Every kid in the US learns of the Great Chicago Fire (2,112 acres) in school and how modern building codes & fire depts have made this impossible, yet both the 2023 Lahaina & the current Palisades Fire crossed 17,000 acres - 8x the size! I marked up a map of Chicago to compare.

As the Chiefs go for a Super Bowl three-peat, an entire generation of star quarterbacks hasn’t had a sniff of the Lombardi Trophy because of Patrick Mahomes’s sustained dominance. wsj.com/sports/footbal… by Andrew Beaton

AFC CHAMPS THREE YEARS RUNNING 🏆

Americans are becoming more dependent on federal and state support. That support is especially critical in economically stressed communities throughout the U.S., many of which lean Republican. wsj.com/politics/elect… via The Wall Street Journal

Flight paths of American Airlines 5342 and the Black Hawk helicopter wsj.com/livecoverage/p…

See how Senators having been voting on Trump’s cabinet picks on.wsj.com/3CsM3XM

The new computerized ball-strike system is being tested during spring training, leading to a series of challenges from players who don’t know the strike zone quite as well as they think. wsj.com/sports/basebal… via The Wall Street Journal

When the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs square off in Tokyo this week for MLB’s season-opening series, it will underscore Japan’s pre-eminent role in baseball today. wsj.com/sports/basebal…

What's the Math Behind Trump's New Tariffs? wsj.com/livecoverage/t…

Almost every trading partner of the U.S. faces higher tariffs that will drive up prices unevenly on imports wsj.com/economy/trade/…

NEW FROM ME: Hunter Greene has the hardest average fastball of any starting pitcher ever recorded. He’s AVERAGING 99.4 mph. Oh, and it has made him perhaps the best pitcher on the planet — ERA of 1.00 since July 1 of last year. wsj.com/sports/basebal…

The Conclave: A visual step-by-step look at picking the pope, the world’s most secretive election wsj.com/world/europe/c… via The Wall Street Journal

What a drop from predictions wsj.com/sports/footbal… via The Wall Street Journal

Exactly one year ago, Yankees slugger Aaron Judge made a tiny adjustment to his batting stance. It resulted in one of the greatest stretches of hitting that baseball has ever seen. From Jared Diamond wsj.com/sports/basebal…

How the deportation process works, from arrest to removal on.wsj.com/4dizoVq

The Department of Homeland Security is considering the creation of a television show in which migrants would compete for potential U.S. citizenship wsj.com/politics/polic… via The Wall Street Journal

In a bid to settle the unending argument over when exactly a batter has swung at a pitch, MLB is launching a replay program in the minor leagues to adjudicate on checked swings. wsj.com/sports/basebal… via Jared Diamond

Federal prosecutors in New York are investigating whether sports union executives -- including MLBPA executive director Tony Clark -- improperly used licensing money meant for players to enrich themselves. New The Wall Street Journal story with Andrew Beaton: wsj.com/sports/basebal…

Club World Cup >>> Champions League