FIRST! PLACE! PADRES!
Celebrating a small (but earned) Padres achievement, LeBron James considers his basketball future, Luka Doncic makes summer plans, San Diego sports arena project moves ahead, and more.
I wasn’t going to write about the Padres at the top of today’s newsletter. Partially because they didn’t play a game last night and partially because there’s not a lot to say about the team that I didn’t already say in yesterday’s newsletter.
Instead, I was going to write about LeBron James, who is quite possibly the greatest basketball player we’ve ever seen and is currently wondering if he just played in his final professional basketball game ever.
As someone that has watched practically the entire NBA career of LeBron James thus far, I would honestly be shocked if he decided to hang up his jersey and walk away into whatever his post-playing career is going to be without a full-scale farewell tour. So, at the risk of having to double back and write it later anyway, we’re going to hold on to that right now and celebrate a little victory.
The San Diego Padres are all alone in 1st place of the NL West. They were tied yesterday, and all that has changed since then is that the Los Angeles Dodgers lost their third consecutive game. Still, it has been quite some time since the Padres could get comfortable leading the pack in their division, which means every opportunity to celebrate them being at the top should be taken.
There are still one hundred and twenty two games left for the Padres to play before the season is through. So much can change between now and then. Still, to this point, they have been the total opposite of what I expected them to be.
Craig Stammen has been a breath of fresh air as the manager of the team, and the bottom half of the roster has been more than what I could’ve imagined. The top half of the roster should, in theory, put it together eventually. They get paid those big bucks because of their consistency, which is something even Xander Bogaerts is proving this season.
Whether San Diego can put it all together before the bottom falls out, and whether they can finish at the top of the division, is not guaranteed. However, it’s now in play in a way that it didn’t seem to be back in February. That’s exciting!
I remember a Padres player being once asked why they did one of those stupid little dances that seemingly every hitter in baseball now does when they get a hit, usually aimed at the dugout (with the dugout reciprocating). Their answer was “Because getting a hit at this level is really difficult and should be celebrated.” I love that mentality. Celebrate doing the difficult things.
Does it mean anything that the Padres are in 1st place on May 12th? No. But was it easy for them to get here? Also no. And is it, therefore, worth celebrating? Absolutely.
So, do a stupid little dance. Celebrate. For at least a few more hours, refer to them exclusive as “The First Place San Diego Padres” in conversation. Enjoy it.
Now, onto the links…
The First Place San Diego Padres
Half empty ... or half full? What to make of Padres’ offense - MLB.com
I suppose the way you view this offense probably says as much about you as it does the actual San Diego offense. There’s something for everyone -- the optimists, the pessimists, the realists and the dreamers. I’m not sure what to make of it all. I guess we’ll find out over the next five months. But I certainly understand the varying perspectives.
Salas headlines Padres prospects off to strong starts in 2026 - MLB.com
That roller coaster is pointed back up this spring. Salas just rejoined the Top 100 and is set to jump up even further in an upcoming update this week after slashing .320/.396/.546 with five homers through 28 games for Double-A San Antonio. The catcher, who still only turns 20 on June 1, has become a nightly offensive highlight reel full of hard-hit balls – a huge development for the Padres’ No. 2 prospect, who drew reviews as a possible plus-plus defender even during the down times.
NBA
LeBron James may be at retirement age, but everything else tells us he’s not done yet - CBS Sports
Not long after the Lakers’ season ended late Monday night in Los Angeles with an inevitable sweep courtesy of the Thunder, the focus shifted to LeBron James and his future. Would he still have one in the NBA, or had he decided that his playing days were in the past and this was finally the end of his remarkable career? It was hard to imagine James announcing a snap retirement well after midnight on the East Coast, with no fanfare or sendoff. Tim Duncan faded into the background with no advance warning, but LeBron has always courted the spotlight.
Still, the question had to be asked. Larry Bird retired at 35. Magic Johnson, 36. Michael Jordan, 40 (the final time). Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki were 40 when they called it quits. At 41, James is well past the traditional NBA expiration date. So how about it, LeBron? What are your plans?
Donovan Mitchell explodes for NBA playoff record-tying 39 second-half points, leads Cavaliers to 2-2 series tie with Pistons - Yahoo Sports
“I apologized to the group,” Mitchell told NBC of his halftime message to his teammates after a four-point first half. … “I came in and told the guys, it’s on me. I tried to make a statement in the second half.”
Make a statement, Mitchell did. And the Cavs are back in the series with a trip to the Eastern Conference finals at stake.
Are the Knicks a Mirage, a Moment, or the Real Thing? - The Ringer
With eight wins still standing between these Knicks and basketball immortality, it’s still a wee bit early to plan a parade. We’re not that far removed from New York falling down 2-1 against the very same Hawks they eventually decapitated, with 34-year-old CJ McCollum sashaying around Madison Square Garden like it was his own living room. This is the same team that spent much of the season afflicted by melodrama and instability, stumbling through stretches where disappointment seemed inevitable. There was infighting, questions about the starting lineup, trade rumors, and inconsistent play.
Today, all of it feels approximately 600 years ago. Having now won seven straight games in convincing fashion, New York’s first championship in 53 years has never felt more realistic for a franchise that traditionally makes no room for Pollyannaish prognostication.
Luka Dončić says he won’t play for Slovenian national team amid custody battle with ex-fianceé - The Athletic
Shortly after the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated by the Oklahoma City Thunder Monday night, Lakers star Luka Dončić announced via an Instagram story that he will not be playing with the Slovenian national team this summer so he can focus on spending time with his daughters.
Dončić, who wrote the message in both Slovenian and English, is in the midst of a custody battle over his two daughters with ex-fiancée Anamaria Goltes. His oldest, Gabriela, is 3, while his youngest, Olivia, was born this past December.
NBC touted Michael Jordan’s participation in its NBA revival. The reality fizzled - The Athletic
The lack of “Air Jordan” hasn’t ruined NBC’s first season, but it’s been a letdown on its overall strong return to showing the league’s game.
Led by Tirico, Noah Eagle and Maria Taylor and little tributes to yesteryear, like showing the starting lineups, the NBA on NBC has felt big. A real contribution from Jordan and it would be in another galaxy.
Jordan and NBC apparently are still talking about Jordan doing some more, maybe with hoops, possibly with NASCAR. He couldn’t do much less.
Jordan’s lack of airtime was sort of predictable. While a very good idea by NBC, its executives weren’t the first to try to recruit No. 23 to a mic. He has never done it.
Odds & Ends
Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club hosts U.S. Women’s Open Qualifier - FOX 5 San Diego
“I think it’s really awesome that we get this opportunity,” said Kate Hu, a junior at Torrey Pines High School. “This course is really challenging, and it’s really fun, and it’s just a really great opportunity.”
Hosted by the Southern California Golf Association, this one-day, 36-hole tournament carries the ultimate prize – qualification into this year’s U.S. Women’s Open Championship.
“It’s such a cool opportunity,” continued Lauren Dickey, an Amateur/Pro Golfer out of Las Vegas, “It’s one of the few events on the schedule that allows you to do that.”
HCD Says San Diego Sports Arena Project Can Use Density Bonus Law To Break Height Limit - California Planning & Development Report
In the wake of two court cases striking down voters’ decision to eliminate a coastal height limit in San Diego, developers of the city’s sports arena site have now taken the position that they can violate the height limit under the Density Bonus Law. And now the California Department of Housing and Community Development has issued a letter that would appear to validate that position.
San Diego Volleyball Tabbed to Represent Team USA at 2026 FISU America Games - USD Toreros
Coming off a 2025 calendar year that included a Team USA appearance at the FISU World University Games in Berlin and an undefeated West Coast Conference championship run, San Diego volleyball will once again don the red, white, and blue this summer when it represents the United States at the 2026 FISU America Games in Lima, Peru.
The man who predicted the last crash says something much worse is coming — are you prepared? - The Economic Times
Robert Kiyosaki has once again ignited debate across financial circles after warning that America could be heading toward a “Greater Depression.” The bestselling author behind Rich Dad Poor Dad believes rising debt, inflation pressure, weakening purchasing power and unstable financial systems are creating dangerous cracks beneath the U.S. economy. His message is dramatic, sometimes controversial, yet impossible to ignore because many of the economic signals he highlighted continue flashing red in 2026.