CHARGERS UPDATE : NOTEBOOK / T.J. SIMERS : TV Blackout Lifted for Game with Raiders

Playoff fever? Or just the Raiders?

The Chargers have won two games in a row, and while they aren’t scheduled to play the Raiders for another nine days, the team announced Thursday that the game is a sellout.

The Chargers said they have exceeded the television blackout limit of 60,400 distributed tickets, and said the 5 p.m. Dec. 1 game will be shown live locally on ESPN.

This will be the 14th consecutive year in which the television blackout has been lifted locally for the Chargers’ game with the Raiders.

The Chargers said scattered single seats remained on sale.

Each fan attending the Raiders game will receive a 1992 Chargers calendar. Club officials said they were not “Wait Until Next Year” calendars.

Football’s a tough business--just ask Chargers trainer Keoki Kamau.

Kamau was on the sideline when the Chargers defeated the Saints, and he offered a “high five” slap of the hand to nose tackle Joe Phillips as he came off the field.

“Broke his thumb; chipped a bone,” Phillips said.

You would never know it by looking at Kamau, however. No bandage. No cast. No nothing.

“No way could I let these guys see that; they’d hang me,” Kamau said. “I’m gutting it out.”

Starting safety Stanley Richard continues to have problems resulting from a hard hit in Sunday’s game with the Saints. Coach Dan Henning said Richard would be downgraded from probable to questionable for Sunday’s game with the Jets.

Richard temporarily lost feeling on his right side, and Henning said he continues to experience off-and-on numbness. “I think he’s concerned about it,” Henning said, indicating Richard will receive further attention from team doctors.

Henning said wide receiver Anthony Miller continues to suffer from a sore leg, but Henning expects him to be ready for the Jets.

Running back Rod Bernstine has practiced for the past two days and Henning said the back went through some contact work Thursday without difficulty.

“I don’t have any sharp pain and I can run,” Bernstine said. “I can tell I’ve been hurt. There’s a little stiffness and tightness in some things.

“But Dr. Gary Losse stated that it wasn’t something that could worsen. I could re-injure it if I was hit at the same point, but if I can run and I’m hanging around here, I might as well be playing.”

Wide receiver Kitrick Taylor was a teammate of paralyzed Detroit offensive lineman Mike Utley for three years at Washington State.

“He’s a strong dude, he’ll be OK,” Taylor said.

“I’m going to call Detroit today to see if I can find where he is or where his family is. I just want to send him my best wishes.”