
Nick Canepa
The San Diego Union-Tribune's senior sports columnist Nick Canepa, a native San Diegan, graduated from San Diego State and began working for the Tribune in 1971. He ed the sports department in 1974 and covered high schools, SDSU athletics, the Clippers, the Chargers, wrote a TV-radio column and became a general sports columnist in 1984. He has covered nearly every major sporting event in the world and has been given other news assignments, such as the Republican and Democratic national conventions in 1988 and the Republican convention in San Diego in 1996. Canepa was a member of the staff that won the 1978 Pulitzer Prize for reporting on the PSA plane crash. He lives with his wife, Teresa, in San Diego.
All Stories

There is just enough extra to believe hometown club can make a deep playoff run

Nick Canepa: Travels, travails make for unforgettable time away
Thanks to all who wondered where I've been

Nick Canepa: ‘Prime Time’ could hijack first round of NFL Draft
Deion Sanders will have a say in where his son, Shedeur, plays

Nick Canepa: Enough with the sports comparisons already
Sports should take a figurative enema and get rid of one word: Comparison.

Nick Canepa: Mid-majors still have a chance, no matter how chalky March has been
The glass slipper has been crushed, but not for long

Nick Canepa: College hoops is great, but it’d be better if I was czar
I would make some changes

Nick Canepa: After years of stupidity, Chargers making all the right moves
They’ve been smart, a word rarely associated with The NFL Team That Used To Be Here

Nick Canepa: Absent an overwhelming favorite, NCAA Tournament title is up for grabs
After back-to-back years of UConn — especially in 2024 — there isn’t anything close to a clear favorite

Nick Canepa: Presidential intervention could revive Pete Rose’s HOF chances
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is said to be considering a petition insisting he remove Pete Rose from baseball’s ineligible list

Nick Canepa: Quarterbacks a risk that often aren’t worth taking in draft
Hear me out: QBs are overrated.

Nick Canepa: Streaming has me steaming, especially now that NFL games may move
Netflix wants more of our money, and to do so, it hopes to tap into the NFL

Nick Canepa: Eagles’ Super Bowl blowout unlike any win I’ve ever seen
Still, don't count the Chiefs out as they plot a playoff return in 2025

Nick Canepa: I like the Eagles, but nobody’s running away with Sunday’s Super Bowl
I don’t tire from greatness and excellence. It’s just that I can’t stand the Chiefs.

Nick Canepa: Put your pitchforks down; Padres still have roster, resources to be a playoff team
There aren’t many clubs that can put Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts, Jackson Merrill and batting champ Luis Arreaz in their lineup.

Nick Canepa: Underdogs have fighting chance in Sunday’s AFC, NFC title games
There are ways for the underdogs to win Sunday's NFL conference championship games

Nick Canepa: Justin Herbert, hurried and hit often, could only do so much in Chargers’ playoff loss
Justin Herbert gets the blame, and that’s how it i

Nick Canepa’s report card: Chargering returns in stunning playoff loss
See which Chargers made the grade in Saturday's playoff loss to the Texans

Nick Canepa: Fear not, Padres aren’t going anywhere
Some are jumpy since the NFL Team That Used To Be Here bailed for L.A. in 2017. But this isn’t close to being the same thing.

Nick Canepa’s report card: See which Chargers players, coaches made the grade in Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Raiders
The Union-Tribune's Nick Canepa grades the Chargers following Sunday's 34-20 win over the Raiders in Las Vegas:

Nick Canepa: NFL teams owe it to their fans to play their stars, no matter the stakes
when Herman Edwards went all Churchillian at least once in his life?

Nick Canepa’s report card: See which Chargers made the grade in Saturday’s rout of New England
Nick Canepa grades the Chargers following Saturday's 40-7 win over the Patriots in Foxboro, Mass.:

Nick Canepa: NBA ratings, interest are down, and I think I know why
Is the NBA on its deathbed?

Nick Canepa: Despite what detractors say, Bill Belichick will make Tar Heels better
At UNC because there is no room for him at the NFL inn, Bill Belichick should go all-out

Nick Canepa’s report card: Justin Herbert, Jim Harbaugh are good (for goodness sake) in win over Denver
The Union-Tribune's Nick Canepa grades the Chargers following Thursday's win over the Broncos at SoFi Stadium

Nick Canepa’s report card: Failing grades pile up following Chargers’ loss to Bucs
It's one thing to lose. It's another to get your butts kicked by Tampa Bay.

Nick Canepa: Conference championship games spoil new, improved College Football Playoff
Sez Me: Byes mar what should be a compelling tournament

Nick Canepa’s report card: See which Chargers made the grade in Sunday night’s loss to Kansas City
Nick Canepa grades the Chargers following Sunday's 19-17 loss to the Chiefs in Kansas City:

Nick Canepa: Fights on the field, in the stands make you wonder if football is worth the frenzy
Is it worth your life, your physical, mental and fiscal health to attend major sporting events?

Nick Canepa’s report card: Who made the grade — and who didn’t — in Sunday’s win over the Falcons
The Union-Tribune's Nick Canepa grades the Chargers following Sunday's 17-13 win over the Falcons in Atlanta

Nick Canepa: Uneven playing field makes college football tough to watch
I spend a great deal of my Saturday time watching college football, and the game isn’t as good as it used to be

Nick Canepa’s report card: D is for drops as Chargers fall at home to Ravens
See who did, didn't make the grade in Monday's loss to Baltimore

Nick Canepa: No surprise that Jackson Merrill’s a victim of East Coast bias
Padres outfielder should have won National League Rookie of the Year

Nick Canepa’s report card: Chargers QB, receivers make the grade in late win over Bengals
The Union-Tribune’s Nick Canepa grades the Chargers following Sunday’s 34-27 win against the Bengals at SoFi Stadium:

Nick Canepa: Farewell to John Robinson, an acquaintance (or was it friend?) with football chops
John Robinson, who spent many of his later years living in the North County, died from pneumonia on Monday

Nick Canepa’s report card: Justin Herbert, Jim Harbaugh make the grade in win over Titans
The Union-Tribune’s Nick Canepa grades the Chargers following Sunday’s 27-17 win over the Titans

Nick Canepa: There’s no question who the NFL’s MVP is at season’s midway point
The MVP is Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes, and it's not close

Nick Canepa’s report card: Secondary posts A+ performance in Chargers’ win over Browns
The Union-Tribune’s Nick Canepa grades the Chargers following Sunday's 27-10 win over the Browns

Nick Canepa: Dodgers’ dominance has me feeling blue
The Dodgers always can and maybe always will win the World Series

Nick Canepa’s report card: Chargers win easily on rough day for secondary, special teams
The Union-Tribune’s Nick Canepa grades the Chargers following Sunday’s 26-8 win over the Saints

Nick Canepa: The Spanos Curse is haunting Justin Herbert and other ‘L.A. Lodgers’
Justin Herbert is too good to be losing to teams like the Cardinals

Nick Canepa’s report card: Chargers just average in ‘Monday Night Football’ loss to Cardinals
The Union-Tribune’s Nick Canepa grades the Chargers following Monday's 17-15 loss to the Cardinals in Glendale, Ariz.:

Nick Canepa: It’s official — referees (and umpires, too) are ruining the sports I love
Officials are either changing outcomes or coming close

Nick Canepa’s report card: Justin Herbert, special teams make the grade during Chargers’ win over Broncos in Denver
The Union-Tribune’s Nick Canepa grades the Chargers following Sunday’s 23-16 win over the Broncos in Denver:

Nick Canepa: Did the Padres choke away their chance to advance? Hard to see it any other way
There is no other way to look at it

Nick Canepa: Don’t bet on Pete Rose to enter Cooperstown anytime soon
Gambling remains the No. 1 no-no in baseball

Nick Canepa’s report card: Stellar work by Chargers QB, coaches, but Chiefs prevail
The Union-Tribune's Nick Canepa grades the Chargers following Sunday's 17-10 loss to the Chiefs

Nick Canepa: Top to bottom, 2024 Padres are best team in franchise history
You may think this a reach. It’s not.

Nick Canepa’s report card: Average performance from QBs, RBs sink Bolts in Pittsburgh
The Union-Tribune’s Nick Canepa grades the Chargers following Sunday's 20-10 loss to the Steelers

Nick Canepa: Running has always mattered in the NFL, whether backs are valued or not
What wins championships? Defense and controlling the ball on the ground

Nick Canepa’s report card: Running backs get an A+ in Chargers’ win over Panthers
The Union-Tribune’s Nick Canepa grades the Chargers following Sunday’s 26-3 win over the Panthers:

Nick Canepa: It’s not the Pac-12 of old, but San Diego State’s new conference by far beats the old one
He continues to worry about the Aztecs’ football program

Nick Canepa’s report card: Chargers’ running backs, linebackers make the grade in season-opening win
The Union-Tribune’s Nick Canepa grades the Chargers following Sunday’s 22-10 win over the Raiders

Nick Canepa: Chargers open 2024 with another road game in Inglewood
Want to know what a distraction is? It's a visiting team making themselves at home at SoFi Stadium

Nick Canepa: 12-team playoff gives SDSU, others more hope — and whiners less to carp about
For the first time in what feels like forever, there will be no what-ifs when a college football champion is crowned

Nick Canepa: Mike Shildt has pushed all the right buttons for surging Padres
The comebacks. The clutch hitting. Winning close games. Why did all this escape his predecessor?

Nick Canepa: 24 thoughts on this summer’s Olympics, from the torch-lighting to closing ceremony
The City of Light, dazzled, and even the Seine looked good (on the surface)

Nick Canepa: Want better games on Sundays? Exclude QBs from NFL salary cap
For NFL play to have a chance to be great again, it has to separate QB money from the other positions

Nick Canepa: Baseball’s trade deadline makes rich richer — and encourages quitting
Padres GM A.J. Preller shook his top prospect tree and basically emptied it. Good.

Nick Canepa: Olympics bloated, cumbersome and worth making better
Olympics have become an alarmingly expensive moveable feast resulting in an enormous waistline

Nick Canepa: Hard to believe AJ Preller’s on the hot seat given the work he put into ’24 club
The Padres are fighting for a playoff spot with many of their best players hurt or recovering from injury

Nick Canepa: Padres star Manny Machado remains a mystery well worth reading
Do we want to understand Manny? Better yet, does Manny want us to understand Manny?

Nick Canepa: Sports has become a speed trap designed to diminsh some of the best players, teams
Low and slow is for smoking various meats.

Nick Canepa: Nepotism got Bronny James to the Lakers; time will tell if he can play
Lakers did LeBron James a favor by drafting his son. Bronny James now has to earn it on his own

Nick Canepa: Farewell to Willie Mays, a 6-tool star and singular sensation
Willie Mays was baseball itself, playing the game with both a child’s enthusiasm and virtuoso’s flair

Nick Canepa: Dan Hurley, Caitlin Clark jumping through hoops that can bring some heat
Dan Hurley makes good decisions — including his choice not to take the Lakers job

By writing new records in Black ink, MLB fixes a long-standing wrong
Sez Me ... Since Abner Doubleday didn’t throw out the first pitch, baseball’s record books have been printed solely in White ink, making for a hard, incomplete read.Racists — both...

Padres not getting their money’s worth out of highly paid stars
Sez Me …The Padres used to get their money’s worth. They didn’t spend any.You’re supposed to get what you pay for, and they did. They were cheap sheep in major...

Bill Walton was, simply, San Diego’s greatest ambassador
Cancer, which takes no numbers or quarter, disregards age, race and creed, has ended the iconic life of Bill Walton. On Memorial Day.So many other medical issues tried to beat...

Xander Schauffele proves that San Diego’s sports curse doesn’t apply to individuals
Sez Me ... Much obliged, Xander Schauffele. For further confirming what I already knew for years.San Diego is a city of champions. Individual champions. Major professional team champions — and...

A.J. Smith will forever be known for his spine, stubbornness – and success
Sez Me …A.J. Smith was Scotch he distilled himself. Not everyone imbibed. An acquired taste, undrinkable for many. And he didn’t give a damn about what you thought. You weren’t...

Tony Gwynn’s legacy lives on in city he loved, refused to leave
Sez Me …Where would San Diego be without Tony Gwynn?Same can be said about the Navy. He is our human Navy.When everything is taken in, Tony is the most important...

In the age of NIL and the transfer portal, who will clean up college athletics?
Sez Me …The unkempt, stinking litter box that collegiate athletics has become is being filled by the cool cats — the rare, pedigreed felines who care about their profile, money,...

Jim Harbaugh’s fingerprints all over first Chargers draft
Sez Me …The Real NFL Draft begins on Day 2. When Super Bowl fat is put on. The best franchises keep eating. Their stomachs never get full.The first round is...

Chargers could sway stacked draft, depending on what they do with No. 5 pick
Sez Me …The draft is the NFL’s recovery room.Players finally get off the operating table, where they have been dissected, poked, prodded and told they’re faster than they really are,...

LT’s allegations that OC threw playoff game still resonate in San Diego
Sez Me …I did not look directly at the eclipse, which is how I watch atomic bomb flashes and the NBA.But something caught my eye that burned into my brain...

April is liar’s month, and the biggest whopper involves Chargers dealing Justin Herbert
Sez Me ... New Jersey will have a 4.8 earthquake on the Les Richter scale before this happens.But before we get started, think of the falsely anointed, all the future Pro...

Brilliant, bullish Larry Lucchino helped save baseball in San Diego
Sez Me …There are four reasons why the Padres remain in San Diego.1. Ray Kroc; 2. Larry Lucchino, who died Tuesday; 3. John Moores; 4. The Fans (who doubled as...

Aztecs fearless during their latest March run
Sez Me …It’s called athletic arrogance. A good thing. The best athletes, the best teams, have it. And you don’t just happen on to the intangible, or have it delivered...

No longer Cinderella, San Diego State deserves basketball spotlight
Sez Me …Unlike the Padres, with fans who lost it, panicked and ran for shelter after an opening-day loss to the Dodgers, San Diego State basketball’s rabid followers have become...

As free agency opens, talk turns to tampering, (potentially) dirty Birds
Sez Me (Free Agency Edition) …Isn’t this great? I love it when the NFL gets to arrest itself for breaking its own laws.Hurricane Free Agency made land last week as...

Smear campaign against USC QB Caleb Williams is destined to fail
Sez Me …Caleb Williams’ stock isn’t being devalued by professional investment counselors. But some inside traders are trying to pull him down the Big Board.What we have here is a...

Duke incident reinforces something I’ve known since Aztecs game in 1966: storming stinks
Sez Me ... Can you the first time you saw fans storming a court or playing field?I can. Hopefully you weren’t among them.I bring this up because, last weekend,...

Padres a mystery as 2024 season nears
Sez Me …Peter Seidler has ed. And he has taken with him the Padres’ heart and good soul, its spine, its smile, its undying loyalty, its flexibility, its conscience, its...

Selection committee es on ex-Charger Antonio Gates, 2 other San Diegans, and it’s a shame
Sez Me …San Diego got screwed.And we have enough stupidity going on around here without more stupid being added from strangers.Allow me to say that, if I again were chosen...

Super Bowl will be won on the ground, which is why I like Chiefs running away
Sez Me ... The easiest — and most times the only — way to win a Super Bowl is the perfectly legal smash and dash. You grab it and run...

Hard to measure greatness when so many NFL teams are mediocre
Sez Me …“Great teams aren’t always great … just when they have to be.” — John FacendaWe can’t know if Facenda, with the voice of the Bible’s Burning Bush, was...

Tommy Nettles was more than just a great all-around athlete. He was a Renaissance man.
Sez Me …Sports gurus will grapple with this trivia question, Greco-Roman it in their noggins, and not get the answer.Name the athlete who did this?• Never played organized football until...

Nick Canepa: Transfer portal data shows that grass isn’t always greener
Sez Me …The NCAA's "Transfer Portal" has been a horror movie, a lot of young people making a lot of bad choices. What made Janet Leigh check into the Bates...

Coaches bolt during one of the most important weeks in football history
Sez Me:“There are two kinds of coaches, them that’s fired and them that’s gonna be fired.” — Bum PhillipsI’m bummed, Bum, you brilliant son of a gun. You missed a...

Nick Canepa’s report card: Chargers get mixed grades on final day of forgettable season
The Union-Tribune's Nick Canepa grades the Chargers following Sunday's 13-12 loss to Kansas City at SoFi Stadium:Quarterbacks: B-Easton Stick ran the ball thinking he was the team’s best back, and...

The NFL is fixed? Feh! Bettors – and bookies – wouldn’t stand for any funny business
Sez Me …The growing team of conspiracy theorists is muscled-up, out of the huddle, back at the line of scrimmage. And what are they whining about now?National Football League games...

Nick Canepa’s report card: Chargers lose to Broncos in battle of backup QBs; secondary struggles again
The Union-Tribune's Nick Canepa grades the Chargers following Sunday's 16-9 loss to the Broncos in Denver: Quarterbacks: DIt was the battle of Easton Stick vs. Jarrett Stidham, not exactly Earps...

Trojans, Chargers, Aztecs all flopped during forgettable 2023
Sez Me …The biggest problem I’ve had going through life is that I have the face of a husband. It cannot be masked. I am Ward Cleaver. Ozzie Nelson. Howard...

Nick Canepa’s report card: Chargers fight, coaching improves in loss to Bills
The Union-Tribune's Nick Canepa grades the Chargers' players and coaches following Saturday's 24-22 loss to the Buffalo Bills: Quarterbacks: C+Under (most welcome) new management, Easton Stick, making his second start...

For him, Dodgers’ offseason spending is gift that keeps giving
Sez Me …Good tidings of comfort and joy to me — and ye, if you’re so inclined to accept an expensive but deceptive and overrated present under your tree. This...

‘Chargering’ starts with the Spanoses, who fired coach, GM after Thursday’s debacle
Sez Me …According to the Canepa Dictionary of Sports Terminology, the true meaning of “Chargering” is: “Anything that can go wrong with a bad athletic team will go wrong and can’t...

Nick Canepa’s report card: Chargers’ performance in Las Vegas an utter failure
The Union-Tribune's Nick Canepa grades the Chargers following Thursday's 63-21 loss to the Raiders in Las Vegas: Quarterbacks: FJustin Herbert, having a bad season with fingers, is gone for the...

Nick Canepa’s report card: Broncos Stick it to Chargers after Justin Herbert leaves with hand injury
The Union-Tribune’s Nick Canepa grades the Chargers following Sunday’s 24-7 loss to the Broncos at SoFi Stadium:Quarterbacks: FJustin Herbert started this thing as though he’d never thrown an accurate ...

Padres can still win minus Juan Soto, who was never going to stay here long
Sez Me …There never was a reason to even think about getting used to Juan Soto. He was just visiting.I truly believe the Padres can be better without Soto. Yes,...

Nick Canepa’s report card: Special teamers shine in Chargers’ wet, ugly win over Pats
The Union-Tribune’s Nick Canepa grades the Chargers following Sunday’s 6-0 win over the Patriots: Quarterbacks: CJustin Herbert has to be telling himself: “How bad is New England’s offense when we...