After years of searching, SF Giants’ Anthony DeSclafani thinks he found a curveball that works

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:38:13 GMT

After years of searching, SF Giants’ Anthony DeSclafani thinks he found a curveball that works MILWAUKEE — A week ago, the bullpen behind the left-center field fence at Target Field transformed into Anthony DeSclafani’s personal pitching lab. Approached beforehand by pitching coach Andrew Bailey and a few other staffers from the Giants’ pitching department, they believed they had an answer to something for which DeSclafani had been searching for years.The curveball. A bender. A potential putaway pitch to pair with his sinker-slider combination.“It’s always been a pitch that’s been a pain in the butt for me,” DeSclafani said.It was time to experiment.Cycling through four or five different grips throughout the session, one clicked toward the end. It felt so good, in fact, that DeSclafani was eager to show it off in his next start, two days later. And it so seamlessly melded with the rest of his repertoire that he went to the pitch 19 times against the Twins last Wednesday, more than he’s ever thrown the curve in three years with the Giants.“Y...

Where will soon-to-be-named Bay Area NWSL team play its matches?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:38:13 GMT

Where will soon-to-be-named Bay Area NWSL team play its matches? It’s going to be a pretty big week for the Bay Area’s NWSL team.Nearly two months after being awarded an expansion franchise, the new club will reveal its name, logo and branding on Thursday.Two days later, the team will hold its first public event at the Presidio’s Main Post Lawn in San Francisco. The noon to 3 p.m. outing on Saturday will feature a concert, games and — most importantly — fresh merchandise available for purchase.Perhaps the next big question to answer is: Where will this team play?The NWSL team, headlined by star ownership in Brandi Chastain, Leslie Osborne, Aly Wagner and Danielle Slaton, still hasn’t finalized what city and stadium it will call home in the Bay Area. And while this first event will be in San Francisco, the most likely host stadium remains PayPal Park in San Jose, the only soccer-specific stadium in the region.Built in 2015 for the San Jose Earthquakes, PayPal has already become a destination for women’s soccer. The U.S. women’s national team will ...

Three-bedroom home in Los Gatos sells for $2.9 million

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:38:13 GMT

Three-bedroom home in Los Gatos sells for $2.9 million 204 Wilder Avenue – Google Street ViewA historic house located in the 200 block of Wilder Avenue in Los Gatos has a new owner. The 1,805-square-foot property, built in 1910, was sold on May 8, 2023, for $2,900,000, or $1,607 per square foot. The property features three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a garage, and two parking spaces. There’s also a pool in the backyard. The unit sits on a 5,054-square-foot lot.Additional houses have recently been sold nearby:On Wilder Avenue, Los Gatos, in March 2023, a 2,075-square-foot home was sold for $2,850,000, a price per square foot of $1,373. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 2,225-square-foot home on the 100 block of Wilder Avenue in Los Gatos sold in October 2022, for $3,750,000, a price per square foot of $1,685. The home has 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.In August 2022, a 2,288-square-foot home on Wilder Avenue in Los Gatos sold for $3,900,000, a price per square foot of $1,705. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. 

Gorilla baby born at National Zoo; Great Ape House reopens Tuesday

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:38:13 GMT

Gorilla baby born at National Zoo; Great Ape House reopens Tuesday A baby western lowland gorilla — a critically endangered species — was born early Saturday morning at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, according to a news release.Zoo staff are “cautiously optimistic” that the newborn, who is the second infant born to 20-year-old mother gorilla Calaya and 31-year-old father Baraka, will survive. Calaya and Baraka’s first offspring, Moke, celebrated his fifth birthday on April 15.“Calaya is an experienced mother, and I have every confidence she will take excellent care of this baby, as she did with her first offspring,” said Becky Malinsky, the zoo’s curator of primates.The newborn gorilla, whose sex has yet to be confirmed, is “clinging closely to its mother,” the zoo said. They are allowing the two time to bond without interference — as such, the Great Ape House, where the western lowland gorilla family resides, is closed until Tuesday.The zoo said that while Ca...

Sloane Stephens leads 4 American women into 2nd round of French Open

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:38:13 GMT

Sloane Stephens leads 4 American women into 2nd round of French Open PARIS (AP) — Back on her “favorite court in the world,” Sloane Stephens looked sharp in her opening match at the French Open with a 6-0, 6-4 win over two-time major finalist Karolina Pliskova.While Stephens’ only Grand Slam title came at the 2017 U.S. Open, she’s also had sustained success at Roland Garros, finishing as a runner-up to Simona Halep in 2018 and reaching two quarterfinals on the red clay in Paris — including last year.“This is my favorite court in the world, so I’m super happy to be back,” Stephens told the crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier. “To start a Slam on your favorite court, your favorite surface, is always incredible.”She helped American women go 4-0 through the first few hours of play on Day 2 of the tournament after a 1-4 start on Sunday, when the only U.S. victory came in a match between two players from the country: Jessica Pegula beat Danielle Collins.Madison Keys, the runner-up to Stephens in New York six years ago and a semifinalist at Roland Garros in 20...

Who can stop Man City? Challengers need big offseason to set up Premier League title shot

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:38:13 GMT

Who can stop Man City? Challengers need big offseason to set up Premier League title shot Who can stop Manchester City?That’s the question being asked at the end of another Premier League campaign when Pep Guardiola’s team proved too strong, winning the title for a fifth time in six years.A look at who might be best-placed to bring down City next season:ARSENAL (2nd place)Juggling another run at the title with the demands of playing in the Champions League looks to be Arsenal’s biggest problem. Squad depth became a growing issue at the end of this season — look at the collapse in the defensive stats following the injury to center back William Saliba, for example — and it will be even more stark when the team has to play high-level games twice a week. Reinforcements at left back, center back and central midfield are needed, especially if Granit Xhaka leaves. However, Mikel Arteta’s squad — the youngest in the Premier League — will be better for the experience of going toe to toe with City before eventually falling short. “We understand where ...

Mauricio Pochettino es nuevo entrenador del Chelsea

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:38:13 GMT

Mauricio Pochettino es nuevo entrenador del Chelsea (CNN) — El exentrenador del París Saint Germain Mauricio Pochettino es nuevo entrenador del Chelsea con un contrato de dos años con opción a un año más por parte del club, anunció este lunes el equipo de la Premier League en un comunicado.“La experiencia de Mauricio, sus estándares de excelencia, sus cualidades de liderazgo y su carácter servirán bien al Chelsea Football Club a medida que avanzamos”, dijo el Chelsea.“Es un entrenador ganador, que ha trabajado al más alto nivel, en múltiples ligas e idiomas. Su ética, su enfoque táctico y su compromiso con el desarrollo le convierten en un candidato excepcional”, añadieron los propietarios del club de Stamford Bridge.El argentino comenzará sus funciones el 1 de julio, ya que el Chelsea terminó la presente temporada en duodécima posición.El anterior entrenador de los Blues, Graham Potter, fue destituido en abril, tras apenas seis meses en el cargo.Noticia en desarrollo.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 202...

Chelsea hires Mauricio Pochettino as manager on 2-year deal

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:38:13 GMT

Chelsea hires Mauricio Pochettino as manager on 2-year deal Chelsea hired Mauricio Pochettino as manager on Monday, tasking the Argentine coach with getting the best out of an expensively assembled squad that has underperformed at the start of a new era for the English club.Pochettino will take up the role on July 1, Chelsea said, after agreeing to a two-year contract, with the club having the option of keeping him on for a further year.It is Pochettino’s first coaching role since leaving Paris Saint-Germain in July last year and marks his return to the Premier League, where he had an impressive 5 1/2-year spell with Tottenham that included a run to the Champions League final.Pochettino had been widely expected to take the Chelsea job, which is considered one of the most high-profile positions in European soccer.He is the permanent successor to Graham Potter, who was fired in March after nearly seven months in charge. Frank Lampard has led the team on an interim basis since then and the team finished the Premier League in 12th place.Ch...

Overturned fuel tanker causes road closures in Fort Lauderdale

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:38:13 GMT

Overturned fuel tanker causes road closures in Fort Lauderdale A fuel tanker overturned on a busy Fort Lauderdale highway and led to road closures, Monday. Around 9 a.m., the semi-truck crashed on Interstate 595, near Interstate 95, and landed on the median of the east and west lanes of the highway.It remains unclear how the situation unfolded.As a result of the incident, both directions of I-595 have been shut down while crews clean up and investigate.Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story.

Even without playing, Cup winner Patric Hornqvist still has big role for Panthers

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:38:13 GMT

Even without playing, Cup winner Patric Hornqvist still has big role for Panthers SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Patric Hornqvist was one of the last Florida Panthers players to leave the team’s locker room on Sunday, which surprises none of his teammates.He’s not playing yet still working as hard as anyone.The two-time Stanley Cup winner has a chance to get his name on hockey’s biggest prize for a third time, with the Panthers set to start the final next weekend at either Vegas or Dallas. Hornqvist has not played since a concussion knocked him from a game against Seattle on Dec. 3, and he won’t play in the championship series.“I feel great,” Hornqvist said. “This is so much fun. To see the boys playing this hard, on that consistent basis for the last 15 games, it makes me so happy. I’m so happy for them and to be through this kind of run again, for me, it’s great. This is what you live for as a player and as a fan and all that. For me to still be around them on a day-to-day basis, it makes my life great.”He hasn’t scored since getting the game winner on openin...