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What the A’s youth movement tells us about the 2024 roster

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:55 GMT

The A’s are familiar with rock bottom and just as accustomed to climbing out of it. Oakland’s 2023 season was doomed from the start and overshadowed by the organization’s desperate escape to Las Vegas.But for fans not completely turned off by ownership’s abandonment, the 2023 season also gave baseball operations free range to see what the organization’s minor league system has to offer. It may mean the 2024 A’s team will be brimming with prospects hoping to lift this beat-up team back to relevance.Top prospects Zack Gelof, Tyler Soderstrom, Lawrence Butler and Mason Miller have had varying degrees of success and appear to be players the franchise can build around. In the last few days they’ve debuted top pitchers such Easton Lucas, Joe Boyle, and No. 13 prospect Joey Estes, will start on Wednesday. Freddy Tarnok made five appearances before undergoing hip surgery, but is expected to compete for a spot in the rotation next spring.With nothin...

SF Giants broadcast partners Mike Krukow, 71, and Duane Kuiper, 73, plan to ‘go on as long as we can’

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:55 GMT

If there was any uncertainty about the future of the San Francisco Giants broadcast booth, it’s been dispelled.Broadcast partners for 30 years, Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow will continue calling Giants games for the foreseeable future, they told former Oakland Tribune columnist Dave Newhouse in this week’s Ultimate Sports Guide newsletter.“That’s the plan,” Krukow, 71, told Newhouse. “We’ll go on as long as we can.”“If we can do it,” Kuiper, 73, added, “we’ll do it until we can’t.”Age and health have been of concern for the pair of former Giants players who are continuously honored as being part of the best broadcast booth in baseball. Awful Announcing ranked them No. 1 again this year for the fourth time.They’ve also been through a lot off the field.Related ArticlesSan Francisco Giants | A double shot of whiskey, Barbie dress-up day and a much-needed win leave SF Giants in good spirits, despite lackluster series vs. Rockies San Francisco Giants | SF...

Dominion’s $1.6B defamation suit against Newsmax set for 2024 trial

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:55 GMT

By Marshall Cohen | CNNDominion Voting Systems’ $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Newsmax over the right-wing network’s airing of 2020 election lies is scheduled to go to trial in late September 2024, a Delaware judge decided.Dominion sued Newsmax in the wake of the 2020 election over the network’s on-air promotion of the false claim that the voting technology company rigged the election against then-President Donald Trump by flipping millions of votes to Joe Biden. The network denies wrongdoing.The decision by Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis means — barring an out-of-court settlement — Trump’s lies about the 2020 election will be front and center at a four-week trial during the closing weeks of the 2024 election.Davis presided over a similar high-profile defamation case brought by Dominion against Fox News over the network’s airing of election lies. The case ended in April with a last-second $787 million settlement, the largest publicly known defamation settlement in...

Trump will skip second Republican primary debate

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:55 GMT

By Kristen Holmes | CNNFormer President Donald Trump will skip the second Republican presidential primary debate in California next week and instead will travel to Detroit to deliver a speech to an audience that will include current and former union members, according to a source familiar with his plans.His prime-time remarks will serve as counterprogramming to the September 27 debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley.The revelation comes as the United Auto Workers’ strike has entered its fourth day.“The auto workers are being sold down the river by their leadership, and their leadership should endorse Trump,” the former president told NBC News in an interview last week.Details of Trump’s Detroit trip were first reported by The New York Times.Trump, who has maintained a large lead in national and early-state primary polls, also skipped the first GOP primary debate in Milwaukee last month. The third debate is scheduled to take place in Miami in November. The fo...

Run game, downfield passing and pass rush are deficiencies for the Raiders

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:55 GMT

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Through two games — including in the 17-16 victory at Denver a week ago — some disturbing trends have emerged for the Las Vegas Raiders.They haven’t been able to run the ball even with the reigning rushing champion in their backfield. The Raiders haven’t developed a consistent vertical passing game, which isn’t a shock considering that was a knock on Jimmy Garoppolo when Las Vegas signed him. And the Raiders’ ever-struggling defense continues to have problems even with some new faces to buttress one of the NFL’s top pass rushers in Maxx Crosby.Sunday’s 38-10 loss at the Buffalo Bills underscored how much work there is for the Raiders.The question is whether their problems are fixable, and with 15 games remaining, the Raiders still have time to make their case all is not lost.“It’s our choice as to how we use this,” coach Josh McDaniels said Monday. “You can either use it as a huge positive and grow and get significantly better and...

Panthers veteran LB Shaq Thompson carted off vs. Saints with shin injury

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:55 GMT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Carolina Panthers inside linebacker Shaq Thompson was carted off the field after sustaining a right shin injury against the New Orleans Saints on Monday night.His return was listed as doubtful.Thompson was injured late in the first quarter when Saints offensive lineman Trevor Penning and Panthers defensive lineman DeShawn Williams were engaged in a block and rolled up on the back of Thompson’s right leg as he was trying to make a tackle.Thompson, in his ninth season with the Panthers, is one of the team’s emotional leaders. Before he was helped onto the cart, the entire Panthers bench ran on the field to wish Thompson well.The second-longest tenured player on Carolina’s roster, Thompson had a career-high 135 tackles last season. He became only the fifth player in franchise history to amass at least 100 tackles in four consecutive seasons.___AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflSource

Minnesota picks Taylor Heise 1st in the inaugural Professional Women’s Hockey League draft

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:55 GMT

If Minnesota regards itself as the State of Hockey, the Twin Cities’ Professional Women’s Hockey League franchise will feature plenty of homegrown players, including Taylor Heise.The 2022 women’s college hockey player of the year, who played for the Golden Gophers and grew up 75 miles from Minneapolis, is staying home after the yet-to-be-named Minnesota franchise used the No. 1 pick to select Heise in the newly launched league’s inaugural draft on Monday.“It’s an unreal feeling,” the 23-year-old Heise said.“It’s my home. Everyone I love is there. And it’s the State of Hockey,” she added. “I’m just honored that I’m going to be able to play and to show little girls that anything is possible if you keep working hard.”Heise heard her named called by tennis legend Billie Jean King, a member of the league’s board of directors in opening the PWHL’s 15-round draft held in Toronto.Heise joins a franchise whose general manager, former U.S. national team player Natalie Darwitz, is from Minneso...

Playoff-chasing Rangers get boost with return of two All-Stars: rookie 3B Jung and RF Garcia

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:55 GMT

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The playoff-chasing Texas Rangers got a huge boost with the return of two All-Star players to their starting lineup Monday night, when rookie third baseman Josh Jung and slugging right fielder Adolis García were both activated from the injured list. Jung had been out six weeks since fracturing his left thumb. García, the AL leader with 100 RBIs when he got hurt Sept. 6, had missed 10 games because of a patellar tendon strain in his right knee. After watching both players take early batting practice Monday, manager Bruce Bochy said Jung would be in the lineup but García still needed to go through some other drills and visit with a doctor. About a half-hour before first pitch against Boston, the Rangers posted a new lineup with Jung batting fifth and García sixth. To make room on the 28-man roster, catcher-first baseman Sam Huff and infielder Jonathan Ornelas were both optioned to Triple-A Round Rock. After being swept in three games at Cleveland over the weeke...

Senate ditches dress code as Fetterman and others choose casual clothes

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:55 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The stuffy Senate is now a bit less formal.Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday that staff for the chamber’s Sergeant-at-Arms — the Senate’s official clothes police — will no longer enforce a dress code on the Senate floor. The change comes after Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman has been unapologetically wearing shorts as he goes about his duties, voting from doorways so he doesn’t get in trouble for his more casual attire.“There has been an informal dress code that was enforced,” Schumer said in a statement. “Senators are able to choose what they wear on the Senate floor. I will continue to wear a suit.”Schumer did not mention Fetterman in his statement about the dress code, which will only apply to senators, not staff. The changes prompted outrage from some of the chamber’s more formal members, eroding a bit of the good will that first-term Fetterman had earned earlier this year when he checked himself into the hospital for clinical depression. He won ...

SEC suspends Florida’s George, Mazzccua and Zanders along with Tennessee’s Norman-Lott for fight

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:55 GMT

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Southeastern Conference suspended three Florida players and one Tennessee player for their roles in a fight that started on what was supposed to be the last play of their game Saturday night.The half-game punishments were doled out Monday after video review and consultation between the league office and both universities.No. 25 Florida will be without right tackle Damieon George, guard Micah Mazzccua and tight end Dante Zanders on Saturday for the first half against Charlotte in Gainesville. Defensive lineman Omarr Norman-Lott will miss the first half of No. 23 Tennessee’s game against UTSA on Saturday in Knoxville.The fight started when Florida quarterback Graham Mertz was slow to take a knee on a fourth-and-16 play with 9 seconds remaining in the Gators’ 29-16 victory in the Swamp. Tennessee defensive lineman Omari Thomas bumped into Mertz as he finally took a knee, and Florida left tackle Austin Barber took exception.Benches cleared, and T...