Front Row Seat: Aztecs blow lead before winning triple-overtime game against Boise State
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Here’s the article I wrote yesterday. It is almost entirely about the Padres.
San Diego State Aztecs
‘Instant classic’: Aztecs outlast Boise State in triple-overtime thriller - San Diego Union-Tribune
San Diego State and Boise State tipped off at 7 p.m. and were still playing well after 10 in what became maybe the craziest, wildest, wackiest, nuttiest game in the building’s 28-year history.
The Aztecs won 110-107 but not before … leading by 24 in the first half … blowing the entire thing … watching a Broncos shot roll around the rim and out at the regulation buzzer … getting a contested, tying 3 as time expired in first OT to complete a six-point comeback with 10 seconds to go … blowing a five-point lead in the second OT and going to a third … then watching a Broncos’ attempt at forcing a fourth OT bounce off the backboard and rim.
Aztecs land twin transfers from Michigan State to bolster offensive line - San Diego Union-Tribune
SDSU had two dozen football players — including five starters on the defense — enter the NCAA transfer portal, which opened Friday. The first wave of candidates to replace them visited over the weekend.
And by Sunday afternoon, SDSU announced its first two signings. It was a package deal.
Sophomore offensive linemen Charlton and Mercer Luniewski are Michigan State transfers from Cincinnati. And twins.
San Diego Padres
Japanese star pitcher Kona Takahashi set to make shocking decision amid Padres, Angels rumors - BolaVIP
Following the arrivals of Tatsuya Imai and Munetaka Murakami in MLB, Kona Takahashi was expected to follow the same path. While rumors have linked him to the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Angels, the pitcher may be moving toward a surprising decision regarding his future.
However, the offer currently on the table for Takahashi may not be what he expected, and a return to Nippon Professional Baseball with the Seibu Lions remains a distinct possibility.
Padres offer new chapter for Jose Miranda - Gaslamp Ball
The San Diego Padres are looking to revamp their corner infield depth, as Manny Machado is a fixture at third base, but the first base position is wide open. Last year’s starter, Luis Arraez, remains a free agent, and Ryan O’Hearn signed a two-year deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
They added Jose Miranda on a minor league contract with the hope of getting his career back on track after suffering through some non-productive seasons. Miranda was once considered a top prospect in the Minnesota Twins organization. But injuries limited his production and ended his stay in the Twin Cities.
Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. Sends Message to Julio Rodriguez Amid MLB Offseason - Athlon Sports
On Monday, Rodriguez celebrated his 25th birthday and marked the milestone on social media. He shared a slideshow featuring moments with family, friends and fellow athletes, including Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz and Padres superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. The photos highlighted the connections Rodriguez has built both inside and outside of baseball.
Upon seeing the image of himself alongside Rodriguez, Tatis left a comment for the Mariners slugger. “Hay que VIVIRRRR🖤,” he wrote, a Spanish phrase that translates to “We have to live🖤.”
Where the Cubs, Yankees, Blue Jays and more teams stand as MLB’s offseason moves into January - The Athletic
As usual, Preller is talking to anyone and everyone. To this point, he has been relatively quiet, at least in terms of results.
Payroll limitations might be part of it. The Padres re-signed left-hander Kyle Hart for one year and $1.2 million and Korean infielder Sung Mun Song for four years and $15 million. Even free-agent right-hander Michael King’s three-year, $75 million contract includes an opt-out that might leave the Padres with only a $22 million obligation for one year, including $8 million deferred.
Preller still needs starting pitching and at least one bat. He wants his team to contend, but his approach to addition and subtraction remains to be seen.
Odds & Ends
What does the future hold for the Holiday Bowl? - San Diego Union-Tribune
So what does the future hold for the Holiday Bowl and its peers? It is an especially pertinent question amid the expanded CFP and public perception among many college football fans that the bowl system has been diminished.
“There’s going to be a bowl system, and there’s still a lot of value in the bowls,” said Mark Neville, CEO of Sports San Diego, which stages the Holiday Bowl. “Because of that, there’s going to be a way to make this work. I’m confident that the Trust & Will Holiday Bowl is going to be around for a long time.
“Now, in what format, I can’t tell you. There’s a lot of variables out there that will point in the direction.”
Variables include the new conference tie-ins and where on the calendar to place the kickoff date.
Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett sets NFL single-season sack record by taking down Joe Burrow in Week 18 - Yahoo Sports
With that sack, Garrett stands alone on the single-season all-time sack leaderboard. He surpassed both New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan and current Pittsburgh Steelers pass rusher T.J. Watt, who previously shared the record with 22.5 sacks in a single season.
Chargers rest starters in regular-season finale loss to Broncos - San Diego Union-Tribune
The Chargers’ 19-3 loss to the Broncos dropped them to seventh in the seedings, and they will face the second-seeded New England Patriots next Sunday night. Although they didn’t play like a top-seeded team, the Broncos managed to clinch the No. 1 spot and a bye next week, holding off the Patriots for the top spot.
By game’s end, Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said he had no regrets about resting his starters and that preparations to play the Patriots were already underway, and that’s where the team’s focus would be. There was little point, or need, in re-hashing and reviewing Sunday’s game.
“New England, New England, focus on New England,” Harbaugh said.
Eight NBA Players Who Are Taking a Leap This Season - The Ringer
Everyone on this list has been in the NBA for at least three full seasons, so relative newcomers who deserve Most Improved Player votes (like Keyonte George, Stephon Castle, Reed Sheppard, Ajay Mitchell, Collin Gillespie, Cam Spencer, Anthony Black, Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, and Jaime Jaquez Jr.) will not appear.
Instead, we are looking for players who’ve noticeably improved beyond the natural arc of a young career. It’s more fun that way. Let’s take a look.
Luka Dončić keeps Lakers perfect in clutch time - The Sporting News
The Los Angeles Lakers swept a weekend back-to-back against the Memphis Grizzlies, capped by Sunday night’s 120-114 win that extended their undefeated mark in clutch games this season.
The result offered an encouraging sign that LeBron James and Luka Dončić can close games even as the team continues to battle defensive shortcomings.
U.S. vaccination rates are plunging. Look up where your school stands. - Washington Post
Vaccination rates among kindergarten students have plunged across broad swaths of the United States since before the pandemic, exposing children and families to increasing health risks as many school districts pull back from their traditional role as a bulwark against infectious disease, according to a Washington Post investigation.
The accelerating decline reveals the lasting medical consequences of a political backlash against public health efforts during the pandemic, which radicalized many against long-standing vaccine mandates.
Elon Musk’s Grok AI floods X with sexualized photos of women and minors - Reuters
Grok’s mass digital undressing spree appears to have kicked off over the past couple of days, according to successfully completed clothes-removal requests posted by Grok and complaints from female users reviewed by Reuters. Musk appeared to poke fun at the controversy earlier on Friday, posting laugh-cry emojis in response to AI edits of famous people - including himself - in bikinis.
When one X user said their social media feed resembled a bar packed with bikini-clad women, Musk replied, in part, with another laugh-cry emoji.
Reuters could not determine the full scale of the surge.
A review of public requests sent to Grok over a single 10-minute-long period at midday U.S. Eastern Time on Friday tallied 102 attempts by X users to use Grok to digitally edit photographs of people so that they would appear to be wearing bikinis. The majority of those targeted were young women. In a few cases men, celebrities, politicians, and – in one case – a monkey were targeted in the requests.
Venezuela decries ‘cowardly kidnapping’ as officials back Maduro - Al Jazeera
Venezuela’s Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez has denounced the United States’ move to abduct leader Nicolas Maduro as a “cowardly kidnapping”, adding that some of the president’s bodyguards were killed “in cold blood”, as well as military personnel and civilians on the Venezuelan side.
In his televised statement on Sunday, Padrino Lopez also endorsed a Supreme Court ruling that appointed Vice President Delcy Rodriguez — who also serves as oil minister — as acting president for 90 days.
Thank you for reading Front Row Seat. I’ll be back tomorrow with another set of links to articles that you might be interested in reading.