The Union-Tribune admitted this morning (January 14) that those "pointy-headed, sissy" economists were right all along: the San Diego economy remained strong during the year that the Chargers were gone. From the mid-1990s to last year, the U-T, radio and television stations, the hotel lobbyists, and others vehemently argued that the Chargers and Padres were big stimulants to the local economy and deserved huge public subsidies. In my U-T and Reader columns, I regularly interviewed economists who said that was a bunch of hooey. This morning, the U-T, tail wagging between its legs, admitted it was a bunch of hooey. Hotel occupancy has risen in the year the Chargers were gone. Economists always said that few people came from out of town to watch games. There were a few exceptions: Los Angelenos who came down to watch the Dodgers play, got drunk, and stayed overnight.