Another pipin' hot bowl of Stu. -----------------------

The Hunt Down

Names: Lee Hamilton and Terry Stembridge, Jr. Nicknames: Hamilton's nickname is "Hacksaw." Claims to Fame, Minnesota: When former Vikings owner Red McCombs bought the rights to the Purple's radio broadcasts in 2001 and moved them from longtime home WCCO to KFAN (which he had a stake in via Clear Channel), he looked for a new play-by-play man to pair with dispassionate color man Joe Senser. The job went to Hamilton, a popular sports radio host in San Diego who had previously been the voice of the Chargers. His tenure lasted all of one preseason game, as Hamilton resigned after some comments he'd made earlier in his career came to the attention of local sports columnist Larry Fitzgerald, Sr. Forced to scramble for a replacement, KFAN hired the rather green Stembridge, son of San Antonio Spurs vox (and friend of McCombs) Terry Stembridge, Sr. He lasted one season before the station brought on current play-by-play man Paul Allen. Claims to Fame, Everywhere Else: in addition to a long-running, 4-hour talk show that he hosted in San Diego, Hamilton has done play-by-play work for the Seattle Seahawks, USC, and Arizona State. In case you think I sold Stembridge's experience short in the previous paragraph, he did work some games for the New Mexico Slam and Idaho Steelheads. Where They Are Now: Hamilton hosts "Lee 'Hacksaw' Hamilton's Sportswatch" on XEPRS-AM in San Diego, does work for XM's Home Plate Channel, and handles the NFL Game of the Week for Compass Media Networks. Unless there's another Terry Stembridge, Jr., in Texas -- and if their is, deepest apologies for the mix-up -- he appears to have parlayed his broadcast experience into a gig as a landman for Ted W. Walters & Associates (scroll way down). Are They On Twitter: No. Glorious Randomness: Hamilton, per wiki, is said to use the following catchphrases: "Show me your lightning bolt," "I am bleeping brilliant," and "You use the line or you lose the line." It's fair to wonder if fellow San Diego sports broadcaster Champ Kind is blushing.