Olympics Dog! Olympics Dog!
A dog becomes a star at the Winter Olympics, the Padres try and figure out if they have enough, USD fires Steve Lavin, San Diego FC prepares for home opener, and a lot more!
Good morning! I have a correction to get to from yesterday’s newsletter, but first…Olympics dog!
Now that I have your attention, I would again like to address my delicious cup of coffee.
Yesterday, I told you about the coffee that was gifted to me by a local sports fan and then I linked to the wrong coffee website. Here is where you want to go to find delicious small-batch coffee. Sorry for the mix-up. It’s still great coffee.
Now, onto the links!
San Diego Padres
Is this the year Luis Campusano sticks with the Padres? - San Diego Union-Tribune
Being communicative is paramount for a catcher. And talking a whole lot is not something that comes naturally for Campusano. Not everyone is outgoing. Some people are downright shy. Introverted does not adequately capture Campusano’s kind of quiet.
But when a catcher is quiet and he is young and he has trouble keeping up with what he is asked to do for a team trying to win, it can rub some people the wrong way.
There were times early in his Padres career that pitchers would not throw to Campusano. The past two Padres managers got to the point they would not put him behind the plate.
There is no doubt by virtually anyone in the organization that Campusano’s confidence was tattered at times.
Conversely, his new manager used to pitch to him and actually liked doing so.
4 Padres roster battles to watch as games begin - MLB.com
Nick Pivetta, Michael King and Joe Musgrove are locks.
“We feel good about those three,” said new manager Craig Stammen. “And then there’s competition.”
Lots of it, suddenly, with the additions of Márquez, Buehler and Griffin Canning this week (though Canning is unlikely to be fully built up by Opening Day, after his 2025 season ended in June due to a left Achilles tear.)
Even after those moves, Stammen reiterated that Vásquez has an “inside track” to one of the remaining spots, following his solid performance last season. If, indeed, Vásquez wins that spot, does that leave six-plus pitchers vying for one place at the back end?
Padres roster projection 1.0: Much-improved depth or wheel-spinning? - The Athletic
As of Wednesday, FanGraphs projected the Padres for 79 wins and a 22 percent chance of making the postseason. Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA system was a bit more bullish, forecasting 80 wins and a 30 percent chance of an October appearance. For a franchise that defied the odds the past two years, the range of outcomes remains wide.
Still, the Padres have more potential depth than they did a week ago. Competitions for a handful of jobs will begin in earnest with Friday’s Cactus League game against the Seattle Mariners.
Dodgers’ Dave Roberts ‘Surprised’ Padres Hired No-Experience Manager - Forbes
And Padres fans can count their rival’s manager as one of those who were caught by surprise that the team would appoint someone with no managing experience to such an important role.
“I was surprised in the sense of, you know, he hasn’t coached before,” Roberts told Marty Caswell of “Foul Territory.”
Roberts did add that he thought Stammen’s appointment was a “great hire” given the familiarity that he has with the organization. But he also vowed that he would not “butt heads with Stammen,” which seemed like some wishful thinking and suggested Roberts was looking to avoid generating any preseason controversy.
2026 Winter Olympics
Quinn Hughes’ OT goal sends U.S. to Olympic men’s hockey semis - ESPN
Quinn Hughes scored in overtime to put the U.S. past Sweden 2-1 after Mika Zibanejad scored to tie it late in regulation.
“Just relief,” Hughes said.
After Canada did its part, albeit with a roller coaster of drama and emotion, the U.S. bounced back from Zibanejad scoring to keep alive the possibility of the North American rivals meeting in the gold medal game Sunday.
Abbey Murphy sparks Team USA’s gold-medal dreams: ‘When she’s on your team, it’s a lot more fun’ - Yahoo Sports
After referees assessed a minor penalty on Murphy for goalie interference, Swedish defender Jessica Adolfsson intercepted the American on the way to the penalty box and shoved her in the chest with her right hand. Murphy theatrically fell to the ice, drawing a roughing penalty on Adolfsson and nullifying the Swedish power play.
The sequence was still fresh in the minds of Swedish players when speaking to Swedish media outlets after their 5-0 semifinal loss to the U.S. Soderberg accused Murphy of hitting her “right in the head” and questioned why the American didn’t receive a more severe penalty. Defender Mira Jungåker called Murphy’s alleged flop “pathetic” for someone “as skilled as she is.” Adolfsson said she takes pride in serving as her goalie’s “bodyguard.”
“If you want to lie down and cry on the ice after a little push, you can do that,” Adolfsson continued. “I can’t do anything about that.”
Beautiful Wolfdog Now An Olympian - Defector
By the end of a cross-country skiing team sprint competition, the athletes are on the brink of collapse. The best teams complete their six-mile sprint in about 20 minutes. Their legs burn, and their lungs are exhausted. With the finish line in sight, almost out of breath, you can imagine how strange it would feel to see suddenly in front of you what looks like a big beautiful wolf.
“I was like, ‘Am I hallucinating?” Tena Hadzic, a 21-year-old Croatian skier, told NPR. There on the course was a real, live, beautiful wolfdog. He appeared on the final stretch of the qualifying event Wednesday morning and raced along, pursuing the sliding track camera like a superstar before turning to follow a couple of athletes across the finish line.
Olympics Day 13: DOG AT THE OLYMPICS - Sports!
Shiffrin won by a margin of 1.50 seconds, more than the gap between second place and 10th place.
1.50 seconds does not sound like a lot — it’s probably taking you more time to read this bullet-point — but it is a freakin’ eternity in this sport.
It’s the largest win in any Olympic skiing event since the 1998 women’s giant slalom, when Italy’s Deborah Compagnoni won by 1.8 seconds.
If you added up the winning margins in this event from the 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022 Olympics, you would get 1.51 seconds. In other words, Shiffrin won by the margin of victory from the last six Olympics combined!
San Diego FC
San Diego FC Offers $6 Million Per Year to Poach Club America Star From Liga MX: Report - Athlon Sports
According to recent reports, MLS side San Diego FC reportedly has its sights set on Club America striker Henry Martin, who is considered an icon in Liga MX.
For several months now, Martin, 33, has not been in his best form with America. The former captain and locker room leader for the blue-cream side is far from his best version, partly due to injuries that have kept him off the field.
His future is currently uncertain and his continuity in Mexico is not secure, following his poor performance in the classic against Chivas and his strong statements blaming the coach for the defeat.
‘It leads nowhere’ - Hirving ‘Chucky’ Lozano’s attitude criticized by brother after latest San Diego FC controversy - Goal.com
Bryan Lozano publicly criticized his brother Hirving “Chucky” Lozano, accusing the Mexican winger of arrogance and repeated conflicts with coaches at Napoli, PSV and now San Diego FC. The remarks come at a delicate moment in Hirving Lozano’s career, with uncertainty surrounding his role in MLS and growing questions about his future ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
MTS ramps up trolley service for San Diego FC home opener on Saturday - FOX 5 San Diego
MTS announced Wednesday it is offering a discounted all-season transit pass for fans, in addition to increasing trolley service for home games at Snapdragon Stadium.
San Diego FC’s home opener against CF Montréal kicks off Saturday, Feb. 21, at 7:30 p.m., during which MTS will increase Green Line Trolley Service to accommodate large crowds attending the match. Amid high-parking costs and traffic around the stadium, fans are encouraged to travel by trolley.
Odds & Ends
Steve Lavin reportedly out as San Diego’s basketball coach after 11-17 start, 3 losing seasons - Yahoo Sports
Steve Lavin is out as the University of San Diego men’s basketball coach following an 11-17 start to the season, On3’s Pete Nakos reports.
The former UCLA and St. John’s head coach joined the Toreros for the 2022-23 season. Under his watch, USD produced one winning season in four, an 18-15 campaign in 2023-24. USD fell to 6-27 last season and was off to a 5-10 start in WCC play prior to Wednesday’s news of his dismissal.
Bruce Meyer elected MLBPA’s interim executive director - ESPN
The Major League Baseball Players Association unanimously elected Bruce Meyer as its new executive director Wednesday night, replacing Tony Clark the day after he resigned amid scandal less than a year before the expiration of MLB’s collective bargaining agreement.
Meyer, previously the union’s deputy executive director, ascends to the top spot on an interim basis at a crucial moment for the MLBPA. With owners pushing for a salary cap and prepared to lock out the players Dec. 1 should they not reach a new deal, players are bracing for an extended work stoppage as they attempt to stave off the league’s efforts.
How Team USA (finally) got America’s best pitchers on board for the WBC - The Athletic
When DeRosa began recruiting for the 2026 WBC, which kicks off stateside on March 6, he sensed a groundswell of interest from American players. Perhaps that’s only natural when the lasting image from the previous WBC is Ohtani striking out U.S. captain Mike Trout to win it. In 2023, DeRosa cast a wide net, phoning one player after another. This time, he took as many calls as he made. Not every pitcher said yes, but enough did to challenge the narrative that, as DeRosa put it, “for whatever reason, in the United States, our best arms don’t show up.” The Ringer’s Ben Lindbergh calculated that, compared to the Team USA pitching staffs from the past four WBCs, this one is at least 71 percent better in prior-year WAR and 47 percent better in projected WAR.
Inside the Hidden Network of Resistance in Minneapolis - The Ringer
Waves of federal agents forced countless Minnesota residents into hiding. Countless more responded with a movement unlike any other. A deeper look reveals the heartbeat of resistance—and the soul of the city.