With that in mind, I’m skipping the writing part of this newsletter and going straight to the links. If you want my thoughts, you can catch them in audio/video form in a couple of hours.

Now, onto the links….

NBA Playoffs

CJ McCollum, Hawks erupt in fourth quarter to stun Knicks and even series 1-1 - Yahoo Sports
The Knicks’ collapse was similar, but worse, than what happened in the final minutes of Game 1 on Saturday, too. The Knicks held a 19-point lead just past the midway point of the fourth quarter in that contest before giving up an 11-0 run to allow the Hawks back within single digits in the final minute. Had that run happened just a few minutes sooner, Atlanta may have been able to pull the comeback off that day, too.

Madison Square Garden Has A Reluctant New Villain - Defector
McCollum had 26 points when the “Fuck you CJ!” chant started, and had just gotten into a little kerfuffle with Jose Alvarado, who seeks out kerfuffles with great fervor. McCollum smirked and nodded his head along to the chant for a little bit, but he also looked sheepish at having found himself in that position. Villainy may come naturally to a little gremlin like Trae Young, but not to a steady and understated operator like McCollum. He even faded from the game over the next few minutes, missing his next five shots while the Knicks got out to a 14-point lead.

Victor Wembanyama becomes NBA’s first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year winner - The Athletic
The 7-foot-4 San Antonio Spurs big man won the NBA’s 2026 Defensive Player of the Year award, earning all 100 first-place votes from a panel of select media members. The 22-year-old beat out Oklahoma City Thunder big man Chet Holmgren and Detroit Pistons wing Ausar Thompson to become the youngest player to win the award since it was introduced for the 1982-83 season.

Holmgren finished second with 76 second-place votes and 11 third-place votes, followed by Thompson, Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert and Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes.

Rudy Gobert contains Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic as Wolves tie series - ESPN
On the same day he finished fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting, Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert held three-time MVP Nikola Jokic to 1-of-8 shooting in his individual Game 2 matchup.

That defensive work, which included three one-on-one stops in the closing minutes, helped the Timberwolves to a 119-114 win over the Denver Nuggets to tie their first-round series at 1-1. It was the worst shooting performance in Jokic’s playoff career against a single defender (minimum six shot attempts).

“I was lucky,” Gobert said. “A top-three defender cannot do that. So I was lucky.”

NBA playoffs 2026 takeaways: Brandon Ingram remains M.I.A. for Raptors as potent Cavs trio emerges - Yahoo Sports
The 6-foot-8 forward, in his first active season with Toronto, had a lackluster 17-point Game 1 and criticized the coaching staff for his lack of shots (nine). He followed that up by scoring a grand total of zero points in the first half of Game 2 — scoring seven overall on 3-of-15 shooting — putting even more pressure on his teammates to offset his lack of production.

Ingram, who has a history of being a reluctant 3-point shooter, is currently re-triggering old habits and offering limited spacing to the Raptors, who aren’t exactly deep in the shooting department as is.

San Diego Padres

Padres hitters looking forward to some altitude therapy this week - San Diego Union-Tribune
Tatis is looking for his first home run of this season. And he is headed back to Mexico City after a stop for three games in another place where the breathing can be difficult but the home runs come more easily.

Tatis has spent the past few weeks making an effort not to dwell on his total power outage. But this week, he is happily thinking about what is in store.

“Hopefully, we can get some at-bats,” he said with a smile. “That way, I can get a home run.”

The Padres begin a three-game series here Tuesday against the Rockies before heading to Mexico City for a pair of weekend games against the Diamondbacks.

That is a lot of thin air.

Padres top prospect is showing encouraging progress with one frustrating problem still hanging around - Friars On Base
Salas is still only 19, still catching, still handling one of the hardest development paths in baseball, and still doing enough defensively to protect the shine on his prospect status. His defensive work behind the plate is a reason his standing remains so high, and that matters here because it keeps this from turning into an overly dramatic offensive referendum after a rough couple of weeks.

But the frustrating part is easy to spot too. The recent multi-hit games are encouraging because they suggest he is settling in a bit. They don’t erase the larger profile of what has been happening. A .289 slugging percentage with just one extra-base hit is still a pretty thin offensive start, and when that is paired with strikeout swing-and-miss issues, the whole thing starts to feel more incomplete than uplifting.

San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: April 19 - MadFriars
Stop me if you have heard this before — Jase Bowen homered. The toolsy 25-year-old outfielder clubbed his team-leading fifth home run of the season to lead off the resumption of Saturday’s game with the blast leaving his bat at 108.2 mph. In game two, he went 1-for-3 with a double. Bowen has done two things a lot this season– hit the ball hard and swing and miss. The former 11th-round selection owns a 45.5% hard hit rate, 11.3% barrel rate, and 112.6 max exit velocity, all of which rank in the 84th or percentile or better of Triple-A hitters. At the same time, he’s punched out 27.8% of the time with a 29.5% whiff rate and 34.6% chase rate, all in the bottom third of Triple-A batters. He’s now batting .278/.350/.653 through 80 plate appearances.

Odds & Ends

San Diego Just Can’t Get Out Of Its Own Way - Chromatic FC
While some fans are calling for the club and Lozano to make amends, it is important to realize this situation has nothing to do with the people involved; it is about the Right to Dream system. SDFC is committed to a specific standard of conduct intended to serve as a model for younger players. Everyone from Sporting Director Tyler Heaps to Head Coach Mikey Varas must fit this playbook. If leadership were to change, they would be replaced by others who implement the same philosophy: develop young players in a certain way and play style and sell them for profit.

NCTD maps grade separations across North County - North County Pipeline
The Board of Directors discussed nine proposed grade separation projects and their strategic framework on Thursday in a massive effort to ease congestion, enhance other mobility options, and increase safety at those rail crossings. NCTD staff detailed its ranking system for the expected multi-billion-dollar effort to guide the pursuit of state and federal funding.

A Deep Dive Into the Elon Musk vs. Sam Altman Trial, Our Next Techstravaganza - The Ringer
The two tech giants are scheduled to square off next week in a court battle over the past, present, and future of OpenAI. Here’s what to expect—and how this whole mess started in the first place.

The Angels are 0.5 games out of 1st place in the AL West, even after dropping the series to San Diego. The Padres are 0.5 games out of 1st place in the NL West. And yet, the crowd at the game was seemingly split 50/50 between fans of the two respective teams. (To be fair, the Padres have the better overall record.)

Why did I go north? Well, it had been quite some time since I’ve had a chance to see a Padres road game and ticket prices in Anaheim were far less than they typically are at Petco Park. I imagine the same reasoning led many other Padres fans to do the same, or maybe it’s just the vibe.

After all, the Padres are currently performing like they’re one of the best teams in all of baseball. In the last 16 days, they’ve lost 2 games and won 13. They’re also winning in exciting fashion, playing an entertaining form of baseball with one of the most dominant closers in league history finishing most games, and the rancid vibes of the last few years feel miles away. The guys actually seem to be having fun out there!

So, maybe it’s not just the lower ticket prices that drove Padres fans to Orange County over the weekend. Maybe there is already a sense that this is a special team that could be headed towards a special future. Maybe we’ve all caught Padres Fever.

Now, onto the links…

San Diego Padres

Padres find ways to do just enough, take series from Angels - San Diego Union-Tribune
In the biggest moments of a game that was tense throughout, the difference in a 2-1 victory over the Angels was the fill-in heroics by seldom-used outfielder Bryce Johnson and rookie reliever Bradgley Rodriguez.

“Another team win,” manager Craig Stammen said. “… We’re just getting contributions from everybody in the whole entire roster — from guys in the bullpen, the guys on the bench that are in the starting lineup. We’re just moving pieces around, and they’re all coming through, making us all look really good, that we’re making good decisions. We’ve got good players, and they’re doing the right things.”

Miller blanks his way to 1 inning shy of franchise scoreless streak record - MLB.com
The Padres are baseball’s hottest team. They’ve won 10 of 11 and 13 of 15, moving within half a game of the Dodgers in the way-too-early National League West standings. And they’re doing it by winning every game they’re supposed to win -- because they have a closer that nobody can hit.

Miller again nailed down the save in a tense 2-1 victory over the Angels on Sunday afternoon at Angel Stadium, extending his remarkable scoreless streak to 32 2/3 innings. He’s one inning shy of Cla Meredith’s Padres record, set in 2006.

Tom Krasovic: Padres fans take joy machine on the road - San Diego Union-Tribune
When owner Arte Moreno explored selling the big-market Angels in recent years, the team attracted no offers near the $3.9 billion that private-equity billionaire and Chelsea FC co-owner José E. Feliciano and his wife, entrepreneur and philanthropist Kwanza Jones, have agreed to pay for the Padres.

In attendance, it’s the Padres who resemble a big-market giant. They’ve ended up second to fifth of the 30 teams every year since 2021, and trail only the Dodgers this season.

The Angels? Twelfth to 17th, and now eighth.

Ramón Laureano is shorter this season. The Padres outfielder also might be better than ever - The Athletic
Acquired from the Baltimore Orioles in July, Laureano has been perhaps San Diego’s most reliable player; since his arrival, he leads the club’s qualifying hitters in home runs, OPS, batting average and wRC+. A shattered finger sidelined him last fall as the Padres offense disappeared in the National League Wild Card Series. In 2026, the recently minted leadoff man has resumed his steadiness, batting .273 with four homers while providing improved defense in left field.

San Diego Padres’ Business Is Booming. Here’s Why - Sportico
For nearly a decade, the Padres have been the sole team from the Big Four North American sports leagues in San Diego after the NFL’s Chargers headed up the coast to Los Angeles. The void left by professional football has seemingly improved the Padres’ standing in San Diego. (The city did add an NWSL club in 2022 and an MLS squad three years later.)

When the Padres officially launched their sale process in November, they attracted multiple billionaires.

NBA Playoffs

Victor Wembanyama’s Playoff Debut Was Worth The Wait - Defector
Portland threw everything they had at Wembanyama, and he diagnosed it and destroyed it. This guy is going to do so much amazing stuff in these playoffs and the playoffs to come. What we saw was the dawn of something, and it was spectacular.

Magic play up to potential, stun Pistons in Game 1 upset - ESPN
The Magic clearly have discovered their game over this weekend. On Friday, they destroyed the Charlotte Hornets 121-90 in a play-in game, using stifling defense, physicality on both ends and a connected swagger that had been missing for much of the season.

“We found something against Charlotte with our defense and our energy and our communication,” Orlando star forward Paolo Banchero said.

Suggs’ early steal and dunk came during a 15-2 run that pushed Detroit down 18-5 in the first quarter. Cunningham did all that he could to get Detroit back into the game, scoring 39 points. He hit a 3 that tied the score at 65-65 in the third quarter, but the Magic just kept answering every Detroit push.

NBA playoffs 2026 takeaways: Pistons disappear against Magic; Wemby dominates; Thunder roll to begin title defense; Jayson Tatum stars in Celtics’ big win - Yahoo Sports
If there were concerns about how Jayson Tatum might look in his first playoff game since tearing his right Achilles last May, he eased them in the opening minutes. He played the entire first quarter, logging a 10-7-4, well on his way to 25 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists in 33 minutes.

He did all of the Jayson Tatum things — scoring from every level, playmaking, rebounding, defending at a high level, you name it. He called Tyrese Maxey or Andre Drummond into the action, operating out of the high post or from the perimeter. He was, quite simply, the best player on the floor, and who could have seen that coming in Game 1 of a 2026 playoff series at year’s start?

Odds & Ends

Real Salt Lake stay hot, hand San Diego 3rd straight loss - Field Level Media
Real Salt Lake got the blowout started with goals in back-to-back minutes.

The first occurred on a massive mistake by Ferree, who lazily tried to pass the ball to his left to teammate Manu Duah. Luna timed it perfectly and dashed forward to intercept the pass and poke the ball with his right foot into the net in the fifth minute.

One minute later, Luna was on the right and sent a cross-field pass to Solans, who headed the ball inside the left post to make it 2-0.

NBA awards finalists announced: Victor Wembanyama, Nikola Jokić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander make MVP cut - Yahoo Sports
Victor Wembanyama, three-time MVP Nikola Jokić and reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are the finalists in one of the most competitive MVP races in NBA history.

Gilgeous-Alexander is seeking to become the 14th player to earn back-to-back MVPs, joining Jokić, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry and LeBron James among active players.

San Diego’s Poinsettia Bowl reportedly returning to postseason college football lineup - San Diego Union-Tribune
The Poinsettia Bowl is being dusted off and returning after a 10-year hiatus, according to a report.

On3.com reported Saturday morning that the Poinsettia Bowl as well as a bowl in Puerto Rico will be part of this year’s bowl lineup, helping provide inventory after the Bahamas Bowl, LA Bowl and GameAbove Sports Bowl in Detroit went dark after last year’s games.

The Poinsettia Bowl was played in San Diego from 2005 to 2016, joining the Holiday Bowl to make San Diego one of the few cities with two postseason college football games. The San Diego Bowl Game Association, now Sports San Diego, shuttered the game a decade ago amid challenges to draw crowds and secure sponsorships.

Audi Crooks transfers from Iowa State to Oklahoma State - The Athletic
Iowa State transfer and top portal pick Audi Crooks has committed to Oklahoma State, Crooks announced on social media Monday.

The top pick on The Athletic’s transfer portal rankings, Crooks finished the season with 25.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. She was the second-leading scorer in the NCAA this season.

One of the highest scorers in Iowa State history, Crooks broke the Cyclones’ single-game scoring record with 47 points against Indiana in November.

A couple of Wall Street Journal MLB reporters have an exclusive this morning: The San Diego Padres are “nearing a deal to be sold”. How close are they? Well, we know the price ($3.9 BILLION, the most for any MLB franchise by $1.5B) and who is buying the team (private-equity billionaire José E. Feliciano and his wife, Kwanza Jones). WSJ even has reports of who the other bidders were and an idea of where their bids fell short. That sounds like it’s a done deal waiting on a signature to me.

Feliciano is part owner of the Chelsea Football Club in the Premier League, but I’m not sure what we can learn from that as far as how he’ll manage his new MLB team. The fact that he was willing to spend $1.5 billion more than Steve Cohen did for the New York Mets is probably a good sign that he’s looking at the team as something he can guide towards a championship rather than something he would be trying to strip down for parts to profit off of MLB’s revenue-sharing. Nobody breaks the spending record for buying an MLB team just to watch them lose games.

For just that reason alone, that he can afford to support the Padres’ championship aspirations and that he seems interested in doing so, the ownership move from “Peter Seidler’s siblings” to José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones is worth celebrating in San Diego.

Now, onto the links….

San Diego Padres

Tatis sparks offense, bullpen seals it as Padres win 8th straight - MLB.com
Buehler pitched six scoreless innings in his last time out. On Tuesday, he worked five scoreless frames, before Stammen sent him back out for a sixth. Buehler didn’t record an out in the inning and was charged with a couple runs.

“Frustrating to not put the finishing touches on it, I guess,” Buehler said. “But all in all, the two starts that I’ve made here in the homestand, I’ll be very happy with.”

Winners of 8 straight, the Padres are getting the right bounces on and off the field - The Athletic
It helps, of course, when eight of your nine starting hitters record at least one hit; when reclamation project Walker Buehler posts another solid outing; and when a formidable bullpen lives up to its name.

“Winning is f—ing great when you’re winning like this,” veteran third baseman Manny Machado said. “I think streaks like this don’t last long, so you kind of ride the wave as much as you can. It’s not like we’re going out there and scoring 20 runs a game. We’re playing really close baseball games, and we’re doing everything right.”

Tom Krasovic: MLB did the Padres a favor by shrinking the strike zone - San Diego Union-Tribune
Here’s a neon-worthy development: Many high strikes have now become balls, which Gwynn termed “a great gift to hitters.”

Explained Stammen, a former reliever: “The pitches that are very attractive for hitters to swing at are usually a little higher in the zone. So, now, they have the ability to just not swing at ‘em.”

Rule changes of this scope reward the smart adapters and punish the slow movers.

The 2023 Padres were not great adapters to the last major rules change in MLB — the pitch clock.

Through three weeks, the 2026 Padres stand as net beneficiaries of the ABS era.

Miller passes Jones for second-longest scoreless streak in Padres history - MLB.com
Mason Miller’s remarkable scoreless streak is approaching franchise-record territory.

Only Cla Meredith is left.

Miller was as dominant as ever, striking out all three hitters he faced to finish the Padres’ 5-2 victory over the Mariners on Thursday night at Petco Park. He has now thrown 30 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings, three shy of Meredith’s franchise record.

Odds & Ends

Pro Sports Report: Gulls wrap regular season, with playoffs next; Sockers in postseason - San Diego Union-Tribune
The San Diego Sockers open the semifinal round of the Major Arena Soccer League playoffs Friday night at the St. Louis Ambush.

Game 2 is set for 5 p.m. Sunday at Frontwave Arena. If needed, the teams would play a deciding “mini-game” shortly after the conclusion of Game 2.

The teams met once during the regular season, with the Sockers charging back from a 4-1 deficit to earn a 5-4 overtime victory in late March. The Sockers earned a bye in the first round of the Ron Newman Cup playoffs, while St. Louis beat the Kansas City Comets to advance.

One key for the Sockers will be goalkeeper Chris Toth. Since returning from injury in late February, Toth has saved over 77% of shots faced, making him the hottest keeper in the MASL. A native of Fallbrook, Toth is the son of Sockers goalkeeping legend Zoltan Toth.

LIV Golf CEO says league has financial commitment to finish season - ESPN
Amid questions about the future of LIV Golf, CEO Scott O’Neil told TNT Sports on Thursday that the league has a financial commitment to finish the 2026 season.

On Wednesday, the Financial Times reported that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which has invested more than $5 billion into LIV Golf since its first tournament in June 2022, was on the verge of cutting funding.

LIV Golf has eight remaining tournaments this season, including five in the United States.

Wings staffer dismisses question to Azzi Fudd about Paige Bueckers - The Athletic
“Paige announced last year on TikTok that y’all were a couple, and I’m wondering if that is still the case?” Fudd was asked. “And if so, if y’all have talked to any other couples in the league about how they negotiate that dynamic as pro teammates?”

There are other WNBA teammates who are couples, including Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner on the Phoenix Mercury.

“I understand why you have to ask that question,” a member of the team’s media staff responded. “But we’re going to respectfully decline from commenting on our players’ personal lives.”

The President vs. the Pope vs. the Slop Messiah - The Ringer
Sixteen burning questions about Trump, AI Jesus, and JD Vance attempting to correct the pope on matters of Catholic theology

There is a level of success around this team that feels….magical. The vibes are good, the team legitimately believes in itself, and everyone seems to be having fun. Winning streaks are fun!

It did remind me, though, that last year’s Padres team got off to a great start before slowing down to a plodding pace the rest of the way. And it made me wonder how different this team, right now, is from a year ago.

WELL, the Padres are currently 12-6. They’re in 2nd place in the NL West, 2.0 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. According to FanGraphs, they have a 44.3% chance of making the playoffs this year.

One year ago today, the Padres were 15-4 and leading the NL West. According to FanGraphs, they had a 61.4% chance of making the playoffs (which they eventually did!).

The difference seems to be in how the team is winning. Last year, it was pure dominance from the Padres bullpen and Fernando Tatis Jr.. This year, it’s Jackson Merrill and Ramon Laureano who are off to hot starts with the bat, but it feels much more like an “Anyone can win this game for us tonight” type of team.

Tatis, to this point, has been a below-average hitter. He’s been about as offensively-valuable as Freddy Fermín, who might be in danger of losing the starting catcher job to Luís Campusano. But it’s been guys like Campusano that have exceeded expectations and made this team, already, so much more than "Tatis, Machado, Merrill and some other guys.”

That’s exactly what you’re hoping for from a team that is trying to survive 162-game season and then the playoffs. Especially one that is still trying to figure out about half of its starting rotation. I don’t know if it’s Craig Stammen’s managing (it probably is!) or just the right group of guys (also possible!) or just some early-season magic that will fade like last year (I hope not!), but the 2026 Padres are already a joy to follow in a way that the 2025 Padres were not for most of last year.

Now, onto the links…

San Diego Padres

Merrill magic strikes twice! Fresh off HR robbery, young star caps wild rally with walk-off - MLB.com
Down six runs after five innings -- down four runs when Mariners right fielder Luke Raley corralled the second out of the ninth -- San Diego rallied for a wild 7-6 victory on Wednesday night at a frenzied Petco Park.

Jackson Merrill played the role of superman in the third inning and walk-off hero in the ninth, as the Padres extended their winning streak to seven games -- three of them via walk-off.

Merrill -- who robbed Julio Rodríguez of a home run earlier in the night -- capped a ferocious five-run, ninth-inning rally with a two-run double into the left-field corner, plating the tying and winning runs.

Padres’ Nick Pivetta dealing with flexor strain, out ‘weeks and maybe months’ - San Diego Union-Tribune
Nick Pivetta is confident he’ll pitch again this season.

Yet the root cause of the inflammation in Pivetta’s right elbow — a flexor strain — will sideline the 33-year-old right-hander “weeks and maybe months,” manager Craig Stammen said Wednesday.

There is no talk of surgery for now. Pivetta missed roughly a month with a flexor strain in 2024 and came back to throw 134 2/3 innings.

NBA Play-In Tournament

Steph Curry answers the moment as Warriors get past Clippers in NBA Play-In Tournament - The Athletic
Stephen Curry delivered when the Golden State Warriors needed him most.

His 29-foot 3-pointer with 51 seconds left highlighted a closing 16-6 run and sent the Warriors past the LA Clippers 126-121 in Wednesday’s 9-10 Play-In game at Intuit Dome.

Before the late-game surge, the Clippers led 115-110 and had been up by as many as 13 in the fourth quarter — another late-game breakdown on a stage that has consistently troubled them.

Curry, who briefly left the bench in the first quarter with an apparent injury, finished with 35 points on 12-of-23 shooting, including 7 of 12 from beyond the arc. He had just eight points in the first half after missing seven of his first nine attempts.

Clippers’ collapse in Play-In Tournament delivers Thunder a lottery gift - The Athletic
In the immediate aftermath of the 126-121 Warriors victory, the ripple effects stretched well beyond those in attendance. The Clippers’ elimination means the 2026 first-round pick owed to Oklahoma City will enter the lottery. Slotted at No. 12, the pick carries a 7.1 percent chance of jumping into the top four and a 1.5 percent chance of becoming the No. 1 pick.

Tyrese Maxey-led Sixers outlast Magic in play-in tournament, will face Celtics in first round of playoffs - Yahoo Sports
With the win, the Sixers now have the No. 7 seed and a date with the rival Boston Celtics, the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed, in the first round of the playoffs. The Magic, meanwhile, are in jeopardy of missing out on the main bracket. Orlando’s season will be on the line Friday night, when the Magic will welcome a Charlotte Hornets squad that’s buzzing after it opened the play-in tournament with an overtime win over the Miami Heat on Tuesday.

Odds & Ends

San Diego Sockers open playoffs in high-stakes semifinal - CBS 8 San Diego
The San Diego Sockers will battle Saint Louis in the MASL Semifinals as the No. 1 seed, bringing home field advantage and the weight of a storied 16-time championship legacy to the matchup.

Despite an earlier victory over Saint Louis this season, the Sockers are bracing for a formidable challenge.

You Can Never Let Them Think They Have A Chance - Defector
There’s a lot we don’t know about Russini and Vrabel’s relationship. We don’t know who initiated it or how long it’s gone on. We don’t even know what “it” is, really, and whether it was ever romantic or sexual. All we can say is that—in the photo where it looks like Vrabel has his arm around Russini, and they both look out to the picturesque Sedona mountain view—it appears that a line has been crossed.

To be a woman who does reporting in any field, especially one dominated by men, is to put up with a lot of propositions and harassment and unfairness that your newsroom will be unable to do much about. You also must put up with a lot of people assuming you sleep with your sources because they think that this is the only way you as a female reporter can get any information. Despite all of this, you know there is a line you cannot cross. In part, it’s because, journalistically, it is just wrong. But it’s also about self-preservation.

Trump’s Colosseum - Sports Politika
And yet, despite the difficult political circumstances, Trump still found time for his cagefighting constituency at the UFC. On Saturday night, Trump received a warm welcome from fight fans, albeit not as loud as past events. There was also a smattering of boos— a rarity at UFC events, especially in his adopted home state.

Trump has attended a total of four UFC events since being elected president for a second time in November 2024. He attended UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden less than two weeks following his electoral victory. He then appeared at UFC 314 in Miami in April 2025, where he made a pro wrestling-esque entrance to Kid Rock’s “American Bad Ass” while enjoying a standing ovation from the raucous crowd in attendance. It was an elaborate display of propaganda from the UFC, which had mastered the spectacle of the Trump walkout.

I focused a lot on Craig Stammen. At this point, Stammen is everything that A.J. Preller hoped that he would be. The vibes seem much improved around the team, guys are either maximizing their potential or trying something different to see if they can get to the point where they are maximizing their potential, and the team has won six consecutive games.

More importantly, the Padres have won nine of their last ten games and….with a win in last night’s Vedder Cup game against the Mariners…are potentially on their way to a fourth straight series win.

I said in the podcast that I was at least a tiny bit concerned that the Padres were making hay against poor competition. I was looking forward to this series against Seattle because that’s a team that had been playing pretty well (coming to San Diego after a four-game sweep of the Astros) that has World Series aspirations.

After one game, the Padres still seem to be awesome. Maybe not completely healthy, but awesome.

I can’t help but remember the people, myself included, who said “This season is going to come down to how much offense the Padres can get from Tatis, Machado and Merrill.”

That still might be true! But, so far, the Padres have found a winning offensive formula with Ramon Laureano, Luis Campusano (!) and Jackson Merrill leading the way. Tatis and Machado will eventually catch up.

Now, onto the links…

San Diego Padres

King’s strong start, Bogaerts’ big hits help Padres win 6th straight - MLB.com
Through the first week or so of the regular season, there was no Padre unluckier than Xander Bogaerts. That luck appears to be turning: In the second inning Tuesday, Bogaerts singled off the second-base bag.

There wasn’t anything lucky about Bogaerts’ second hit of the night. With two men aboard, he fell behind Mariners starter Bryan Woo 0-2, but battled his way into a full count, laying off some tough pitches, including a 2-2 sweeper just off the outside corner.

Woo’s 3-2 pitch was a mistake, and Bogaerts made him pay. He dumped a two-out, two-run single to center, giving the Padres a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Padres notebook: Nick Pivetta to IL, Matt Waldron to take rotation spot - San Diego Union-Tribune
After Sunday’s exit, Stammen likened Pivetta’s elbow stiffness to what he felt in spring training. Pivetta did not speak with reporters on Tuesday after he was officially placed on the injured list.

“I think we’re trying to be cautious with Nick,” Stammen said. “I think the smartest move was to not push him and give him some time on the IL … and still trying to figure out exactly what’s going on. Medical team’s going through the process, and then we’ll probably have some more information coming up (in the) next couple days.”

Waldron was competing for a spot in the rotation until an unexpected hemorrhoid surgery in spring training set him back. He opened the season on the 15-day injured list and had a 12-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio while throwing 12 shutout innings across three rehab starts, the last requiring just 58 pitches over five innings on April 9.

Cubs, Padres Interested In Lucas Giolito - MLB Trade Rumors
Adding Giolito could make sense from a baseball perspective but the report from The Athletic notes that the ongoing sale process might be a snag. The Seidler family is actively trying to sell the franchise. Even if they get an agreement fairly soon, it would still have to be approved by the league. The current owners may be hesitant to add more money to the books while that process is ongoing.

NBA Play-In Tournament

Blazers clinch playoff spot; Hornets survive thriller: NBA Play-In Tournament takeaways - The Athletic
Ball finished with 30 points, five rebounds and 10 assists, despite going 2 for 16 from 3-point range. Miles Bridges scored 28 points and added nine rebounds, Brandon Miller had 23 points with five assists, and Moussa Diabate grabbed a team-high 14 rebounds, including eight offensive boards.

Miami played nearly the entire game without Bam Adebayo, who exited early in the second quarter with a lower back injury and did not return.

Spoelstra says Ball should’ve been tossed for Adebayo trip - ESPN
Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said LaMelo Ball should have been ejected early in the second quarter after the Charlotte Hornets star point guard yanked Bam Adebayo’s left foot on a rebound, sending the Heat center hard to the floor and injuring his lower back.

Adebayo ended up missing the rest of the game, a 127-126 overtime win by the Hornets in Tuesday night’s play-in game.

Though Spoelstra repeatedly made it clear that the Heat made no excuses for losing what was a thriller, the Miami coach said there’s no place in the game for Ball tripping up Adebayo.

Amazon Prime Video hits technical difficulties during Heat-Hornets OT - Awful Announcing
It was a thrilling game as Charlotte’s Coby White hit an incredible three-pointer in the closing seconds to force overtime. With 48 seconds left in the OT period, the Hornets led 123-120. During a timeout, as analyst Stan Van Gundy and play-by-play man Ian Eagle were discussing the situation, the broadcast feed suddenly went out.

After a few moments of silence, viewers were hit with the dreaded screen showcasing “Technical Difficulties” and music that you might hear from the glory days of the TV Guide Channel.

Odds & Ends

SDSU’s BJ Davis and Magoon Gwath join Miles Byrd in the Big East, UCSD’s Hudson Mayes heading to Mountain West - San Diego Union-Tribune
Davis was scheduled to visit Auburn and Oklahoma State this week. But both those schools either retained or landed other guards, and Davis opted for the Big East instead of the SEC or Big 12 for his final season of eligibility.

Gwath, who has two years of eligibility, had been talking to several SEC and Big 12 programs before, out of the blue, heading to DePaul.

It continued an interesting trend. With Miles Byrd’s commitment to Providence and forward Pharaoh Compton to Oregon, all four Aztecs who found new homes are getting more money — in some cases, significantly more — than they did at SDSU but all four are transferring “down” in terms of 2025-26 team performance.

Creighton (16-18), DePaul (16-16), Providence (15-18) and Oregon (12-20) all failed to have winning records, and none finished in the top 75 of the NCAA’s NET metric or were close to NCAA Tournament berths.

San Diego FC Struggles Continue with Loss to Minnesota United - Chromatic FC
Although Ferree is not the primary cause of the defensive issues, the backline lacks leadership and will be forced to start a young defense against a tough Real Salt Lake team without the suspended McVey. Fans are left hoping the club can replicate last year’s turnaround—where a 5-0 win against FC Dallas sparked a run of eight wins in ten matches—though they must find that spark with the team that is currently in place. Chucky Lozano is not walking through that door.

Dianna Russini resigns from The Athletic over photos with Patriots coach Mike Vrabel - The Athletic
NFL reporter Dianna Russini resigned from The Athletic on Tuesday, less than a week after photos were published showing her and New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel holding hands, hugging and sitting together in a hot tub at an Arizona resort last month.

Houston Astros’ Tatsuya Imai ‘not able to adjust to the American lifestyle,’ interpreter says - The Athletic
In his first public comments since being sidelined with right arm fatigue, Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai acknowledged he has struggled to adapt to life in the United States — both on the baseball field and at the dinner table.

“He’s not able to adjust to the American lifestyle,” Imai’s interpreter, Shio Enomoto, said. “Baseball and outside of baseball. That’s probably the reason (for his arm fatigue).”

The Leader Board that Changed Golf ⛳️ - SportsBall
At Augusta, these aren’t digital screens. There are no pixels, no refresh rates, nothing electric at all.

Each board is updated by a team of people standing behind it, manually flipping through hundreds of number tiles as scores come in. Think Fenway’s Green Monster, but for golf.

And here’s the part that makes it even better.

At Augusta, there are no phones allowed on the course.

So if you’re standing on hole 11 and something happens on 17, you’re not checking an app. You’re waiting. Then suddenly, a number changes on the board. And the entire crowd reacts.

Report: FIFA Plans To Ask Peace Prize Winner If He Would Maybe Consider Pausing Domestic Terrorism Program For One Month - Defector
With just under two months until the start of the 2026 World Cup, it seems that FIFA executives have finally looked up at the horizon, seen the looming shitstorm, and are now scrambling to head it off. The Athletic reported on Tuesday that top FIFA heads have sought to convince Gianni Infantino to make a “president-to-president” appeal to Donald Trump and ask if he can find it in his heart of hearts to give his ICE jackboots a summer vacation.

Specifically, the idea FIFA wants Infantino to run by Trump is that there be a full moratorium on ICE activities in the United States for the 39-day duration of the World Cup.

THE 2026 EDSBS CHARITY BOWL IS UPON US - Channel 6
The EDSBS Charity Bowl (known online as the #CharitibundiBowl) is an annual fundraising contest staged in aid of New American Pathways, a full-service refugee resettlement nonprofit based in Atlanta. We’re about to launch the 20th (TWENTIETH) edition of the Charity Bowl, and are here to tell you more about that.

If you’re new here, and an offseason contest to out-fundraise teams of rival football fans in aid of our most vulnerable neighbors doesn’t sound like something that interests you, come back next week for more of our splendid regular programming.

In reality, I probably shouldn’t like it. It waters down the product. It creates at least one night, per year, where NBA fans are sitting around watching two teams that should be back at home dealing with their emotions after accomplishing zilch in the regular season. It often creates bad basketball!

And we all know that whoever wins from these play-in games is only biding time until they play a real playoff team (in this case, a #1 or #2 seed) and get absolutely steamrolled in a noncompetitive series.

That being said, I love the play-in. I think it’s something about feeling that “Win or Go Home” mentality from the very first day of the NBA postseason.

In one of tonight’s games, the Charlotte Hornets take on the Miami Heat. The Hornets were one of the very worst teams at the start of the season and then one of the league’s best teams for the second half of the season. It would be a shame to see them go home tonight in front of their home fans, but the Heat are the Heat and they tend to be built for exactly these kinds of moments.

I love that we don’t have to build up to this type of tension, even if the stake of the teams we’ll be watching are a bit lower, because it can occasionally bring out the best (or worst) of these players and teams.

Now, onto the links…

San Diego Padres

Despite early stumbles, Padres confident in where their bullpen will end up - San Diego Union-Tribune
For all the talk about Mason Miller’s historic heater, the Padres’ bullpen so far has been susceptible to the kind of volatility that can bite the relief corps. That possibility began with the notion that Adam, one of their All-Star relievers, might not return immediately from the quad injury that ended his 2025 season. Then Yuki Matsui tweaked his groin in spring training, some soft contact snowballed on Adrián Morejón and Estrada began losing zip on his fastball.

All of a sudden, the Padres’ bridge to the ninth inning hasn’t been quite as sturdy as expected.

Here’s why Tatis at 2B actually makes sense - MLB.com
Tatis is not going to be the Padres’ regular second baseman. But right now, they think he’s their best option to back up at the position, with Sung-Mun Song currently on the injured list. The Padres don’t have another obvious backup at second -- where Jake Cronenworth starts regularly, though he slides to short when Xander Bogaerts needs time off.

“[Tatis] is going to play right field most days,” said manager Craig Stammen. “But when Xander needs a day off or when Jake needs a day off, he’s probably our best option to play second base at the moment.”

Makes sense. And it probably shouldn’t be all that big a deal.

Except, well, it’s Tatis. And there’s history here.

Naylor ends drought with first 2 blasts of ‘26 to lift Mariners to sweep - MLB.com
Mired in the worst slump within Seattle’s lineup to start this season, the slugging first baseman homered in each of his first two at-bats to lift the Mariners to a 6-2 win over the Astros as they completed a four-game sweep at T-Mobile Park.

For those watching closely, Naylor’s big hacks each featured a big leg kick -- which wasn’t there the day before.

Asked about it postgame, Naylor abruptly said: “I don’t like it.”

NBA Playoffs

NBA Play-In Preview: One Big Question for Each Team - The Ringer
Almost by definition, NBA teams that make the play-in tournament are maddeningly inconsistent: good enough to qualify for a postseason entrance exam, but not good enough to lock themselves into the security of a top-six seed. Each of them is curbed by several questions. Some of those questions are existential. Some are technical. Pretty much none have solid answers. Nonetheless, here’s one for each of the eight play-in teams that will determine whether their season will end this week or whether they’ll survive to compete in the first round of the playoffs. Let’s have a look.

NBA playoffs 2026: Previewing all 20 teams still vying for the title - ESPN
The final week of regular-season play ended Sunday as all 30 teams were in action to cap the 82-game campaign. Some top seeds sweetened an already dominant run, while bottom-dwelling teams completed their last efforts to tank for the May 10 draft lottery.

Now, there are 20 teams set and seeded to compete for a chance to lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy in June. The play-in tournament will begin Tuesday, as four teams from each conference face off for the last two spots in the playoffs, versus the No. 1 and 2 seeds.

WNBA Draft

Dallas Wings select Azzi Fudd with No. 1 pick of 2026 WNBA Draft - The Athletic
With the Wings building in the paint, Fudd’s ability to play in the backcourt with former UConn teammate Paige Bueckers, who was the No. 1 pick last year by Dallas, was a clear selling point. She’ll also be paired with Arike Ogunbowale in the backcourt.

Unlike many recent seasons, there wasn’t a clear No. 1 pick in this year’s draft class — Awa Fam Thiam and Lauren Betts had both separated themselves as the top post prospects available, Olivia Miles’ passing ability had made her the best point guard option and Fudd had separated herself as a shooter and impact scorer for a future WNBA franchise. Miles went No. 2 to Minnesota, followed by Fam Thiam to Seattle at No. 3, Betts to Washington at No. 4, and Bett’s UCLA teammate Gabriela Jaquez No. 5 to Chicago.

WNBA Draft winners and losers: A star-studded crowd, the Valkyries’ Flau’jae fumble, GOATs and more - Yahoo Sports
The most stunning move of the night came in the form of a trade. After Golden State selected the rights to Flau’jae Johnson with the No. 8 pick, it traded them to Seattle for No. 16 selection Marta Suárez of TCU. The Valkyries also received a 2028 second-round pick.

Yes, you read that right. The Storm acquired a top-10 draft selection for the price of essentially two second-round picks. It becomes more bizarre from there. Valkyries general manager Ohemaa Nyanin declined to answer questions on the post-draft call about the selection and trade of Johnson.

Odds & Ends

I’m a 39-year-old real-estate agent who just played in the Masters. It’s mentally exhausting - The Athletic
Mentally, Augusta is exhausting. I’m a bigger guy, but physically I wasn’t tired. I was mentally tired. I feel like at a lot of golf courses that the Average Joe like me plays, you can take a couple of holes off and hit a couple of squirrely shots and you’ll be OK.

If you’re not to the precise, exact yardage at Augusta, you’re in trouble. That was mentally exhausting. I honestly don’t feel like I hit the ball that terribly even. It was just, if I needed to hit it 160 yards, I maybe hit it 157 or 167. And you just have to hit the exact yardage.

Tom Krasovic: Dispute with Chucky Lozano looms large as San Diego FC navigates rough stretch - San Diego Union-Tribune
Lozano is getting paid by San Diego FC per the lucrative contract he landed as the centerpiece acquisition in the franchise’s launch. He still lives in San Diego County, a lifestyle that he and his family enjoy, he said in December. Two months into SDFC’s second Major League Soccer season, Lozano still works out by himself at the team’s training site in El Cajon. How strange.

It’s not a bad gig, but I can’t believe Lozano will look back with fondness on this career chapter.

He wouldn’t have made it this far in soccer without a passion for playing.

And Lozano hasn’t played since Nov. 29, when he came off the bench and scored San Diego FC’s only goal in the 2025 team’s final playoff game.

Why Does FIFA Want Stadium Workers’ Personal Information? - Golden Goal
The governing body also wants the ability to share that information with whoever it wants—including law enforcement agencies like ICE. In California, one union is pushing back.

President, Extremely Normal Brain-Wise: Pope Weak On Crime, Also I’m Dr. Jesus Christ - Defector
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, is a deranged old pervert whose brain, long since sodden and pitted from a lifetime of indulgence and Diet Coke, is foaming out of his ears. Over the weekend he wigged out and posted some floridly unhinged shit on his busted little playpen social-media site about how Pope Leo XIV, the supreme pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, is “too liberal” and “weak on crime”—for God’s sake, there’s graffiti all over the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel!—apparently in tantrum response to Leo XIV having criticized both Trump’s war of aggression on Iran and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s framing of that war as having been ordained by God. A little while later, Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus Christ, healing by touch a guy who looks an awful lot like Jeffrey Epstein while a crowd of uniformly white people gaze on in wonder.

Craig Stammen, the team’s manager who had never managed before getting the job this offseason, spent the weekend trying out Fernando Tatis Jr. at a position he had never played before at the MLB level (2B) and maybe helped him mentally break out of his early-season hitting slump. Reminder, he did this in the middle of a winning streak.

As far as early season returns go, the Padres were riding high after stumbling out of the gate. They’re in 2nd place in the NL West with a 10-6 record after starting the season 2-5. Stammen’s pressing all the right buttons. The vibes, which had grown rancid under Mike Shildt the last two seasons, feel like they are turning around (with some help from back-to-back walk-off home runs against the Rockies).

So, of course the team was due some bad news. Or, at the very least, a scare. And that led us to yesterday, when an under-the-weather Nick Pivetta didn’t quite look himself before being taken out of the game by Stammen and the Padres team trainer with a diagnosis of “elbow stiffness”. Hopefully, that’s all it is.

And credit to the Padres for once again winning easily against the Rockies after Pivetta’s exit. That’s not always the easiest mental transition to make for a baseball team. Starting tomorrow (after a rare day off without travel), we’ll get to see if this little run San Diego is on is a sign of great things to come for the Padres or a sign of utter doom this season for the Rockies and Pirates.

Now, onto the links…

San Diego Padres

Nick Pivetta leaves with elbow stiffness, Padres complete sweep of Rockies - San Diego Union-Tribune
Ty France hit his first home run at Petco Park in more than five years. Ramón Laureano and Jackson Merrill added shots late. The Padres paired their burgeoning slug with small-ball sensibilities in a 7-2 win that extended their win streak to five games and upped their total to 10.

Only the two-time World Series champion Dodgers have more.

Yet amid all the positives in a four-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies, the Padres’ biggest question mark got all that more complicated on a gloomy Sunday afternoon at Petco Park.

Admittedly under the weather to start the game, right-hander Nick Pivetta walked off the mound with a trainer in the top of the fourth inning with elbow stiffness, casting quite the shadow on the turnaround following the team’s 2-5 start to the season.

Padres’ Nick Pivetta leaves game with elbow stiffness - The Athletic
Pivetta said his injury was “not correlated” to the elbow flexor strain that sidelined him for a month in 2024, when he pitched for the Boston Red Sox. Meanwhile, Stammen likened the latest ailment to what Pivetta felt last month, when he skipped a Cactus League start because of what the team, at the time, described as arm fatigue.

“Very similar; it’s the same thing,” said Stammen, who added that Pivetta’s elbow gradually stiffened as Sunday’s game progressed. “I think we caught it early enough this time. Hopefully, things will be all right, but anytime it’s someone’s elbow, especially a pitcher, it’s reason for caution. And that’s probably why we took him out of the game when we did.”

Final member of Power Rankings Top 5 rocketed up 14 spots - MLB.com
5. Padres (previously: 19)
For all the great pitching going on in baseball right now, there continues to be no one better than Mason Miller, who on Friday night ran his streak to 28 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings, five short of the franchise record. His 79.2 % strikeout rate was the highest by a pitcher in his first seven appearances of a season since at least 1900. "I love that that guy is on our team,” said teammate Gavin Sheets.

Trust - Letters to A.J.
The trust Craig Stammen placed on the shoulders of Luis Campusano, and how Campusano answered his manager’s call was a watershed moment. And Stammen commented after the game that Campusano’s impeccable defensive play was something he’d specifically been working on daily in fielding practice.

And there’s a sense that Campusano’s tantalizing offensive prowess may still materialize at the major league level.

While a player can’t firmly establish himself as a true major league catcher in a single game, a team can firmly establish that they’ve placed trust in a player with a single decision such as the Padres showed Campusano Thursday night. And trust is a prerequisite to a player reaching their potential.

San Diego FC

Another Red Card, Another Loss: SDFC Falls to Minnesota - SDFC Nation
The second half could not have started any worse for SDFC. In the 46th minute, Chris McVey followed through with his cleats and caught the Minnesota player. The challenge resulted in a second yellow card that saw McVey get sent off. Another match - another red card for SDFC.

Minnesota United hands short-handed San Diego FC second straight loss - San Diego Union-Tribune
McVey was sent off in SDFC’s 2-2 MLS Cup draw against Real Salt Lake on March 22, four days after receiving a pair of yellow cards in the Concacaf Champions Cup loss at Toluca.

McVey’s three contribute to a staggering stretch of six red cards issued across each of SDFC’s last six matches. The club won the first leg against Toluca despite playing nearly the entire match down a man, with Marcus Ingvartsen booked in the 12th minute of the March 11 contest. Manu Duah, sent off later in the same match, received a red card in last week’s 3-0 MLS Cup loss at San Jose; he did not play Saturday.

“Way too many times, it’s been catastrophic for us,” team captain Jeppe Tverskov said. “We can keep the ball, but really, we miss [having] one guy higher up the line so to really break through and it’s more difficult to move forward up the pitch.”

The 2026 Masters

Rory McIlroy wins Masters, first to repeat since Tiger Woods - ESPN
Rory McIlroy had to wait more than a decade to win the Masters and complete the career Grand Slam.

He had to wait only a year to take home a second green jacket.

After squandering a record six-stroke lead in Saturday’s third round, McIlroy briefly lost the lead again Sunday before taking control on the second nine at Augusta National to become the first back-to-back Masters champion since Tiger Woods in 2001-02 and the fourth overall (Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo).

Masters 2026: Only one question remains for Rory McIlroy — how high will he climb among golf’s all-time greats? - Yahoo Sports
With two Masters victories in the last 12 months, McIlroy has firmly planted himself among the 10 best golfers of all time. For the next decade or so, only one question matters: How high can he climb?

At the very moment it appeared he might not even be remembered as the best player among his contemporaries — before last year’s Masters, Brooks Koepka had five majors while Scottie Scheffler with two was just entering his prime — McIlroy found a new gear.

Now the picture looks rather different.

Rory McIlroy Does It the Hard Way (Again) - The Ringer
Now there are only four men who have won the Masters back-to-back: Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, Tiger Woods, and Rory McIlroy. The tradition at the Masters is that the previous victor puts the green jacket on the new one. It’s so rare for there to be a repeat winner that I couldn’t remember how the Butler Cabin ceremony would even work. Would Rory put the jacket on himself? Would Scheffler, the winner previous to Rory, tag in for a second year? Nothing so satisfying, as it turns out. Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley put the jacket on him instead.

Odds & Ends

NBA playoffs 2026: Previewing all 20 teams still vying for the title - ESPN
Can the Lakers stay alive in the playoffs long enough for Doncic and Reaves to return from their respective injuries? The Lakers’ late-season momentum came to a screeching halt on April 2 in Oklahoma City when Doncic suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, Reaves suffered a Grade 2 left oblique muscle injury and the Thunder pounded the Lakers by 43. Can LeBron James shift back from the third option and lead L.A. to wins while those guys are on the mend?

World Cup tune-ups coming to Snapdragon Stadium - San Diego Union-Tribune
The World Cup isn’t coming to San Diego this summer, but World Cup teams are.

Switzerland and New Zealand have selected the city for their pre-tournament training bases, and a pair of tune-ups involving three other World Cup participants are scheduled for Snapdragon Stadium the week before they start playing for real.

Switzerland will face Australia on June 6.

A day later, Colombia will face Jordan.

Tickets are expected to go on sale to the general public next week, although premium seat holders at Snapdragon have been given the option of purchasing tickets early.

Skateboarding ‘mecca’ of San Diego produces three top picks in inaugural X Games League draft - Times of San Diego
Three San Diego-area skateboarders — Tate Carew (San Diego), Bryce Wettstein (Encinitas) and Tom Schaar (Cardiff) — were drafted last month into the inaugural MoonPay X Games League (XGL), joining 37 other top action sports athletes in the first-ever co-ed, team-based X Games competition.

Wettstein and Carew were both selected by X Games Club New York. Additional franchises are based in Los Angeles, Tokyo and São Paulo. The XGL spans a full season, with each club fielding 10 athletes — five men and five women — chosen through the draft, held March 12 at Cosm in L.A, A free agent pool is also available.

That’s why, after watching nine innings of the San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies playing to a 1-1 draw last night, I turned off the game. More specifically, I turned on the latest episode of The Pitt, which was a real banger.

When the episode ended, I turned off the TV and went to sleep. I didn’t even remember to check what happened at the end of the Padres-Rockies game. It’s very possible that it was still being played at that point, but sleep and a happy marriage took priority (as it sometimes does!).

What I missed was a walk-off grand slam from Xander Boagerts, who (for the last week) has been hitting like the clock has been turned back nearly a decade. He is looking a lot like the Red Sox shortstop that the Padres were wishing and praying, probably in the face of doubt and realistic expectations, that they were adding to their team when they signed him as a free agent.

Xander is older now, with a ton of miles on his body, and he plays in a ballpark that is specifically built to make life difficult for hitters like him…..so I don’t know that we can count on this to continue, but we can certainly enjoy it while it’s going on. And maybe that means next time I decide to sit through a few extra innings of live baseball instead of switching to a fictional TV series that can be watched any time.

Now, onto the links…

San Diego Padres

Slam Diego is back! Padres’ first walk-off of ‘26 comes on Bogaerts slam in 12 - MLB.com
Xander Bogaerts ended the longest game at Petco Park in nearly five years with a walk-off grand slam, sending the Padres to a 7-3 victory over the Rockies on Thursday night at Petco Park.

With the winning run on third base in the 12th inning, the Rockies opted to intentionally walk Jackson Merrill and Manny Machado, loading the bases for Bogaerts. He quickly made them pay, turning on a Valente Bellozo fastball and sending it into the left-field seats.

Padres Daily: Campusano a hero too; Rockies don’t have the stuff; Estrada has slowed down - San Diego Union-Tribune
Stammen said the sacrifice bunt laid down by Tatis at the start of the 12th inning, which got Cronenworth to third base before the two intentional walks, was not called from the dugout.

“He decided that he wanted to bunt in that moment,” Stammen said. “I think Fernando wanted to impact the game in some way. And at that moment, he felt like that’s how we were going to win the game. He’s a baseball player. That was his natural instinct to like, ‘Hey, I’m gonna bunt here.’ And so I fully supported it, all in on it. ‘Tati’ has got great baseball instincts. I’ll go with what he’s thinking.”

Padres’ new uniform a ‘more classic’ look with Dia de los Muertos vibe - San Diego Union-Tribune
The subject of months’ worth of speculation from fans and a series of online leaks, the Padres’ new City Connects are inspired by Dia de los Muertos, a celebration of the dead held every Nov. 1 and Nov. 2. The Padres will wear their new uniforms for every Friday home game and in their Mexico City Series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks later this month.

San Diego Padres final bid process underway as sale price could shatter MLB record at over $3 billion - 10 News San Diego
Four possible buyers are looking to add the Padres to their sports empires. Two come from the NBA: Joe Lacob, who owns the Golden State Warriors, and Tom Gores, who owns the Detroit Pistons. The other two come from the world of soccer: Dan Friedkin owns Everton in the English Premier League and Italy’s AS Roma, while Jose Feliciano owns Chelsea FC in West London.

The Masters

Masters 2026 leaderboard: Rory McIlroy grabs early share of the lead after Thursday at Augusta National - Yahoo Sports
The 90th edition of the Masters is officially here … and Rory McIlroy picked up right where he left off.

After a sluggish start, the defending Masters champion carded five birdies in an eight-hole stretch to get himself to 5-under for the tournament and into the clubhouse lead alongside Sam Burns.

For McIlroy, it’s quite a difference from a year ago, when he left Round 1 seven shots back of Justin Rose, who he would eventually beat in a playoff that Sunday.

Fred Couples made a 9 at the Masters. Then he did something surprising - Golf.com
“If I was 35 and did that I would be going bananas on everybody,” you say. “And I would’ve ran right by and you told you to get out of my life.”

But today?

“It really was a fun day.”

And the craziest thing is that even though you don’t feel it, you know you mean it. You still play golf for moments like Thursday — not for the fleeting moments of magic, but for the brief, totally insane belief that the magic might stick around.

Masters 2026: Robert MacIntyre under fire for lewd gesture in Round 1 - Yahoo Sports
At hole 15 on Thursday, MacIntyre dumped his second shot into the water guarding the front of the green. He proceeded to hit his next shot in the water, too, then flew the green and, when it was over, had carded a quadruple bogey 9.

After the first shot went into the water, MacIntyre stuck up his middle finger — a no-no at Augusta National. He also slammed his club into the ground two holes later. He ultimately finished at 8-over for his round and is in danger of missing the cut.

Odds & Ends

SDSU’s Miles Byrd announces transfer destination from impressive list of suitors - San Diego Union-Tribune
San Diego State guard Miles Byrd had reportedly reduced his list of transfer destinations to seven by early this week: Kentucky, Texas, Louisville, Baylor, Cincinnati, Vanderbilt and Providence.

And his choice?

Surprise: the Providence College Friars.

76ers star Joel Embiid adds appendicitis to bizarre injury history amid tight playoff race - CBS Sports
You’d be hard-pressed to find a player with an unluckier run of injuries, especially around or during the playoffs, than Embiid. It’s so extensive, it would just be easier to list them all.

Neymar’s camp, FC Cincinnati in initial talks over move: Sources - The Athletic
FC Cincinnati has engaged Neymar’s camp in preliminary discussions about a move to MLS, per sources briefed on the situation.

The sources cautioned that the discussions around the Brazilian star are in the very early stages. Cincy is gauging Neymar’s interest and requirements, while also having internal conversations about whether pushing to sign the global superstar makes sense, sources add.

This year, I have a clear runway to watch hours upon hours of Masters coverage before we even get to the weekend, and I’m honestly thrilled about it. There’s something about the Masters that is unlike any other tournament, it’s an incredible test for even the greatest golfers on the planet, and it’s all done over lightly-played piano keys in one of the most beautiful settings imaginable.

The Masters officially starts today. And, while they haven’t been at the top of the sport for some years now, the golf world is feeling it as the first Masters post-Tiger and post-Mickelson. Neither guy will be playing, both of them off dealing with their own personal demons, and neither guy will likely ever play it again. It’s time for the next era of golf to take the spotlight.

The weather seems absolutely stunning for all four days, if not a little hot a muggy, so it’ll be up to the golfers themselves to make the shots and win the glory with every golf fan watching them.

Now, onto the links…

San Diego Padres

Padres complete winning road trip with win over Pirates, return home at .500 - San Diego Union-Tribune
After scoring a total of 12 runs and never more than three in their first five games, the Padres scored seven in the finale of their homestand and 27 runs on the six-game road trip. Even after the breakout game at Petco Park on April 1, they left San Diego batting .197 with a .561 OPS. They hit .228 with a .663 OPS over their past six games.

San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report April 8 - MadFriars
Jason Adam pitched in what very well might be his final tuneup before returning to San Diego. Adam needed just 14 pitches to retire all six batters he faced. His average fastball velocity was down nearly two mph to 93, while his spin rate was down 20%. How much of that is due to pitching in high altitude is unclear. However, in four games with El Paso, Adam has yet to allow a run and has only allowed two hits.

San Diego FC / San Diego Wave FC

Eleven San Diego Wave FC Players Called Up for April FIFA International Window - San Diego Wave FC
Eleven San Diego Wave FC players have been called up to represent their respective countries during FIFA’s April international window, spanning five federations across both senior and youth levels.

SDFC tries to bounce back at home after 4-match winless streak - Times of San Diego
While it may be easy to criticize the goalkeeping over the past few weeks, a more objective analysis shows that it is the backline and midfield that are most to blame for the team’s current predicament.

It’s next to impossible for even the best goalkeepers to consistently stop near point-blank shots or penalty kicks, especially when teammates create free counterattacks for the opponents thanks to unforced turnovers.

“Too many guys not executing the way they should be executing and too many young guys who are playing a little bit naive right now. We have to improve from that,” Varas added.

The Masters

History says one of these three golfers will win the Masters - The Athletic
It’s very rare (three times in history) for a first-timer to win at the Masters. The past shows that the winner can usually absolutely bomb a long drive. The winner is also usually one of the top 20 players in the world, and typically not a long shot. And yes, that is unique compared to the other majors.

So, if the numbers are uniquely consistent at this tournament, why not use them to narrow the field to the most likely candidates to win it this year?

Scottie Scheffler brings different vibes to Augusta than other star golfers - ESPN
Tiger and Phil, to different degrees, brought a winning-is-everything ethos to the sport, complete with plenty of off-course soap operas and scandals. Scheffler appears to be a well-adjusted, soft-spoken, faith-balanced, family man from Texas.

This week he spoke, again, about how he didn’t want winning and losing to define him. He noted that he doesn’t know how to use Instagram, which explains the sporadic posting. On Wednesday, he walked through the crowds to the practice green, carrying his putter, all alone, without any caddie, entourage or security. Perhaps he thought no one would notice him.

He appeared more comfortable discussing his family -- he and wife Meredith have Bennett, nearly 2, and newborn Remy -- than his golf swing. Meredith, for example, is handling the midnight wake-ups so he can get some sleep, it being Masters week and all.

Masters 2026: Former major winner reportedly kicked off Augusta National property for having a cell phone - Yahoo Sports
Augusta National is serious about its no-phones policy, and not even former major champions are immune. According to a report in Golfweek, Mark Calcavecchia, the 1989 Open champion, was escorted from Augusta National by security in a phone-related incident.

Patrons at Augusta National cannot have cell phones anywhere on property, a rule that’s been repeated so often that it’s a key foundational element of the Augusta National culture. In case you haven’t been paying attention to golf the last, oh, nine decades, the Masters also helpfully notes throughout every entryway to the course that phones are not in any way permitted.

Bryson DeChambeau: Using iron made with 3D printer at Masters - ESPN
DeChambeau, who got his nickname because of his analytical, physics-based approach to golf, said he has been working on building his own clubs for years.

Why use at least one -- or maybe more -- in the Masters?

“Because they’re finally ready,” DeChambeau said.

The United States Golf Association would have to approve DeChambeau’s clubs before they are used in competition.

Odds & Ends

What would you call this pitch? - The Bandwagon
If I were talking to a new fan or a kid trying to learn the game, well, I don’t know what I’d say. Because that thing is being called a slider. The common understanding of a slider is that it breaks toward a pitcher’s glove hand, so a right-handed pitcher’s slider typically dives away from a right-handed hitter. So this is generating interest for being a wrong-way slider, or a backward slider.

Shai, Jokic, or Wemby? Picking the NBA’s Impossible MVP Race. - The Ringer
To me, lost in the conversation about two-way players—defense being 50 percent of the game, etc.—is the rudimentary fact that outscoring your opponent by a ton when you’re on the floor, regardless of how it looks or happens, is kind of the whole idea. Jokic generates the most points in the league (53.7 per game) for an offense that continues to be the sport’s golden standard. When he’s on the court, Denver yields an NBA-best 125.8 points per 100 possessions. This is largely thanks to an anti-solipsistic approach that directly enhances all of his teammates, nearly all of whom are considerably more efficient when they share the floor with him. Jokic is first in passes and touches while ranking 38th in on-ball percentage among players who’ve logged at least 1,500 minutes. Life at his side is the basketball equivalent of a beach vacation.

Mike Vrabel And Dianna Russini Insist There’s Nothing Strange About Them Holding Hands And Hugging At A Hotel - Defector
In the midst of yet another apocalyptic news cycle, nothing lifts my spirits more than a good old-fashioned sex scandal. And what’s this? It appears that Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, who once told the world he’d cut off his own penis to win a Super Bowl, has decided to make good use of that penis while it’s still attached to his body. Tuesday night, Page Six ran a series of photos showing Vrabel getting up close and personal with The Athletic’s NFL insider Dianna Russini at an adults-only, honeymooner resort in Sedona, Ariz. Both Vrabel and Russini are married, just not to each other. They also each have two kids … again, not with one another. Oh shit.

Yesterday, I read the Letters to A.J. post as fast as I could after it published (as you all should do!) and it tied together some ideas that were already bouncing around inside of my head. Here it is so that you can read it yourself and then we’ll get back to me:

Letters to A.J.

The Innovator's Dilemma

The Padres have now gone twice through the starting rotation. Every hitter on the roster has at least eight at bats, and every pitcher has made at least two appearances. The Padres are 5-5, and though it’s still very early, it’s clear that the 2026 club will be managed differently under Craig Stammen…

Read more

14 days ago · 10 likes · 5 comments · Dylan Jacobs

The most important points Dylan is making are about the types of contact the Padres hitters are (or are not) making and….this one is big….the revelation that Fernando Tatis Jr. has not yet pulled a ball. Not one. Dennis Lin made this same point in his mailbag that is linked below.

I spent a lot of last season studying the changes to Tatis’ batting stance, which is constantly changing, and you can see it changing even more this season. That’s fine, some guys will do that, but the thing that Tatis has really struggled with this season is catching up to 4-seam fastballs. I have no idea why.

First, I went and verified what my eyes were seeing…

YIKES. Also, verified. For whatever reason, Tatis can’t hit 4-seam fastballs right now. Pitchers are starting to catch onto it and they’re going to that pitch when they need a swing-and-miss from Tatis.

Tatis knows it, too. I think it was his final AB from yesterday’s game when he guessed fastball in a two-strike count and froze up when it was an 80mph breaking ball that went by him for strike three.

As for why Tatis can’t hit 4-seam fastballs after a pretty long track record of regularly crushing 4-seam fastballs, I can only wager a couple of guesses.

One, regular changes to his batting stance have left him unable to see the pitch well while also being comfortable in the box. This feels wrong because he’s still crushing sinkers.

I even went back to his World Baseball Classic metrics, assuming he was hitting 4-seam fastballs then, and found that this problem has existed for a while. Of all of his WBC hits, only one of them came on a pitch going faster than 91mph….and it was a sinker, not a 4-seamer.

That leads me to my second guess, which is that he spent the offseason focused on doing better against other pitches (offspeed, breaking, pitches that move, etc.) and assumed he’d stay locked in against the hard & straight stuff and now he has to knock the rust off of that particular skillset.

I guess we’ll see. “Guy who always hits straight fastballs is struggling to hit straight fastballs” feels like a blessing when you’re talking about hitting issues at the MLB level. It seems easily fixable, at least compared to other potential issues. Maybe he comes out and pulls a few in this morning’s game and we can stop worrying about it.

Now, onto the links…

San Diego Padres

Pivetta remains solid as string of unlucky breaks continues for San Diego - MLB.com
Nick Pivetta and Paul Skenes dueled on Tuesday night at PNC Park. And although Skenes, the Pirates’ superstar right-hander, came out victorious, it was hard to fault the Padres’ pitching staff. Even in a 7-1 defeat.

Pittsburgh took full advantage of some seeing-eye singles and some shaky Pades defense, tying this week’s series at a game apiece ahead of Wednesday’s finale.

Padres’ offense, Fernando Tatis Jr., catching questions and more: Mailbag, Part 2 - The Athletic
No one questions Tatis’ talent or desire to produce, but a lack of a consistent approach tends to lead to ruts like the one he currently occupies. Tatis entered Wednesday still searching for his first home run, his longest such drought to open a season. He has yet to pull a batted ball in the air.

New hitting coach Steven Souza Jr. praised Tatis throughout spring training. After studying video from 2025, he also made what sounded like an astute observation.

“I just thought that there was just some small things that you could do to just make him consistent, because he has these stretches,” Souza said last month. “He had them even last year, earlier in the year, where he’s otherworldly, and that’s who he is. And so it’s just about honing in the misses and, I think, giving him a template of where he needs to be day in and day out, instead of veering so far off.”

San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: April 7 - MadFriars
Samad Taylor, in center field for the first time this year, connected on his first blast as a Chihuahua in the loss, with a 431-foot blast he crushed at 105.6 mph. The former Royal and Mariner hit 17 homers last season with Triple-A Tacoma. In nine games with the Chihuahuas, the speedy utilityman has an .844 OPS.

Joe Musgrove working through ‘slow and arduous process’ to get back pitching for Padres - San Diego Union-Tribune
Musgrove has been playing catch every other day (and at least once on successive days) for nearly two weeks.

There is no timetable for when he will get on a mound.

“Just trying to get some consistent feedback from the throwing,” he said over the weekend. “Right now, it’s throwing until we get to a point where I feel confident being able to go out and physically feel good enough to put something on the ball.”

It will be until at least May before he returns to the major leagues since he will need multiple bullpen sessions and multiple rehab starts.

San Diego State Aztecs

Aztecs get another playmaker on the field with backup QB’s move to wide receiver - San Diego Union-Tribune
Though he has been a quarterback virtually since he started playing football when he was 6 years old, Emanuel said it wasn’t that difficult to put it aside and change positions.

Emanuel actually broached the idea of changing positions last year with his father during the season. And who better to ask? A position switch certainly benefited Bert Emanuel Sr., who was a standout quarterback at Rice before playing eight years in the NFL at receiver.

Emanuel said his father told him not to rush things.

Five Aztecs pitchers combine for no-hitter as San Diego State beats UC Riverside 1-0 - San Diego Union-Tribune
San Diego State’s game Tuesday night against UC Riverside also provided a chance for five SDSU pitchers to make history. Those five — Jake Frohn, Carson Johnson, Issac Araiza, Bryce McKnight and Aidan Russell — combined on the 10th no-hitter in school history in a 1-0 victory at Tony Gwynn Stadium.

Odds & Ends

Away Days Part 4: A Bad Day in San Jose - Chromatic FC
There were times last season when San Diego FC fielded the youngest backline in league history, but there was a veteran goalkeeper helping assist those younger players. With McVey out on Saturday, SDFC tried to field a young backline with an even younger goalkeeper, and the lack of leadership and communication was evident. A young backline only works if there’s at least one veteran helping to communicate and ensuring everyone knows their place. On Saturday night in San Jose, the backline simply got shredded.

Lakers’ Redick downplays quarrel with Vanderbilt as ‘normal’ - ESPN
Lakers coach JJ Redick said a “confluence of things” led to a heated exchange between him and Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt in the second quarter of L.A.’s 123-87 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.

Redick called timeout just 16 seconds into the second quarter to sub Vanderbilt out of the game, telling second-year guard Dalton Knecht to check in in his place. Vanderbilt, learning about the decision, approached Redick near the free throw line while the coach was preparing to diagram a play on a dry erase board and let him hear it.

Lakers guard Austin Reaves, dressed in street clothes after suffering a Grade 2 left oblique strain last week, and Lakers assistant coach Nate McMillan stepped in between Vanderbilt and Redick to create a barrier between the two.

Masters 2026: How long has it been since notable major winners claimed their most recent one? - Yahoo Sports
When Rory McIlroy won the 2025 Masters, he didn’t just claim the career Grand Slam. He also snapped an ugly major winless streak that stretched all the way back to the PGA Championship in 2014. That’s 10 major seasons, 39 in total (remember, there was no 2020 Open Championship) that McIlroy showed up as one of the favorites, then left empty-handed.

McIlroy’s streak was a long, cruel one, but certainly not the longest among today’s top challengers. For as much as many of today’s stars have won, their most recent majors are surprisingly far in the distance. (You can blame Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka for a lot of that.) With only four opportunities a year to win, it’s easy to let the months between wins become years, and the years become decades. So let’s see who’s been waiting the longest to snap their own dubious streak …

Advances In Basebrawl Weaponry Are Being Made Every Day - Defector
It is a rare occasion when baseball players actually land any solid punches in a bench-clearing brawl, and this clip will be no different. No heavyweight blows connected cleanly in Tuesday’s bout between Braves starter Reynaldo Lopez and Angels outfielder Jorge Soler. It was pretty rowdy nonetheless. Keep an eye out for a flying tackle of Soler by Atlanta manager Walt Weiss.

‘Hard to not feel scammed’: World Cup fans say FIFA misled them with ticket allocations, seat maps - The Athletic
The controversy, which has led some fans to submit complaints or consider legal action, stems in part from FIFA’s messy mixing of its typical ticketing strategy with its desire to capitalize on the North American market. FIFA, like Olympics organizers and other soccer bodies, has always sold tickets by category. American sports fans, on the other hand, are accustomed to selecting and paying for specific seats, meaning they know exactly what they are buying.

For the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico, FIFA stuck with the category approach. But it charged North American prices — and then raised them. Fans, therefore, were asked to pay hundreds of dollars extra for a seat that could, in theory, be significantly better than one in a lower category but also could be in an adjacent section.

An Uzbek Chess Prodigy Is Laying Waste To The World’s Best Players - Defector
While Hikaru Nakamura was making an ignoble sort of chess history, Javokhir Sindarov yawned.

Just 12 moves into their fifth-round match at the 2026 Candidates Tournament, the 20-year-old had tied the world’s second-ranked player in quite the knot, forcing Nakamura to sit and think for over an hour. Nakamura, playing with the white pieces, attacked Sindarov with the Marshall Gambit, though the Uzbek player surprised the American by castling on the 12th move. Nakamura was down two pawns and clearly not prepared for Sindarov to counter him like this, so he thought for 67 minutes and 44 seconds, only to screw up. “He just thought one hour and played the wrong move,” Sindarov said afterward. “And after this I take this advantage and played very well, in my opinion.”

First, Germán Márquez pitched a really good game against the Pittsburgh Pirates yesterday. Five scoreless innings is pretty much exactly what you’re hoping from for your #5 starter.

The start came just a day or two after reports that the Padres thought Márquez had been tipping his pitches (tipping multiple pitches), which seemed like a convenient way to explain the terrible first start of the season for Germán.

So, were they right? Was the difference between a good outing and a bad one for Márquez that he was tipping his pitches? How long has it been going on? Did the Padres just stumble onto an incredible value by figuring this out? Will Márquez be able to capture any of his past glory with the Colorado Rockies?

OR are the Pirates just bad? Did Márquez get lucky a few times, including with some baserunning blunders by Pittsburgh, when wriggling his way out of jams? Was the rain a factor? Was Márquez just sharper in his second outing, like Nick Pivetta? Is Ruben Niebla a wizard? I guess we’ll have to wait to find out. It’s impossible to know.

In a similar vein, the men’s college basketball championship game was last night. It, along with most of the rest of the tournament, felt like a real let-down from where I sit. Outside of the end of the Duke-UConn game, I just didn’t feel or see a lot of buzz around any of the players or teams.

It seemed like the prevailing thought of this year’s slate of men’s college basketball was “Michigan is much better than everyone else,” so I am at least glad that it ended with Michigan proving that point. Still, I didn’t watch much of the championship game last night.

Was the lack of interest that I felt the result of SDSU not being in the tournament for the first time in a while? Or has NIL turned basketball into a top-heavy sport the same way that college football operates? It felt like there were a lot more blowouts than game-winning shots in this year’s tournament.

According to the TV ratings leading up to last night’s game, there’s more interest around this year’s tournament than any since 1993. That’s amazing! Is the reason that I didn’t feel it because Arizona is the closest thing we got to a west coast representative in the Sweet Sixteen and beyond? Were the numbers juiced by a very large Michigan alumni? I have no idea! I also think TV ratings are a pretty terrible way to gauge interest.

So, again, it’s hard to know. Things could be one way for one reason, a different reason, or many reasons. The beauty is finding comfort, relishing even, the not knowing. It’s what keeps us coming back to sports day after day, year after year, looking to still be surprised after a lifetime of learning.

Now, onto the links…

San Diego Padres

Breaking down Padres’ shutout of Bucs -- starting with Márquez - MLB.com
After a dud of a Padres debut, Germán Márquez was much, much better on Monday night. He pitched five scoreless innings, striking out four and walking one. The Pirates managed six hits -- and proceeded to help Márquez with some poor baserunning. But that doesn’t change the fact: This was a different Márquez.

Padres Daily: Just like they said; Morgan’s trouble play; more lineup tinkering - San Diego Union-Tribune
Last night, the Padres had 11 hits and walked five times in a 5-0 victory over the Pirates. The day before, they had 12 hits and walked three times in an 8-6 victory over the Red Sox.

The first of their three consecutive victories that has them at .500 for the first time this season was Saturday. It wasn’t as overt of an offensive success, but the Padres had some sensational at-bats while seeing a season-high 167 pitches and getting seven hits and walking five times in that night’s 3-2 win.

Mark Grant Tackles a Challenging Career Quiz - FanGraphs
I began by asking the pitcher-turned-broadcaster which batter he faced the most times.

“It would have to be Dale Murphy,” replied Grant, nailing the correct answer almost immediately. “He should be in the Hall of Fame. Two-time MVP. Opposite-field pop. Knew the strike zone. A lot of people don’t know that he came up as a catcher before transitioning to the outfield. Really good athlete. Great guy. I played with him in Atlanta and he was a good teammate. Definitely a threat at the plate. You had to be really careful when you were facing him.”

Informed that Murphy was also the batter that he logged the most strikeouts against, Grant responded, “Really?”

College basketball

Michigan, dominant all season, takes down UConn for first national championship since 1989 - The Athletic
It was enough to carry Michigan to the very end, a dominant, bullying, machine-like tear that muscled through one final test. Monday’s win was not an offensive work of art from a squad that became the first to score 90-plus points in five straight tournament games. The Wolverines shot just 2-for-15 from 3-point range, but the size, depth and physicality was too much for a resilient UConn team to handle. Michigan limited the Huskies to 31 percent from the field and 27 percent from beyond the arc, while outscoring them by 14 points in the paint and going 25-for-28 on free throws.

After Yaxel Lendeborg’s ‘awful’ first half, his Michigan teammates lifted him up and the rest is history — ‘We needed Mad Yax, not Sad Yax’ - Yahoo Sports
Mad Yax finally showed up in the final six minutes of Monday’s game as Michigan was trying to stave off a desperate UConn comeback. The 6-foot-9 do-it-all forward scored seven of his 13 total points over a span of 90 seconds, burying a 3-pointer, putting back his own miss and sinking a pair of free throws after drawing a foul to keep the Wolverines’ advantage at nine.

“We understood that he wasn’t 100% physically,” Burnett said. “I mean, he probably wasn’t even 50%, but he persevered for that though and he did whatever it took for his team to win. He sprinted through screens even though his body didn’t feel like going. That just shows you his selflessness, his selfless nature to give to this team and help us win a national championship.”

Stay or go: Decision day arrives for SDSU’s Magoon Gwath, Miles Heide and Pharaoh Compton - San Diego Union-Tribune
Part of Gwath’s decision may be his failing body and the realization that he might need to cash in now with a pro career not guaranteed. And the market for the scarce quantity of skilled 7-footers, especially after seeing a Final Four filled with them, is soaring.

Gwath arrived at SDSU three summers ago and was quickly found to have issues in both ankles, one of which required major reconstructive surgery that wiped out his first season. He developed into the Mountain West freshman and defensive player of the year before injuring his right knee late in the season that led to April surgery.

He was SDSU’s highest-paid player in 2025-26, so much that the program’s fundraisers are believed to have dipped into the 2026-27 kitty to keep him, but he spent much of it hobbled, first while still recovering from the surgery, then from a hip problem that cost him six games in the middle of the conference schedule.

Odds & Ends

A Vengeful Deity Is Smiting The Lakers - Defector
The team that had been deeded to Doncic by virtue of the Fleecing Of Nico suddenly reverted to its earlier LeBronian state after the 27-year-old and the 28-year-old had suddenly been removed. This left the 40-year-old, give or take the assistance of Deandre Ayton and the aforementioned 40-year-old’s adult son, to make April last into May. At this point, the Lakers’ chances cannot be viewed happily, as they may have already slipped from playing Minnesota in the first round with Doncic and Reaves to playing Denver without them.

The NBA’s 65-Game Rule Is Tanking Awards Season - The Ringer
There is a version of this column, of this NBA season, in which we would compare and contrast all this individual brilliance for the purpose of determining this season’s Most Valuable Player. There is surely a world, in some distant strand of the multiverse, where that debate is happily raging right now.

But this is not that world, and this is not that column.

No, in this particularly stupid strand of the multiverse, we’re being asked to pretend that Cunningham’s outstanding season never happened. We’re deleting Edwards and Doncic from our spreadsheets. We’re praying to the basketball gods that Jokic and Wembanyama don’t trip in the shower this week, for fear it might trigger their own erasure from the historic record.

The Chicago Sky Cost Themselves Angel Reese - Defector
The Chicago Sky were supposed to be getting a franchise building block when they drafted Angel Reese with the seventh overall pick of the 2024 draft. Instead they ended up with a player who didn’t even make it through her rookie deal. The Sky announced Monday morning that Reese had been traded to the Atlanta Dream, in exchange for two first-round picks and a second-round pick swap.

Dallas Stars ban fan after group made apparent Nazi salute at game - The Athletic
Social media users called attention to a video featuring a group of men who did the gesture to accompany the Stars’ goal song, “Puck Off” by the band Pantera. The video is from a Dec. 21 game featuring the Stars and the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Stars began an investigation into the video this month.

In a statement to The Athletic on Monday, an American Airlines Center spokesperson said the arena has “zero tolerance for any acts of hate and/or discrimination.”

Back with her team after taking a year off, Carlsbad’s Gabriela Nevarez is among San Diego’s best - San Diego Union-Tribune
Nevarez turned 18 on Sunday. She’s now a senior at Carlsbad, the No. 2-ranked team in the CIF San Diego Section. After sitting out her junior season to get faster, stronger and focus on the mental aspects of her game, she’s enjoying a remarkable final high school season.

Nevarez is hitting .605 (23-for-38), has scored 24 runs in 12 games and slugged a section-leading nine home runs. She hit a combined three home runs in her first two high school seasons.

“I’ve seen a lot of kids,” said Rico, who has coached for 36 years. “The first time I saw her swing a bat (at 15), I said, ‘She’s something special.’ Ken Griffey Jr. registered in my brain.”

AES withdraws Eden Valley battery project - North County Pipeline
Hundreds, if not thousands, of residents have expressed concerns for years, while the effort was spearheaded by JP Theberge, vice chair of the Harmony Grove and Elfin Forest Town Council. He described the defeat of the Seguro BESS as a rare example of a grassroots effort overcoming a well-funded corporate initiative.

AES retained a prominent lobbying and public affairs firm led by former San Diego City Councilman Jim Madaffer early in the process, who aggressively sought support from county and local officials, Theberge said. He characterized the effort as an attempt to normalize and fast-track what would have been one of the largest BESS facilities in the state, despite data and recent incidents putting the public at risk.

In the case of San Diego Padres manager Craig Stammen, who had never managed before taking the job, it seems the rhetoric has gone from “He’s watched a million baseball games, he knows how they work” to “He’ll have a chance to get his feet wet while managing these Spring Training games” to “He’s a fast learner! Things will be better soon!”

This isn’t meant to be a criticism of Stammen, who I think is handling a difficult situation well, so far. And, while I do find it odd that such an important season for the franchise rests on the hope that Stammen is in fact a fast learner, it’s hard to knock the Padres winning three of their last four games (including a series win in Boston against what should be a good Red Sox team).

The bullpen decisions need work. That much is obvious. But the attempted personality of this year’s team seems to be acceptance of issues and an effort to improve, rather than the last few years of stubborn arrogance. I’m counting that as a win, at least from a fan standpoint.

Now, onto the links…

San Diego Padres

Trust the process: Machado and Merrill jolt Padres’ slumping bats - MLB.com
The Padres won a dramatic series finale over the Red Sox on Sunday afternoon, a come-from-behind 8-6 victory at a cold and rainy Fenway Park. Machado put the Padres in front with a three-run homer in the fifth. After Boston rallied to tie the game, childhood Red Sox fan Jackson Merrill won it in the eighth with a go-ahead blast into the Green Monster seats.

Amazing what a couple of clutch home runs will do for a slumping offense.

Padres’ Manny Machado Addresses Viral Kicking Incident During Red Sox Game - Sports Illustrated
In the top of the fourth inning, Machado followed hits by Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill with one of his own. Red Sox catcher Carlos Narváez then tried to pick Machado off at first base, and he collided with the ball, kicking it into foul play and allowing himself and Merrill to advance to second and third. Both later scored on a two-run single by Nick Castellanos.

The Red Sox argued that Machado intentionally kicked the ball. Machado denied those allegations.

“Nah, I mean, I’m trying to get out of the way,” Machado said after the game. “It was perfect timing. ... I couldn’t be better than that.”

He jokingly added: “I think I picked the wrong sport. [San Diego] FC should probably sign me up.”

Roman Anthony: Red Sox’s start ‘unacceptable’ for fans, team - ESPN
The Boston Red Sox fell to a major-league-worst 2-7 on Sunday, tying the weakest start through nine games in the franchise’s long history.

Some “sell the team” chants could be heard at Fenway Park in the ninth inning of their latest defeat, an 8-6 setback to the San Diego Padres.

Young slugger Roman Anthony said afterward that fans have every right to be upset.

Padres notebook: Márquez’s tipping point, Padres catchers popping, a Machado souvenir - San Diego Union-Tribune
Germán Márquez allowed four runs on eight hits and a walk in three innings in his Padres debut. He struck out just one and fetched just two whiffs. He’d gotten just two swing-and-misses in a game once last year and just one whiff three times in his career.

That seemingly left a lot to work on before Monday’s scheduled start in Pittsburgh.

The 31-year-old’s focus, however, was singular in his between-start work with pitching coach Ruben Niebla: Márquez was tipping everything, so much so that the team was impressed that the damage off him wasn’t more severe in a 9-3 loss last Wednesday.

Padres minors: Jason Adam goes back-to-back, JP Sears wild in El Paso loss - San Diego Union-Tribune
Check the back-to-back off Jason Adam’s rehab to-do list.

The 34-year-old reliever walked two but pitched a scoreless inning in his first back-to-back appearance on Sunday in Triple-A El Paso’s 6-5 loss at Tacoma.

Adam is continuing to work back from last year’s season-ending quad surgery. He has turned in three scoreless innings on his rehab assignment with Triple-A El Paso and could be activated as soon as April 8, although it’s possible the Padres wait until they return to Petco Park on April 9.

NCAA Tournament

Michigan Is Nasty - Defector
Arizona is the best team Michigan has beaten this season, and this was their most important win. It was impressive in every facet, none more so than how non-negotiable it all felt. Michigan simply threw its kind of party and refused to let Arizona in. “When we have fun,” Mara said after the game, “it’s hard to beat us.” It feels foolish to single any one bit of awe out from the rest, here, and it would be premature to crown Michigan before the crowning is done. But what was most striking about Saturday’s win was how much it felt like every other Michigan game—one wave after another pulling the tide up the beach, all perfectly natural and seemingly as close to inexorable as any of this gets.

The Winners and Losers of the Men’s Final Four - The Ringer
Hurley can be a bit of a shithead on the sideline—and his antics have directly led to losses and nearly cost his team this trip to the Final Four—but we can’t let that overshadow this historic run he’s been on these past four seasons. Connecticut is a staggering 18-1 in the past four NCAA tournaments, and that lone blemish was a two-point loss to the eventual title winners. If Hurley can finish the job on Monday night, he’ll have three rings. We have quite literally never seen anything like this in modern college basketball. Maintaining this level of excellence in the most chaotic era of roster building makes the feat even more impressive.

UCLA blows out South Carolina for first women’s NCAA title - ESPN
The Bruins beat South Carolina 79-51 on Sunday in the national title game, and they did it the same way they have won all season -- with a dominating inside presence, an unselfish offensive approach and a suffocating defense that handed the Gamecocks their second-worst loss in NCAA tournament history.

The 28-point margin of victory was the third largest in a Division I women’s championship final.

South Carolina Upset Connecticut, But Not As Much As Dawn Staley Upset Geno Auriemma - Defector
It was not really surprising that Geno Auriemma responded poorly to Connecticut's upset loss to South Carolina in the women's Final Four on Friday night, both because the defeat ended Connecticut's perfect season and 54-game winning streak, and because Geno Auriemma is the way he is. Coaches are only human, but Geno Auriemma is also only going to do Geno Auriemma-type stuff. He will do it both because he cares so much and competes so hard and because he is, if you want to be nice about it, Geno Auriemma.

Odds & Ends

Cooper Flagg follows up 51-point game with 45 to outduel LeBron James, send reeling Lakers to defeat - Yahoo Sports
In total Flagg tallied 45 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block in another remarkable entry to his rookie campaign. On the heels of his 51-point effort in a loss to the Magic on Friday, the performance also established new milestones for the Mavericks rookie.

Per NBC, Flagg is the first rookie to post 40-point efforts in consecutive games since Allen Iverson did it five times during the 1996-97 season. And his 96 combined points in two games are the most by a rookie since Wilt Chamberlain.

Lakers’ Luka Dončić visits Europe in effort to expedite hamstring strain treatment - The Athletic
Luka Dončić traveled to Europe on Sunday to receive aggressive treatment on his injured hamstring in an effort to speed up his recovery, league sources told The Athletic.

Dončić suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain Thursday in the Los Angeles Lakers’ loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The team ruled him out for only the rest of the regular season, though Grade 2 strains generally take multiple weeks, and in some cases more than a month, to heal.

Niko Tsakiris nets a brace in San Jose’s shutout over San Diego - Field Level Media
Niko Tsakiris scored his second and third career MLS goals and the San Jose Earthquakes eased to a 3-0 victory over 10-man San Diego FC Saturday night to continue their best-ever start in club history.

Preston Judd added his team-leading third goal of the season and also provided an assist as San Jose (5-1-0, 15 points) tied its largest margin of victory this season.

Masters 2026: Power rankings for the entire field at Augusta National - Yahoo Sports
The 2026 Masters Power Rankings are not a measure of who is the best player in the world; that title still belongs to Scottie Scheffler. The rankings reflect who has the best chance to contend and eventually make their way to Butler Cabin THIS week. Since nine of the past 10 Masters winners had at least one top-10 finish in their previous three starts, Scheffler is not only battling against time (he has taken three weeks off), but he's also below the standard for recent form.

Jo Adell Stole Three Homers And A Win From The Mariners - Defector
Adell is worth watching in a way that goes beyond his production or comparatively pedestrian stat line. He almost certainly won't work a walk, but there is basically nothing else that a baseball player can do that Jo Adell could not do at any given moment. On Saturday, in a 1-0 Angels win over the Seattle Mariners highlighted by what Angels assistant-to-the-GM Torii Hunter called "probably the greatest defensive game I've ever seen," Adell did that three times.

In just a week, the ABS system has already changed baseball in surprising ways - The Athletic
At some point, the league might reach a consensus, but Major League Baseball’s first week with the Automated Ball-Strike challenge system has been a learning process that’s felt almost experimental. According to Tap to Challenge, a site that uses Statcast data to track ABS events, the Arizona Diamondbacks challenged only seven pitches in the first week while the Minnesota Twins challenged 26. The Guardians were 2-for-12 in their challenges, while the Orioles were 12-for-14.

The disparities are huge.

Why Did So Many People Vote For Trump? - Dallas McLaughlin
For a lot of us we simply can’t understand how, in 2016, 2020 and 2024, a rational person could have cast their vote for Donald Trump.

How could this conman perfect the biggest con of all time - thrice?

Well, I think I figured it out using the most suburban metaphor I could possibly come up with and I think a lot of people are gonna hate it:

Trump convinced Wal-Mart shoppers that they were in Target.

Nick Pivetta got his control back and looked like Nick Pivetta, throwing 5 scoreless innings while striking out 8 opposing batters. Fernando Tatis Jr. was again asked to be the leadoff hitter in a slightly revamped lineup that saw 7 of the 9 Padres batters pick up a hit.

Also, those fears that some had that Nick Castellanos would be shoehorned into the everyday lineup have not yet turned out to be real.

Any hope that this version of the Padres were going to be a good, championship-contending team was likely to rest on the idea that Craig Stammen was a fast learner, not someone who magically knew how to be an MLB manager with zero experience. We’re still waiting to see if that turns out to be true or not, but at least he appears to be a bit more flexible in his thought process than Mike Shildt was last year. Maybe that’s enough.

Now, onto the links…

San Diego Padres

Merrill’s hustle, the real Pivetta, some luck and lots of hits help Padres avoid sweep by Giants - San Diego Union-Tribune
On Wednesday morning in the Padres clubhouse, with his team about to play a day game after losing the night before for the fourth time in five games this season, Merrill was bouncing off the walls. He joked, he teased, he talked to everyone who passed by.

And he stayed hyped when the game began, getting the Padres on their way to a 7-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants by scoring from first base on a ground ball and an error in the first inning.

“Jackson made a great play, great read getting to home,” manager Craig Stammen said. “He can provide that energy. He slides in, jumps around, got that youthful energy. That’s contagious and kind of helps us get going.”

Padres avoid sweep as rookie manager Craig Stammen continues learning on the job - The Athletic
On Wednesday, in search of a missing offense, Stammen debuted another lineup. The Padres had yet to score more than three runs in a single contest. They hadn’t begun a season with six such games since 1969, the franchise’s inaugural year. So, Stammen went with a novel look, deploying right-handed hitters Fernando Tatis Jr. and Xander Bogaerts at the top against Giants right-hander Adrian Houser.

It was also a configuration largely devised by someone else — in this case, bench coach and baseball lifer Randy Knorr.

“I said, ‘I’m tired. I’m not working very well on this,’” Stammen recalled. “He goes, ‘Craigger, that’s good, because I had one already written up for you.’ So, we’re riding with Randy right now.”

With a few lineup tweaks, Padres break out to back strong Pivetta - MLB.com
Right-hander Nick Pivetta set the tone, back to his usual dominant self, allowing just one hit over five scoreless innings. The fastball command that eluded him on Opening Day? It was back, in full force.

Pivetta ripped off fastballs at a 68% clip and put them wherever he wanted. He averaged a whopping 21 inches of carry (induced vertical break) on the pitch, too -- the driving force behind his eight strikeouts.

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders introduces bill that could keep the Padres in San Diego - San Diego Union-Tribune
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders is behind a bill that would prevent the Padres from leaving in the future — and would have kept the Chargers in San Diego. Some say the government has no place in dictating where private businesses operate.

Sanders, I-Vermont, and U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, recently introduced the Home Team Act, which would require team ownership to provide one year of notice before moving a team to a new location if the team would move across state lines or to a new metropolitan area.

During that year prior to the proposed relocation, the franchise in question would be available for other prospective owners to purchase “at a fair and reasonable price.”

Odds & Ends

San Diego explores raiding millions in golf revenue from Torrey Pines and other city courses - San Diego Union-Tribune
San Diego officials are exploring how they could use millions in profit generated by the city’s three municipal golf courses — Torrey Pines, Mission Bay and Balboa Park — to help close a projected $120 million budget deficit.

The new effort is separate from a campaign to increase the city’s share of $34 million in annual revenue generated by eight other golf facilities that the city owns but lets outside companies operate.

Among the options under consideration at the municipal courses are expanding the city’s revenue share beyond the current 9.9% and taking away some of $55 million in excess cash the courses have accumulated.

State senator looks to secure Midway Rising’s path forward, proposes CEQA exemption - Times of San Diego
State Senator Akilah Weber Pierson introduced a bill last week to exempt the project from review under the state’s landmark environmental law and make way for the plan to redevelop the roughly 50-acre area around Pechanga Arena into an urban district with 4,000 homes, acres of parks, and a new arena.

Weber Pierson’s proposal follows a California Supreme Court decision not to review a previous court ruling that threw out a 2022 voter-approved initiative to raise the height limit in the Midway area. The lower court ruled that the city failed to consider the environmental impacts of allowing taller buildings there.

Puka Nacua Is In Rehab - Defector
Levi McCathern, an attorney representing Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua, told The California Post on Wednesday that his client has checked into a rehab center in Malibu.

Last month, Nacua was sued by a woman named Madison Atiabi, who says that Nacua bit her and made an antisemitic comment on New Year’s Eve. According to Atiabi’s suit, Nacua, who previously apologized for doing an antisemitic dance on camera, said, “Fuck all the Jews” while out to dinner in Los Angeles. The lawsuit also says that later in the night, while Atiabi was in a car with Nacua, he bit her on the left shoulder and left a “circular imprint of his teeth on her body.”

Rapper J. Cole to join Chinese pro basketball team - The Athletic
The Grammy Award-winning rapper and producer is a 6-foot-3 guard who played three games for the Rwanda-based Patriots Basketball Club of the Basketball Africa League in 2021, averaging 1.7 points and 1.7 rebounds. He then played in five games for the Toronto-based Scarborough Shooting Stars of the Canadian Elite Basketball League in 2022, averaging 2.4 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.4 assists.

Cole played high school basketball in Fayetteville, N.C., and accepted an academic scholarship to St. John’s. He tried out for the Red Storm as a walk-on in the early 2000s. Now 41, Cole will get arguably his biggest opportunity to play pro basketball for a Nanjing program that once included NBA players Willie Cauley-Stein, Tacko Fall and Antonio Blakeney.

Wembanyama doubles down on MVP chase after 41-point night - ESPN
After putting up an easy 41 points and 18 rebounds in a Wednesday night runaway road win, San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama reiterated to ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt that the MVP award is squarely in his sights.

“I do care deeply about it,” Wembanyama told ESPN. “I think that of the greats that are in the Hall of Fame -- or the best of all time -- they have fought and grabbed everything they could grab early on in their career. If I want to make my spot among the greats, I got to try to not miss any occasion to put my name up there.”

Iowa State star Audi Crooks reportedly entering transfer portal - Yahoo Sports
One of the biggest names in college basketball is ready for a change of scenery. Iowa State star Audi Crooks — who ranks second in the nation in scoring — is reportedly entering the transfer portal, per ESPN.

Crooks, 21, led the Big 12 in field-goal percentage and points per game this season. She entered the season as an All-American, the second straight year in which she received that honor.

Italy’s World Cup Nightmare Is Only Getting Worse - The Ringer
After a penalty shoot-out loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy will now spend a third consecutive World Cup watching from the sideline. What happened to the country’s once-proud soccer tradition? And will it get back to the top anytime soon?

Artemis Boldly Goes Where No Toilet Has Gone Before - Defector
It was about 65 minutes after liftoff, the Integrity spacecraft 800 miles above the Indian Ocean and moving at about 16,000 miles per hour, when the historic words were spoken: “Integrity, Houston, toilet is powered.”

It was a spaceflight milestone. Artemis II, which launched from Florida Wednesday evening, will put four humans around the Moon for the first time since the Apollo missions ceased in 1972. But the Orion crew vehicle, named Integrity, has something those Apollo astronauts lacked: an onboard toilet. As Orion spends its first day boosting itself to a high-Earth orbit in preparation for its lunar jaunt, it’s already farther from the planet than any crewed spacecraft in 54 years. That means its toilet is the most distant toilet in the history of humankind.

As such, I missed German Marquez’s entire 1st start for the San Diego Padres last night. I got home from dinner, put on the game, and Kyle Hart was mowing down Giants hitters for two straight innings with what looked like a hell of a sweeper before he ran out of gas in his third inning of work.

I am not a fool, as far as I know, so I will not be drawing any long-term conclusions like “Craig Stammen is in over his head” or “Marquez is doomed to be the worst pitcher we’ve ever seen” or “a bad third inning for Kyle Hart means the first two innings were worthless.”

That being said, the dreadful vibes from last year’s Padres team do seem to have carried over a bit to this year’s squad. I’m still hopeful they can find a way to shake them off.

Now, onto the links…

San Diego Padres

Márquez’s rough debut adds to Padres’ early-season woes - MLB.com
“You could tell right away he didn’t have his breaking ball, and that’s his bread and butter,” manager Craig Stammen said.

In total, the duo of Buehler and Márquez has combined to allow seven runs across seven innings in the first two games of this week’s series. The Padres have trailed for 16 of the 18 innings this series, which isn’t much of a recipe for success.

Two big innings by Giants, poor all-around play doom Padres - San Diego Union-Tribune
The job of a back-of-the-rotation starter is to give his team a chance to win, and Germán Márquez did not do it on Tuesday.

The Padres briefly appeared capable of overcoming that. Then they didn’t give themselves much of a chance.

They made it a game by putting together their biggest inning of the season, but the combination of an ineffective starter, a reliever who tired and a defense that wasn’t at its sharpest were too much to get past.

The Padres Bet On Themselves—And Won - Baseball Prospectus
Ownership might take home a $3.5 billion payout, more than quadrupling their valuation from 2012. The secret to the San Diego Padres being in line to sell for more than any MLB team ever, despite how dire things were ownership- and franchise-wise not all that long ago: is giving their fans consistent reasons to give a shit.

Odds & Ends

‘Why not us?’ Mauricio Pochettino asked the USMNT. Belgium and Portugal answered. - The Athletic
When Mauricio Pochettino gathered his U.S. men’s national team players on the first full day of a crucial March training camp, he spoke to them about belief. He exuded a calm confidence that built around the U.S. team this fall, that swept up fans who dared to dream. They talked then about doing “the impossible,” about charging deeper into a men’s World Cup than ever before. Now, standing on a training pitch outside Atlanta last week, Pochettino asked his players: “Why not us?”

And on Saturday and Tuesday, Belgium and Portugal delivered answers.

The answer was Vitinha’s pass to Bruno Fernandes on Tuesday night. It was Jérémy Doku’s electrifying 1-v-1 ability three days earlier. It was, in Pochettino’s words, “small details,” the type that separated the USMNT and European powers over the past week — and over the past decade.

Roger Goodell defends diversity policy after Florida AG challenges Rooney Rule: ‘We are well aware of the laws’ - Yahoo Sports
Goodell, speaking Tuesday at the league’s annual meeting, dismissed the notion that the Rooney Rule conflicts with Florida law. He also confirmed the league is not eliminating its policy.

“No, no, the Rooney Rule’s been around a long time,” Goodell said. “We’ve evolved, we’ve changed it. We’ll continue to do that as the circumstances warrant …

“[But] one thing that doesn’t change is our values, and we believe that diversity has been a benefit to the National Football League.”

The Knicks Look Stuck. Do They Have a KAT Problem? - The Ringer
It’s hard to describe just how quickly the Knicks fell into disarray against the Houston Rockets, just days after their deflating loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the defending champions—both games broadcast nationally on NBC with a concern-trolling Reggie Miller on the call. Self-inflicted errors compounded the struggles of the already languid New York offense, which couldn’t get into its actions with any urgency. The Houston defense ultimately took New York on a guided walk through basketball hell, culminating in a dispiriting 111-94 loss.

Affidavit: Tiger Woods Had Hydrocodone Pills In His Pocket, Was “Sweating Profusely” After Crash - Defector
Tiger Woods was “sweating profusely” and appeared “lethargic and slow” after his crash last weekend, according to an arrest affidavit released Tuesday. The golfer told investigators with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office that he had taken “a few” prescription drugs earlier in the day, and a deputy later found two hydrocodone pills in Woods’s left pocket.

Wood was arrested Friday on suspicion of driving under the influence and refusing to submit to a drug test, after the black Land Rover he was driving swerved to avoid rear-ending a pickup truck that had slowed down to make a turn. The Land Rover clipped the back of a trailer attached to the pickup truck, causing the SUV to roll over onto the driver’s side. Woods is currently out of jail on bail and has pleaded not guilty.

To that end, I think it’s too early to make any sort of judgement calls. I do look forward to seeing Craig Stammen look a little more comfortable managing a baseball team, and I guess we’ll see if he ever gets there.

It’s probably also a little too early to start criticizing Steven Souza Jr., who has never been a baseball team’s hitting coach until he was given the job of being the man in charge of hitting instruction for the San Diego Padres. But if the team wants to take chances on unproven coaches, they probably need to understand that it is going to lead to restlessness amongst the fanbase until the results show themselves.

Don’t burn yourself out. We are 2.4% of the way through this season of Padres baseball. There will be plenty of time for reflection later.

Now, onto the links…

San Diego Padres

Walker Buehler roughed up while Padres’ batters do little in loss to Giants - San Diego Union-Tribune
As for Monday, while the three runs Buehler allowed in the first four innings ended up being the difference in a 3-2 loss, it was only at the last possible moment that the Padres offense helped out in any way and posed any threat to the Giants getting their first victory of the season.

Both Padres runs came with two outs in the bottom of the ninth when Jackson Merrill launched a two-run homer off Giants closer Ryan Walker.

The Padres’ pitching (both bad and good) and the Detroit Tigers’ excellent pitching made so that attention was diverted from an anemic Padres offense in the season’s first series.

But four games in, they have scored a total of nine runs, are batting .181 and are 5-for-26 (.192) with runners in scoring position.

Slugless in San Diego: Padres still seeking bop after slow start - MLB.com
The sample is small. And the Padres faced some highly accomplished starting pitchers in their opening series against the Tigers. But Monday’s performance against Giants righty Landen Roupp was a disappointing one.

“Today was definitely a struggle,” said manager Craig Stammen. “We didn’t hit too many as hard as we had in the previous three games. But that guy, he threw the ball good tonight. Pitching in the big leagues is tough. We’ve got to be able to battle every single day, scratch a few runs across.”

First Looks Part 1 - Letters to A.J.
The Padres closed the opening series of the season going 1-2 against a Tigers team that looks to be one of the best in the league. Though it was only three games, the answers to burning questions going into opening day are already being revealed. And of course the games revealed new questions that must be answered before the 2026 Padres outlook truly comes into focus.

Mason Miller needed a new entrance. The Padres’ clubhouse manager had just the song - The Athletic
“What a song to come out to,” Laidlaw remembers thinking aloud. Knowing Miller was in search of entrance music, he decided to raise the idea.

What Laidlaw didn’t know was that Miller had been crowdsourcing. Acquired in August from the Athletics, the reliever spent part of the offseason asking fans and others for suggestions, quietly working through potential candidates with a specific caveat: He didn’t want to pick a song that had been used by another closer.

That meant no “Thunderstruck.” Of course, no “Hells Bells.” No more “Burn It to the Ground,” the Nickelback anthem Miller had settled on as a member of the A’s. As he approached his first full season in San Diego, he sought something fresh.

“But,” Miller said, “there’s only so many good songs out there.”

Odds & Ends

In the hunt for an NCAA championship, Vic Schaefer’s Texas Longhorns are ‘playing as good as any team I’ve ever had’ - Yahoo Sports
The Texas crowd is ravenous for their closer. It’s not Rori Harmon, their fifth-year point guard writing a storybook ending. Madison Booker, the All-American mid-range dagger, hadn’t played since the third quarter. Kyla Oldacre and Breya Cunningham put up “do not enter” signs on the paint an hour ago.

Vic Schaefer answers the call, sending the last player on his bench to the table. The smile of Sarah Graves sends the Texas-heavy crowd into overdrive for the fourth time in as many NCAA games.

Give it to her, the fans yell. It’s the first time that night disappointment sets in. They’re not going to let her score, one mutters. I don’t blame them, the other says.

The Winners and Losers of the Men’s Sweet 16 and Elite Eight - The Ringer
How many times have you watched a replay of the shot already? If your answer is under 50, I’d like to congratulate you for not being glued to a screen on Sunday night. The rest of us couldn’t scroll for more than a few seconds without coming across yet another cut of Braylon Mullins bouncing Duke and its horde of five-star recruits out of the NCAA tournament and sending UConn to its third Final Four in four seasons.

Jannik Sinner found his next frontier of tennis domination. Carlos Alcaraz wants to join him - The Athletic
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz had very different results at the Miami Open, but the two best male players in the world are looking to get every edge they can find in the same area: The serve.

Sinner, who won the tournament and with it his first Sunshine Double, has sharpened his delivery in 2026, hitting the ball both faster than he did in 2025 and closer to the lines. Sinner, who is 6 feet 3 inches tall, finds it a little easier to blend speed with accuracy than his 5-11 / 6-feet rival.

Formula 1’s Engine Troubles Come To A Head In Japan - Defector
Formula 1 has a qualifying problem. This, the FIA acknowledges—that the new power unit regulations have resulted in unfortunate and confusing qualifying laps in which the cars physically cannot go, by some definitions, “as fast as possible.” The actual racing, however, is more in dispute. At the Chinese Grand Prix two weeks ago, the new engine specifications and overtake mode were a considerable success for racing; by the fickle nature of F1, the Japanese Grand Prix this Sunday proved that they are a disaster. One crash is all it takes.

The issues in racing, too, stem from the new power unit regulations. While power units under previous rule sets were also hybridized, this year’s have shifted from a roughly 85-15 percentage split in provided power between the internal combustion engine (ICE) and electric motor (MGU-K, which alternately charges or deploys battery energy) to a 50-50 split.

Bulls waive guard Jaden Ivey after anti-gay comments - ESPN
The Chicago Bulls waived guard Jaden Ivey for conduct detrimental to the team Monday, hours after he posted a lengthy video rant on social media about religion and other topics that included anti-gay sentiments.

Ivey has gone live on his Instagram account more frequently in the past week, posting at least three lengthy videos after he was shut down for the rest of the season by the team because of injury last Thursday. On Monday morning, he called out the NBA for promoting Pride Month, saying it celebrates “unrighteousness.”

Allen Sliwa Joins San Diego Sports 760 - Radio Insight
iHeartMedia’s “San Diego Sports 760” KGB San Diego has announced the addition of Allen Sliwa as afternoon co-host alongside Jon Schaeffer.

Sliwa has been serving as an NBA analyst for iHeart’s “AM 570” KLAC Los Angeles since November after previously co-hosting middays and serving as Los Angeles Lakers pre-game and post-game show host from 2019 to 2024 preceded by ten years as host of “Lakers Talk” at “710 ESPN” KSPN Los Angeles.

In short, the slow part of the sports schedule is over. Over the next month, we’ll see the MLB, MLS and NWSL seasons getting underway while determining the men’s and women’s champions in college basketball before the start of the NBA and NHL playoffs. Oh, and the NFL Draft!

It’s an exciting time. I’ll be on vacation for much of this week, which means I’ll be watching less sports than normal (and on smaller screens), but I am going to try to not miss any days with this newsletter while also trying to not enrage the rest of my family by doing so.

If a day goes by and you don’t get a newsletter, you’ll know why.

Now, onto the links!

San Diego Padres

Vásquez became a completely new pitcher -- with a little help from Yu - MLB.com
In no uncertain terms, Vásquez is a different pitcher entirely than the one the Padres acquired in December of 2023. He spent most of his first couple of seasons struggling to miss bats and nibbling around the strike zone. Vásquez always possessed an innate ability to get big outs when he needed them. But he routinely put himself in bad situations.

The numbers called for regression. Vásquez’s ERA was in the 3s. His FIP was in the 5s. This wasn’t supposed to be sustainable.

Except a funny thing happened last summer. Vásquez never regressed to the mean. The mean regressed to Vásquez. He started missing bats. His velocity ticked up. He stopped nibbling, and his walk rate went down.

Padres’ Randy Vásquez takes matters into his own hands in first win of the season - The Athletic
His eight strikeouts were one shy of his career high, set in September against an awful Colorado Rockies lineup. The Detroit Tigers supplied a stiffer challenge, and for a night, at least, Vásquez was the stopper. Behind the right-hander’s six scoreless innings, the Padres avoided a season-opening sweep and shut out the Tigers 3-0, giving Craig Stammen the first win of his managerial career.

“We needed a big start from him after the first two games,” Stammen said. “He delivered.”

On deck: Padres hosting winless Giants to start NL West play - San Diego Union-Tribune
The Giants suffered back-to-back shutout losses to start a season for the first time in their 144-year history and have scored just one run in three games under former Tennessee coach Tony Vitello.

The Padres lost their first two games of the season before salvaging the series finale against the Tigers. San Diego won 10 of 13 meetings last year against San Francisco.

March Madness

UConn’s Mullins Magic creates a March Madness memory that will last forever - The Athletic
From right near the March Madness logo, 35 feet from paydirt, off a reckless turnover committed by a juggernaut team that led by 19 points in the first half, and by 15 at halftime. The Blue Devils simply could not lose this game. It was not possible. The Huskies missed 17 of their first 18 3-pointers, for goodness’ sake.

But UConn made four of its last five, including one with 0.4 seconds left that will never be forgotten as long as this game is played.

Two Dazed Freshmen Authored The Tournament’s Immortal Moment - Defector
UConn freshman Braylon Mullins watched his last shot Sunday night arc toward the basket from 35 feet away. If his eyes had been shut, he still would’ve known, not only from the pandemonium of the crowd and the euphoria of his teammates, but from the wonderful knife-plunge noise of a swish from great distance. Chuh! That’s the best sound basketball has to offer. It’s very much like the sound of Michael Myers jamming a large blade into someone’s chest, which is fitting.

Cayden Boozer takes blame for Duke collapse after fateful turnover: ‘I ruined our team’s season’ - The Athletic
For a moment, he almost held it together.

Almost.

But then the bloodshot eyes started to water, again. The deep voice, cracking with every word.

“I ruined our team’s season,” Cayden Boozer finally choked out. “That’s the best I can put it.”

And though Boozer is certainly not solely responsible for Duke’s latest stunning postseason collapse — a 73-72 meltdown to No. 2 UConn in Sunday’s Elite Eight — his turnover with six seconds left will endure forever as one of the all-time bungles in the history of the NCAA Tournament.

Michigan’s Elite Eight rout of Tennessee added to a men’s NCAA tournament record number of blowouts - Yahoo Sports
If you thought there had been a lot of blowouts in the 2026 men’s NCAA tournament, you’re onto something.

Michigan’s 95-62 win over Tennessee in the Elite Eight on Sunday was the 21st game with a margin of 20 points or more this March Madness. That’s a modern tournament record, according to CBS Sports. The previous record had been 19 20-point games in 1999 before Arizona beat Arkansas by 21 points in the Sweet 16 on Thursday.

The number of blowouts jives with how well favorites have done throughout the tournament. Betting favorites went 16-0 in the second day of the first round, and though No. 1 Florida lost in the second round and No. 2 Houston fell in the Sweet 16, the Final Four will feature at least two No. 1 seeds and the lowest-seeded team is No. 3 Illinois.

Early Men’s Final Four preview: Arizona-Michigan, UConn-Illinois predictions - ESPN
The 2026 men’s Final Four is set!

UConn will open Saturday’s national semifinals against Illinois after mounting a successful comeback against Duke in the Elite Eight, followed by a battle of No. 1 seeds Arizona and Michigan in Indianapolis. Who do ESPN’s college basketball experts see advancing to the championship game on April 6?

Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf break down how each team reached the final weekend of the NCAA tournament -- and their keys to advancing to the title game.

Soccer

Best week ever: Wave outlast Chicago for third win since Sunday - San Diego Union-Tribune
The San Diego Wave made team history on Saturday night, winning their third game in the same week with a 2-0 victory over Chicago Stars FC.

The Wave have played three games in seven days and come away with nine points, which has them tied for first in the NWSL standings with Seattle, Portland and Angel City.

San Diego beat Utah, Portland and Chicago by a combined score of 7-2 in three wins.

During the three-game win streak, Wave coach Jonas Eidevall has integrated midfielder Lia Godfrey into the starting lineup. She scored a goal in all three matches.

Mohamed Salah warned against US move as MLS clubs eye Egyptian footballer - Al Jazeera
If he does move to the United States, recent MLS expansion club San Diego FC, who reached the playoff semifinals in their debut season last year, have been heavily linked with Salah, not least due to their British-Egyptian owner, Mansour.

“He’s probably one of the great players today. And any team that will get him, or any country that will get him, he will definitely be an asset,” Mansour told the AFP news agency at a summit in Atlanta on Thursday.

Mansour declined to answer whether he is actively trying to recruit Salah or has previously sounded out a move for the striker.

But he added: “Of course, Mo Salah is somebody that, as an Egyptian, my origin, I’m very proud of. He is somebody that reached the world stage as one of the great players.”

Fans at World Cup risk facing ‘troubling attacks on human rights’, warns Amnesty - The Athletic
Amnesty International has warned that football fans attending this summer’s World Cup risk being confronted with “troubling attacks on human rights”.

Amnesty said the “safe, welcoming and inclusive” tournament promised by FIFA, the sport’s governing body and the competition’s organisers, was compromised by “severe restrictions on freedom of expression and peaceful protest”.

In a report published on Sunday, Amnesty said the U.S. is “facing a human rights emergency”, while risks in co-hosts Mexico and Canada are also discussed.

Odds & Ends

Sources: NFL, far apart with NFLRA, to begin hiring replacement refs - ESPN
NFL owners are “alarmed” by the state of negotiations with the NFL Referees Association and have authorized staff members to begin hiring and onboarding replacement officials in the coming weeks, league sources said Sunday at the start of the league meetings.

The NFL began compiling a list of college-level officials to recruit earlier this month, and owners are expected this week to approve a sweeping set of replay enhancements to support replacement officials in preseason and regular-season games. A league source said that training of the new replacement officials will begin May 1.

Inside The NBA’s $16 Billion Expansion Plan: Why Seattle And Las Vegas Are Getting Teams - Huddle Up
To be clear, this week’s vote does not guarantee that the NBA will add two new expansion teams. It simply begins the process of determining whether the league should add two new expansion teams. Potential investor groups will now submit detailed proposals, including financial disclosures, arena plans, and org charts, with the NBA planning to put its finalists up for a formal vote by the end of 2026.

But let’s not kid ourselves: With so much money at stake, an uncertain future for media rights post-2035, and some unique tax incentives that make it a financial no-brainer for owners, NBA expansion has always been a matter of when, not if.

Tiger Woods Charged With Suspicion Of DUI In Florida - Defector
In the case of Woods’s most recent crash, Martin County sheriff John Budensiek spoke to the press directly. He told the assembled reporters that law enforcement got a call Friday shortly before 2 p.m. reporting a rollover crash on South Beach Road. Jupiter Island police went to the scene, where they found a pickup truck that had been pulling a trailer with pressure cleaner and a Land Rover rolled over onto its side, the driver’s side door on the ground.

“Initially, right off the top, it did appear that the driver of the Land Rover might be impaired,” Budensiek said.

The starting rotation, which is lacking a real ace and has some genuine concerns about its depth (don’t expect to see Musgrove until May at the earliest), put up its very best healthy pitcher and saw him look both rusty and impotent against the Detroit Tigers hitters.

I’m not going to sit here and pretend that the version of Nick Pivetta we saw yesterday is the version we’ll see all season. He’s quite obviously better than that, but he struggled to get his high fastball and curveball into the strike zone. That will, eventually, change.

What probably won’t change is that the Padres are without a true ace that can all-but-guarantee to keep their team competitive through most of the game before handing it over to their bullpen. That might be fine. It might be nothing. It also might be the thing that dooms this team and keeps them out of the playoffs. But there’s no way for us to know if that will happen after just one game.

And Tarik Skubal is a great pitcher, so I won’t fault the San Diego offense for looking anemic against him, but they’re going to need to be better if this team is going to go far. Could the early-season heat wave be a key to some unusual early-season offense for the Padres? Maybe!

Now, onto the links…

San Diego Padres

One game in, Padres’ rotation questions loom over everything - The Athletic
Pivetta, who skipped a recent Cactus League outing because of arm fatigue, surrendered four runs before he recorded two outs. He finally escaped the top of the first after three walks and 33 pitches, perhaps only a couple away from being pulled for left-hander Kyle Hart, who had begun warming up in the bullpen.

“We were trying to cap Nick at maybe 35 pitches in that first inning,” Craig Stammen said after a managerial debut he described as “humbling.” “Kyle was probably pretty close to (being asked) to stop the bleeding.”

Padres showed flashes, but also work to be done, on Opening Day - MLB.com
Read into it what you will. The Padres remain staunch in their belief in Pivetta. The rotation concerns come elsewhere. Joe Musgrove still hasn’t resumed throwing off a mound. At the back of the rotation, Germán Márquez and Walker Buehler come with major question marks. Even Michael King hasn’t looked like himself since last May.

In no uncertain terms, the Padres need Pivetta. A start like this one -- for a rotation as thin as this one -- felt ominous.

Nightmare start for Nick Pivetta, Padres in opening-day loss to Tigers - San Diego Union-Tribune
Their only hopeful moment, such as it was, came in the eighth inning. That is when they got within a grand slam of being down two runs by loading the bases on a single and two walks against Tyler Holton. But pinch-hitter Nick Castellanos flied out to center field in his first at-bat with the Padres.

Here are 4 San Diego Padres’ prospects to watch in 2026 - The Athletic
Rodriguez’s latest big-league stint — he debuted in 2025, allowing one run across seven relief appearances — might not last long. He has minor-league options, and someone in the bullpen figures to be squeezed out when setup man Jason Adam comes off the injured list. Then again, Rodriguez’s stuff is good enough that he could stick for a while, giving the Padres another potent arm in a top-shelf bullpen. More evidence arrived Thursday, when Rodriguez threw two perfect innings in the Padres’ season-opening loss.

San Diego FC / San Diego Wave FC

‘The decision is the fit and the style of play’ - San Diego FC owner Mohamed Mansour distances MLS club from Liverpool forward - GOAL.com
San Diego FC owner Mohamed Mansour said he would welcome the chance to sign Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah this summer, but added the club would need to assess whether he is the right fit tactically. San Diego are among several MLS teams linked with the winger, though a move to the Saudi Pro League appears more likely.

USWNT’s Catarina Macario joins San Diego Wave from Chelsea - The Athletic
San Diego Wave FC has announced the signing of U.S. women’s national team striker Catarina Macario from Chelsea.

Macario, who was the USWNT’s top goal scorer in 2025, will return to her hometown of San Diego on a contract to 2030.

The Wave activated the National Women’s Soccer League’s (NWSL’s) new High Impact Player rule, which allows clubs to spend up to $1 million above the salary cap on those who qualify, to acquire the 26-year-old.

Odds & Ends

Men’s March Madness 2026 takeaways: Purdue, Iowa, Illinois, Arizona advance to Elite Eight - The Athletic
No. 3 seed Illinois held off No. 2 Houston 65-55 in the nightcap of the South Regional semifinal in what was essentially a home game for the Cougars. After a low-scoring first half between the teams, Illinois exploded offensively to take a double-digit lead and never looked back. The Illini will face Iowa in a Big Ten showdown Saturday for a spot in the Final Four.

In the West, top-seeded Arizona routed Arkansas 109-88 as the Wildcats continue their impressive season. Arizona was rolling in the first half, taking a 54-43 lead into halftime. The Wildcats scored more than 100 points for the fourth time this season. Arizona will face Purdue on Saturday.

The No. 2 seed Boilermakers advanced earlier in the day by outlasting No. 11 Texas 79-77, advancing to the Elite Eight for the seventh time in program history. Purdue big man Trey Kaufman-Renn tipped in Braden Smith’s missed layup with 0.7 seconds remaining, and the Longhorns’ desperation heave at the buzzer was too strong.

In the South, Iowa defeated Nebraska 77-71 to reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 1987. Nebraska held a mere three-point lead at halftime, but Iowa took control when it mattered — inside the final two minutes of the game.

Fred Hoiberg Really Fucked Up - Defector
An intense and otherwise beautifully played Iowa-Nebraska game was decided by one of the most bizarre coaching boners in recent March Madness history and maybe ever. Nebraska had only four players on the court coming out of a timeout, with just under a minute left and Iowa up 71-68. Iowa center Alvaro Folgueiras exploited the Huskers’ heads-up-their-asses defensive scheme and ran a post pattern, and inbounder Kael Combs hit him in stride with a court-length bomb. Folgueiras powered through a desperation chase-down foul from Nebraska’s Berke Buyuktuncel to sink a layup, and the ensuing plus-one gave Iowa a six-point lead they never relinquished. The final score of the South Region tilt, played in Houston, was 77-71.

Sources: NBA presents 3 comprehensive anti-tanking proposals - ESPN
The NBA presented three comprehensive anti-tanking concepts to its board of governors Wednesday as part of this week’s meetings in New York, with modifications expected to each before a formal vote in May, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Each of the three proposals would be radical departures from the current setup. They have one thing in common: bringing teams that make the playoffs into the lottery process. From there, they change dramatically.

Is MLB’s Challenge System Already Doomed? - The Ringer
There’s a darker timeline that would also bring about a full ABS takeover. Blown ball/strike calls in the WBC semifinal matchup between the U.S. and the D.R.—including a game-ending howler of a strike call on Geraldo Perdomo—were understandably seen as arguments in favor of ABS. The next WBC will almost certainly feature the challenge system. But there’s no guarantee that a big game won’t end the same way in MLB because a team is out of challenges. Plus, much as replay review sometimes imposes an awkward delay before a seemingly victorious team can celebrate, the challenge system will sometimes overturn what initially appear to be game-ending strikeouts or walks. What if a World Series ended on a tap-off? That specific scenario is unlikely, but full ABS would remove the risk. If human umps aren’t making calls in the first place, those calls will never need to be reversed.

I keep telling people that I am excited for the start of this Padres season in particular, but I’m not sure they have fully grasped why. It’s not because I believe that I’ll be watching a lot of high-quality winning baseball. It’s because I have literally no idea what to expect.

The 2026 Padres season could turn into anything, great or terrible or in between, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all. That goes for on the field, off the field, short-term and long-term. Now, the show is starting. Time to find out how it’s going to play out.

Now, onto the links…

San Diego Padres

Padres finalize roster: Marinaccio, Rodriguez win ‘pen spots - MLB.com
They finalized that roster on Wednesday, a day before their season-opener against the Tigers at Petco Park. Ron Marinaccio and Bradgley Rodriguez earned the final couple spots in that bullpen. Meanwhile, right-hander Yu Darvish was placed on the restricted list, which cleared a 40-man roster spot for Ty France and Walker Buehler to have their contracts selected. (Both were in camp on Minor League deals.)

One reason to bandwagon every MLB team in 2026 - The Bandwagon
The Padres are handing their superstar-heavy roster over to Craig Stammen after Mike Shildt walked away from the team. Stammen, a middle reliever for the Padres as recently as 2022, has never managed at any level. If they are able to make the playoffs again, it could open up a world of opportunities for recently retired relief pitchers.

Padres notebook: Opening day roster set, TV details announced - San Diego Union-Tribune
Most Padres games will stream on Padres.TV again this year. In addition, the team has announced that games will be available to watch on Cox (Channel 83), DirecTV (Channel 694-3), AT&T Uverse (Channel 781 or 1781) and Spectrum (Channel 305 or 443).

Additionally, 10 regular-season Saturday games will be available on CBS 8 (KFMB) and the CW as “over-the-air” simulcast. The first such game is April 11 against the Colorado Rockies.

Additional national broadcasts of games will land on ESPN, AppleTV+, Fox, ESPN and NBC/Peacock.

Yu Darvish agrees to go on restricted list, potentially creating space for Padres additions - The Athletic
As part of an agreement with the San Diego Padres, veteran right-hander Yu Darvish went on the restricted list Wednesday, a move that should save the team significant money and perhaps create enough flexibility for it to pursue Lucas Giolito, the top remaining starter in free agency.

Ty France is returning to the San Diego Padres this season; SDSU alumnus reflects on his journey - 10 News San Diego
France was drafted out of San Diego State University by the Padres and called up to the major leagues in 2019. He played for San Diego until he was traded to Seattle.

“It’s exciting, you know, I’m still really close with the core group here,” Ty France said.

“I mean, it’s just this was home for a long time, so I’m excited to be back,” France said.

Padres Extend Radio Voice Jesse Agler With Multi-Year Deal. - Inside Radio
The San Diego Padres have signed radio play-by-play announcer Jesse Agler to a multi-year contract extension, the team announced.

Agler, who is entering his 13th season calling Padres games on radio, joins television analyst Mark Grant as recent members of the broadcast team to receive new deals, the San Diego Union Tribune reports. The club announced Grant’s extension last week.

Pistons’ Tom Gores among bidders for Padres, which could sell for more than $3.5 billion: Sources - The Athletic
Gores and his Beverly Hills, Calif.-based private equity firm, Platinum Equity, bought the Pistons in 2011 for $325 million. Four years later, Gores purchased Platinum Equity’s stake to become the sole owner of the NBA franchise. In October, Forbes estimated that the Pistons’ value had grown to $3.65 billion, while Sportico appraised it at $4.17 billion.

Gores also is a part-owner of the Los Angeles Chargers, having acquired a 27 percent stake in 2024. His president of basketball operations with the Pistons, Trajan Langdon, was the Padres’ sixth-round draft pick in 1994 and spent three summers in the organization as a minor-league third baseman.

San Diego FC / San Diego Wave FC

Wave beat Portland Thorns at home, have won two in a row - San Diego Union-Tribune
On a short week, the San Diego Wave found their offensive identity for the second straight game, defeating the Portland Thorns 3-1.

It marked their first home victory of the young season at Snapdragon Stadium. San Diego entered the match coming off a 2-1 win in Utah. It second victory in four days avenged last year’s National Women’s Soccer League playoff loss to the Thorns in Portland.

Bryan Zamble leads the way as a generation of African soccer talent heads for San Diego - The Athletic
Zamble’s rapid progress at Nordsjaelland was one of several reasons that he became the first player to choose the new alternative of moving to San Diego. RTD prioritise their academy prospects to such a degree that, if there is a player coming through in a certain position, Nordsjaelland will hold off buying a starting player in order to make space for them. But with the San Diego roster to fill, RTD can assess which club may be more in need of a specific profile.

Odds & Ends

Netflix Baseball Looks Like Shit - Defector
The Yankees would win 7-0, without any intrigue.

This turned out to be a blessing, as it is unclear how Netflix would have handled juggling an interesting game with its planned content: advertisements, and self-promotional crossover plugs, and live interviews (with players, managers, and commissioner Rob Manfred), and advertisements, and FanDuel Daily Dinger, and advertisements. Among the self-promotional content was an an inning-long undertaking of Jameis Winston, who had a stadium-exploration montage and interview sitting in the stands, while flanked by WWE wrestlers.

Aaron Judge becomes first reigning MVP to post golden sombrero in season opener - Yahoo Sports
The Yankees’ superstar donned the golden sombrero in the team’s season-opening win over the San Francisco Giants, going 0-for-5 at the plate with four strikeouts. Judge was the only member of the Yankees’ lineup to go without a hit.

“There’s No Basketball Case”: Why the NBA Is Expanding Anyway - The Ringer
Is there enough talent, especially high-end talent, to support two more teams? How will the talent dilution affect the quality of play? Especially now, at a time when a third of the league’s teams are barely competitive (some, but not all, by design)? Will adding two more franchises exacerbate the tanking crisis? Will struggling small-market squads have an even harder time attracting players when there are two glimmering new teams in two glamor markets? Has the league studied any of this? And if so, what did those findings indicate?

If the league has answers to any of these questions, it has yet to provide them.

Mac McClung Drops 59 with Windy City Bulls to Become Top Scorer in G League History - Sports Illustrated
The Chicago Bulls’ two-way guard just etched his name into the G League record books. Spending the majority of his time with the Windy City Bulls this season, McClung put up some ridiculous scoring numbers. He has averaged 29.5 points on 51.5 percent shooting over his 40 games played. Not only does this make him the league’s leading scorer for the 2025-26 season, but it has also moved him into the top spot on the all-time leaderboards.

Max Verstappen ejects journalist from Japan F1 media session over Abu Dhabi question - The Athletic
After Verstappen, 28, sat down to begin his pre-race weekend media briefing with the written media in Red Bull’s hospitality unit on Thursday at Suzuka, he interjected before the first question could be asked.

“One second — I’m not speaking before he’s leaving,” Verstappen said, gesturing towards a journalist from The Guardian stood at the back of the room.

When the reporter asked if he was being serious, Verstappen replied: “Yep.”

He then confirmed it was over a question the journalist had asked following last year’s season finale in Abu Dhabi over an incident at the Spanish Grand Prix with George Russell.

“Yep. Get out,” Verstappen told the reporter, who was picking up his dictaphone from the table in front of the Red Bull driver.

“You’re really that upset about it?” asked the reporter, to which Verstappen again replied: “Yep, get out.”

I’ve already seen a lot of people on social media talk about not watching this game, and that’s fine. Whoever your favorite MLB team is, they’re going to play 162 regular season games and then (if you’re lucky) some more after that. If you don’t want to add a 163rd game to your viewing schedule, or maybe you just don’t feel like subscribing to Netflix, I’d have a difficult time arguing against you.

I have some real-life dad stuff that will keep me away from the first few innings of the game tonight, and I don’t really mind. That being said, I imagine it’ll be on a TV somewhere in my house once those responsibilities have ended, and it’ll mostly serve as background programming.

Still, I can’t help but be excited for the start of the MLB season. Especially in a year where the range of outcomes for the Padres feels almost immeasurably wide.

The time for talk and backfield practices and exhibition games and even the World Baseball Classic have come to an end. The marathon, the grind, and the things that this year’s team will be remembered for start tonight (or tomorrow, depending on how you look at it).

Now, onto the links…

San Diego Padres

Padres predictions for 2026 season: Jackson Merrill for MVP, a record sale and a bullpen surprise - The Athletic
Right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. remains the team’s most dynamic talent and a popular pick to improve on, for him, underwhelming offensive production. But watch out for Merrill, too.

Slowed last season by a concussion and hamstring and ankle injuries, the center fielder appears rejuvenated and poised to reannounce himself as one of the sport’s best young players. A 30-30 season is ambitious — and within reach. Merrill, who went 24-16 as a rookie, plans to run more after stealing only one base in 2025.

Keep MLB Front Offices Away From the Field - The Ringer
I don’t want to overstate the case: Big leaguers are better than ever, and it’s tough to become one even if coaching is constant and coddling. (After all, you do still have to “execute.”) Plus, although some players’ personal scouting acumen was once key to their success, it’s not as if fans buy tickets or tune in to see who thinks the best. As Scott Stapp once sang, “a diving catch, a stolen base/a perfect game, a triple play.” We watch for physical prowess, and the prospect of seeing someone sock a few dingers. But study skills, smarts, and plain old intuition used to set some players apart. How much will those instincts still matter in a more paint-by-number brand of baseball?

San Diego Padres offer sneak peek of this season’s new food options at Petco Park - San Diego Union-Tribune
The season kicks off next Thursday afternoon at the East Village ballpark, and opening-day ticketholders will be the first to sample some of the new items, including a braised beef short rib sandwich, fresh-baked flavored pretzels, an Italian-style caprese sandwich and a variety of Japanese curry dishes.

San Diego’s new recycling bins make us miss Padres City Connect jerseys - NBC 7 San Diego
The city of San Diego, having mostly vanquished the old black trash bins for a light-gray alternative starting last fall — a process that is now 96% complete, officials said — announced Wednesday that a new exchange will begin Wednesday for the old bright-blue recycling bins. In their place will be a more mint-colored bin, one that seems reminiscent of one of the Padres City Connect colors, sort of a tropical blue-green that seems right for America’s Finest Beach City.

San Diego FC

Five Mohamed Salah landing spots after his Liverpool stint ends: Roma, Barcelona, San Diego and Saudi Arabia - CBS Sports
Owned by Egyptian and British billionaire Mohamed Mansour, San Diego FC could be a possible match for Salah. They have sounded out the potential for a move in the past and were also linked to Kevin De Bruyne ahead of their inaugural season. The club will have roster space to make a big addition once designated player Hirving Lozano’s future is sorted out.

Back-To-Back Draws in League Play Before International Break - Chromatic FC
In San Diego’s five matches in 22 days, players like Valakari, Bombino, and Tverskov all played over 400 minutes each during this stretch, while Dreyer, Pellegrino, and McVey all played over 370. San Diego is a young squad that relies heavily on young players for depth during such stretches. Meanwhile, Bryan Zamblé remained on the roster for all five matches without seeing a single minute. If Zamblé isn’t viewed as a viable option to give Pellegrino a rest, a loan spell for Zamblé might be good to find some playing time. Champions Cup is over but the stretch of matches like the one we just saw isn’t over. With Leagues Cup in August and a brutal October run of seven matches in 29 days—the need for veteran reinforcements in the summer transfer window is becoming undeniably clear.

Odds & Ends

Everything to know about Yankees-Giants Opening Night on Netflix - FanSided
The Giants will host the Yankees on Wednesday, March 25, at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Studio coverage will begin at 7 p.m. ET. These two last faced off in April 2025, with the Giants taking two of three from the Yankees in the Bronx.

Of course, these two have an extensive history dating back to when the Giants played in New York. As of 2026, the Yankees and Giants have met in the World Series seven times, with the Yankees winning five of those sets.

USD hopes ‘transformational’ coaching hire can lead Toreros back to NCAA Tournament - San Diego Union-Tribune
The University of San Diego welcomed men’s basketball coach JR Blount to campus on Tuesday, and it was a fiesta.

Mariachis performed. Cheerleaders shook their pompoms. Caterers served carne asada burritos, chips and salsa.

When Blount took to the outdoor stage shortly after noon, USD students, faculty members and fans stood and cheered.

The new coach is here. The hope is that the Toreros have arrived, too.

After North Carolina’s split with Hubert Davis, here are 6 candidates to replace him - Yahoo Sports
Davis’ North Carolina tenure ends with a 125-54 record and two of the most celebrated wins in program history. In his debut season in 2022, the Tar Heels beat Duke in Mike Krzyzewski’s final game coaching at Cameron Indoor Stadium, then retired Krzyzewski for good one month later in the only NCAA tournament meeting between the two storied rivals.

The remainder of Davis’ tenure was characterized by inconsistency and a failure to modernize. North Carolina went from preseason No. 1 to missing the NCAA tournament in 2023, barely snuck into the field of 68 last season and failed to advance beyond the first round again this March.

NBPA calls for 65-game rule change, citing Cunningham’s case - ESPN
Detroit guard Cade Cunningham’s eligibility for individual honors such as a spot on the All-NBA team is in some doubt because of the 65-game rule for such awards, and the players’ association said Tuesday that shouldn’t be the case.

The National Basketball Players Association -- which, through collective bargaining, agreed to that rule as part of the current agreement between the league and its players -- said it, at minimum, wants to see the rule amended.

Mikaela Shiffrin clinches Alpine skiing’s World Cup overall title for sixth time - The Athletic
Shiffrin won a record nine of 10 World Cup races in the discipline and finished second in the other one. Combined with consistent top-six performances in giant slalom (and eight points from super-G), it was enough to hold off the all-around talent of Aicher, who finished second in the downhill, third in the super-G and sixth in the slalom.

The final points tally: Shiffrin 1,410, Aicher 1,323. It was close enough that a couple of positions gained or lost either way throughout the season could’ve changed the result, a fact not lost on Shiffrin.

Why I Got Out Of The Gambling Business - Defector
I’ve heard all the arguments both for and against legalizing online gambling. What I think is missing from that conversation is the fact that it’s not really just gambling online that has been legalized. What has been legalized is extraction, and the new methods of extraction that are possible using the internet and mobile devices. These companies have identified a group of people with a monetizable compulsion, and we have legalized the tools needed to industrially harvest money from them.

One, I was talking about the rotation to start the season (the question of who would be the Opening Day starter has been answered, and it’s Nick Pivetta). Joe is set to start the season on the Injured List after missing all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Two, I am a big “I’ll believe it when I see it” guy. Joe has thrown pitches in one spring training game, against Great Britain, and two things happened. First, he was pretty awful (and had to be pulled in the 1st inning for relief). Second, his arm did not react well to it and he has not thrown another pitch since.

I know these arm surgeries have the appearance of being pretty routine at this point, but there’s a chance that Joe Musgrove is never again the guy that the Padres signed to a 5-year, $100M contract. I’m certainly not going to count on him being that guy until he shows me that he can do it.

Third, I think it’s important to sit with the Walker Buehlers and German Marquezes in the starting rotation because we're going to be seeing a lot of that this season (unless Preller makes a move) either way.

I like the Padres lineup more than I did a year ago, and I still think the bullpen can be the best in baseball (I’m less worried about Jason Adam’s return from injury than Joe Musgrove’s), but the starting rotation is a real challenge for first-year first-time MLB manager Craig Stammen. Let’s see if he’s up for it.

Now, onto the links…

San Diego Padres

Nick Pivetta is, of course, the Padres’ opening-day starter - San Diego Union-Tribune
“He was our best pitcher throughout the whole entire last season, was our No. 1 starter when we took on the Cubs in the Wild Card Series,” manager Craig Stammen said. “He has pitched great in spring training, and he deserves to get the opening-day nod.”

Thursday’s start against the Detroit Tigers and two-time reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal will be Pivetta’s first on opening day.

Ranking all 30 MLB starting pitching rotations ahead of Opening Day - The Athletic
The Padres are hoping that Nick Pivetta can repeat the strong performance he provided last year, and Michael King can stay healthy and return to his pre-injury form. They have similar hopes for Joe Musgrove, though Musgrove is already expected to miss Opening Day after his arm didn’t bounce back from a March 4 spring outing. The rest of the rotation is an open competition, with Randy Vásquez having the most upside.

Padres Nearing Deal With Jose Leclerc - MLB Trade Rumors
Leclerc is just over a year removed from earning a $10MM deal from the A’s. That was somewhat surprising at the time but he did have some intriguing stuff on his track record. From 2018 to 2024, he tossed 299 2/3 innings for the Rangers, allowing 3.24 earned runs per nine. His 11.8% walk rate was quite high but his 31.8% strikeout rate was very strong.

In that time, he had worked both as a closer and a setup guy, earning 41 saves and 58 holds. He mixed in six different pitches, with his four-seamer and sinker sitting in the mid-90s as he also threw a high-80s cutter and changeup, a low-80s slider and a curveball in the high-70s.

MLB The Show: Padres will need more than they have to make playoffs - San Diego Union-Tribune
Fangraphs says the Padres will win just over 79 games and will open the season with a 21.6% shot at making the postseason. Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA projections have the Padres pegged for 81.1 wins. Ceasars is setting the over/under at 83.5 wins.

So a simulation of the Padres’ 2026 season via “MLB The Show 26” amounting to an 82-win effort that misses a wild-card spot by two games makes sense.

At least as the Padres are presently constructed.

Which is what nobody can predict:

What will Padres baseball ops chief do to push his team into the postseason a third straight year, especially if he gets a cash boost from a new owner looking to make a splash with the fanbase?

How Spring Training ABS results compare to Triple-A from ‘25 - MLB.com
In more than 1,800 challenges this spring, the overturn rate was 53%. Batters weren’t as good (45% success rate) as fielding teams (60%). This is more or less exactly what we saw last year, and expected to see this year.

That batters are consistently wrong more often than they’re right tells you something about how effective umpires really are. (Remember that a batter will only challenge when he thinks he’s been wronged, and even then they’re frequently wrong about it.) It also tells you that catchers can play the long game over many batters a lot more effectively than a batter who has only his own plate appearance to worry about.

MLB Preseason Power Rankings: Which team starts our 2026 rankings on top? - The Athletic
For years, rival executives have painted A.J. Preller and the Padres as Wile E. Coyote chasing the Road Runner: the team may have run off the cliff, flinging around nine-figure contracts and trading away prized prospects, but as long as they don’t look down, they can keep going. Well, don’t expect Preller to look down just yet. The Padres did not make major additions this past winter. Their most expensive contract was a $75 million reunion with pitcher Michael King, which could end up being only a one-year contract. Their pitching depth is a bit shallow. But they still employ Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado. Last year’s midseason acquisition of Mason Miller improved an already excellent bullpen. And Preller won’t be shying away from bold moves any time soon.

Odds & Ends

NCAA tournament Sweet 16: Re-ranking the men’s contenders by championship potential - Yahoo Sports
What makes Michigan so lethal is more than just its positional size. The Wolverines overwhelm opponents because of how seamlessly their pieces fit together. Over the course of 12 days last spring, Dusty May assembled a title contender via the transfer portal, adding skilled 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara; rim runner, rebounder and interior defender Morez Johnson; do-it-all 6-9 forward Yaxel Lendeborg; and pass-first playmaker Elliot Cadeau. That quartet has carried the Wolverines to 33 wins, including routs of Howard and Saint Louis to open NCAA tournament play.

Carlos Alcaraz Is Getting Tired Of Facing So Many Roger Federers - Defector
This wasn’t the erratic Carlitos that sporadically rears its head in moments of burnout; Alcaraz played a focused match and fought back from the cusp of defeat. The 25-year-old Korda simply played the best match of his career.

As it turns out, a lot of tennis players seem to be delivering the match of their careers when pitted against Alcaraz lately. That is, of course, one’s lot in life as as the top men’s player on the planet. The lesser opponent steps onto the court with minimal pressure and commits to an uncharacteristically aggressive game plan, because going on court and playing at his normal level would be futile. That’s what makes, say, Novak Djokovic so miraculous: the way he absorbed the best efforts of so many generations of tennis players, most of them playing at full tilt, over the better part of two decades, with only rare hiccups.

Alcaraz is only 22 years old and already having to get used to this lifestyle.

WNBA salaries set to top $1M: How new CBA transforms player pay - The Athletic
The spike in players’ salaries has never looked so sharp. Think of it this way: Incoming rookie Azzi Fudd’s minimum WNBA salary in 2026 will be more than eight-year veteran guard Kelsey Mitchell made on a super-maximum salary in 2025. The upcoming season’s maximum salary of $1.4 million, expected to be earned by stars like A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, will individually be only $100,000 less than any WNBA team’s entire salary cap last season and more than any cap before 2023.

Tiger Woods to make 2026 Jupiter Links debut in TGL finals - ESPN
Tiger Woods will be back swinging a golf club competitively Tuesday night, and it couldn’t come at a better time for his Jupiter Links TGL team.

Woods told ESPN that he will play in Match 2 of the best-of-three TGL finals (7 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN App), a decision he publicized after Jupiter Links lost a 6-5 nail-biter to Los Angeles in the opener Monday night in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Woods heads the Jupiter team but has sat out all season as he recovers from October back surgery. Jupiter had been using Akshay Bhatia as an alternate, but Bhatia is playing the Hero Indian Open this week in New Delhi on the European tour.

Tottenham Keeps Finding New Lows - Defector
The defeat to Forest is just the latest indignity in what has turned from a nightmare season into something even more horrific. Since I last checked on on Tottenham, things have only gotten worse, and it is only by the grace of West Ham’s own faltering form that even now, after the latest embarrassment in this Spursy Century of Humiliation-ass season, Tottenham is still clinging to safety by a fingernail, one point (and a sizable goal difference advantage) above the Hammers.

Border Report: A Taco Lover’s Dream - Voice of San Diego
I heard about Tijuana’s Taco Museum soon after it opened almost two years ago, but it was only last week that I finally made it inside for the first time.

Situated in the hub of Tijuana tourism along Avenida Revolución, the museum celebrates all of the ingredients that come together to make tacos the food that so many people love. Gamsan Group, which also owns Telefónica Gastro Park, opened the museum in April 2024.

“They made the museum to give recognition to one of the typical dishes of Mexico which is the taco,” said Miguel Aguayo, general manager of the museum. “The taco in all of its different modalities that exist from Baja California to Yucatan Merida.”