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Cubs RHP Marcus Stroman has a rib cartilage fracture, and there is no timetable for his return

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:08:58 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Cubs right-hander Marcus Stroman has a right rib cartilage fracture, and there is no timetable for his return.The new injury for Stroman, who was placed on the 15-day injured list Aug. 2 because of inflammation in his right hip, is a blow for the Cubs as they try for the franchise’s first playoff appearance since 2020.“He’s been an important part of our success when he’s healthy, and you know, it stinks. Bad news,” manager David Ross said. “But we’ll continue on. This game moves on.”Stroman was slated to come off the IL and start Wednesday against the White Sox, but he experienced some discomfort in the rib area after throwing a bullpen session Sunday in Toronto. He visited a doctor Monday and had an MRI that showed the cartilage fracture.“We had no idea what it was,” President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer said. “It’s not your usual pitching injury. It’s not an arm. It’s not a shoulder. It’s not an elbow.”The...

Dean Kremer bests Manny Machado, but Padres top Orioles, 5-2, in rubber match

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:08:58 GMT

Five years later, determining the winner of the Manny Machado trade is a matter of nuance. The Los Angeles Dodgers reached but lost the World Series after the Orioles parted with the star infielder’s final half-season before free agency. The Orioles certainly would have liked to have done better in the deal, but even though only one member of Baltimore’s five-player return is still with the organization, he’s provided more value by himself than Machado did for the Dodgers.Right-hander Dean Kremer was not the centerpiece of that July 2018 trade, but he’s grown into that role for Baltimore, partly by default. The other four prospects the Orioles received in that trade never amounted to much for them, but Kremer has developed into a reliable starter.He showed as much Wednesday, when he faced Machado, now in his fifth year with the Padres, for the first time but took the loss in a 5-2 Orioles defeat. Machado, a six-time All-Star, went 0-for-3 against the 27-year-...

Orioles catcher James McCann took his own advice for scoreless pitching debut: ‘Throw it slow as you can for strikes’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:08:58 GMT

Whenever a position player has pitched with James McCann behind the plate, he gives the same piece of advice. He followed it when he took a major league mound himself for the first time.Pitching the bottom of the eighth inning Tuesday night in the Orioles’ 10-3 loss to the San Diego Padres, the 10-year veteran did what he’s told other position players who have pitched to him: “Throw it slow as you can for strikes.” In a scoreless inning, only one of McCann’s 14 pitches exceeded 50 mph, and nine of them were in the zone or put in play.“I think I threw harder in the cage warming up than I did on the field,” McCann said. “There’s no such thing as throwing it above hitting speed, but there’s something to throwing below hitting speed. If you’re just kind of out there playing catch, well then it’s like batting practice. I’m a big believer in position players, just see how slow you can throw it and let your defen...

Antonio Gates to be inducted into Chargers Hall of Fame

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:08:58 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Legendary Chargers tight end Antonio Gates will be inducted into the team's Hall of Fame during the 2023 season, officials said Wednesday.The eight-time Pro Bowler finished his 16-year career with the Chargers, 14 years in San Diego and two in Los Angeles, with the most touchdown receptions and multi-touchdown games by a tight end in the National Football League's history.Gates, who will be inducted on Sunday, Dec. 10 during halftime of the Chargers-Broncos game, will become the 41st member enshrined into the Chargers Hall of Fame."As I've said many times now, Antonio is not only one of the greatest Chargers to ever play the game, he's one of the greatest players in NFL history," said Controlling Owner and Chairman of the Board Dean Spanos. "That couldn't be any truer today than it was at the time of his retirement." UC San Diego ranked 4th best public university in US: ARWU Spanos went on to say that Gates "redefined what it meant to be a tight end in the 21st centu...

UC San Diego ranked 4th best public university in US: ARWU

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:08:58 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The University of California San Diego has been ranked No. 4 among the best public universities in the U.S. and No. 19 in the world.That's according to the latest edition of the annual ranking released by ShanghaiRanking Consultancy, also known as the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).The 2023 rankings were determined based on these key factors: quality of education, alumni employment, quality of faculty and research performance. Based on Tim Burton’s film, ‘Beetlejuice The Musical’ now showing at San Diego Civic Theatre Scores were also measured by factors like the number of faculty members who have won prestigious academic distinctions and the number of research papers appearing in top-tier journals.UC San Diego is among the top 10 most cited institutions the world, according to Clarivate’s most recent Highly Cited Researchers list. From new discoveries in physics to computer science and chemistry, the university's researcher have led the way in a ...

California town of Paradise deploys warning sirens as 5-year anniversary of deadly fire approaches

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:08:58 GMT

PARADISE, Calif. (AP) — California residents driven from their homes by one of the deadliest wildfires in recent history had one request before they would rebuild in the small mountain town of Paradise: warning sirens to bolster town emergency systems that failed some people before the fast-moving inferno that killed 85.Town officials started testing the new sirens this summer after installation began in spring and as the five-year anniversary of the wildfire that wiped out much of the community approaches this November. There will eventually be 21 sirens erected throughout town that will emit one minute of loud, Hi-Lo warning sounds followed by evacuation instructions.“If you’re going to come back to town, if you’re going to be part of Paradise again, what would make you feel secure and happy and wanting to come back? What do you need?” Paradise Mayor Greg Bolin recalled asking residents after the fire. “Number one on that list was a warning system.”Tests of the sirens ...

Maui fire survivors are confronting huge mental health hurdles, many while still living in shelters

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:08:58 GMT

KIHEI, Hawaii (AP) — The evacuation center at the South Maui Community Park Gymnasium is now Anne Landon’s safe space. She has a cot and access to food, water, showers, books and even puzzles that bring people together to pass the evening hours.But all it took was a strong wind gust for her to be immediately transported back to the terrifying moment a deadly fire overtook her senior apartment complex in Lahaina last week.“It’s a trigger,” she said. “The wind was so horrible during that fire.”Mental health experts are working in Maui to help people who survived the deadliest fire in the U.S. in more than a century make sense of what they endured. While many are still in a state of shock, others are starting to feel overcome with anxiety and post-traumatic stress that experts say could be long-lasting.Landon, 70, has twice sought help in recent days to help her cope with anxiety. One psychologist she spoke with at an evacuation shelter taught her special breathing techniques to bring ...

China’s government tries to defuse economic fears after real estate developer’s debt struggle

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:08:58 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China’s government is trying to reassure jittery homebuyers after a major real estate developer missed a payment on its multibillion-dollar debt, reviving fears about the industry’s shaky finances and their impact on the struggling Chinese economy.There is no indication Country Garden’s problems might spread beyond China, which seals off its financial system from global capital flows, economists say. But they highlight the industry’s struggle under pressure from the ruling Communist Party to reduce soaring debt that is seen as an economic threat. That has bankrupted hundreds of small developers and depressed China’s economic growth.The Country Garden episode has echoes of Evergrande Group, which is trying to restructure more than $340 billion owed to banks and bondholders. Fears of a possible Evergrande default in 2021 rattled global markets, but they eased after the Chinese central bank said its problems were contained and Beijing would keep credit markets functionin...

The European Parliament is open for visitors! 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:08:58 GMT

Visit the centre of European democracy, the place where decisions affecting the whole EU are made.Visit the ParlamentariumThe Parlamentarium in Brussels is Europe’s largest parliamentary visitors centre. It hosts a cinema where you can get a 360° view of Europe and the European Parliament. Discover how the Parliament works, how laws are made and why European politics matter. An interactive floor map takes visitors on a virtual tour around the EU, featuring more than 100 stories highlighting the diversity of the bloc.Parlamentarium is open seven days a week and entrance is free of charge. It is fully accessible for visitors with disabilities.Book a visit to the Parlamentarium.Make a tour at the House of European historyWant more? In The House of European History a permanent exhibition guides visitors through European history, from Europe’s origins and evolution, to the descent into war and search for a better life. Workshops and learning resources allow students to engage with Europe...

Police may carry new nonlethal device on L.A. Metro system

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:08:58 GMT

The Los Angeles Police Commission has given the police department approval to use a special nonlethal device on Metro trains and buses. If approved by Metro, officers would carry the BolaWrap, a handheld device that fires a lasso-like cord that wraps around a person’s legs or waist. The wraps are equipped with hooks that are supposed to sink into clothing and restrict a person’s ability to move until police can detain them.  The device was introduced in 2019 as a less than lethal way of dealing with people in mental distress, as a way to avoid hurting people, but being able to restrain them, officials said.  LAPD officers in Hollywood and the Central Division have not used the bola launcher that much in the last few years, but Chief Michel Moore wants to change that and give the device to officers who patrol the Metro’s buses and trains as part of a year-long pilot program.  Officials with the police department met with Metro Wednesday afternoon in order to ...