One Team put their money where their mouth was. The other team used their head for once. What a week to be fans of the Padres and Chargers. One franchise has positioned itself to be in first place. The other made a move to get out of last place forever. Something had to be done and the Padres and Chargers did it. The Padres committed $8.8 million in a 55-minute period on Monday night, right before the deadline to either sign their top draft picks or lose them forever.

When the clock struck midnight on the East Coast, San Diego locked up three top draft choices, overpaid to get two of them, but continued to spend freely as they followed their blueprint of building through the farm system. The Chargers, in a philosophical turnabout, went where they have hardly ever gone, back into NFL free agency, bringing in veteran players from other clubs, then changing their mind, and re-signing key veterans who had gone on the open market. The moves changed the chemistry of the team, where it needed the most help: on defense.

This baseball season is a lost cause, because of substandard performance from veterans the Padres brought in. But future seasons seem secure. The Padres spent a club record $11.7 million overall in signing 22 of their top 23 draft choices. Days after the June draft, they signed JUCO hitting infielder and 1st round draft pick, Corey Spagenberg, who is already in their farm system. But the team recently wrote big checks to get pitcher Joe Ross, who appeared to be headed to UCLA. It cost them $2.7 million in guaranteed money. They secured potential University of Florida pitcher Mike Kelly, then set a record with a $3 million deal for top rated high school catcher Austin Hedges, whom many thought was headed to UCLA as well. The Monday night deadline haul, came on the heels of the July 31 trade that brought them two top pitchers from the Texas Rangers in the Mike Adams deal.

Last winter San Diego acquired highly acclaimed hitting star Anthony Rizzo and two other gems, in the Red Sox-Adrian Gonzalez deal. Strength in numbers in the farm system is the only way this franchise will pull itself out of last place. The Chargers football season looks much brighter now after the last minute wheeling and dealing. When it appeared certain they would let big play young receiver Malcom Floyd go, they changed their mind and offered him a two year deal blocking a move to the Baltimore Ravens. When it looked as if they were relying on too many young linebackers, they re-inked veteran starting linebacker Stephen Cooper, bringing him back as an insurance policy and potential part-time starter.

The Bolts changed their chemistry on defense with the late July acquisitions of linebacker and 14-year veteran Takeo Spikes of the 49ers, ex-Colts tough guy safety Bob Sanders, and former Tennessee Titans rush linebacker, Travis LaBoy. Add to that an impressive haul of young athletic draft picks on defense, and the Chargers look faster, tougher and smarter than the defense that got mugged last year when they met tough teams in a season that ended without a playoff berth. Padres owner Jeff Moorad, took a step forward with his spending spree by putting his money where his mouth is. GM AJ Smith reconfigured his stubborn ideology and brought back some of his own veterans and added new veterans who have played well in other cities.

The man made a U-turn in philosophy in a career that was always “my-way or the highway.” The Padres owner bought back some of his credibility. The Bolts GM may just have rebuilt his.