Former Padres manager Mike Shildt talks about why he left the team
Mike Shildt has broken his silence, the Padres face some bad options for their starting rotation, SDFC kicks off its season with some drama, college football's dream ending and a bunch more.
Here’s a thing I wrote over the weekend about rooting for the Dodgers to get everything they want so that baseball can be ruined enough to fix itself:
San Diego Padres
One of MLB’s top managers was burned out. He’s already back in the game. - Washington Post
“[Leaving] came as a surprise to a lot of people, but clearly not me,” he said. “I got to about the halfway point in the season, and people that I really, really trust — people I use to help work through life and share things with — I shared with them that I was thinking about pivoting at the end of the season. ... As you get a little older, the managing part was great, but it’s a commitment. And I wanted more harmony in my life. I had a good experience this past year, but it took a toll.”
Few people voluntarily leave coveted baseball jobs at which they are having “a good experience,” but Shildt seems determined not to cast aspersions. He insists the choice was his and that he will remember his four years with the Padres, including two managing, as “very favorable.”
Does Preller have any big moves left? And if so, who’s the target? - MLB.com
I still think Preller gets an extension. But, yeah, the holdup seems noteworthy. That said, I’m setting Opening Day as a faux deadline of sorts. That’s when I think it actually becomes real that Preller is entering his last season under contract. Until then, it’s not really worth worrying about all that much, because both sides have clearly expressed interest in that extension.
By all accounts, Preller is operating as though it’s business as usual. So, yeah, if I’m guessing, I think there’s another splash this offseason. That’s how he operates. And lately, he’s done so as we get into Spring Training and the season approaches -- think Pivetta, Cease, Manaea in recent seasons.
Padres linked to 3 free agent starting pitchers for between $8-12 million - The Sporting News
The future Hall of Famer, Verlander, is coming off a season with the San Francisco Giants in which he got stronger as it went along and still looked capable of getting MLB hitters out. Verlander will turn 43 in February.
Martinez had a solid season with the Cincinnati Reds and is a proven contributor who can pitch in the rotation or as a long man out of the bullpen.
Giolito was strong for the Red Sox in 2025, with the usual caveat for him of, when healthy. The former top prospect would be a solid addition for the Padres, as well.
San Diego FC / San Diego Wave FC
San Diego Wave, top player mutually agree to part ways - San Diego Union-Tribune
For the second time in the last three weeks, the San Diego Wave and one of their top players have mutually agreed to part ways.
This time, it’s winger Delphine Cascarino. The club announced on Sunday that the 2025 National Women’s Soccer League MVP finalist is departing due to what Cascarino called “personal considerations.” The French national said she wants to continue her career closer to her home.
Extendopalooza: SDFC’s Week of Big Moves - Chromatic FC
Monday kicked off a whirlwind news week for San Diego FC, defined by a series of high-profile extensions. The club locked down a head coach and now the face of the franchise, welcomed back a veteran presence, and stood firm on a “club-first” culture. However, as the roster stabilizes, the cloud surrounding a certain Mexican superstar continues to loom over Snapdragon Stadium.
College Football Championship
Indiana Is A Champion For College Football’s New Era - Defector
Indiana vs. Miami for a national championship was the story of two magical runs colliding. The kind of thing that feels engineered by some mysterious “they” in order to sell the value of this sport to its shareholders and potential Saudi buyers. But it really happened, and it ends with the most inexplicable thing in the world: national champion Indiana Hoosiers. Curt Cignetti pulled off his miracle.
Indiana completes one of the most astonishing turnarounds in all sports with first national title - The Athletic
Indiana began this season as the losingest major program in the history of college football and ended it with the school’s first national championship, capping a remarkable two-year turnaround by Cignetti. Indiana is the first team in modern college football to finish a season 16-0 and the first first-time national title winner since Florida in 1996. The Hoosiers are the third consecutive Big Ten team to win a national title, following Michigan and Ohio State, but maybe the most unlikely champion in the history of the sport.
Is Curt Cignetti Delivering the Greatest Coaching Performance in Sports History? - The Ringer
After reviewing the data, I’ve reached the conclusion that in this case there’s no hyperbole: Cignetti is on the doorstep of capping the greatest coaching performance of all time. None of the other coaches mentioned above turned the worst team in the sport’s history into the best team. And the culture of college football makes it harder to go from overnight failure to success than in some other sports: The baseball teams on this list signed prized free agents; some of the basketball and football teams had high draft picks.
Miami RB Mark Fletcher Jr. throws punch at Indiana player after Hoosiers’ national championship game win - Yahoo Sports
Miami running back Mark Fletcher threw a punch at Indiana defensive lineman Tyrique Tucker after Monday night’s national title game.
It’s unclear what prompted Fletcher to go after Tucker following the Hoosiers’ 27-21 win over the Hurricanes. Footage of the punch first surfaced on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” after the game.
Odds & Ends
Goalie fight! Watch Bobrovsky skate 200 feet to trade punches with Nedeljkovic - The Athletic
Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky already has multiple Stanley Cups and Vezina Trophies, but Monday in Sunrise, Fla., he added another accomplishment to his record.
In the 905th NHL game of his career, Bobrovsky dropped the gloves for his first fight.
Fans give Knicks earful as struggles continue vs. Mavericks - ESPN
The Knicks have gone from NBA Cup champions to not even being able to rule out the play-in tournament thanks to a January freefall that saw them lose for the ninth time in 11 games with their 114-97 defeat to the Mavericks.
As for what has gone wrong since the Knicks raised the Cup last month in Las Vegas?
“There’s been a lot of things to pinpoint, but I mean as a team we know what we have to do,” captain Jalen Brunson said. “It’s either we do it, we care enough to do it, or we don’t.”
“I haven’t seen this kind of effort that we had today. It was embarrassing,” Hart said.
Jimmy Butler reportedly suffered torn ACL in Monday’s Warriors-Heat game - Yahoo Sports
Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler suffered a torn ACL in Monday’s 135-112 win over the Miami Heat, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports. His season is over.
The injury took place in the third quarter at the Chase Center after Butler caught a contested pass in the paint. Butler landed awkwardly on his right leg and fell to the ground after contact from Davion Mitchell drew a foul.
Butler writhed on the court and clutched his right knee after sustaining the injury. Warriors coach Steve Kerr called a timeout to check on Butler as Butler screamed in pain on the baseline.
After Seating Clash at Speech, Mayor Told Councilmember to ‘Smile’ - Voice of San Diego
Moments after delivering his state of the city address, Mayor Todd Gloria turned to shake hands with the city’s other elected officials who sat behind him on the dais on Thursday.
They stood up in anticipation of the mayor coming to greet them, with the exception of one councilmember, Vivian Moreno. Gloria had a message for the councilmember.
“He told me that I could smile, which I found to be a very sexist comment,” said Moreno. “How many women of power have been told to smile more?”
U.S. citizen shares fear he felt when ICE took him from Minnesota home while nearly naked - NBC News
A Minnesota man said he felt fear, shame and desperation a day after ICE officers broke down his door with guns drawn, handcuffed him and dragged him into the snow wearing shorts and sandals.
ChongLy Thao, 56, a naturalized U.S. citizen who goes by the name Scott, was returned some time later Sunday without explanation or apology, he said.
“They just took me out there with no clothes on and then just covered with my grandson’s blanket. Yeah, they just took me out there, and I was like, ‘Man, this is, this is embarrassing,” Thao, a Hmong man born in Laos, said from the home Monday while neighbors were at work fixing the broken door.
Behind the disturbing image of ICE snatching a half-naked, elderly Hmong American from his home - The Handbasket
It’s an image that will knock you sideways: As snow falls, an elderly man wearing nothing but blue boxers and white Crocs with his hands restrained behind his back is forced out of his home by ICE agents. In the photo captured by photojournalist Leah Millis, you can see a red and white plaid blanket is draped around the man’s shoulders, but his chest is completely bare, exposing him to the harsh elements. It’s something out of a nightmare. It’s something that happened in St. Paul on Sunday.
ChongLy Scott Thao, also known as Saly, is a Hmong American born in Laos who has lived here most of his life. Born in a Laos refugee camp, he’s a US citizen, and St. Paul, Minnesota is his home. His mother Choua, who passed away just three weeks ago, was a nurse who helped American troops during the Laotian Civil War and brought her family stateside post-war as part of a large wave of Southeast Asians seeking refuge. Despite his status, Thao was subjected to the ultimate indignity when federal immigration agents broke down his door Sunday, terrorizing him, his wife and his five-year-old grandson, his family has confirmed. Though he ended up being returned, the damage is done and the message has been sent: If you’re not white, you’re not safe.