Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, wants to penalize fans who violate the field of play by throwing things at players during a game or storming the field to celebrate a big win. 

The former NFL defensive tackle who won a national championship at Florida State University wants to levy first-degree misdemeanor charges, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine, for knowingly entering the field of play or space reserved for a performance before, during and after the event. 

Simon has teamed up with Rep. Taylor Yarkosky, R-Monteverde, to define prohibited conduct at live events, including where members of the public cannot go during a scheduled event. 

SB 764/HB 319 comes after a surge of 79,000 FSU fans stormed Bobby Bowden Field last November after their team defeated the University of Florida to cap a nine-win regular season – the school’s first in five years.  

Simon’s proposal has yet to be assigned a committee hearing in the Senate, but Yarkosky’s is moving into the House and will be heard Feb. 23 in the Criminal Justice Committee. 

How did we get here: 

It is a tradition among college football fans across the country to rush the field after a momentous victory, often to tear down a goal post to commemorate the accomplishment. 

Some conferences have anti-rushing policies and fine schools for not controlling fan behavior. Last October, the Southeastern Conference fined the University of Tennessee $100,000 after their fans stormed the field in celebration of the school’s first victory in 16 years over Alabama. 

FSU plays in the ACC, which has no such policy against fans storming the field of play, so the school and its fans suffered no sanctions for the 2022 post-UF celebration. 

Under Simon’s proposal, stepping onto Bobby Bowden field could cost a fan $2,500. 

What does SB 764/HB 319 do? 

The three-page bill defines what areas are off limits to the general public, who is protected from ‘interference’ from the public, and when the prohibitions are in effect. Provisions include:

One is prohibited from knowingly entering the “covered area of a sporting or entertainment’ — where the performance will occur, from when the gates to the event are open until the gates are closed after the event’s conclusion. Events covered by the proposal include athletic, artistic, theatrical or other entertainment performances. Attendees cannot “place, drop, toss or hurl any substance, object or dangerous instrument upon the covered area. Dangerous instrument is defined as any object, article or substance, including saliva, capable of causing death or other serious injury. Participants protected are officiating crew members, players, coach, manager, groundskeeper, security, or any artistic or theatrical performers.  

What is next? 

Yarkosky will introduce HB 319 to the Criminal Justice Committee on Feb. 23. If it passes out of the committee it then has two more committee stops before a floor vote can occur. 

SB 764 has yet to be assigned to a committee for a hearing. 

PEORIA, Ariz. – The intimidation is gone. 

No more fear. 

Not even the slightest apprehension. 

The San Diego Padres, after being bullied since the day they were born, are convinced they are bigger, badder and better than their neighbors up north on the I-5. 

Yep, we’re talking about the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

The Padres stunned the Dodgers in the National League Division Series last October, 3 games to 1, finally overcoming their bitter rivals, and now believing there’s a new sheriff in the National League West. 

“We were the little brother to the Dodgers for so many years,’’ says Padre veteran pitcher Drew Pomeranz. “They always had their way with us. But you could see the shift coming, and then it finally came when we beat those guys in the playoffs. That was so huge for our organization.’’ 

Says veteran reliever Craig Stammen, the Padres’ longest-tenured player: “There were years we thought we were going to chase them down, and they kicked our butt. Well, we finally beat them on the big stage. It creates a different belief.’’ 

The toppling of the mighty Dodgers brought back vivid, and painful, memories for new Padres infielder/DH Matt Carpenter. He and Padres starter Michael Wacha were on that St. Louis Cardinals team that thoroughly dominated the Chicago Cubs since they were drafted by the organization, right up to the 2015 postseason when they lost to the Cubs in the NL Division Series. 

“Chicago was like our baby brother for 10 years,’’ Carpenter said, “and then suddenly it was, ‘Whoa! Baby brother is beating us up.’ 

“The very next year, they win the World Series. We didn’t even make the playoffs. Everything changed. 

“It can be the same thing here. This team reminds me of that Cubs team with all of that talent. The script is ready.’’ 

The Dodgers won a franchise-record 111 games last year – 22 more than the Padres –and have dominated the NL West, winning nine of the last 10 division titles with three pennants and a World Series title. 

And yet, you won’t find a soul in the Padres clubhouse who doesn’t believe their time is now. 

“I think that was a big mental hurdle for us to overcome,’’ Padres manager Bob Melvin said. “We always felt that we were going to put up a better fight, and lost every series, but we gained a lot of confidence by winning in the postseason. 

“I mean, when you go into a season with a $200 million payroll like we did, you’re confident that you’ll end up in the postseason, but going as far as we did [advancing to the NLCS], that left a good taste in our mouths. 

“This year, there’s clarity on what our goals and what our expectations should be.’’ 

Pretty simple: 

World Series or Bust, baby! 

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“It’s crazy to think how far we’ve come,’’ says Pomeranz, who remembers three Rule 5 players on his 2016 Padres team. “Before, the Padres were just a team no one talked about. No one cared about. Nothing. It’s unreal. 

“You look in here, and we’ve got four or five superstars, absolute superstars, it’s just unbelievable.’’ 

There’s six-time All-Star third baseman Manny Machado. There’s four-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion Xander Bogaerts. There’s three-time Silver Slugger and World Series champion Juan Soto and two-time Silver Slugger Fernando Tatis Jr. There’s four-time All-Star closer Josh Hader. There’s five-time All-Star Yu Darvish, Cy Young winner Blake Snell and All-Star and World Series champ Joe Musgrove in the rotation. And there’s seven-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger Nelson Cruz and three-time All-Star Carpenter sharing the DH role. 

It’s an embarrassment of riches that few teams can match. 

“I mean, you’re looking at one of the best rosters, if not the best roster, in Major League Baseball,’’ Carpenter said. “So super fun start to camp because not everybody gets a chance to say that they’re competing for a World Series this year.’’ 

The Padres have never won a World Series in their 54-year existence, winning just five division titles, and none in the past 17 years. 

Then again, there has never been a Padres’ team with a $255 million payroll, third-largest in baseball, either, after dropping more than $300 million in free-agent contracts this winter. 

“It’s like we’re compiling as many dudes as we can,’’ Pomeranz says. “It’s like an All-Star Game. The town is going crazy.’’ 

The hysteria over the Padres has caused the front office to cap season-ticket sales. They are expected to set a franchise-record in attendance, drawing more than three million fans for only the second time in history. Fire marshals had to intervene and limit the number of fans pouring into Petco Park two weeks ago at the Padres’ FanFest. 

Can you imagine what it would be like in San Diego if they won it all? 

The celebration in the Gaslamp Quarter would make Mardi Gras look like an elementary school pizza party. 

The Padres not only brought in Bogaerts, Carpenter, Wacha, reliever Seth Lugo, Carpenter and Cruz, but now will have Hader and Soto for a full season. Soto had the worst season of his young career, struggling to adjust after the trade with a .236/.338/.390 slash line, while Hader badly struggled the first month with a 19.06 ERA and .464 opponent’s batting average. 

It’s enough to make a homegrown kid dream. 

“I’ve been a Padres fan my whole life, and never was I able to see a playoff game or a World Series game growing up,’’ Musgrove says. “To be part of that first crew to do it it would be incredible. 

Win a championship now, and Musgrove will never have to explain 2017 ever again when he pitched on the Houston Astros World Series championship team, which later was found guilty of illegally stealing electronic signs. 

“Trust me, this is a ring,’’ he says, “I’d be wearing proudly.’’ 

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Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews has decided to temporarily step away from the ice. On Sunday, Toews released a statement that he is dealing with symptoms of long COVID and chronic immune response syndrome.

‘It has been really challenging to play through these symptoms,’ Toews said in a statement released by the team. ‘In the last few weeks, it has reached the point where I had no choice but to step back and concentrate on getting healthy. I am thankful for the patience and support of my teammates, the coaching staff, and the entire Blackhawks organization.’

Toews, 34, missed the 2020-21 campaign due to chronic immune response syndrome. He returned last year and continued to play well. This season, Toews has 14 goals and 14 assists in 46 games for the Blackhawks. 

However, Toews has not played since Jan. 28. He will now focus on his health and recovery in the upcoming weeks.

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The Blackhawks are supportive of the decision. Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson told reporters that the organization will help Toews throughout his recovery. There is still optimism that Toews could return later in the season.

‘We know this has been a real difficult period for him,’ Davidson said via the Chicago Tribune. ‘We miss him being around the team and we want to get him back around the team and on the ice.’

Toews won three Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks. He has spent 15 seasons with the organization and is currently on an expiring contract. Rumors circulated that he could be traded at the NHL trade deadline on March 3.

ESPN hockey insider Emily Kaplan reported the team plans to keep Toews. Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson mentioned they are focused on his health right now.

‘He was back (with the team) this week, first steps of getting back and working out and skating, and unfortunately wasn’t getting the results that he wanted,’ Richardson said. ‘Collaboratively we just felt like stepping back and for him trying to figure out and get some answers is the best thing for his health.’

In the heat of the moment, in the biggest game of the season, Kansas City Chiefs running back Jerick McKinnon ignored his natural instincts and made the smart play – one that helped seal his team’s victory in Super Bowl 57.

Instead of scoring the go-ahead touchdown with less than two minutes remaining, McKinnon slid to a stop at the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2-yard line to give the Chiefs a first down and allow them to set up Harrison Butker’s game-winning field goal. 

‘It wasn’t even a hesitation in my mind to score once I knew what situation we were in,’ McKinnon told Kansas City’s FOX4 TV. ‘We practice that every week. … I didn’t really think too much of it because that’s how we were coached.’

Following McKinnon’s slide, the Chiefs forced the Eagles to use their final timeout, then ran the clock down to eight seconds before Butker booted a 27-yard field goal for a 38-35 win. 

Had McKinnon scored on the play, the Eagles would’ve had about 90 seconds to go the length of the field for the tying touchdown – with a chance to potentially win the game on a 2-point conversion.

‘That’s how Coach Reid coaches us,’ McKinnon said. ‘When that play came up, obviously, I didn’t understand the magnitude of it until after it happened to see everyone else’s reaction, it’s all been a blessing.’

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has never been one to back down from a challenge – whether it’s on the court or off it.

On Sunday night’s TNT coverage of the NBA All-Star Game, Green joined the broadcast as a guest and quickly became involved in a fierce back-and-forth with analyst Charles Barkley.

In discussing the wide-open playoff race in the Western Conference, Barkley told Green that his Warriors were ‘cooked’ and not a serious title contender.

‘That’s crazy,’ Green countered as the game continued. ‘You said that last year, but we all know you don’t know what you’re talking about.’

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For the record, the Warriors did win the NBA title last season, defeating the Boston Celtics in six games in the Finals.

Still, Sir Charles persisted: ‘Y’all are done.’

To Barkley’s point, Golden State’s path to a championship does seem a bit more challenging this season. 

Star guard Steph Curry expects to miss a few more games after the All-Star break with a leg injury, and the Warriors’ 29-29 record is currently the ninth-best in the Western Conference, putting them in line to be part of the play-in round before the official postseason begins. 

But with Curry back at full strength – and Green armed with some extra motivation – experts such as Barkley run the risk of looking foolish by counting the Warriors out this soon.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Though auto racing is overflowing with the unpredictable, there are also many clockwork routines.

One of those is the post-race choreograph for a team: break down the pit box, put everything away in its assigned place, hustle to the airport and fly home.

This time, not a chance. If you’re gonna kick routine to the curb, you do your kicking after winning the Daytona 500.

“When you win a race like this, you take your time and celebrate it,” crew member Zach Yager said Monday morning. “You can rush to the plane when you lose. No need to be rushing to the plane when you win.”

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Instead, the No. 47 team remained in Daytona’s victory lane, where champagne kept magically appearing as the hour grew later and later.

“We decided to enjoy it and stay inside the track where it happened,” Yager said. “A lot of champagne bottles. We were also so caught up in the moment, we didn’t want to leave here. We felt if we left, it would make it not real.”

Yager is a tire carrier on Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s pit crew. Normally on a Monday morning, he’d be back in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area, getting back to the modern routine for the modern crewman, which at the NASCAR level is now a full-time gig – cardio, pit practice, weights.

But this was no normal Monday.

Over the years, it has informally been known as the Hangover Invitational. The winning driver and team returns to Daytona International Speedway, mere hours after leaving the previous night/early morning, for more platitudes and spoils.

Leather Daytona jackets for driver, crew chief and owner(s), as well as a Rolex for the driver, who removes it before pressing his hands (and right racing boot) into wet cement to solidify the history of it all.

Then it’s more group pictures, and Stenhouse, like all the winners before him, is again reminded he didn’t do it alone.

“For us as a race team, it’s all about these guys, all the guys and gals back at the shop,” Stenhouse said. “Friends and family – to celebrate this with them, it was the perfect ending. It didn’t get too crazy last night, but we did stay out a little late.”

This is obviously the career highlight, so far, for the 35-year-old Mississippi native. Stenhouse cut his racing teeth on dirt, making a name for himself in USAC’s sprint-car divisions, before putting more sheet metal around him and asphalt down below – in 2008 he made the move to full-bodied stock cars and found quick success in the ARCA Series.

That’s when he lined up a new Holy Grail.

“Once I transitioned to stock car racing in 2008, in the ARCA Series, that’s when the dream of winning the Daytona 500 came about for me,” he said Monday morning.

He came close before. First, he showed he could win here when he won Daytona’s summer race in 2017. And a year ago in the 500, he led from lap 180 through 193 and was still jockeying for the lead – and potentially the eventual win – when he was caught up in a crash on lap 195.

Knowing you can win it is only half the battle.

“Once you get a win at Daytona, I felt like that dream was possible,” Stenhouse said. “I knew where victory lane was. Last year, I felt like we had it in our grasp, but it slipped away. We seized it this year and it’s really special.”

It wasn’t exactly a David-over-Goliath story, but about as close as you can get in NASCAR. Stenhouse’s team – JTG Daugherty Racing – employs 40, owns a Cup Series charter, and partners with a slew of sponsors, big and small. A first-class operation, no doubt, but within today’s Cup Series, it’s practically a shoestring operation.

“You have to have the right people,” said Jodi Geshickter, part of an ownership group that includes her husband Tad, former NBA All-Star Brad Daugherty, and Gordon Smith.

“It’s a beautiful moment,” Jodi said on a crisp and clear morning. “The sun is shining, we’re here together celebrating. We have so much to be thankful for, from a spiritual standpoint, we just thank God for this moment.”

The night before, it was other men upstairs who held the No. 47 team’s fate in their hands. After an overtime extended by a lengthy caution, and another restart, Stenhouse got back to the white flag in a side-by-side battle with reigning Cup Series champion Joey Logano – Shoestring versus Team Penske.

Yet another free-for-all erupted behind them through Turn 1, and since they had completed one lap of the two-lap overtime, the ensuing yellow flag ended the racing – the finishing order would be frozen in whatever position everyone was in when the caution was triggered.

Logano and Stenhouse, or Stenhouse and Logano? Officials upstairs viewed replays and scoring equipment and made the call: Goliath gets second place.

Behind pit wall, the tire carrier felt the call coming but wouldn’t let himself believe it until he heard it.

“I knew they were going to review it,” Yager said Monday. “I thought, if they’re going to look at this, for once I hope the chips fall on our side. We were five laps away from winning this last year. Don’t rip the rug out from under us again.

“Let it be us.”