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Column: New-age baseball requires adjusting to the pitch clock and finding the right ‘pocket’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:52 GMT

It has been only a few weeks, but the pitch clock already has changed baseball, from the beer stands and bathrooms to the on-deck circle.The unintended consequences of installing a clock in the game without a clock include fewer chances to go to the concession stands or take bathroom breaks and a penalty for being so popular the fans give you a prolonged standing ovation upon stepping to the plate, as happened to Chicago Cubs center fielder Cody Bellinger on Friday at Dodger StadiumSome teams have extended beer sales because of the quicker games, but Bellinger and other stars returning for “homecoming games” against their former teams are at the mercy of the plate umpire’s interpretation of the pitch-clock rules.One manager told me the clock also will lead to more big innings, such as the eight-run third the Cubs hung on the Seattle Mariners in a 14-9 win last Tuesday or the nine-run first the Minnesota Twins put up against the New York Yankees in an 11-2 victory t...

The 127th running of the Boston Marathon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:52 GMT

ASK IRA: So when does Heat’s ‘We’re No. 18!’ chant start after draft blind luck?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:52 GMT

Q: Ira, why the fuss over the Heat’s draft position? They’re not going to use the pick. This isn’t the draft, it’s the playoffs – Harmon.A: Because while the Heat might not wind up with a first-round pick added to next season’s roster, it at least establishes a position of where to start. Many permutations for the Heat, including a potential Tyler Herro trade, cannot be completed until the start of the new cap calendar in July, so it is possible the Heat exercises the pick in June and then moves that selection. I agree that for a team that is in win-now mode, that still has Nikola Jovic to develop, that there only is so much time for kid stuff. The draft decision could well come down to how the Heat view the futures of Orlando Robinson, Jamal Cain and perhaps even Omer Yurtseven. But for now, look at it this way, even by making the playoffs the Heat are only four picks from where they likely would have wound up if they instead were eliminated in t...

Q&A with NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah: ‘This should be an offensive-heavy draft’ for the Chicago Bears

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:52 GMT

The homework is almost complete. The big test is just around the corner. The Chicago Bears will punctuate an important offseason when they roll through seven rounds of the NFL draft next week, looking to add impact starters and reliable role players.General manager Ryan Poles remains optimistic about the strides the Bears can make and will enter draft week with 10 picks, starting with No. 9 in Round 1. NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah is among many around the league intrigued by what the Bears might do with their top-10 selection. Jeremiah also was impressed with the trade Poles made last month to stockpile draft capital for the next three years while also adding veteran receiver DJ Moore.Jeremiah took time out recently to speak with the Tribune’s Dan Wiederer on all that has happened with the Bears this offseason and what might be ahead in the draft.In February when I asked about the possibilities for the Bears trading out of the No. 1 pick, you said their most likely trad...

Italy captures killer bear amid debate on her fate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:52 GMT

ROME (AP) — Authorities in northern Italy captured a bear that fatally mauled a runner and became the focus of a battle over what to do with Italy’s growing Alpine brown bear population that was once nearly extinct but has rebounded thanks to a European Union-funded project.Jj4, a 17-year-old female, was captured overnight in the Brenta national park in a tube trap baited by fresh fruit, said officials in the autonomous province of Trento. She was sedated and taken to a holding center pending a final decision on her fate. Her three cubs, who are 2 years old and self-sufficient, were with her at the time but were freed unharmed.Andrea Papi, 26, was killed by Jj4 while out on a mountain training run April 5. After identifying Jj4 as his killer through her DNA, Trento provincial authorities ordered her euthanized, but animal rights groups appealed to an administrative court, which suspended the kill order.Jj4 is the same Alpine brown bear that injured a father and son out walking in th...

Russia upholds detention of US reporter

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:52 GMT

MOSCOW — A Russian judge on Tuesday upheld the detention of jailed American journalist Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested on spying charges as part of a sweeping Kremlin crackdown on dissent amid the war in Ukraine. He and the U.S. government vehemently deny the allegations.The Wall Street Journal reporter is the first U.S. correspondent since the Cold War to be detained in Russia on spying allegations and his arrest rattled journalists in the country and elicited outrage in the West. Dozens of journalists crowded into the courtroom to catch a glimpse of Gershkovich, who looked calm as he stood inside a glass cage to appeal his detention.Russia’s Federal Security Service detained the 31-year-old in Yekaterinburg in March and accused him of trying to obtain classified information about a Russian arms factory.Gershkovich, his employer and the U. S. government deny he was involved in spying and have demanded his release.“Evan is a member of the free press who right up until he was arre...

China offers to facilitate Israel-Palestinian peace talks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:52 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China’s foreign minister told his Israeli and Palestinian counterparts that his country is ready to help facilitate peace talks between the two sides, in its latest effort at mediation in the region. In separate phone calls to the two officials on Monday, Qin Gang expressed China’s concern over intensifying tensions between Israel and Palestinians and its support for a resumption of peace talks, the Foreign Ministry said in statements issued late Monday. Last month, Saudi Arabia and Iran reached a deal in China to restore diplomatic ties that were cut off in 2016. It was a dramatic moment of diplomacy for China that Beijing touted as evidence of its ability to be a diplomatic player in the Middle East. Qin stressed in his talks with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen that Saudi Arabia and Iran have set a good example of overcoming differences through dialogue, a statement about that phone call said.He told Cohen that Beijing encourages Israel and the Pales...

Loblaw hiring European retail executive Per Bank as companies next CEO

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:52 GMT

BRAMPTON, Ont. — Loblaw Companies Ltd. is hiring veteran European retail executive Per Bank as its next president and chief executive.The parent company of the Loblaws grocery chain and Shoppers Drug Mart says Bank, the chief executive of Denmark’s Salling Group A/S, will join the company by early 2024.Salling Group operates department stores, supermarkets and discount stores. The hiring of Bank comes as Loblaw chief operating officer Robert Sawyer plans to retire at the end of the year.Galen Weston has been serving as president of Loblaw since 2021 when Sarah Davis retired from the job.He will remain chair of the Loblaw board, as well as chair and chief executive of George Weston Ltd., the retailer’s parent company.This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 18, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:L, TSX:WN)The Canadian Press

What are China’s alleged ‘secret overseas police stations’?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:52 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Police in New York have arrested two men for allegedly setting up a secret police station for a Chinese provincial police agency to collect information on opponents of the ruling Communist Party. Such offices have been reported across North America, Europe and in other countries where Chinese communities include critics of the Communist Party who have family or business contacts in China. China denies that they are police stations, saying that they exist mainly to provide citizen services such as renewing driver’s licenses.Party leader and head of state Xi Jinping has waged a campaign against corruption that has also targeted criticism of his regime at home and abroad, while seeking to chase down those accused of financial crimes. The arrests Monday in New York came alongside charges against 34 officers with China’s national police force in China for using social media to harass party critics in the United States, authorities said Monday.Below is a look at the a...

Millennial Money: Young adults traveling on fiscal thin ice

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:52 GMT

Prices for travel remain stubbornly high. The cost of airfare in February was 27% higher than the same month a year earlier, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data . And rental car prices — having shot up during the pandemic — remain high today, as they’re 37% pricier in February than they were in the same month in 2019.Yet costlier travel is not deterring younger Americans who are eager to hit the road (and the skies) this year. A whopping 87% of 18-to-29-year-olds and 90% of 30-to-44-year-olds intend to travel this summer, according to a March survey by The Vacationer. If the economy is slowing, younger travelers aren’t heeding the memo.“When I meet with folks, they’re not budgeting,” says Dylan Snowden, a financial coach . “Most will just think about hotels and flight, but not the fact that they need to feed themselves three times a day.”Ignoring the broader economic trends (like the rising cost of eating out) could mean stormy financial waters ahead for these vacation...