Padres to honor Randy Jones with uniform patch
Padres may have found a willing trade partner in Philadelphia, Alcaraz inches closer to a career grand slam, ICE plans a trip to Milan while Germany considers boycotting the World Cup, and more.
I was mad about the Yu Darvish story yesterday, so I wrote about it at the beginning of Front Row Seat and then did a podcast (?) about it, as well as some Super Bowl thoughts:
San Diego Padres
Padres to honor Randy Jones with uniform patch - MLB.com
The number 35 has been retired by the Padres for nearly three decades to honor the baseball career of Randy Jones, the franchise’s first homegrown star and a lasting icon.
That same number will be back on Padres uniforms this year to honor his legacy and humanity.
Phillies-Padres Connected to Potential $100 Million Offseason Trade - heavy.com
“Dombrowski has said Nick Castellanos will not be on their roster on Opening Day,” Rosenthal said. “So the question becomes okay, who wants him? The Padres are looking for a right-handed bat and they’re looking for one that would be inexpensive and Castellanos has been taking ground balls and training somewhat at first base, which is a position they’re trying to fill. That is one possibility.”
Top 100 MLB prospects for 2026: Griffin, McGonigle, more - ESPN
(John here: Usually, I just copy-paste some part of the article that would be interesting to San Diegans, but the most interesting part of this top 100 prospects list is that there are no Padres prospects on it….although there are 4 former Padres prospects on it that have been previously traded away.)
Ranking the top remaining MLB free agents still on the market - The Athletic
Bassitt is the most underrated starting pitcher left on the open market. He has made 30 or more starts in each of the past four seasons, throwing a minimum of 170 innings in each of them. He has also won at least 10 games each of the past six full seasons and kept his ERA under 4.00 every season except one since 2018. If I’m a contending team looking for back-end rotation depth, I’m jumping all over him.
Odds & Ends
Australian Open 2026: Coco Gauff smashes racket after loss, Carlos Alcaraz wins in straight sets - Yahoo Sports
The loss marks the second straight year in which Gauff was eliminated in the quarterfinals. She’s only advanced past the round one time at the Australian Open, when she made it to the semifinals in 2024. Gauff fell to Sabalenka that year, and has never won the Australian Open.
Compared to Gauff, Carlos Alcaraz had a much easier experience Tuesday. The men’s No. 1 cruised to a win in the quarterfinals, taking down Alex de Minaur in straight sets (7-5, 6-2, 6-1) to advance to the semifinals.
USL Premier announced as new professional league, pro-rel era to launch in 2028 - The Athletic
The likely plan for promotion-relegation would see two teams go up and down when the league launches with 12 or 14 teams. Once the USL Premier is at a full 20 teams, it will likely transition to three teams up and three teams down. Details will be discussed with owners in February.
The USL has several steps still to go in the process, including finalizing the pro-rel plans and working with U.S. Soccer on the pro league standards so that teams getting promoted are able to meet those requirements. USL Premier will operate alongside MLS as a first-division U.S. outfit.
The USL also remains in negotiations with the USL Players Association on a new collective bargaining agreement. The previous CBA expired at the end of 2025.
Ex-FIFA president Sepp Blatter joins those calling for boycott of World Cup in United States - Associated Press
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Monday backed a proposed fan boycott of World Cup matches in the United States because of the conduct of President Donald Trump and his administration at home and abroad.
Blatter was the latest international soccer figure to call into question the suitability of the United States as a host country. He called for the boycott in a post on X that supported Mark Pieth’s comments in an interview last week with the Swiss newspaper Der Bund.
In his interview with Der Bund, Pieth said, “If we consider everything we’ve discussed, there’s only one piece of advice for fans: Stay away from the USA! You’ll see it better on TV anyway. And upon arrival, fans should expect that if they don’t please the officials, they’ll be put straight on the next flight home. If they’re lucky.”
World Cup boycott? With people ‘dying on the street’, a German soccer exec wants a discussion - The Athletic
Oke Goettlich has started a conversation.
Last week, in an interview with the Hamburger Morgenpost, the St.Pauli president, who is a member of the German Football Association’s (DFB) executive committee and one of its eleven vice presidents, encouraged a discussion about a boycott of this year’s men’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“What were the justifications for the boycotts of the Olympic Games in the 1980s?” Goettlich said. “By my reckoning, the potential threat is greater now than it was then. We need to have this discussion.”
Paige Bueckers, Breeze Lose to Unrivaled’s Leading Laces BC - Sports Illustrated
Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers is trying to make a run at the Unrivaled League’s MVP award with her start to the season, but she’s still seeking a signature win over one of the league’s top teams. She had a chance on Monday night against the league-leading Laces BC.
However, Bueckers and Breeze BC fell 76-67 in disappointing fashion. Cam Brink hit a three to start the fourth quarter that brought the difference down to just two points at 65-63. But in a game that was first to 76, Breeze would only score four points the rest of the way. It could’ve been a game that pushed the Breeze into a tie for first place, but it drops them to 4-3 overall.
“Disgusted” Breanna Stewart Holds Up “Abolish ICE” Sign Before Unrivaled Game - Defector
Two-time WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart held up a sign that read “Abolish ICE” during player introductions at an Unrivaled game Sunday, just a day after federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
After the game, a 76-71 victory for Stewart’s Mist over the Vinyl, Stewart answered questions about why she decided to hold up the sign. “Really all day yesterday, I was kind of just disgusted,” Stewart said. “I wanted to kind of have a simple message of abolish ICE, which means to uplift families and communities—having policies to uplift family and communities instead of fueling fear and violence. When human lives are at stake, it’s bigger than anything else.”
ICE agents will have a security role at Milan Cortina Olympics - Associated Press
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will have a security role during the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Games, according to information shared with local media by sources at the U.S. Embassy in Rome. The Associated Press independently confirmed the information with two officials at the embassy.
The officials who confirmed ICE participation on Tuesday said that federal ICE agents would support diplomatic security details and would not run any immigration enforcement operations.
Debate grows over ICE contract at Escondido police shooting range - North County Pipeline
A contract allowing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to train at Escondido’s police shooting range has sparked backlash from activists and elected officials after recent reports.
The agreement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, has been active since 2014 and was renewed this month by Escondido Police Chief Ken Plunkett. The deal allows federal agents access to the Valley Center Road shooting range for 20 days per year.