Tatis' grand slam leads to another big DR win
The World Baseball Classic has a few giants that are headed for showdowns with each other, the Padres plan for injuries, an NBA MVP showcase, NFL free agency begins, and a bunch more!
Real, meaningful baseball is happening in parallel to real, meaningful basketball, which is happening in parallel to real, meaningful soccer, which I assume is happening in parallel to real meaningful hockey. All the while, NFL free agency has begun at a frenzied pace. Also, it’s March, which means the college basketball is about to go crazy.
This isn’t the best time of the year to be a sports fan, that’s in the Fall when a ton of these sports are playing their playoff games and football gets underway, but this might be the second or third best time of the year (and might take the #1 seed for anyone that greatly prefers baseball over football and basketball, I know y’all exist).
And, honestly, I need it. As a distraction to the war our country is fighting and any other related chaos.
I know it has become in vogue for many sports fans to watch the games with a “second screen” (usually their smartphone) out and taking up part of their vision and attention. I have spent the better part of a year trying to do the opposite, putting my phone away and sinking deep into whatever game I am watching. Usually, I end up with a more enjoyable experience and have stronger memories of what I just watched.
When there is enough sports to support it, I would certainly recommend spending some time during each day focusing on those live sports and letting your brain turn off to everything else. It’s like taking a break but with enough visual and mental stimulation to keep you from getting bored.
(Yes, you can check your phone during commercial breaks.)
Now, onto the links….
San Diego Padres
Alex Verdugo ‘rejuvenated’ and impressing Padres as a minor leaguer - San Diego Union-Tribune
In addition to seeing promise in the way he was playing the outfield and swinging the bat, observers within the organization noted Verdugo was engaged. He was helping out younger players. He seemed enthused.
In a brief conversation Monday morning, Verdugo explained why.
“Just in a much better headspace, much better physically,” Verdugo said. “I just feel rejuvenated. The batteries are back to being charged.”
Nick Castellanos’ early Padres performance is exactly what Phillies fans saw coming - That Ball’s Outta Here
The Friars can’t expect much from a 34-year-old who ran a sub-.700 OPS last season, but the possibility exists that Castellanos regains some of his previous form and provides decent results. To wit, in nine spring training contests with his new club, Castellanos has worked to a .333 batting average with three extra base hits and six runs batted in.
A revitalized Nick Castellanos is the worst case scenario for Phillies fans, as the team is still on the hook for over $19 million of the $20 million Castellanos will make this season. In other words, the Phillies will be paying Nick Castellanos almost $20 million to help another team win baseball games.
With Song’s status for Opening Day in doubt, Padres assessing options - MLB.com
Song had begun to impress the Padres with some of his adjustments, including a shortened leg kick to adjust to the velocity and movement he’ll see in the big leagues. He’d posted an .806 OPS in the Cactus League.
Then, his oblique barked. It wasn’t an acute recurrence of the injury, which would’ve indicated a much longer recovery timetable, but merely soreness stemming from the previous injury. But the Padres don’t want to take any chances of another acute oblique injury happening.
Padres’ Nick Pivetta development sparks an uncomfortable durability question - Friars On Base
The Padres can say all the right things here, and to be fair, they probably are telling the truth. Nick Pivetta is dealing with what the team has described as mild arm fatigue, not a looming disaster, and the expectation is that he throws a bullpen session in the coming days before getting worked back into the spring schedule early this week. Logan Gillaspie simply stepped in for Pivetta’s scheduled start on March 8 against the Reds while San Diego backed off a bit. By every public indication, this is supposed to be caution, not crisis.
World Baseball Classic
Tatis punctuates DR’s first Classic grand slam with a beautiful bat flip - MLB.com
Tatis sent it 400 feet to left field and he knew it was gone off the bat. There has been no shortage of electric celebrations from the Dominican team so far this tournament, and Tatis added to that with a glorious bat flip.
Tatis’ drive was the fourth grand slam of this World Baseball Classic, tying this year’s event with the 2023 tournament for the most in a single Classic. It was also the eighth homer so far this tournament for the D.R., which hit its ninth just two innings later, when Oneil Cruz smoked a liner to right off Zack Weiss.
Did Cal Raleigh snub Randy Arozarena? The World Baseball Classic moment causing a stir - The Athletic
Teammates on the Seattle Mariners, there appears to be no love lost between Randy Arozarena and Cal Raleigh during the World Baseball Classic.
The two were opponents Monday night in Houston as their teams met in pool play. Arozarena, a star outfielder on Team Mexico, went for a handshake with All-Star catcher Raleigh before his first at-bat, but Raleigh didn’t take Arozarena’s hand. In a video of the interaction, Raleigh appears to say something, and Arozarena leans in to hear before starting to set up at the plate.
World Baseball Classic: USA holds on vs. Mexico after Aaron Judge, Roman Anthony deliver 5-run inning
With the win, USA improved to 3-0 in pool play after entering the tournament as the odds-on favorite to win.
On the heels of losing a heartbreaking final to Shohei Ohtani and Japan in the 2023 WBC, USA assembled what has been touted as its most talented WBC roster ever. The squad has largely delivered with a 3-0 start, though Monday’s game was too close for comfort at the end.
San Diego FC / San Diego Wave FC
San Diego FC Takes 3 Points in Kansas City; Eyes Mexican Giant Toluca FC Wednesday Night - Chromatic FC
Toluca sits second in the Clausura with the league’s best goal differential of +12 and 17 goals scored, which is tied for third-most in the league. Their roster is loaded with talent, including midfielders Jesus Angulo, Nicolas Castro, and Helinho, who each have 10 goal contributions since the start of the Apertura. They also boast Alexis Vega, who recorded 12 goals and 11 assists in his 2024-2025 campaign and has already tallied 4 goals and 9 assists since the Apertura began.
Luca Bombino rewards San Diego FC for its faith in young talent: ‘Support when I needed it’ - Soccer America
The left back for San Diego FC proved to be a key part of the club’s success in its inaugural season with 2,531 minutes on the field.
What to know about San Diego Wave FC ahead of its fifth soccer season - San Diego Union-Tribune
The Wave became the second club ever to win the World Sevens women’s tournament on Dec. 12. The club beat Mexico’s Tigres UANL 3-0, winning a $2 million prize.
On Dec. 29, the club mutually parted ways with longtime goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan. Sheridan has been with the Wave since its first season in 2022. She was named the NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year for the club’s inaugural season, and ultimately made her 600th career regular-season save with the Wave, becoming the second goalkeeper in the NWSL to do so.
In all, she started in 87 matches for the San Diego squad.
Odds & Ends
RIP the 2026 NBA MVP Race: SGA Just Ended It - The Ringer
We are gathered here today to pay tribute to the 2026 NBA Most Valuable Player race. It was laid to rest, rather emphatically, by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Monday night, in one of the most brilliant performances of the entire season, with two of the most memorable shots of his career.
2026 NFL free agency winners, losers: Tagovailoa, Walker, more - ESPN
I’m torn on Walker’s fit with the Chiefs. Of all the landing spots for the reigning Super Bowl MVP, obviously, the Chiefs offer a very high ceiling. Playing with Patrick Mahomes once the future Hall of Fame quarterback recovers from his torn ACL is a dream for any player. The Chiefs also have a promising offensive line, with superstars at center (Creed Humphrey) and right guard (Trey Smith) and a left tackle who looked like a difference-maker when he was on the field as a rookie (Josh Simmons). There’s a lot to like from Walker’s perspective.
USD hires Iowa State assistant JR Blount, ‘one of the brightest rising coaches in college basketball’ - San Diego Union-Tribune
USD athletic director Kimya Massey started his basketball head coaching search early with the intent of finishing it early, and he delivered on that promise.
The next Toreros coach will be JR Blount, a respected 38-year-old assistant from No. 6-ranked Iowa State. USD announced the hire Monday afternoon, but Blount will stay with the Cyclones through the remainder of their season.
He replaces Steve Lavin, who was fired Feb. 18 but allowed to finish the season. That ended Friday night at the West Coast Tournament in Las Vegas, and Massey stayed behind to interview his pool of finalists in what he called a “thorough and highly competitive national search.”
A Week of Highs, Hardware & Heartache - Her Sports San Diego
After handily defeating Air Force to cap off a historic 19-1 regular season on Tuesday, the No. 1 Aztecs then fell to Air Force in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West tournament on Sunday, 83-76. Panganiban had 29 points, the most ever scored in a Mountain West Tournament by an Aztec, six assists and no turnovers.
San Diego’s war over Liberty Station is coming to a head. Here’s how the city hopes to win. - San Diego Union-Tribune
San Diego and a property management company continue to escalate their fight for long-term control of Liberty Station, a large mixed-use property in a strategic location near the planned sports arena and NAVWAR projects.
The City Council is scheduled to approve complex agreements Tuesday that aim to cement the city’s ownership and control of the sprawling 20-year-old development and keep it away from the management company.
The company, Seligman Properties, is stepping up its campaign to convince city officials to sell Liberty Station with a new purchase offer, plans for new appraisals and a new economic analysis.
Issa retires, Desmond jumps into 48th Congressional race - North County Pipeline
A game of political musical chairs broke out Friday after the news of the retirement of longtime Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA).
His retirement triggered a chain reaction among local Republicans over the newly drawn 48th and 49th Congressional districts. San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond, who was running against Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA) in the 49th, announced he will run for the 48th seat. Issa endorsed Desmond on Friday.
Armen Kurdian, a Vista Republican and member of the party’s Central Committee, will now run against Levin in the 49th. With Kurdian’s departure, Republican Laura Basset of Oceanside will run against state Sen. Catherine Blakespear (D-Encinitas) in the District 38 race.
Billionaires Influence Elections, Boys With Pocketfuls of Cash, & China’s Nuke ‘em All Test? - Kareem Takes on the News
What Brandeis understood, and what we keep having to learn again and again, is that democracy doesn’t collapse in a single dramatic moment, like an underdone soufflé. Instead, it deflates slowly, quietly, while the oven is still shut. It happens when the people with the most resources can shape the narrative, the policy, or the playing field in ways the rest of us can’t. And because it happens gradually, it’s easy to miss until we open that oven and instead of a delicacy, we get the dessert equivalent of a flat tire.
I saw a version of this dynamic during my years in the NBA. On the court, everything feels immediate, every call, every possession, every shift in momentum. But off the court, in the league offices and ownership meetings, the real power lives in rooms most players never enter. Decisions are made that shape the entire league. Rules and revenue structures are influenced by a handful of people whose interests don’t always line up with the players or the fans. That doesn’t make the league illegitimate. But it does make the power structure clear: the game may be shared, but the leverage isn’t.