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Column: Del Mar, where Chargers players met Chargers fans

Former Chargers player Terrell Fletcher shakes hands with a fan at the Del Mar race track on Saturday.
(Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Saturday was for the man in the gold shirt with the words “High Voltage” underneath the likenesses of Charlie Joiner and John Jefferson.

“They’re my team,” Dennis Williams Jr. said. “I built the bandwagon, and that (jerk) can’t take it from me.”

Saturday was for the guy who brought the adorable little blue and gold letterman-style Chargers jacket he wore as a toddler, the 30-year-old barbecue stains on the front now accompanied by the fresh autographs of Chargers greats.

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“For me, this helps,” Donney Cummins said. “They’re here for us.”

In this instance, one more time before the team they used to play for officially commences its new existence, “they” were former San Diego Chargers players and “here” was the Del Mar race track.

At the invitation of the track’s management and with encouragement from former players Hank Bauer and Vencie Glenn and former coach Norv Turner, more than three dozen former Chargers showed up Saturday to pose for pictures, shake hands and sign autographs.

They assembled by decade before three races. Players from the 1960s and ‘70s were first up, then the ‘80s and ‘90s for the third race and the 2000s for the fifth.

After posing with the victorious owners, each group of players went to an area near the paddock and signed their names to papers, jerseys, footballs and photos for nearly an hour. The oldest players went for more than an hour. The line for each group was more than 200 deep.

It was more celebration of life than funeral. Really, it was as festive as any afternoon at the seaside track should be.

To be clear, an afternoon of smiles and well-wishes should not be considered anecdotal evidence that a wound is entirely healed. Far from it.

The mention of the Chargers name still incites instant passion from so many, often in the form of fury.

Among the tidbits a tram driver shared with his passengers on the drive in from the Del Mar parking lot early Saturday was that Chargers players would be signing autographs after three of the day’s races. The words were hardly out of his mouth before several passengers lustily booed.

For some, anything and anyone associated with the Chargers remains evil.

But what Saturday reinforced is that San Diegans comprise a fan base divided and that love and hate can exist in the same soul.

“I’m done with football,” said Omid Aminpour.

He said that after he assessed of Saturday’s event: “This is awesome.”

He explained the paradox thusly: “This is not L.A. Chargers; this is not Spanos.”

No, Saturday had nothing to do with Dean Spanos – who, by the way, was the (jerk) referenced above. The Chargers owner was consulted for his blessing, and many current and former off-field employees were present on Saturday. But this was not an official Chargers event.

That probably made it more palatable. Among the smiles and happy talk were many references to Spanos that would generously be described as derogatory.

The sign on Del Mar’s infield video board declared, “A celebration of Chargers players throughout the years. Thanks for the Memories.”

Maybe there were boos from the crowd when players were introduced before the race, but none could be heard from where they stood. Only cheers.

“I haven’t had one person talk to me about them moving,” Charlie Joiner said. “Everybody has been really appreciative we’re here.”

The “thank yous” flowed both ways all day, as players interacted with those who obviously had come to the track for the human athletes.

About a half-hour into an autograph signing session, his signature having been scrawled no less than 200 times, Jacques Cesaire seemed to have had an epiphany. At least, something occurred to him in a new and profound way, as he said to one woman who expressed her gratitude for his presence.

“Thank you,” Cesaire said to her. “You guys deserve a team.”

Certainly, perhaps more than anything, Saturday illustrated why the Chargers leaving hurts for so many, while for others it means just a longer Sunday drive.

Never before had an NFL franchise left a city it had been in for as long as the Chargers were in San Diego. It was 56 years, a long time to love a team.

Overhearing some fans professing their love to player after player, men relaying memories of plays that happened before there was a San Diego Stadium, ladies in their 60s sharing photos of them at games when they weren’t even teenagers, the whole thing had the feel of a family reunion.

It will take more time for many to sort this out. But Saturday clearly helped the devout who attended and interacted with their heroes of the past.

It was about separating the Chargers from the Chargers.

kevin.acee@sduniontribune.com

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