Front Row Seat: Padres get swept at home, Lakers on the brink of elimination
Here's a front row seat to all of the news, stories, videos and podcasts that you need to start your day.
Hi, welcome, hello. Welcome to a new/old idea.
Years ago, when I ran a blog about the San Diego Chargers, we used to put out a post every single morning called "Daily Links". It was a collection of all the things we had read, watched, listened to and seen over the previous 24 hours that we wanted to call attention to. Although, all of those things were Chargers-related.
This, which I'm calling "Front Row Seat", is the same idea but broader. Although I'm going to try and categorize the links by team and see how the feels. This is a separate newsletter that every Section 1904 subscriber has been signed up for, meaning you can unsubscribe from it and still get everything else you normally get from Section 1904, if you decide it's not for you.
Onto the links!
San Diego Padres
Padres swept by Rays, drop fourth straight - San Diego Union-Tribune
As fun as it was to be a Padres fan just a couple of weeks ago, it kinda stinks right now...
If this was one of those rebuilding years, which is what one might think seeing the minor leaguers and journeymen filling out a good portion of the Padres’ starting lineups the past couple weeks, the focus could be on incremental improvement.
Because this season is about making the playoffs, the question after four consecutive losses and seven losses in nine games is just how bad it will get before the Padres (17-11) get healthy.
David Morgan’s unlikely path back to San Diego, Ryan Bergert figuring out role - San Diego Union-Tribune
These stories about guys making it to the big leagues among some catastrophe in their own lives (Tirso Ornelas sleeping on the airport floor, David Morgan dealing with a tornado, etc.) are fun to read because they usually have a happy ending. That being said, I'll be happier when they're not coming weekly.
San Diego FC
SDFC Suffers Home Defeat to RSL - Chromatic FC
Alex offers a fantastic recap of Saturday's loss and points out that the main issue continues to be opposing teams choking off the mid-field and forcing SDFC to find another way to get from their back line into the attacking third....and the rough play of the SDFC defense.
Hey, while we're talking SDFC...what the hell is the framing of this headline by the UT? Am I missing something?
Is the implication that we, as people that live in San Diego, California should care more about people from California with the first name of Diego?
San Diego Wave FC
NWSL Power Rankings: Gonzalez key to NJ/NY Gotham FC's rise - ESPN
Don't look now, but the Wave have climbed back up to 5th in the NWSL power rankings. They'll have a slightly tougher challenge against Bay FC next week than they've seen in either of their last two games, and it'll be interesting to see how they fare.
San Diego State
SDSU basketball star Magoon Gwath undergoes knee surgery - San Diego Union-Tribune
It sounds like it's a fairly minor knee surgery for Gwath, but you have to imagine that this probably played a role in his decision to come back to the Aztecs for another year before entering the NBA Draft in 2026.
NBA Playoffs
Vincent Goodwill
NBA Admits Mistake in Clippers-Nuggets Game 4 - Sports Illustrated
YEAH I THOUGHT SO
NBA acknowledges a foul that wasn’t called at end of Pistons-Knicks game - Associated Press
Okay, that's two of these now. The NBA Playoffs have been very fun but it's veering into "Let's bitch about the refs" territory and I hate that. Get it together, refs.
NFL Draft
2025 NFL Draft: Final snap grades for all 32 teams - NFL.com
You know you didn't watch but you also know you want to know how to feel about what your team did. Go ahead, check. I'll check, too.
WOOOO an A- for the Dallas Cowboys. We are BACK, baby!
Alright, that's going to do it for the very first issue 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 tomorrow.
