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Column: Cody Bellinger increases his trade value as the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals appear ready for clearance deals

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:20 GMT

When the 2023 schedule came out last August it looked as if this late-July weekend would be an enticing one at Wrigley Field.The defending National League Central champion St. Louis Cardinals would invade Wrigley for a four-game series against the Chicago Cubs, whose “intelligent spending” plan was supposed to turn them into contenders.As it turned out, the Cardinals have endured a miserable season, spending 80 days in last place, while the Cubs have been below .500 since May 13 and began Friday 8 1/2 games behind the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers.Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak recently said a sell-off of short-term assets was likely, given their place in the standings. Cubs President Jed Hoyer has remained coy about his intentions at the Aug. 1 trade deadline, though all indications point to a mini sell-off without a post-All-Star break tear.But time is running out, and even after Friday’s 4-3 win over the Cardinals, the Cubs inched ...

Bishop Fenwick banned from postseason tournament play in 2023-2004

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:20 GMT

Word had filtered throughout the high school community for some time that Bishop Fenwick was in some hot water with the MIAA.Friday afternoon, the MIAA delivered some serious heat when they sent out a press release stating that the Bishop Fenwick athletic programs would be ineligible for postseason play throughout the 2023-2024 season for violating Rule 87 of the MIAA Rule Book, which deals with primarily with waivers.In the release, the MIAA stated that Bishop Fenwick made both written and factual statements in November of 2022 and again in 2023 to the Eligibility Appeals Board. The school later was asked to appear before the Board of Directors at a meeting on May 17.The Board determined at that time Bishop Fenwick’s failure to comply with the MIAA rules and its pattern of conduct was serious, egregious and repeated to warrant discipline as spelled out in Rule 87.6.4 of the MIAA Rule Book. The Board then voted unanimously in favor of applying Rule 87.6.4.1 which calls for the...

Mets Notebook: Mark Vientos called up, Tommy Pham gets MRI results on groin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:20 GMT

BOSTON — Mark Vientos is back in the big leagues, but how often he’ll get to play remains a question.The Mets called up the first baseman/third baseman Friday afternoon to take the spot of outfielder Starling Marte on the roster. With DJ Stewart on the major league roster and Jeff McNeil able to play right field, the club didn’t have a pressing need for another outfielder and Vientos had been hitting the ball hard with Triple-A Syracuse, so the Mets decided to call him up.However, he was not in the lineup for the first game against the Boston Red Sox and it’s unclear just how much he’ll play in Marte’s absence. Marte was placed on the 10-day injured list with migraines Thursday, retroactive to June 17,  but manager Buck Showalter said he had a “good day” Friday.Vientos, a right-handed hitter, will not be in the lineup Saturday against right-hander James Paxton either, with Showalter citing reverse splits. The veteran right-hander ...

Red Sox-Mets series opener suspended due to storm

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:20 GMT

The Red Sox and Mets were forced to suspend the remainder of their series opener when torrential rains, thunder, and lightning forcefully pressed pause with one out in the bottom of the fourth.They’ll resume play on Saturday at 2:10 p.m., with the original 4:10 p.m. game moved to 7:10 p.m. instead.Unless players are willing to tread water in the on-deck circle, there’s no way they can resume this game pic.twitter.com/B6JhdHxHW6— Gabrielle Starr (@gfstarr1) July 22, 2023Fenway Park has turned into a water park.(: @_BFIGZ)pic.twitter.com/zy6cqSceeM— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) July 22, 2023Fenway making sure they can't get sued with that 'wet floor' sign lmao pic.twitter.com/ywvWBcBUGP— Baseball Quotes (@BaseballQuotes1) July 22, 2023Just before to the rain delay, the Mets took a 4-3 lead with leadoff doubles and 2-run homers in back-to-back innings.Kutter Crawford pitched four innings and allowed four earned runs (including two home runs) on ...

RCMP seek Terrorism Peace Bond against woman previously convicted in Canadian Tire terror attack

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:20 GMT

A woman found guilty four years ago on terrorism charges following an attack at an east-end Canadian Tire store has once again been arrested.RCMP say Rehab Dughmosh appeared for a bail hearing via videoconference Friday where she agreed to a number of conditions and was later released until her next scheduled court date on July 27 in Toronto. No details have been released about what led to her latest arrest except that she was picked up following an investigation by the RCMP Federal Policing Integrated National Security Enforcement Team, whose role is to “prevent individuals from engaging in terrorist criminal activity.”In a statement released Friday night, the RCMP said it had applied for a Terrorism Peace Bond against Dughmosh “out of concern for public safety.”This type of peace bond means that there are reasonable grounds to fear that a person may commit a terrorism offence. Typically terrorism peace bonds remain in effect for one year. In February 2019, ...

Lionel Messi scores dramatic game-winning goal in his Inter Miami debut against Cruz Azul

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:20 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi made an unforgettable debut for Inter Miami.The game’s greatest player — a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner — scored on a free kick from about 25 yards in the 94th minute, giving Inter Miami a 2-1 win over Mexican club Cruz Azul on Friday night in the Leagues Cup.His left foot sent the ball over a wall of four Cruz Azul defenders and into the upper left corner of the net, unquestionably the greatest moment in Inter Miami’s brief history. Play resumed for roughly a minute before the referee’s whistle blew, and fireworks shot into the night sky.Welcome, Leo. He waved at fans while he was seated on the bench. Waved at them while he was warming up. Waved at them while he was actually in the game.And if that wasn’t enough, he saved his best moment for the end. He watched the ball sail into the net, something he’s done about 800 times before for club and country, then sprinted to the right corner of the field and l...

Report says plane rolled upside down in crash near California airport, killing father, injuring sons

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:20 GMT

MURRIETA, Calif. (AP) — A single-engine plane rolled upside down before crashing near a Southern California airport on the Fourth of July, killing a father and severely injuring his three sons, federal investigators said in a preliminary report.The National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday released the report on the crash that killed Jared Newman, 39, of Temecula and injured his sons.Newman was at the controls of a Cessna 172N operated by a pilot school when it went down near French Valley Airport in Murrieta, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) southeast of downtown Los Angeles.The plane had made a touch-and-go landing on a runway when it then climbed, veered left, and at about 60 feet (18 meters) above the ground dropped one wing, rolled over and disappeared behind a building, according to airport surveillance video cited in the NTSB report.“A witness reported that the airplane’s approach to runway 18 was ‘unstable’ and the flaps appeared to be fully extended,” the ...

Brazilian players at the Women’s World Cup urge fans back home to skip work to watch their matches

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:20 GMT

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Brazil’s players urged their fans back in South America to stay home from work and watch them begin their Women’s World Cup campaign against Panama.The fact that their fans even have that option marks a step forward in the players’ ongoing fight for equality with their male counterparts.Brazil president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva recently announced that civil servants could arrive at work up to two hours after the final whistle of Brazil’s games in the the tournament. He encouraged private businesses to do the same.The Brazil-Panama match starts at 8:30 p.m. Monday in Adelaide, Australia. There is a roughly 12-hour time difference between the countries.“I hope people really follow (the games) and don’t use it just to skip work,” Brazilian defender Antonia said from the team’s camp in Brisbane. “I hope people really follow us.” Taking time off work to watch important soccer matches is nothing new for fans of Brazil’s men’s team, but this is a fir...

Family remembers Alberta pilot who died fighting wildfire as big man with big heart

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:20 GMT

WHITECOURT, Alta. — A pilot whose helicopter crashed while he was fighting a forest fire in northern Alberta is being remembered as a big man with a big heart. “He travelled and made an impact wherever he went,” Ryan Gould’s family said in a statement Friday shared by family friend Kassy Goodyer. Gould was a skilled pilot, with family roots in aviation.  On Wednesday, Gould’s helicopter crashed near Haig Lake, 140 kilometres northeast of Peace River, Alta. The 41-year-old was flying the helicopter alone.His death was the third in recent days involving wildfire-fighting efforts in Canada.Gould leaves behind his wife, Carlyn, and two young boys. The couple, who got married in 2009, had recently bought a farm — “a peaceful place to call home” — south of his hometown of Whitecourt, Alta., to set their roots after living in a few places in southern Alberta. Gould’s co-workers called him a “panda” for his big stature and kind heart. &#...

US pulls plug on authorization for lithium exploration next to a national wildlife refuge in Nevada

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:20 GMT

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Federal land managers have formally withdrawn their authorization of a Canadian mining company’s lithium exploration project bordering a national wildlife refuge in southern Nevada after conservationists sought a court order to block it.The Center for Biological Diversity and the Amargosa Conservancy said in a lawsuit filed July 7 that the project on the edge of the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge outside Las Vegas posed an illegal risk to a dozen fish, snail and plant species currently protected under the Endangered Species Act.They filed an additional motion this week in federal court seeking a temporary injunction prohibiting Rover Metals from initiating the drilling of 30 bore sites in search of the highly sought-after metal used to manufacture batteries for electric vehicles.But before a judge in Las Vegas could rule on the request, the Bureau of Land Management notified Rover Metals on Wednesday that its earlier acceptance of the company’s notice of its ...