Padres playoff fever hits San Diego

S1: The excitement around tonight's Padres game with the Dodgers at Petco.

S2: Just winning tonight. Potentially it would be history in Petco Park and by default in San Diego.

S1: I'm Jade Hindman. This is KPBS midday edition. A change in how visa applications are processed for people from Afghanistan.

S3: They can apply for permanent legal residency. In other words , green cards , which is a third status that cuts through a lot of red tape.

S1: And all the events happening on the art scene in your weekend preview. That's ahead on Midday Edition. Ready , set , get loud. That's the call to Padres fans from local sports columnist Bryce Miller. The reason ? For the first time since 2006 , San Diego will host its first baseball playoff game with fans cheering them on after losing the first game of the series. The Padres responded with a dramatic Game two win over the Dodgers in a game full of twists and turns and an appearance from a goose. Tonight , the series returns to San Diego for the first of two games this weekend , with the best of five game series tied at one game apiece. And joining me is San Diego Union-Tribune sports columnist Bryce Miller. Bryce , welcome back to Mid-day Edition. Thanks.

S2: Thanks. Happy Friday.

S1: Happy Friday , indeed. Set the stage for tonight's game.

S2: And you start with a little bit of what you explain. The fans haven't been able to watch a playoff game at Petco Park since 2006. Of course , the Padres played a playoff series against the Cardinals in 2020 , but because of the pandemic , there weren't any fans allowed in the stands. And actually , you know , the significance of it from kind of the never before category is Potter fans have not seen a victory in the history of Petco Park in the playoffs because in the series in 2006 , also against the Cardinals , the one when they got was on the road and St Louis just winning tonight potentially would be history in Petco Park and by default in San Diego for Padres fans. But gets amplified because you're playing the Dodgers. Pottery fans like to call it a rivalry. It's probably not given that it's been so one sided , But they also haven't played the Dodgers in the playoffs any time recently. The last three series they played in the playoffs have all been against the Cardinals. So you've got to look back at the history of the significance of winning a playoff game there , but also just stirring in the near neighbor up. Up north on the five who has won so much in this division nine of the last ten times. And all of that stirred together makes for a really , really interesting night.

S1: On Wednesday night. The Padres won game two in something of a nail biter , didn't they ? Yeah.

S2: Although Manny Machado in the first inning homered the Dodgers answered right away. They homered in each of the three first three innings. So the Padres were on their heels out of the gate. They were able to fight back. They won that game five three. A late insurance homerun by Jake Cronenworth was huge. A defensive double play that Cronenworth was involved with was huge , but probably bigger than anything once they did get the lead. The Padres bullpen was fantastic. They shut down the Dodgers over a couple of games and did not give up a run against one of the best lineups , if not the best lineup , including the top three in that order in baseball. So for all those reasons , it was a nail biter. But there was so much that the Padres did right when the pressure amped up. And so for that reason , I think they they kind of used that momentum to come into Petco Park and certainly with some confidence.

S1:

S2: He's traditionally struggled in the first half of seasons and then really become a different pitcher in a good way. In the second half of seasons. He followed that script this year. He had a rough outing as last time out. But for him , the formula is if he doesn't walk hitters and he doesn't lose track of the strike zone , he's very , very tough to beat his staff as catcher Austin Nola explains , It is electric. So really , it's a matter of early in that game watching for is he walking hitters. If he's walking a lot of hitters that is not a good sign. He doesn't fare well in those situations. But if he's not walking guys , he piles up a few early strikeouts. That's the Blake Snell that's been one of the best pitchers in baseball the second half.

S1: In your latest column you like in San Diego to Charlie Brown worrying that Lucy will yank away the football from him again.

S2: And the one they lost a season ago to the Giants , they lost by one game and both those teams piled up more than 100 wins. So the Dodgers have always dominated the division , but and they've had postseason runs. They won a World Series in 2020 , this pandemic shortened season. So they're always the one at the end that the finish line and the Padres , as we talked about earlier , haven't even experienced one playoff win in Petco Park history where fans were in the stands. So for those reasons , it's the Dodgers are the ultimate obstacle , the ultimate hurdle. You know the story of their playoff are just the matchups and the franchise history between those teams especially in recent history is that the Dodgers come out on top. They get the big hit , they make the big play , the Padres can't make the big play , can't get the big hit. So what they did the other night in L.A. in Game two was significant. And if they can repeat that in game. Reinforce the Dodgers into a corner where they have to win the next two to not be eliminated. That's a huge moment. So maybe Charlie Brown finally gets to kick the football.

S1: And regardless of how tonight's game turns out , Padre fans will have at least one more home playoff game on Saturday where El Cajon Don , Joe Musgrove returns to the mound.

S2: The first pitch will be thrown out of the game by Jake Peavy. Jake Peavy was , well , Joe Musgrove banned from alcohol and he went to Grossmont High School. He idolized Jake TB. That was the Padres. He modeled himself after Jp moore , 44. And that's the reason Joe Musgraves jersey number is 44. So the symmetry of that in this situation , but also just the potential. If the Padres win tonight , it's right out of the storybook. The hometown guy on the mound with the chance to eliminate the Dodgers and move to the National League Championship series.

S1:

S2: San Diego hasn't found the rosiest path on its sports journey. You know , the Chargers moved to L.A.. NBA teams have left. Athletes have left. Big game losses. The verge of something great that falls apart. It's it's something that San Diegans kind of talk about. They know that that's that's the history here in a lot of ways. And this win tonight would begin to potentially change that. That put you one win away with a home game remaining to do something that would be beyond energizing for the city of San Diego.

S1: I've been speaking with Bryce Miller , sports columnist with the San Diego Union-Tribune. Bryce , thank you. And go Padres. Thanks.

S2: Thanks.

S1: The Biden administration this month is changing how it processes visa applications for people from Afghanistan. Tens of thousands of Afghans are trying to get permanent residence in the U.S.. Many assisted American troops during the war. Some have been waiting years for the State Department to approve their applications. Desiree Diorio reports for the American Homefront Project.

S4: Resettlement agencies across the U.S. have been inundated since the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan last year. The integrated refugee and immigrant service in Connecticut is helping more than 500 Afghans navigate the immigration system. One of them is Abdul. We're withholding his full name to protect his family in Afghanistan. Speaking through a translator in the courtyard of the resettlement agency. He tells a complicated story of two failed visa applications. He says he's anxious for the State Department to approve his third one.

S3: I have served the Americans in Afghanistan , and I would love to serve the Americans in this.

S4: Country , too. Abdul is here on humanitarian parole. But that's a temporary program , and Abdul's will expire next August. He applied for a special immigrant visa or CV so he can stay in the U.S. permanently. But he's struggling to meet State Department requirements for documents and recommendations that can prove he worked with the U.S. military and government contractors. Employers he lost touch with years ago.

S3: But they're now responding. Most of them , it's no answers. People have changed. The numbers have changed.

S4: Lauren Peterson is one of the lawyers working on Abdul's case. She says many of her clients tell the same story about their rush to leave Afghanistan. They're destroying. Documents.

S5: Documents. They're wiping their phones clean. The last thing they want is to go through a Taliban checkpoint and have any evidence that they worked for anyone associated with the West.

S4: For applicants who do have their documents. Peterson says it takes an average of 19 months for the State Department to approve an SUV. That leaves Afghans like Abdul in limbo because their temporary parole can expire sooner to try to address the backlog. The Biden administration has announced major changes to the immigration process. In October , the U.S. will stop accepting applications for temporary humanitarian parole. White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre says that will allow the government to concentrate its resources on permanent visas. We are adopting.

S5: A new model where Afghans arrivals will travel directly to the communities.

S4: Where they will be moving with the.

S5: Help of refugee resettlement organizations.

S4: Without a safe haven stopover in the United States. Advocates criticize ending temporary humanitarian parole , arguing the government should offer as many opportunities as possible for Afghans to escape. Meanwhile , a bipartisan bill in Congress would overhaul the immigration process further. Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal is a co-sponsor of the Afghan Adjustment Act , which he says gives refugees options beyond humanitarian parole or civil status.

S3: They can apply for permanent legal residency , in other words , green cards , which is a third status that cuts through a lot of red tape.

S4: It's not a new concept. The U.S. made similar accommodations for refugees after the wars in Vietnam and Iraq. Peterson , the immigration lawyer , says the new law would help.

S5: Being able to just put in your.

S4: Green card application.

S5: Which is relatively straightforward. That would be a huge relief. And then it would definitely reduce some of the bottleneck in the civic queue.

S4: The bill has support from a vocal constituency of veterans who say the U.S. is obligated to help the Afghans who assisted during the war. But it's not clear when or if Congress will vote on it. I'm Desiree Diorio on Long Island.

S1: This report was produced by the American Homefront Project , a public media collaboration that reports on American military life and veterans. Funding comes from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. You're listening to KPBS midday edition. I'm Jade Hindman. For our weekend preview , we have portraits , a classic opera full of earworms , something called Noise Music and Mozart. Joining me with all the details is KPBS arts producer and editor Julia Dixon Evans. Julia , welcome.

S5: Hi , J. Thanks for having me.

S1: Paintings that chronicle the formative years of young women are now on view at Oceanside Museum of Art. Tell us about Beside Herself. Sure.

S5: Sure. So this is an exhibit that's a series of paintings by Lanie Emanuel. She is a California artist , and these are large scale figurative works with the girl as the subject. And in most cases , there's minimal background. So the portrait really gets the focus. And there are multiple girls here. It's like a look at girlhood. And I think these are all teenage girls in their natural state , just like a wide range of expressions , emotions , fashion and body language. There's joy , worry , some annoyance and awkwardness and a lot of pensive ness , and it's all really palpable. One of them is a girl in her pink prom dress. She's wearing black combat boots and holding a fairy wand , and she's sprawled over a chair. There's a series of high heels with socks. There's a girl who's kneeling in a corner looking up while checking her phone. Kind of like that teenage resting state. And I love the way Emanuel uses light. It brings a lot of movement into the pieces , even when the figure is in repose or is seated. And this is all on view at OMA through February. And they're open from 11 to 5 Thursday through Sunday. And they also have extended hours Friday night. So tonight they're open until eight.

S1: All right. Pacific Lyric Association will perform the opera Carmen this weekend and next. Tell us about this production. Yeah.

S5: Yeah. And first I want to talk about because there's music in Carmen and how amazingly familiar so many of these teens are. When I was listening through the other night , I was blown away by how many famous hits are in one single opera. It's like earworm after earworm after earworm. The opera sang in French , but it sat in Spain. And the stories about Carmen and Don Jose and this tragic seduction and jealousy between them. And it notably was one of the first big French operas that wasn't about upper class characters. Carmen's what's known as an opera comic , which generally means the plots progressed by dialogue in between songs and specific lyric association. Their model is to also add an English language narration before major scenes so that they can help explain what's going on. So I think if you're intimidated by opera at all , this one might be a pretty good gateway. The prices are relatively low. I mean , it's still opera. The cheapest seats are about $60 , but kids under 14 are free and students up to age 25 are only 20 bucks. Pacific Lyric Association is doing three performances this weekend at the California Center for the Arts and Arts. CANDIDO And then three more performances next weekend at the Joan B Kroc Theater in San Diego.

S1: And on the other end of the spectrum to opera , there's an experimental noise music festival on Saturday. Tell us about checked out.

S5: So this is pretty space. Strange. They're a collective and a record label. They organize performances and events of experimental music and art. And this is their checked out experimental music and art festival. It's all ages. It's at the Central Library downtown on Saturday afternoon. There'll be performances by a handful of noise and experimental musicians like Quadriga Christian , Howl , Dark Friends , and some deejays. You can expect walls of sound and some screaming and lots of gear. A lot of these musicians construct instruments and then compose music specifically for their hardware , like San Diego based Dark Friends. And this is all in the library's auditorium. And they're having artists , deans and vendors outside in the courtyard. San Diego Zine Fest will be there , too.

S1: All right. Checked out from stay Strange is at the Central Library on Saturday. From 1230 to 5 p.m. , it's free and for all ages. And this week , the mainly Mozart All Star Orchestra festival return to an indoor performance space after two and a half years outdoors.

S5: So like the first violin from one orchestra , the first French horn from another. And if you remember , this was one of the first major live performances that we had in the pandemic. They did a drive in version of their festival at the Del Mar Fairgrounds , and then they switched to kind of a picnic style outdoor model , and they stuck with that for more than a year. But they're finally moving back indoors at a new venue at the Del Mar Fairground. It's their center theater , which is a $17 million performance space that ultimately it will be operated by the belly up. And this October version of the mainly Mozart all star orchestra. It's already underway. And so there's two concerts remaining tonight and Saturday tonight. They'll perform piano concertos from Mozart and Ravel. Also a piece by 20th century French composer Jacky Baer. And this this beautiful poetic single movement song by Ralph Vaughan Williams. It's called The Lark Ascending. This piece is based on a poem by English poet George Meredith. It's kind of a devotion to the Skylark and Saturday's concert. It's called Mozart and Folk. So along with Mozart's Violin Concerto Number five , they'll also play some of Dvorak's Slavonic dances. This is 7 p.m. tonight and tomorrow at the Center Theater at the Delmar Fairgrounds.

S1: You can find details on these and more arts events and sign up for Giulia's weekly newsletter at KPBS Mortgage Arts. I've been speaking with KPBS arts producer and editor Julia Dixon Evans. Julia , thanks.

S5: Thank you , Jane. Have a good weekend.

S1: You , too.