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T he C oast News
Sports
OCT. 24, 2014 Contact us at sports@coastnewsgroup.com with story ideas, photos or suggestions
Steve Scott is being treated for prostate cancer. Scott has continued to coach cross-country and track at Cal State San Marcos throughout his treatments at the Scripps Proton Therapy Center. Photo courtesy Scripps Health
SCHOLASTIC SURF SERIES BEGINS The Scholastic Surf Series launches its 2014-15 Scholastic Surf Season last weekend with multiple events going on in Oceanside and Oxnard to start the middle school and high school surf season. Pictured: Finalists of the Boys Shortboard competition. Courtesy photo
Scott running past cancer again sports talk
Chargers hope quick week is a chance to bounce back By Tony Cagala
SAN DIEGO — By the time this article runs, the Chargers will have used this quick week as an opportunity to either bounce back from a last minute 2320 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Qualcomm Stadium on Sunday, or trying to regain their footing in the win column once more. On Thursday, the Chargers were in the mile high city of Denver, facing off against another division rival in the Broncos, who are also coming off a short week in which they trounced the San Francisco 49ers and where Broncos’ quarterback Peyton Manning broke the record for most touchdown passes thrown. But on Monday after the Chargers loss, it was all about the tale of the tape for head coach Mike McCoy San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers is hit from behind and and players. looses the ball during a game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the “Too many missed San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Photo by Bill Reilly tackles,” McCoy said. “And that’s something you work on every week, and it’s a basic fundamental of the game and we gave too many P H O T O G R A P H Y yards where we should have stopped them.” That was essentially the take away from the loss to the Chiefs.
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Linebacker Jarret Johnson, who spoke to the media on Monday, had fingers on each hand banded up and his right leg wrapped tight with gauze. “You can go into any NFL locker room this time of year, everyone is going to be dealing with something,” Johnson said, referring to the bandages. This quick week, he said, is just one of the adversities of playing in the NFL, in terms of recovering physically. The 12-year veteran said it takes him usually until the next Sunday morning to have fully recovered. Injuries have been an ongoing storyline for the Chargers this season. That constant shuffle of injured players has led to an oft-recurring theme of “next man up.” McCoy didn’t give any updates on the health status of running backs Donald Brown or Ryan Mathews, other than they’re working “extremely hard to get back.” There was little other information on the status of cornerback Brandon Flowers at the time, who was reTURN TO CHARGERS ON A17
jay paris Steve Scott hit the tape and was hit up. “Can I have your autograph?’’ a teenager asked. Scott, as usual, signed and smiled. “That would have been bad,’’ Scott said with a laugh, “if I hadn’t.’’ Scott, the iconic American distance runner, was dusting off a 1978 story. Like his record 136 sub 4-minute miles, there’s a kick. That kid handing Scott a pen back then now has Scott’s life in his hands. “There is definitely a lesson in there,’’ Scott said, and he’s chuckling again. Scott, 58, announced recently he has prostate cancer and is being treated at Scripps Proton Therapy Center. Scott’s doctor? Carl Rossi, that same post-race autograph seeker from that 10K in Orange County. “He’s a running fanatic,’’ Scott said. “So I have absolute confidence in my doctor.’’ You hear it in Scott’s upbeat voice. It’s at an optimistic level often reserved for the Cal State San Marcos track and cross-country teams he coaches. That circles us back to Rossi, as if we’re on the track. Rossi, 51, is a longtime volunteer assistant coach at Claremont McKenna College. For years Scott’s squads competed in the school’s Rossi Relays. “I never put two and two together,’’ said Scott, a USA Track and Field Hall of Fame member. ”Even after I met him.’’ Scott and Rossi are one, fighting Scott’s prostate cancer. Scott was diagnosed in June and has finished his eight-week treatment.
Scott’s schedule hasn’t been altered. The Carlsbad resident who beat testicular cancer 20 years ago, is still motivating his charges and running three to five miles daily. “It’s been going great,’’ Scott said. “It is amazing that there are no side effects. If you didn’t know I was being treated, you wouldn’t know it to be honest with you.’’ Scott faced the truth, but was reluctant. Despite red flags raised from his primary physician, Dr. Tracy Dale, Scott didn’t initially act on her advice. “I didn’t think it was really a big deal,’’ Scott said. It was and the tumor was located near a nerve bundle. With traditional surgery or radiation, Scott’s quality of life would have been significantly compromised. “I was kind of accepting my fate,’’ Scott said. But his sister-in-law heard of Rossi’s proton therapy, a radiation treatment that kills cancer cells while preserving healthy surrounding tissue. Scott’s first thought? “I figured he must be a snake oil salesman,’’ Scott said. Instead he was that teenager Scott once scribbled for. Rossi no longer has Scott’s John Hancock, but Rossi remembers the signature being clear. Ditto Scott’s message today. “I want people to get checked out, to go see a doctor and don’t be hesitant,’’ Scott said. “I was lazy and if my primary doctor didn’t stay on top of me I would have blown it off. We were fortunate that we caught it early.’’ Everyone will sign off on that. Contact Jay Paris at jparis8@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter at jparis_sports. He talks Chargers football on 1360 AM on Monday mornings at 8.