Baseball is back!
MLB Opening Night is tonight on Netflix, Mo Salah to San Diego rumors are back, USD introduces their new basketball coach, the dangers of sports gambling, and a ton more in today's Front Row Seat.
Today is not MLB Opening Day, that comes tomorrow and 28 MLB teams will spend today preparing for it. The other two, the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants, play tonight in what has been dubbed MLB Opening Night. The game will be broadcast on Netflix, only available to those that pay the company for the right to subscribe to their platform.
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.