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Bill Madden: Yankees need Anthony Volpe to provide spark as AL East should be much tougher to navigate in 2023

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:05:11 GMT

What was clear in Brian Cashman’s offseason game plan — above and beyond securing Aaron Judge for nine more years at $360 million — was to adhere to the same formula that enabled the Yankees to run away with the AL East the first four months of 2022, never to be seriously challenged: Superior starting pitching.We can talk about Judge’s record 62 homers and how that won him American League MVP honors, and that will be what 2022 will forever be remembered for. But the 70-34 record the Yankees had carved out by Aug. 1, with a 12-game lead, was largely the product of remarkably consistent starting pitching from the quintet of Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, Jameson Taillon, Luis Severino and Jordan Montgomery who, combined, had only four starts in which they gave up four or more runs into mid-July. That the Yankees went 10-20 from the July 31 trade deadline to Sept. 4, watching their lead dwindle to 4 ½ games over Toronto at one point, could be reflective o...

Omer Yurtseven was thinking big; turns out Heat were thinking something else

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:05:11 GMT

It was all in front of Omer Yurtseven in October.There he was, in the Bahamas, at the Baha Mar resort in Nassau, routinely running first-team reps alongside Bam Adebayo on the makeshift ballroom courts during training camp.The two even started the preseason opener side by side, each converting a 3-pointer in that exhibition.Then an ankle injury. Then ankle surgery. Then sidelined until March 11, opportunity deferred.And then a morsel, nominal playing time behind Adebayo, after buyout-deadline addition Cody Zeller suffered a broken nose.Launching pad? Hardly.Instead, something closer to last season, when the 6-foot-11 big man emerged as a supernova during the seven weeks Adebayo was sidelined by thumb surgery, only to disappear in the midst of the 2022 playoff race.This time around, more of the same for the member of Turkey’s national team, mop-up duty or no playing time over the two weeks. Footing hardly regained.“Definitely not expected,” Yurtseven said of again b...

Gallery: Red Sox prepare for Opening Day

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:05:11 GMT

Fenway Park gets cleaned up and a fresh coat of paint for the home opener

Should you buy now, pay later for your wedding?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:05:11 GMT

As wedding season approaches, couples are booking venues, compiling guest lists and hiring a dizzying array of vendors — and they’re digging deep into their pockets to pay for it.The average U.S. wedding cost $30,000 in 2022, a $2,000 increase from 2021 , according to a study from wedding website The Knot. Though weddings have long been expensive, inflation is pushing costs higher.Couples may turn to increasingly popular “ buy now, pay later ” payment plans to ease the burden. These plans let you divide the total cost of your purchase into installments, often with no interest and zero fees if you pay on time.But they have risks, and there may be better ways to fund your nuptials.HOW BUY NOW, PAY LATER WORKS FOR WEDDINGSPopular buy now, pay later providers like Affirm, Afterpay and Klarna partner with thousands of merchants, including retailers in the wedding industry.Affirm partners with David’s Bridal, Men’s Wearhouse, Kay Jewelers and Zales , among others, to offer its pay-later p...

CNN preaches patience as ratings tank during turnaround

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:05:11 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — CNN’s leadership is preaching patience even though thousands of viewers are abandoning the network during its attempted turnaround, with no indication yet whether it will be rewarded.Cable news ratings are down across the board compared to 2022, when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was fresh in the news. CNN’s dip is most dramatic — 61% in prime time in March, with Fox News Channel down 27% and MSNBC off by 12%, according to the Nielsen company.Fox averaged 2.09 million viewers in prime time in March, with MSNBC at 1.14 million and CNN at 473,000, Nielsen said. In the key 25-54 age demographic for advertisers, CNN is seeing some of its lowest numbers in decades.CNN is a year into new corporate management with Warner Bros. Discovery, which hired ex-CBS producer Chris Licht to run the network. The chief goal has been to rebuild trust as a non-partisan news brand after years of criticism by former President Donald Trump and his followers, at a time Fox an...

Porsche stolen in daylight armed carjacking in Aurora; suspect sought

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:05:11 GMT

A suspect is in custody and police are searching for another after a crash and armed carjacking in York Region.Officers responded to reports of a carjacking in Aurora, in the area of Bathurst Street and McClellan Drive, around 12:50 p.m. on Tuesday.Police say a 24-year-old man was driving a black 2018 Porsche Cayenne southbound on Bathurst when he stopped at an intersection. While stopped, the Porsche was struck from behind by a black Ford Escape.It is alleged an armed suspect got out of the Ford and approached the driver of the Porsche, threatening him and demanding he get out of the vehicle. The victim got out and the suspect drove away in the stolen Porsche with the Ford following close behind.The two vehicles were last seen travelling southbound on Bathurst.Police say a patrol officer noticed a Ford Escape with damage a short time later at a gas station in Richmond Hill. The officer investigated and arrested the male driver.No injuries were reported during the carjacking or subs...

Bahrain sentences 3 for questioning Islamic teachings

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:05:11 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Prosecutors in the Arab Gulf nation of Bahrain on Thursday have handed down yearlong prison sentences to three people for debating Islamic theology in a series of blog posts and online videos.The three are part of a local cultural society called Tajdeed, Arabic for Renewal, that says it questions traditional Islamic scholarship and jurisprudence but not the religion itself. Critics, including prominent Shiite clerics in the kingdom, have accused the group of attacking the foundations of Islam and have waged a campaign of incitement against them.The case has divided the majority Shiite community in Bahrain, which is ruled by a Sunni monarchy.The public prosecutor’s office said the three defendants were guilty of “infringing on the foundations of the Islamic faith” and insulting its prophets, in part by dismissing purported miracles as popular myths. It did not name the defendants, but activists have identified them as Jalal al-Qassab and Redha...

Man United report $7.7M net profit in latest results

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:05:11 GMT

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United reported a net profit of 6.3 million pounds ($7.77 million) in its second quarterly fiscal results on Thursday.The English Premier League club, which is subject to takeover bids, released its key financial figures for the three months ending Dec. 31, 2022. United’s total revenue was 167.3 million pounds, down 9.8% year-on-year. While the club’s commercial revenues of 78.7 million pounds were up by 22.2% year-on-year, it reported decreases in broadcasting and matchday revenues.Broadcasting was 58.7 million pounds, which a decrease of 32.1%. Matchday revenues totaled 29.9 million pounds, down by 13.6%.United said broadcasting revenues were down “primarily due to the men’s first team participating in the UEFA Europa League compared to the UEFA Champions League in the prior year.”Matchday revenue was down due to playing two less home games than in the previous period.United’s non-current borrowings of $650 million remained u...

MLB debut players will have special patches on jerseys

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:05:11 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Players making their big league debuts will be especially marked this season.Major League Baseball announced before Thursday’s openers that players making their first appearances will wear debut patches on their jerseys. The patch will appear on different places of a sleeve, depending on the team and any anniversary of sponsor patches.After a player appears in his first game, the patch will be authenticated and placed on a Topps baseball card as part of an agreement reached by MLB and the business wing of the players’ association with Fanatics Collectibles, a division of Fanatics that acquired the trading card company Topps last year.One card with the patch will be available for each player. ___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsThe Associated Press

2 Ohio women reported missing after New Mexico vacation

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:05:11 GMT

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) - Two Ohio women have been reported missing by a police department in New Mexico.According to a social media post by the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, authorities are looking for 46-year-old Robyn Bodine and 52-year-old Tracie Shoe, both from Brookville. They were reported missing after going on vacation in New Mexico at Riverbend Hot Springs. 9 soldiers dead after 2 Black Hawk helicopters crash on training mission in Kentucky Both are described as white females standing at 5 feet, 6 inches tall. Bodine has brown hair with highlights and brown eyes and weighs 145 pounds. Shoe is said to have strawberry-blonde hair and green eyes and weighs 170 pounds.Brookville Police Department said in a release that neither of their families have been able to contact the women since before noon on Tuesday, March 28. The department began an investigation and has been working with the FBI, the Truth or Consequences Police Department, and the Montgomery County Sheriff's ...