Five potential buyers bid on the Padres
The Padres sale is moving along quickly, Wave FC show off a new Balboa Park-inspired kit, Lionel Messi tackled by a fan on the field, a bridge over the San Diego River, and more!
Yesterday, I did a podcast in my kitchen with my friend Nick. Nick used to play baseball at UCSD, so we talked a little bit about his career and then he tried to beat the pessimism out of me with glowing optimism and local pride. It was fun!
The moment we stopped recording, we each remembered about three different topics that we wanted to talk about and never got around to. If you liked the episode, let me know and I’ll invite him back so we can talk about the other things.
Now, onto the links…
San Diego Padres
Five potential buyers bid on Padres as club’s sale reaches next stage - San Diego Union-Tribune
The Seidler family’s exploration of a sale is moving full steam ahead toward an actual sale of the Padres.
Five “very strong” bids have been submitted by prospective buyers, according to a source who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. That source and one other person familiar with the process said multiple bidders will move on to the next round of vetting in the sale process.
The team will likely change hands within the first month or so of the season, and it is conceivable a sale could be completed by the end of March, according to people familiar with the process. Opening day is March 26.
Vuori’s Joe Kudla, Drew Brees among bidders in Padres’ sale process: Sources - The Athletic
Joe Kudla, the owner and CEO of Carlsbad, Calif.-based Vuori, has partnered with Drew Brees, who began his decorated NFL career with the San Diego Chargers, in pursuit of the Padres, according to industry sources who were granted anonymity to speak freely about the franchise’s sale process. The due date for the first round of offers was Wednesday, the sources said. Other remaining suitors include Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob and English Premier League club owner José E. Feliciano, two prospective buyers whose interest in the Padres was previously reported.
Yuki Matsui (groin) out for Japan in World Baseball Classic - MLB.com
Japanese left-hander Yuki Matsui has been officially ruled out for next month’s World Baseball Classic, as he recovers from a left groin strain that he sustained during a live batting practice session at Padres camp.
Matsui has resumed playing catch, but he’s yet to throw off a mound, and his status for Opening Day remains in question.
Odds & Ends
Wave’s new uniform a nod to San Diego’s Balboa Park - San Diego Union-Tribune
The San Diego Wave unveiled new uniforms Thursday morning that pay homage to one of the city’s most recognizable places.
The Balboa Park kit, featuring a sleeve and collar design that the team says is reminiscent of the park’s tilework, will be worn alongside the Wave’s deep blue Altamar kit when the team opens National Women’s Soccer League play next month.
San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson out to impress at NFL combine - San Diego Union-Tribune
“Easy hips, sudden stops, no false steps,” Brown said. “His best chance at sneaking into the back end of the first round is he lands on the plus side of that 4.5 baseline (and pairs with clean splits). It will reinforce his ball production wasn’t just film study, that he also has NFL-caliber movement skills.”
Brown said there are a number of teams toward the end of the first round and the top of the second round who need cornerbacks.
WNBPA meeting reportedly gets tense as some players change their mind on strike authorization - Yahoo Sports
In December, the WNBA’s players voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike during the union’s collective bargaining agreement negotiations with the league.
According to Front Office Sports’ Annie Costabile, some of those players have now changed their minds. A WNBPA virtual meeting reportedly got tense Tuesday as members discussed the best path forward in negotiations, with one cause for disagreement being the approach to a potential strike.
However, more than half of the union’s leadership reportedly reaffirmed its commitment to striking if the league forces the players’ hand.
Wait, Whoa, The Spurs Are Way Ahead Of Schedule - Defector
I have been preparing myself all along for Wembanyama to be the NBA’s best player, and for the Spurs to be a title contender. This is too soon! Even when they jumped out to a hot start this season, I assumed it was just a preview of what they’d get up to more seriously in future campaigns. Even when they went 9–3 with Wembanyama out of the lineup in late November into December, I considered it merely a nice story, a relief, permission to continue daydreaming. This morning the editor-in-chief of this website prompted me to consider the Spurs as “real serious guys,” and I am realizing now that I am not ready for this moment. I’m flinging papers around on my desk; my glasses are bent and steamed over; my hair is in a state. How did this happen?
Lionel Messi tackled to ground as field invaders mar Inter Miami game in Puerto Rico - Yahoo Sports
A 2-1 Miami win to cap off a set of international games Thursday ended in abject chaos after multiple fans ran onto the field in the 89th minute. The first was shirtless. The second and third were wearing Lionel Messi jerseys, one from Miami and one from Barcelona, and naturally wanted a selfie with the superstar.
Unfortunately, the first field invader then grabbed Messi from behind as security closed in on him, leading to both men getting taken down to the ground. Messi got back up quickly and appeared unhurt, just annoyed.
Hawks to Celebrate Atlanta’s Iconic Cultural Institution ‘Magic City’ During the Team’s “Magic City Monday” Game Against the Orlando Magic on Monday, March 16 - NBC.com
The Atlanta Hawks today announced a special one-night collaboration to celebrate the city’s iconic cultural institution Magic City during the team’s home game against Orlando on Monday, March 16. As part of this celebration, the Hawks have worked with Magic City to bring the ‘best of’ the phenomena for fans in attendance at the award-winning State Farm Arena.
The Hawks, who were recognized last season as the NBA’s best overall game entertainment, have tapped legendary rapper and Atlanta’s own T.I. to perform some of his well-known tracks at halftime presented by Jack Daniels. The organization has also teamed up with ‘the coolest DJ in the world’, DJ Esco, who also serves as the landmark’s resident DJ on Mondays, to curate pregame music.
President Trump convening roundtable to discuss myriad issues facing college sports: Sources - Yahoo Sports
The invitees include many of those within the industry itself, such as the four power conference commissioners (Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and ACC); American Conference commissioner Tim Pernetti; current athletic directors from Wake Forest, Iowa State and Indiana; former Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione; Notre Dame AD Pete Bevacqua and ex-Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick; former coaches Mack Brown, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer; Texas Tech board member Cody Campbell; Heisman winners Tim Tebow and Charlie Ward; university presidents/chancellors Doug Girod (Kansas), Jeff Gold (Nebraska) and Donde Plowman (Tennessee); and former Clemson and West Virginia president Jim Clements.
There are plenty more from outside of college athletics — business titans, athlete celebrities and pro sports executives. They include NBA commissioner Adam Silver; millionaire businessmen like David Blitzer, Marc Ganis and Gerry Cardinale; pro golfers like Woods and Bryson DeChambeau; and former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice. Media executives from Fox and ESPN are also expected to have received an invitation.
San Diego dedicates land for Mission Valley bridge over San Diego River - San Diego Union-Tribune
The city of San Diego took a small but consequential step this week to help make possible a long-envisioned bridge in Mission Valley, southwest of the Snapdragon Stadium site, that will offer a rare north-south connection across the San Diego River.
Tuesday, San Diego City Councilmembers voted 6-0 to transfer a 2-acre swath of property from the city’s Public Utilities Department to the Transportation Department and dedicate the site as a public right-of-way, at a cost of $92,977.43 to the latter department.
The action is a necessary step in preparation for construction of Fenton Parkway Bridge, a $53-million project that will be built and primarily paid for by San Diego State University.
What Is Palantir? An FAQ. - The Ringer
The Peter Thiel–founded, ‘Lord of the Rings’–inspired company has a massive government presence and is seemingly always at the center of controversy. So, uh … why does hardly anyone know what it does?