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Orioles observations on Andrew Politi’s roster case, Jorge Mateo in center, Keegan Akin’s versatility and more

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:51:03 GMT

Andrew Politi said he wasn’t too nervous at the start of Orioles spring training six weeks ago.“You have this long spring ahead, so the nerves aren’t really there,” he said.Instead, it’s now, with just a few days until the Orioles head to Boston for their opening series of the season, when the nerves start creeping in. Politi, a Rule 5 draft pick, is one of several right-handed relievers competing for a spot in the Orioles’ bullpen.“The closer it gets, the more the nerves come a little bit,” Politi said Friday. “But I think I’ve done what I had to do, and I think I had a good spring from my understanding. It’s kind of funny. The nerves didn’t really hit until later on when you’ve been throwing the ball well and you start to see your chances raise a little bit.”The 26-year-old is hoping to become the latest in a long line of Orioles Rule 5 draftees to make the big league club, including some like Anth...

Ticker: Employment still lags pre-pandemic; Vince McMahon reimburses WWE $17.4M 

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:51:03 GMT

Massachusetts still remains a bit below pre-pandemic levels of employment following an a revision of previously announced data.Bay State employers added a fairly modest 3,000 jobs in February, and labor officials now estimate that businesses added 8,900 jobs in January, not 19,600 as they originally estimated.Accounting for those updates, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development said Friday that total statewide employment stands at 3,735,800, nearly 8,000 positions shy of the level reported in February 2020 before the COVID-19 crisis prompted enormous cuts across the economy.Vince McMahon reimburses WWE $17.4MVince McMahon has footed the $17.4 million bill for the WWE’s investigation into the misconduct allegations raised against him, which triggered his brief retirement.The wrestling executive reimbursed the sports entertainment company last week  for all costs associated with the probe through Jan. 31, according to an SEC filing by the WWE on Friday. McMahon has sai...

Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner available for Magic’s home game vs. Nets

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:51:03 GMT

Second-year guard Jalen Suggs and forward Franz Wagner will be available for the Orlando Magic’s home game vs. the Brooklyn Nets tonight, the team announced 2 1/2 hours before tipoff.Suggs had missed the previous four games because of a concussion from the March 16 loss at Phoenix.Wagner accidentally stepped on Goga Bitadze’s foot and turned his left ankle early in the fourth quarter of Thursday’s home win over the New York Knicks. He was later ruled out because of a sprained left ankle. Wagner didn’t practice but went through drills with skill development/shooting coach Aubrey McCreary.Suggs and Wagner both were listed as questionable on the team’s injury report entering Sunday.This story will be updated.This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @khobi_price. ()

Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Hampus Lindholm to sit out Carolina game

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:51:03 GMT

The Bruins will be without three top players when they face the Metropolitan Division-leading Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday at 5 p.m.Captain Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Hampus Lindholm will not be in uniform because of nagging injuries, coach Jim Montgomery told reporters in Raleigh. He said Bergeron is also battling an illness that “progressively got worse during the game” on Saturday against Tampa Bay.The injuries allowed them to make an emergency call-up and the Oskar Steen will make his season debut for Boston. He’s got 14-17-31 totals in 62 games in Providence.Montgomery hinted that the injured players will be back in the lineup on Tuesday when he B’s return home to play Nashville.“We don’t want to get to the point where they couldn’t play and it’s getting close to that point. So we have an opportunity to rest guys for two days because of those nagging injuries. They’re playing through some pain right now. We don’t want them to ...

Biden’s pick to lead FAA withdraws  

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:51:03 GMT

WILMINGTON, Del. — President Joe Biden’s choice to run the Federal Aviation Administration has withdrawn his nomination, a setback for the administration that comes after Denver International Airport CEO Phillip Washington appeared to lack enough support in the closely divided Senate.Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg confirmed Washington’s withdrawal in a tweet Saturday night, calling him “an excellent nominee” and blaming undeserved and partisan attacks.Republicans were united in opposition to Washington, calling him unqualified because of limited aviation experience. Democrats and allied independents still might have pushed the nomination through, but key senators on their side balked at supporting Biden’s pick.Washington’s fate appeared settled when Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., abruptly called off a scheduled vote last Wednesday — a sign that she lacked enough votes to move the nomination out of committee. She ...

West Reading chocolate factory explosion: Fourth body pulled from rubble

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:51:03 GMT

NEW STORY: West Reading chocolate factory explosion death toll rises to 5The death toll from the Friday explosion of a West Reading chocolate factory has risen to four.During a Sunday morning press briefing, Police Chief Wayne Holben announced that a fourth body had been pulled from the rubble of the R.M. Palmer Co. plant on South Second Avenue in the early hours of the day.Officials have not released any details about the individuals who lost their lives in the incident.Three people believed to have been inside the plant at the time of the blast are still unaccounted for, Holben said. There have been no official updates on the casualty toll since Sunday morning.The explosion took place just before 5 p.m. Friday, rocking the borough with a loud, quick blast. Rescue crews have been working around the clock since, digging through the debris in hopes of finding survivors.One survivor was discovered early Saturday morning. Holben said Sunday that a woman was pulled from the rubble after...

SDSU advances to Final Four after beating Creighton

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:51:03 GMT

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) --  The San Diego State University Men’s Basketball team is headed to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in team history.Darrion Trammell converted a go-ahead free throw after he was fouled on a floater with 1.2 seconds left, and San Diego State muscled its way into its first Final Four, grinding out a 57-56 victory over Creighton on Sunday in the NCAA Tournament's South Region final.Lamont Butler scored 18 points and Trammell had 12 for the fifth-seeded Aztecs (31-6), who slowed down the high-scoring, sixth-seeded Bluejays (24-13) and became the first Mountain West Conference team to reach the national semifinals.The experienced Aztecs, in their sixth season under coach Brian Dutcher, will play the surprising East Region champion, ninth-seeded Florida Atlantic, on Saturday in Houston for a spot in the national title game.With the game tied at 56-all on San Diego State’s final possession, Trammell drove toward the free-throw line, elevated ...

2 officers killed in Louisiana police helicopter crash

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:51:03 GMT

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Two Baton Rouge police officers died Sunday when their helicopter crashed into a sugarcane field, Louisiana authorities said. The Robinson R-44 helicopter went out at 2 a.m. to help with pursuit and never returned, local media reported. The aircraft’s disappearance wasn’t noticed for several hours, when a search was launched. The wreckage was found before 11 a.m. The names of the officers have not been released. “On behalf of the City of Baton Rouge, I extend my deepest condolences to the families and colleagues of the BRPD officers who tragically lost their lives,” Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome said on Twitter. Baton Rouge police officials did not immediately return a call seeking comment. The National Transportation Safety Board said it is investigating the crash. The Associated Press

Is ‘David’ porn? See for yourself, Italians ask Fla. parents

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:51:03 GMT

ROME (AP) — The Florence museum housing Michelangelo’s Renaissance masterpiece the “David” invited parents and students from a Florida charter school to visit after complaints about a lesson featuring the statue forced the principal to resign.Florence Mayor Dario Nardella also tweeted an invitation for the principal to visit so he can personally honor her. Confusing art with pornography was “ridiculous,” Nardella said. The incredulous Italian response highlights how the U.S. culture wars are often perceived in Europe, where despite a rise in right-wing sentiment and governance, the Renaissance and its masterpieces, even its naked ones, are generally free of controversy.But the board of the Tallahassee Classical School pressured Principal Hope Carrasquilla to resign last week after an image of the “David” was show to a sixth-grade art class. The school has a policy requiring parents to be notified in advance about “controversial” topics being taught. Carrasquilla believes the board t...

Biden’s visit an ‘authentic’ expression of Canada’s importance to U.S.

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:51:03 GMT

WASHINGTON — The federal Liberals aren’t the only ones declaring U.S. President Joe Biden’s visit to Ottawa a triumph for Canada-U.S. relations: Washington’s envoy, too, described it Friday as an “overarching success.”Biden got what he wanted on several issues, including a clear timeline on key aspects of upgrading Norad, progress on critical minerals and signs the two countries are ever more aligned on China, said U.S. ambassador David Cohen.On Norad, “the lingering issue of ongoing discussion — it wasn’t a point of contention — was the timing of some of the commitments and what some of the commitments meant in terms of … dollars,” Cohen said.Those commitments include a $7-billion plan that includes the first of new over-the-horizon radar systems within the next five years, with other upgrades to be completed in time for Canada to welcome its new F-35 fighters.“For the first time, there is a clear date attached to the oper...