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
City considering cutting funding to resource center for those experiencing homelessness
Last week Mayor Todd Gloria released the budget proposal for the 2027 fiscal budget. Protected homeless services is among his top priorities mentioned in the proposal. However, some of the reductions he’s proposing could impact thousands of San Diegans experiencing homelessness.
Located on 17th and K Street, the Neil Good Day Center offers an array of services to nearly seven thousand people experiencing homelessness. The services include giving them a place to shower and do laundry, and connecting them to a case manager, among others.
“These are critical services that are helping people off the streets, but really better their lives and their health and their employment situation as well,” Deacon Vargas with Father Joe’s Villages said.
Deacon Jim Vargas heads Father Joe’s Villages, which runs the center. He said through their prevention and diversion strategies, they’ve managed to keep nearly one thousand individuals from falling into homelessness.
“So by helping them pay rent, or helping them with their utilities, or helping them to reunite with family,” Vargas said.
Right now, the city allocates at least $850,000 per year to the Neil Good Day Center, according to Vargas.
But the future and funding for these services are in limbo because of Mayor Todd Gloria’s proposed budget cuts.
“The impact to those whom we’ve been serving the Daily Center would be very severe,” Deacon Vargas said.
In a statement to NBC 7, Mayor Todd Gloria said in part, “We must find more efficient and cost-effective ways to address this crisis and prioritize funding for programs that provide shelter beds and maximize resources to programs that place people into permanent housing.”
Since it’s still at a proposal stage, Deacon Vargas said it’s unclear how the city will decide to move forward.
However, Deacon Vargas said services would be significantly reduced because they would be forced to operate solely on a budget of about half a million dollars they receive from philanthropy.
“The hours would be cut. Some days would be cut. We would have showers that might be impacted because they’re given seven days a week and we’d close two days a week, then the showers would be five days a week, the case management,” Deacon Vargas said.
Deacon Vargas is certain of one thing.
He would like to continue offering services at the Day Center, even if the city goes through with the funding cuts.
“As we work with individuals at the Day Center and at Father Joe’s Villages, the community becomes healthier as a result of it,” Deacon Vargas said.
The budget also recommends additional cuts to homeless services, but does not give specifics as to where those cuts would be.
San Diego Padres (14-7) at Los Angeles Angels (11-11), April 19, 2026, 1:07 p.m. PST
Watch: Padres.TV
Location: Angel Stadium – Anaheim, Calif.
Listen: 97.3 The Fan
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San Diego, CA
Solans, Luna, Guilavogui help RSL beat slumping San Diego, extend unbeaten streak to 6 games :: WRALSportsFan.com
SANDY, Utah — SANDY, Utah (AP) — Sergi Solans had two goals and an assist, Diego Luna added a goal and two assists, and Real Salt Lake beat San Diego FC 4-2 on Saturday night to extend its unbeaten streak to six games.
Morgan Guilavogui scored his first goal in MLS and had an assist for Real Salt Lake (5-1-1). The 28-year-old designated player has five goal contributions in his first six career games.
RSL hasn’t lost since a 1-0 defeat at Vancouver in the season opener.
San Diego (3-3-2) has lost three in a row and is winless in five straight.
Luna opened the scoring in the fifth minute when he re-directed a misplayed pass by Duran Ferree, San Diego’s 19-year-old goalkeeper, into the net.
Moments later, Solans headed home a perfectly-placed cross played by Luna from outside the right corner of the 18-yard box to the back post to make it 2-0. Solans, a 23-year-old forward, flicked a header from the center of the area inside the right post and past the outstretched arm of Ferree to make it 3-1 in the 37th minute.
Guilavogui slammed home a first-touch shot to give RSL a three-goal lead in the 45th.
Marcus Ingvartsen scored a goal in the 14th minute and Anders Dreyer converted from the penalty spot in the 66th for San Diego.
Ingvartsen has five goals and an assist this season and has 10 goal contributions (seven goals, three assists) in 16 career MLS appearances.
Rafael Cabral had three saves for RSL.
Ferree finished with five saves.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer
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