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Ohtani ready to pitch vs Trout, USA in relief at WBC final

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:47 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — That matchup between Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani in the World Baseball Classic may not happen.Japan rallied in the ninth inning to beat Mexico and advance to Tuesday night’s championship game against the United States, but Shota Imanaga will start on the mound for the Samurai Warriors.If Trout is to bat against his Los Angeles Angels teammate, it would only be if Ohtani makes a rare relief appearance.Japan manager Hideki Kuriyama said he likely will use the same starting lineup as he did in the semifinal Monday night against Mexico, when Ohtani batted third as the designated hitter and doubled to start the ninth-inning comeback.Asked before the game what chance Ohtani had of pitching Tuesday, Kuriyama replied through a translator: “I won’t say it’s a zero.”While Ohtani has never relieved since joining the Angels for the 2018 season, he came out of the bullpen twice for the Pacific League’s Nippon-Ham Fighters in 2013 and once in 2016.“I’ll definitely be pre...

Cavinder twins reach March Madness Sweet 16 after transfer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:47 GMT

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Women’s basketball practice at Miami had been over for 30 minutes. Most of the coaches were gone. Almost all the players were gone. The scoreboard had long been turned off.The Cavinder twins were still working.Haley and Hanna Cavinder made their way around the 3-point arc, one shooting, then the other, over and over with a couple male practice players rebounding. The guys didn’t have to do much, since most every shot went through the net with a soft swish.“What nobody knows about the twins,” Miami coach Katie Meier said, “is that they’re gym rats.”Sweet 16 bound gym rats, that is, after ninth-seeded Miami upset No. 1 seed Indiana in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday. The Hurricanes face No. 4 seed Villanova on Friday.The twins are major influencers with 4.4 million followers on TikTok alone, two of the bigger stars of the NIL era in college athletics, a pair of 22-year-olds who didn’t set out to get famous through short videos. They’re ...

Zoo Miami’s 18-Year-Old female jaguar undergoes medical exam after experiencing health issues

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:47 GMT

Reina, an 18-year-old female jaguar at Zoo Miami, has been undergoing a series of examinations after experiencing lethargy and appetite loss for several days. The 105-pound jaguar was anesthetized and transferred to the zoo’s animal hospital for a full set of examinations to determine the cause of her health issues.Dr. Marisa Bezjian, the Associate Veterinarian at Zoo Miami, led the Animal Health Team through the various procedures, which included radiographs, blood and urine collection, an oral examination, tooth cleaning, and an abdominal ultrasound examination conducted by consulting veterinary internist, Dr. Luis Macho.While the initial results did not reveal any critical issues, several small cysts were found in Reina’s abdominal cavity. These cysts were previously noted during previous exams, and it is believed that they may be hormonal and age-related.Reina has since been returned to her habitat enclosure, where she has recovered well from the anesthesia and will ...

France’s arms heartland tiptoes into the war economy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:47 GMT

LA CHAPELLE-SAINT-URSIN, France — Across industrial plants reeking of metal, where booming machines drown out voices, French arms manufacturer Nexter hasn’t waited for the EU’s nod to ramp up production. With factories located in Bourges’ wider region — the country’s defense heartland since the 19th century — Nexter has been building the Caesar truck-mounted howitzers delivered to Kyiv in recent months and producing the 155-millimeter shells Ukraine needs to rapidly restock. But now the company has also been thrust into the heart of Europe’s arms race, as EU officials seek out manufacturers to rapidly expand their output even further and create a true “wartime economy.”On a cold, sunny Monday morning, Nexter was the latest stop for Thierry Breton, the EU commissioner tasked with championing homegrown production. He also popped over to visit the nearby missile manufacturer MBDA. In the same way as the hyperactive French commissioner toured factories to boost vaccine pr...

Is there a war on? Big EU powers still short of NATO spending targets

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:47 GMT

Not even a war has succeeded in pushing Europe’s biggest powers to reach their defense spending targets.The Continent’s largest economies all fell short of a common goal of spending 2 percent of economic output on defense, according to a NATO report published Tuesday. And across the entire military alliance, only seven out of 30 members spent at least 2 percent of their GDP on defense last year. Germany: 1.49 percent. Italy: 1.51 percent. France: 1.89 percent. And although that amounts to billions, officials and experts warn the organization’s members will need to spend much more to assure its security. The figures, all NATO estimates for 2022, show that while allies have been pouring significantly more money into their militaries for years, many are still largely lagging behind an alliance spending target, set in 2014, to spend 2 percent on defense within a decade. Of 30 members, only Greece, Poland, the Baltic states, the United Kingdom and the United Stat...

Tom Hanks named Harvard’s 2023 commencement speaker

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:47 GMT

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Two-time Academy Award winning actor Tom Hanks was named the principal speaker at Harvard’s commencement on May 25, the Ivy League university announced Tuesday.Hanks, 66, has appeared in almost 100 films. Nominated for an Oscar six times, he won best actor for “Philadelphia” in 1993 and “Forrest Gump” the following year.Harvard President Lawrence Bacow called Hanks “a true master of his craft.”“In addition to his brilliance as an actor, Tom has demonstrated both an innate empathy and a deep understanding of the human condition,” Bacow said in a statement. “He has contributed to our national culture and expanded our ability to appreciate stories and histories that have been previously unexamined.”Recent Harvard commencement speakers included former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, late civil rights activist and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, and filmmaker Steven Spielberg.A comedic actor early in his career, Hanks transitioned seamlessly to dramatic rol...

Lowell Police arrest suspect in armed robbery

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:47 GMT

Lowell Police have arrested a suspect in connection with a masked armed robbery that took place earlier this year at a bank on Bridge Street.Police say 38-year-old Nesuh Gebrechristos is facing charges of masked armed robbery and threats to commit a crime. Officers responded to the bank shortly after 12:30 p.m. on January 31 for a report of an armed robbery that had just occurred. After conducting an investigation, detectives identified the alleged suspect as Gebrechristos, according to police.Police say Gebrechristos is listed as being homeless at the time of the crime.No further information has been released. https://twitter.com/LowellPD/status/1637880609719590918?s=20

Medford home of Elizabeth Warren’s son burns in overnight fire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:47 GMT

A home belonging to the son of U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren burned to the ground in Medford Tuesday morning, requiring the aid of two outside fire companies.“I deeply appreciate the efforts of the firefighters who worked through the night to put out a fire at our son’s house. I am grateful that everyone is safe and request privacy for our family,” Warren said in a statement issued by her office.Fire crews responded to the residential fire at 44 Terrace Road in Medford after 1 a.m.Firefighters arrived to find the apparently unoccupied home already ablaze.By 3 a.m. the response had been elevated to a third alarm.The house burned for several more hours before crews were able to extinguish the fire.Alex Warren bought the five bed, four bath, over 3,300 square foot property in April of 2021 for $1.3 million, according to figures provided by Zillow.Medford Fire Chief John Freedman told WCVB no fire fighters or occupants were injured, as the home was still under construction, but nearby home...

Retro: Who was former Orioles pitcher James ‘Rube’ Parnham?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:47 GMT

His name draws shrugs from Orioles fans. James “Rube” Parnham? Who’s he? A century ago, Parnham, a gangly right-handed pitcher, won 33 games — including 20 straight — as Baltimore captured a fifth consecutive International League pennant in 1923.In eight years with the high-flying Orioles, Parnham was effective, eccentric and maddeningly elusive. Sometimes, he skipped spring training altogether; other summers, he’d vanish for days, or weeks, on end. He might be gardening back home in western Pennsylvania, or umpiring there for a sandlot team, or on a bender. In 1921, having won 50 games in the course of two seasons, he chose not to show up in Baltimore at all.When in an Orioles uniform, however, he flashed signs of brilliance. Several times, Parnham pitched (and won) both ends of a doubleheader. Master of “a puzzling curve, neat twisters and a slowball,” according to The Sun, he once faced Walter Johnson in an exhibition and bested the...

Stocks rise on Wall Street, even the most beaten-down banks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:47 GMT

By STAN CHOE (AP Business Writer)NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are rising on a calming Wall Street Tuesday, even the banks most beaten down by the industry’s crisis, on hopes for more help from the U.S. government.The S&P 500 was 1% higher in early trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 294 points, or 0.9%, at 32,538, as of 9:40 a.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.9% higher.Markets around the world have pinballed sharply this month on worries the banking system may be cracking under the pressure of the fastest set of hikes to interest rates in decades. If the S&P 500 squeezes out a gain, it would mark its first back-to-back rise in two weeks. In the U.S., shares of smaller and mid-sized banks rose after prepared remarks indicated Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen would tell a bankers’ group more government assistance “could be warranted” if risks arise that could bring down the system.Earlier this month, the U.S. government sa...