San Diego, CA
Why San Diego's Petco Park holds special significance for Cubs right-hander Javier Assad
SAN DIEGO — Cubs right-hander Javier Assad grew up going to games at Petco Park. It was the closest MLB stadium to his hometown of Tijuana, Mexico.
His dad, Javier Sr., was a Padres fan, but the rest of the family had rallied around the Dodgers because of Fernando Valenzuela. The younger Javier followed suit. He remembers his dad making a nonnegotiable stipulation before taking him to a game between the Padres and Dodgers in San Diego as a kid.
“He told me, ‘The only way I’m taking you to the game is if you wear the Padres jersey,’ ” Assad said Tuesday through team interpreter Fredy Quevedo.
Young Assad agreed. He put on the Padres jersey, but he kept rooting for the Dodgers.
“Everyone would be asking, why is he cheering?” Assad said. “And my dad had to explain the situation. But that’s just one of those really beautiful, neat moments that I remember.”
This week, Assad’s family is in town to watch him and the Cubs take on the Padres.
“It’s super exciting, I’m super proud, I’m super happy for his trajectory,” the elder Assad said Tuesday, through Quevedo. “It was a long road in the minor leagues, but I’m really happy to see where he’s at right now.”
Assad’s start Monday marked the fourth time his dad had watched him play in person since he broke into the majors. Assad also had family in town for his major-league debut in 2022, the World Baseball Classic and his first outing in San Diego.
Assad made his first Petco Park start on Monday, limiting the Padres to two runs in five-plus innings. Members of both his immediate and extended family traveled to see him pitch.
“It definitely is a different feeling being a starter out here, knowing that my family knows I’m going to pitch and having them here,” Assad said.
They’ve witnessed his whole journey.
When Assad was about 15, scouts were beginning to take notice of him, and his dad realized a career in baseball was possible. So, the elder Assad sat down the younger and asked him whether he wanted to keep studying or commit to a future in baseball.
“He told me, ‘If you choose to pursue baseball, though, you’ve got to focus and really go all in on it,’ ” Assad said.
He signed with the Cubs a few years later, days before his 18th birthday.
Though Assad is now pitching in a different country, his parents have a large reminder of him close to home. There’s now a mural of him in Tijuana, and it just so happens to be located on his father’s route to work.
Javier Sr. said that when Tijuana Mayor Montserrat Caballero’s office first reached out about having the mural done after the WBC, he thought it was a scam. It’s not every day that the mayor tries to get in touch about honoring your son.
“It’s something really special,” Assad said. “It’s something really neat, especially because it’s located in my hometown. And now the fact that I have so many friends and family sending me messages and videos randomly that they see it, it’s really cool that my family and my friends and my loved ones get to experience that as well.”
San Diego, CA
EXCLUSIVE: Ignition Press Welcomes eBay Live & Revenge Of to San Diego Comic-Con Ignition Pavilion
The Ignition Press – Ignition Pavilion is leveling up in a big way for San Diego Comic-Con this year.
Following last year’s successful debut, Ignition Press is expanding its offsite with several major new partners, transforming the Ignition Pavilion into a hub for comics, collectibles, livestream shopping, food, and drinks. The free experience at the San Diego Wine & Culinary Center (200 Harbor Dr.) will now feature activations from eBay Live and Revenge Of, alongside the return of Seven Seas Roasting Company and several new fan experiences.
One of the biggest additions this year is a dedicated eBay Live selling lounge, where livestreams will broadcast throughout the convention, bringing Comic-Con to fans around the world.
Stop by throughout the week to find live sketches and signings with comic legends Bill Sienkiewicz (hosted by Big Clutch) and Jim Lee (hosted by ANZ Collects), while Storage Wars star Rene Nezhoda will showcase a rare PSA-pedigreed collection of vintage, Silver Age, and Bronze Age comics.
Fans can also tune in for the debut of an exclusive DC x eBay Live Absolute Batman & Absolute Catwoman connecting cover, shop signed Ignition Press SDCC exclusives, rare comics, and other collectibles, and catch appearances from fan-favorite creators and influencers throughout the weekend.
The Pavilion also welcomes Los Angeles lifestyle brand Revenge Of, making its San Diego Comic-Con debut with a curated comics and pop culture experience, while its sister company, FTB.Design, is handling the Pavilion’s production design.
“Both eBay Live and Revenge Of TV are going to give both fans onsite and at home the opportunity to get in on special programming and chances to get SDCC exclusive merchandise,” said Creative Director Jeremy Haun. “We’re doing something new, big, and different here at the Ignition Pavilion. You’re not going to want to miss it.”
Coffee lovers can once again grab a free drink from Seven Seas Roasting Company between 12pm-4pm, Thursday through Sunday, by signing up for the Ignition Insiders newsletter. The first 200 fans each day can redeem a voucher for coffee, espresso drinks, chai, or tea.
Later each afternoon (Thursday-Saturday, 5pm-7pm), the coffee bar transforms into the Ignition Pavilion Happy Hour, serving themed cocktails, beer, wine, mocktails, and complimentary drink tickets with qualifying purchases. Fans can also preorder a limited-edition bottle of Ignition Proof Rum, created in partnership with Los Angeles distillery The Obscure.
The Ignition Pavilion is free and open to the public at the following times:
- Wednesday, July 22: 5:00pm-9:00pm
- Thursday, July 23: 12:00pm-8:00pm
- Friday, July 24: 12:00pm-8:00pm
- Saturday, July 25: 12:00pm-8:00pm
- Sunday, July 26: 12:00pm-6:00pm
Karepango, the colorful and unapologetic brand that aims to bring a smile in the most unexpected time, is coming to Comic-Con to spread joy, and give attendees the chance to show the world they are imperfect, yet still proud.
Find them at booth #5034, located in the Hall G area of the convention center, and will have dozens of their classic bestsellers, recent products and even a brand new exclusive (and very limited) shirt.
All purchases will receive free gifts, with an extra special gift for purchases over $100.
All clothing is available in sizes XS through 2XL, but in limited quantities per size.
Let’s get shopping:
Have A Good Day Shirts – $48
Limited to 75 pieces
Purple or brown with front and back printing
100% Cotton Knit Sweaters – $88
Oversized and pre-shrunk
100% Cotton T-Shirts – $48
Various Designs
Oversized and pre-shrunk
Tote Bags, Plush Bags, Puffy Bags, IRO Bags, All Sorts of Bags – $28-$45
Various designs
Drink Holders, Mesh Pouches, Nylon Pouches, Headbands, Blind Box Toys, Plush Trinkets – $15-$25
Various designs
Caps, Bucket Hats, Plush Hats, Beanies – $28-$30
Various designs
Bags, Plush, Rugs, Scarves – $50-$80
Various designs
Stickers, Socks, Pins, Air Fresheners – $4-$15
Various designs
Seek and ye shall find:
Travel back more than 250 million years with PBS Eons during a special San Diego Comic-Con preview screening of Eons: Life and Death on Pangea before the series officially premieres.
On Saturday, July 25 at 10am, attendees can watch the first episode of the new four-part miniseries, which explores the Permian Period and the “Great Dying,” Earth’s largest known mass extinction event that wiped out more than 80% of all species.
Following the screening, hosts Gabriel-Philip Santos and Michelle Barboza-Ramirez, along with series writer Farhan Mitha, will take fans behind the scenes of the production and stick around for a Q&A about bringing this prehistoric world to life.
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