SF Giants plan to catch Patrick Bailey almost every game this September: ‘It’s the playoff hunt’

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:47:14 GMT

SF Giants plan to catch Patrick Bailey almost every game this September: ‘It’s the playoff hunt’ SAN DIEGO — In baseball, it’s a pretty good bet that the backup backstop will be behind the plate for a day game following a late finish the night before. It’s the most taxing position in the sport, and in the era of load management, there are few guys left who catch everyday, or close to it.Adley Rutschman, the Orioles’ runner-up for Rookie of the Year last season, and Phillies All-Star J.T. Realmuto are pretty much in a class of their own.By the end of this month, the Giants hope Patrick Bailey is mentioned in the same conversation.“We plan to play him as much as he’s physically capable of playing,” manager Gabe Kapler said of Bailey, 24. “I just think he’s physically capable of it. I personally believe the younger players are the ones you can really push this time of year. I think Adley Rutschman (in 2022), he basically caught nonstop down the stretch. I kind of see Pat Bailey in the same mold.”That started Sunday afternoon, with Bailey b...

Richmond: I-580 crash leaves 2 dead, 1 seriously injured

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:47:14 GMT

Richmond: I-580 crash leaves 2 dead, 1 seriously injured A two-car crash on I-580 in Richmond early Sunday morning left the two drivers dead and one passenger seriously injured, authorities said.The collision happened around 2 a.m. near Stenmark Drive just east of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | Pedestrian struck and killed in San Jose in early morning crash Crashes and Disasters | Wrong-way, head-on collision kills 2, injures 3 others in San Mateo County Crashes and Disasters | Man killed in high-speed, rollover crash on I-80 in Vallejo Saturday morning Crashes and Disasters | Vallejo: One teen killed, another injured in solo collision Friday morning Crashes and Disasters | Scotts Valley head-on crash claims lives of San Jose couple The drivers of the Nissan Centra and Toyota Camry were pronounced dead at the scene, and the Toyota’s passenger was taken to a local hospital, according to the California Highway Patrol...

Sancho says he is a ‘scapegoat’ in angry reaction to comments by Man United manager Erik ten Hag

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:47:14 GMT

Sancho says he is a ‘scapegoat’ in angry reaction to comments by Man United manager Erik ten Hag LONDON (AP) — Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag said Jadon Sancho was dropped for the Premier League game at Arsenal on Sunday because of below-par displays in training, sparking an angry reaction from the winger in a social media post in which he claimed he was being made a “scapegoat.”The 23-year-old Sancho did not travel to north London for the match at Emirates Stadium, where two stoppage-time goals by Arsenal consigned United to a 3-1 loss.Ten Hag said after the match that Sancho, who came off the bench in United’s first three matches of the season, was left out because of “his performances in training.”“You have to reach a level every day at Manchester United and we can make choices in the front line,” the Dutch coach said. “So for this game he was not selected.”Sancho took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to say he has “conducted myself in training very well this week” and he didn’t want to let “people saying things that (are) complete...

Ukraine President Zelenskyy says defense minister Oleksii Reznikov will be replaced this week

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:47:14 GMT

Ukraine President Zelenskyy says defense minister Oleksii Reznikov will be replaced this week Ukrainian Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov talks to the media after the meeting of the 'Ukraine Defense Contact Group' at Ramstein Air Base in Ramstein, Germany, Friday, April 21, 2023. The U.S. will begin training Ukrainian forces how to use and maintain Abrams tanks in the coming weeks, as the U.S. continues to speed up its effort to get them onto the battlefield as quickly as possible, U.S. officials said Friday. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)(AP/Matthias Schrader) Ukrainian Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov talks to the media after the meeting of the 'Ukraine Defense Contact Group' at Ramstein Air Base in Ramstein, Germany, Friday, April 21, 2023. The U.S. will begin training Ukrainian forces how to use and maintain Abrams tanks in the coming weeks, as th...

Eighth-inning barrage powers Cubs to 15-7 rout of Reds and a split of the critical 4-game series

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:47:14 GMT

Eighth-inning barrage powers Cubs to 15-7 rout of Reds and a split of the critical 4-game series CINCINNATI (AP) — Ian Happ had four RBIs while Mike Tauchman and Cody Bellinger each drove in three to help the Chicago Cubs cruise to a 15-7 rout of the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday and earn a split of a critical four-game series between the contending divisional rivals.Chicago moved three games ahead of Cincinnati in the National League Central and currently holds the second NL wildcard. The Reds, Diamondbacks, Giants and Marlins are in a tight battle for the third and final wildcard spot.Nick Madrigal and Tauchman each drove in two with bases-loaded singles off Reds All-Star closer Alexis Diaz in the seven-run Cubs eighth. Bellinger drove in another with a sacrifice fly, and a double by Dansby Swanson pushed two more across before the Reds could get out of it.“I feel like how our offense goes — it starts with a soft single here and a soft single there, and then we kind of continue to put together good at-bats and it feels kind of contagious,” Tauchmann said.The Cubs, who banged out ...

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says defense minister Oleksii Reznikov will be replaced

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:47:14 GMT

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says defense minister Oleksii Reznikov will be replaced KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says defense minister Oleksii Reznikov will be replaced.Source

ANÁLISIS | Mientras se mantiene firme un directivo, el fútbol femenino en España puede estar preparándose para nuevos comienzos

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:47:14 GMT

ANÁLISIS | Mientras se mantiene firme un directivo, el fútbol femenino en España puede estar preparándose para nuevos comienzos (CNN) — La emoción de hacer historia no debería amargarse. Es el momento, la hazaña magnífica, única en la vida, lo que debería ser la causa de que el tiempo se detuviera; las cámaras enfocando a cámara lenta a las triunfadoras que levantan el premio ganado, los teletipos cayendo del cielo como por arte de magia, el talento extraordinario eclipsando todo lo demás. Pero ése no es el mundo en el que vivimos.El mes pasado, España ganó por primera vez la Copa Mundial Femenina de la FIFA y, apenas dos semanas después, poco se habla de su éxito.El equipo, talentoso pero joven, no podía desafiar a los pesos pesados del deporte, sobre todo porque muchas de las mejores jugadoras del país se habían quedado en casa tras haberse negado un año antes a jugar con su país hasta que mejoraran las normas dentro de la selección nacional.Incluso inmediatamente después de la victoria, los pensamientos se desviaron hacia las jugadoras que habían quedado fuera. Pero había llegado el momento de celeb...

MotoGP leader Francesco Bagnaia avoids major injury after nasty crash at Catalunya GP

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:47:14 GMT

MotoGP leader Francesco Bagnaia avoids major injury after nasty crash at Catalunya GP MONTMELO, Spain (AP) — MotoGP points leader Francesco Bagnaia escaped major injury after a dramatic crash during the Catalunya Grand Prix on Sunday, his team said.The defending world champion flew off his bike during an opening-lap accident and another bike rode over his legs while he was prone on the track. He was taken to the hospital, and his Ducati team said that he sustained multiple contusions but no fractures.“Luckily (Bagnaia) has nothing broken. Just sore,” Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi said on X, formerly known as Twitter, along with photos of his rider giving a “thumbs up” gesture.Shortly before Bagnaia went down, his teammate Enea Bastianini was hurt in another crash between several riders. Bastianini sustained a fracture in his left ankle and a fracture in his left hand, Ducati said.Aleix Espargaro won the race in front of the home crowd.Bagnaia leads overall with 260 points, ahead of Jorge Martin with 210.___AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/apf-sportsSource

4 astronauts head home from space station after hurricane passes through Florida

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:47:14 GMT

4 astronauts head home from space station after hurricane passes through Florida (CNN) — Four astronauts concluded their six-month stay aboard the International Space Station on Sunday and are heading for a splashdown off the coast of Florida days after Hurricane Idalia ravaged parts of the state.The astronauts, members of the Crew-6 mission run jointly by NASA and SpaceX, boarded their Crew Dragon capsule on Sunday and departed the space station at 7:05 a.m. ET. The crew is expected to spend one day aboard the 13-foot-wide vehicle as it maneuvers through Earth’s orbit and toward its target landing site.The Crew Dragon capsule is expected to splashdown at 12:17 a.m. ET.NASA said that it had been monitoring the impact of Hurricane Idalia, which made landfall Wednesday morning on Florida’s Gulf Coast. The storm pummeled northern Florida before tearing through southern Georgia and into the Carolinas.The four astronauts headed for a splashdown include NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren “Woody” Hoburg, as well as Sultan Alneyadi, the second astronaut from the U...

GOP lawmakers take aim at LGBTQ+ ‘safe places’ program in Mount Dora

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:47:14 GMT

GOP lawmakers take aim at LGBTQ+ ‘safe places’ program in Mount Dora MOUNT DORA, Fla. (AP) — Some central Florida lawmakers said they were considering “all legislative, legal and executive options available” to stop business owners in a small city from voluntarily displaying rainbow decals in their windows indicating that they are a “safe place” for LGBTQ+ people who feel threatened.Four Republican lawmakers wrote a letter to officials in Mount Dora two weeks ago warning that the new, optional city-sponsored program could put the central Florida community outside Orlando “in the crosshairs of potentially detrimental and absolutely unnecessary economic harm.”The lawmakers cited boycotts of Bud Light and Target, which followed the brands’ efforts to promote diversity and inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community.Mount Dora’s city council approved the Safe Place Initiative last month. The city of 17,000 residents is known for its antique shops and weekend festivals.“The mission of the Safe Place Initiative is to provide the community with ...