Front Row Seat: SDSU crushes Nevada, setting up clash with Fresno State
Can the 5-1 Aztecs travel to Fresno and knock off the 5-2 Bulldogs?
Section 1904 is a community-supported media company. If you like our content, considering either subscribing to support our work for as little as $5/month or dropping a tip in the jar.
MLB Playoffs / Padres
Raleigh, Polanco, and Miller Come up Big as Mariners Notch Efficient Win Over Blue Jays in ALCS Game 1 - FanGraphs
Jorge Polanco played the hero on Friday night, ending the epic Division Series Game 5 with an RBI single in the 15th inning off the Tigers’ Tommy Kahnle. Two nights later, in the American League Championship Series opener in Toronto, Polanco added to his October highlight reel with a pair of late-inning RBI singles against Blue Jays relievers, the first of which gave Seattle the lead. The switch-hitting second baseman wasn’t the only Mariner who came up big, as Bryce Miller tossed six strong innings on three days of rest, Cal Raleigh clubbed a game-tying solo homer, and three relievers turned in perfect innings as the Mariners took Game 1 in Toronto, 3-1.
Tom Krasovic: There’s no time for half-measures as Padres look ahead to 2026 - San Diego Union-Tribune
The Padres have become an old team, but now isn’t the time to go young. Trading the old dudes looks impractical, so A.J. Preller must upgrade the talent around the nucleus of several starters in their 30s — Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, Ramón Laureano, Nick Pivetta, Jake Cronenworth and Freddy Fermin — plus young stars Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill.
How high can the payroll go? Seidler seems to have some say there. He’s been the club’s control person since February.
John Gennaro
Iglesias suspended 1 game, Bogaerts fined for unprofessional conduct toward umpires - MLB.com
San Diego Padres infielder Jose Iglesias has received a one-game suspension and an undisclosed fine for his unprofessional conduct toward Major League umpires as they exited the playing field following Game 3 of the National League Wild Card Series at Wrigley Field on Oct. 2, Major League Baseball announced Friday.
In addition, Padres infielder Xander Bogaerts has received an undisclosed fine for his conduct toward umpires in the dugout following Game 3.
WNBA
The Aces Made Their Season From The Muck - Defector
With a 97-86 Game 4 win over the Mercury in Phoenix on Friday night, the Aces won their third WNBA championship in four years to finish a Finals sweep and an unthinkable in-season turnaround. After beginning the regular season 14-14, they finished it on a 16-game win streak. Including the postseason, they won 25 of their last 28 games.
No team dreams of guarding A’ja Wilson, but for the undersized Mercury, she proved a recurring nightmare. Phoenix’s defense, its heavy ball pressure with high pickup points, couldn’t crack an offense run through a transcendent post player and her cast of stone-cold killers.
Alyssa Thomas is one of the most decorated WNBA players without a championship or MVP. What's next for the Mercury star? - Yahoo Sports
There is a real chance Alyssa Thomas, a player whose name litters the record books and all-time lists, never wins a WNBA championship or an MVP award. The seasons of coming close — and falling short — are stacking up.
The Phoenix Mercury’s swift loss this week was Thomas’ third trip to the WNBA Finals. She reached the final stretch twice with the Connecticut Sun, where she played her first 11 seasons. Her third-place finish in this year’s MVP vote is her fourth consecutive season as a top-five finalist.
The era in which she’s playing is part of the problem.
San Diego State Aztecs
San Diego State makes emphatic statement in 44-10 road win over Nevada - San Diego Union-Tribune
Denegal (14-for-17, 205 yards, 2 TDs) was on target for the second straight week after completing 13 of 16 passes last week against Colorado State. He made plays with his legs as well, keeping the ball for 21- and 29-yard gains in the first half.
John Gennaro
College football programs could spend $200 million in buyouts. Spare us the money moaning - The Athletic
If you watched college football on Saturday, you saw yet another set of misleading political ads urging you to call your local congressman and tell them to SAVE COLLEGE SPORTS! The latest ones give the impression that women’s and Olympic sports are in trouble because having to pay athletes a salary is going to bankrupt their schools.
On Sunday, Penn State announced it has fired 12th-year coach James Franklin, for whom they now owe a roughly $45 million buyout.
These schools aren’t broke. They’re just wildly irresponsible spenders.
San Diego Wave / San Diego FC
Notebook: Wave hope ‘massive’ win serves as a turning point; SDFC set to return - San Diego Union-Tribune
After nearly two months without a win, the San Diego Wave broke through.
Because of it, their once-fading playoff chances suddenly look like a sure thing.
Kenza Dali scored a 72nd-minute goal and the Wave rallied to beat the Royals 3-2 late Saturday in Sandy, Utah. The game was marred by a lightning delay and rain.
San Diego’s first victory since Aug. 16 moved the Wave (9-8-7) from eighth place to sixth in the National Women’s Soccer League standings. The top eight teams make the playoffs.
Decision Day 2025 - Chromatic FC
For San Diego to win the conference, they must win against the Portland Timbers and would need a Vancouver loss against FC Dallas. FC Dallas has not clinched a playoff spot and are looking to clinch one on Decision Day. A win would get FC Dallas a playoff spot and could potentially go up to 7th place in the West, allowing them to avoid a play-in game being an 8th or 9th seed. This match won’t be easy for Vancouver against a team that’s trying to get into the playoffs.
MLS 22 Under 22 class revealed for 2025, highlighting top young players - SoccerWire.com
The 2025 version of the list includes a total of 14 Homegrown players with eight of the top 10 coming up through MLS academies. The most represented club is the Philadelphia Union with three players, while three other clubs had two selections on the list – Los Angeles Football Club, New England Revolution, and San Diego FC. Players on this year’s 22 Under 22 list entered through three different mechanisms: Homegrown signings (14), U22 Initiative signings (seven), and MLS SuperDraft selections (one).
Colina Del Sol multi-use sports courts revamped - FOX 5 San Diego
“This is more than just a refurbished play space; these courts are a testament to the power of community collaboration,” said San Diego FC CEO, Tom Penn. “Colina Del Sol is a hub of activity for residents of all ages, providing an inviting space for families, youth leagues, and neighbors to come together, play, and connect. We are proud of this project and excited for its positive impact on the City Heights community for years to come.”
The refurbished courts are part of the San Diego FC’s Parks & Pitches Initiative, aiming to revamp public parks and playing spaces across San Diego County.
Odds & Ends
Tennis and extreme heat: Why the ATP’s lack of heat rule came under fire at Shanghai Masters - The Athletic
World No. 2 Jannik Sinner succumbed to debilitating cramps against Tallon Griekspoor in the third round. Novak Djokovic vomited on court later the same day during his win against Yannick Hanfmann. Daniil Medvedev was so wary of exacerbating his cramps against Learner Tien in the fourth round that he even asked if a ball girl could remove his sweat-soaked shirt. A male ATP supervisor was on hand to perform the task.
But it was Denmark’s Holger Rune who posed the question as he received a medical timeout against Ugo Humbert on the same day Sinner had to retire: “Why doesn’t the ATP have a heat rule? You want a player to die on the court?”
The Winners and Losers of the NFL Week 6 - The Ringer
Having led four last-minute comebacks in the first five games, Baker Mayfield has already been farming MVP moments early this season. But in Sunday’s win over the 49ers, he may have produced the signature play of his burgeoning campaign for the league’s most prestigious individual award. With his Buccaneers clinging to a one-point lead in the third quarter and facing a third-and-forever near midfield, Mayfield did this.
BEAST MODE BAKER
— NFL (@NFL) October 12, 2025
SFvsTB on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/Bb1mV8ktZu
Mayfield escaped two sacks and shook two more defenders in the open field to move the chains. He had just a 3.7 percent chance of picking up the first down, according to Next Gen Stats.
Mark Sanchez has mugshot taken, says he’s ‘focused on recovery’ after stabbing - The Athletic
Mark Sanchez, the Fox Sports analyst and former NFL quarterback, told a TV reporter “I’m just focused on my recovery” as he left Marion County (Ind.) Jail on Sunday morning after having his mugshot taken.
Sanchez’s comments to Fox59/CBS4 were the first he’s made publicly since being arrested last weekend in connection with a physical altercation in which he was stabbed.
“I just want to thank the first responders, Eskenazi Hospital,” Sanchez said Sunday, according to videos posted on social media by Fox59/CBS4. “I just want to thank Dr. (Lindsey) Mossler, the surgeon. She saved my life.”
ICE recruitment ads air on UFC, WWE programming - Sports Politika
Grainy footage. Handcuffed immigrants under harsh light. Faces blurred, eyes averted. Agents move in slow motion, their steps deliberate, their faces unreadable. A low, ominous voice warns of an invasion that must be stopped at all costs. The words repeat, steady and relentless: “The worst of the worst.”
“Fulfill your mission,” the ad concludes.
These spots have been running across broadcast stations in the United States over the past couple of weeks as part of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency’s 30 billion initiative to hire 10,000 more deportation officers by the end of the year to maximize deportations. The campaign is airing in more than a dozen cities, including Chicago, Seattle, Denver, Philadelphia and Atlanta.
The ads have also seeped into sports and entertainment programming, appearing during Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bouts and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) shows alike.
Alright, that's going to do it for today's edition of Front Row Seat. I'll be back tomorrow, and every weekday, to try and make it easier for you to follow the news.
Feedback is welcome (in the comments below, in my inbox or on the Section 1904 Discord server) and feel free to send me any links that you think I missed and I'll try to include them in a future newsletter.
