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Ohtani long HR powers Japan; Italy advances at World Classic

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:17:44 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit a 448-foot, three-run home run in the first inning that landed just below his image on a video advertising board and had four RBIs to lead Japan over Australia 7-1 Sunday night at the World Baseball Classic.Japan, already assured of advancement, won its group with a 4-0 record and will play a quarterfinal on Wednesday against Italy, which advanced along with Cuba from Group A on tiebreakers. Matt Harvey got the win as Italy defeated the Netherlands 7-1, causing all five teams to finish 2-2.South Korea beat the Czech Republic 7-3 in the day’s other Group B game and Cuba defeated Taiwan 7-1 in Group A.Ohtani turned on a hanging curveball from loser Will Sherriff, who didn’t even watch the flight of the ball into the Tokyo Dome’s right-field seats, bending and putting hands on his knees. It was the first home run of the tournament for Ohtani, who is 6 for 12 with eight RBIs and seven walks. He walked with the bases loaded in the sixth, the third straight ...

Denver weather: Partly sunny and cooler Sunday, early week warmup ahead

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:17:44 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- It will be a partly sunny and cooler end to the weekend, with warmer weather coming to start the workweek off for Denver's weather.Weather tonight: Cooler Sunday It will be partly sunny and cooler Sunday with highs in the upper 30s and low 40s and running about 10-12 degrees below normal.In the mountains, scattered light snow showers continue today with 1-2 inches possible along western-facing slopes. Isolated to scattered snow showers are possible on the Front Range, Foothills and Palmer Divide this evening.   Workweek ahead: Early warmup, cool on St. Patrick's DayIt will be warmer in Denver to start the workweek. Monday’s highs should hit in the mid-50s where we should normally be.   Scattered light snow showers persist in the high country on Monday.   Tuesday and Wednesday should be nice with highs in the mid-60s. The next storm system arrives late Wednesday into Thursday with accumulating snow and possible travel impacts to northeast Colorado and in the cen...

AP sources: Rams trading All-Pro CB Jalen Ramsey to Dolphins

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:17:44 GMT

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins are acquiring All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams, two people with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Sunday.The Rams will get Miami’s third-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft and tight end Hunter Long, according to the people, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because neither team had announced the deal.Shortly after news of the trade broke, Ramsey indicated on social media that Miami was his preferred destination.“I prayed for this specifically for about a month & now it’s happening! @MiamiDolphins LETSGO!” Ramsey tweeted Sunday.The Rams went 5-12 last season and missed the playoffs just one year after winning the Super Bowl, and they’ve have been making changes to their roster this offseason. Los Angeles parted ways with veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner last month after one season.The Rams traded for Ramsey in the middle of the 2019 season ...

How is Oscar Colás progressing this spring? ‘You always have stuff to improve,’ the hot-hitting Chicago White Sox prospect says.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:17:44 GMT

Oscar Colás was itching to bat Saturday against the San Diego Padres.“He probably asked me three or four times if I could get him an AB,” Chicago White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said Sunday morning. “He knew that if they brought a righty in I was going to pinch-hit (with) him because I communicate that early the days that some of these guys are off.“As soon as they brought in that righty, I looked back and he already had his stuff on.”Colás made the most of his plate appearance, blasting a long home run to right field against Drew Carlton in the ninth inning of the Sox’s 6-5 loss at Peoria Stadium. It was the first Cactus League homer of what has been a standout camp for the No. 2 prospect in the Sox organization.“As soon as I hit it, I knew it was gone,” Colás said through an interpreter Saturday.He called the moment “special.”“I was just trying to feel comfortable in the batter’s box, trying to g...

Orioles observations on a ‘good learning experience’ for Grayson Rodriguez, Adley Rutschman’s grand slam and more

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:17:44 GMT

In Grayson Rodriguez’s first two starts this spring, he pitched on the road, facing lineups littered with major leaguers. Sunday’s outing, his first at Ed Smith Stadium, came opposite a Boston Red Sox split-squad team mostly absent noteworthy hitters.But that group got to the Orioles’ top pitching prospect, who had his worst performance of the spring. After three dominant innings in which the 23-year-old right-hander retired nine of 10 Red Sox with six strikeouts, Rodriguez failed to retire any of the five batters he faced in the fourth inning. He said his issue in the frame was “just trying to throw strikes” instead of actually doing it, more frustrated he veered from the zone-attacking focus he’s had leading up to and throughout spring than his final line.“I don’t think we’re necessarily worried about results,” Rodriguez said. “That’s something that’s kind of been our motto coming up through the minor le...

Bruins’ comeback falls short in 5-3 loss to Wings

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:17:44 GMT

The Bruins spotted the Detroit Red Wings a two-goal lead on Saturday before marching back to win the game. But in the return match on Sunday at Little Caesar’s Arena, the B’s learned that there are limits to the head starts they give opponents.After falling behind 4-0 late in the second period, the B’s clawed back to within a goal by 6:24 of the third period and had numerous chances to tie it. But the B’s just missed on a couple of back-door plays and Ville Husso (32 saves) made the stops that were required before Andrew Copp ended it with an empty net goal with 23 seconds left, handing the B’s a 5-3 loss.It was another rough day for the B’s special teams.For the second time in as many days, the B’s got off to a slow start. Playing without defenseman Hampus Lindholm, whose foot was swollen after blocking a shot on Saturday (coach Jim Montgomery said he will play on Tuesday in Chicago), the B’s fell down 1-0 on a Detroit power-play goal...

Ticker: Mass jobs back to pre-pandemic levels; Lab charged with Medicaid fraud

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:17:44 GMT

Total employment in Massachusetts rebounded to pre-pandemic levels in January, 34 months after the COVID-19 state of emergency began, as employers added a robust 19,600 jobs.The January gains brought the statewide employment to 3,743,500, labor officials announced Friday. That’s just 200 positions short of the total recorded in February 2020, the last month before a cascade of enormous job losses followed by a jobs recovery.The industry with the biggest growth was education and health services, which employed 5,000 more people month-over-month. Other sectors with gains include trade, transportation and utilities (+3,200 jobs), leisure and hospitality (+3,000 jobs), and professional, scientific and business services (+2,300 jobs).Lab charged with Medicaid fraudA clinical laboratory and its owner have been accused of submitting over $400,000 in Medicaid claims for unauthorized urine drug tests, the attorney general’s office in Massachusetts said Friday.The residential sobr...

Lady Gaga will perform ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ song at Oscars

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:17:44 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lady Gaga will be performing at the Oscars after all.A person close to the production with knowledge of the performance confirmed Sunday afternoon that the pop superstar will sing “Hold My Hand,” the Oscar-nominated original song from “Top Gun: Maverick.”Producers said just days before that Gaga’s schedule on the “Joker” sequel would keep her from performing, but apparently a change after their remarks allowed the performance’s addition to the show.With Gaga’s performance added, all the nominated original songs this year will have a showcase during the Oscars telecast. Variety first reported the change of plans.Rihanna will perform “Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava will sing Chandrabose and M.M. Keeravaani’s “Naatu Naatu” from “RRR.” Songs from “Tell It Like a Woman” and “Everything Everywhere All At Once” will also be performed.Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press

Oscars look to snap back a year after The Slap; Gaga added

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:17:44 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — It’s almost time to give the Academy Awards a big hand.OK, maybe we should rephrase that. A year after Will Smith strode on stage at the Dolby Theatre and slapped Chris Rock in the face, the Oscars will reconvene Sunday for a ceremony that will try to move past one of the most infamous moments in Academy Awards history. The telecast from the Dolby in Los Angeles begins at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC. The broadcast can be streamed with a subscription to Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV and Fubo TV. You can also stream the show on ABC.com and on the ABC app by authenticating your provider.Jimmy Kimmel, the show’s first solo emcee in five years, is hosting for the third time. The late-night comedian has promised to make some jokes about The Slap; it would be “ridiculous” not to, he said. Bill Kramer, chief executive of the film academy, has said that it was important, given what happened last year, to have “a host in place who can really pivot and manage those moments.”“No...

Head of union organization fired after EU donation probe

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:17:44 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — An organization representing trade unions around the world has fired its general secretary after he admitted accepting donations from a suspect in a major European cash-for-influence scandal, saying that the affair has severely damaged its reputation.The International Trade Union Confederation, which claims to represent around 200 million workers worldwide, said in a statement issued after a weekend meeting that “Luca Visentini no longer had the confidence of the General Council as ITUC General Secretary.”Visentini was named to the post in November but was suspended the following month after he was taken into custody by Belgian prosecutors investigating whether a criminal organization had accepted bribes from representatives from Qatar and Morocco to influence decisions at the European Parliament.Visentini was not charged in the affair and denies involvement in any corruption, but was suspended by ITUC after he was taken into custody. He has admitted accepting a dona...