-end talent in softball, soccer, and swimming. The Navy brought Carl to San Diego by way of Kansas. Eventually, he and his bride Virginia settled in Escondido, a North San Diego County suburb. He managed two companies after his Navy retirement. For me, growing up in a divorced household, Carl was one of my father figures. I would marry his daughter in 1989.
Carl passed away on Saturday morning. He was 92. He and Virginia were married shy of 70 years before she passed in 2022. We thought Dad might die of a broken heart, but he kept fighting. His four daughters, eight grandchildren, and five great-grandkids motivated him to live.
He was so pleased when I drove to his work in Chula Vista to ask permission to marry his daughter in October 1988. He hugged me. Carl wasn’t much of a hugger, but that would change with him and me as he moved from work to retirement. I could tell him, “I love you,” and call him “dad.” Something that I couldn’t do with any male figure while I was growing up. When I transitioned from playing sports to sports media, he would ask questions and have long talks about the ills of the Chargers, Padres, etc.
Carl was surprised when the late Tony Gwynn became my broadcast partner for San Diego State basketball. – “Tony Gwynn is sitting beside you at a basketball game!!”
When I started writing a Three Dot Thoughts column for the Escondido Times-Advocate newspaper, Carl usually said, “I read your article in the paper today.” This was in the late 80’s and early 90’s when whatever was in the paper was gospel. Today, that doesn’t exist in many consumers(nor should it). What I did on TV or Radio didn’t carry the same weight as what that weekly Saturday notes column did.
He lived a fantastic life.
A simple man from Kansas who made a profound impact on me…
This and that…
Is it that hard to understand that most bowl games should move to the front end of the season? Our football-starved echo system would much rather have games in late August with rosters full of eager players and coaches than the current set-up filled with opt-outs and staff busy navigating the transfer portal and Letter of Intent Day. Sure, bowl games are wallpaper for ESPN programming, but that shouldn’t be the overriding factor for the quality of the games, which in many cases has slipped dramatically into the unwanted space of preseason NFL football. BTW, don’t give me “the ratings say different.” Gamblers will watch anything, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good brand of football..
Non-story – Suns 14-14. For me, the NBA calendar starts today, with February 8th the next big date(NBA Trade Deadline)…
Ever seen a team that had so few options at wide receiver than the current cast of Arizona Cardinals?…
Matt Prater from downtown!!!!…
I am in the minority, but pro sports being played on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day isn’t necessary…
Spring training can’t get here quickly enough…
It was worth checking out Xavier girl’s basketball last week. I stopped in to watch the #1 team in the state play in the Nike TOC against national power Archbishop Mitty(San Jose, Ca.) High-level hoops. By the way, Mitty won the entire event and may be ranked in the top two in the country this week…
I’ll be camped out at the Visit Mesa Basketball Challenge this week, starting on Wednesday. If you say you’re a fan of hoop, then this is a “must-see” stop for you. Marc Beasley does it right with several national brands dropping into Mesa Mtn. View, Red Mountain, and Westwood gyms. https://www.mesasports.org/visit_mesa_basketball/
TCU, Cal, North Texas are just a few schools that have checked in and offered former Nebraska quarterback Chubba Purdy, who went in the portal last week. More action on his recruitment is expected this week…
I keep hearing the Carter’s name around Hamilton. They’ve done a great job at both South Mountain and, presently at Desert Edge. There should be a new head coach(co-coaches?) named by CUSD by the second week of January…
