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Orioles observations on Austin Hays and Ryan Mountcastle’s signs of progress, injury updates and more

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:11:41 GMT

The Orioles surged into and remained in the playoff race last season despite getting relatively minimal contributions over the latter half of the season from two of their most significant right-handed hitters. On Wednesday, Austin Hays and Ryan Mountcastle offered signs of improved form.In a 7-4 exhibition victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Hays hit his second three-run home run in three days and, an inning later, Mountcastle rocketed a high-velocity pitch to left for a grand slam.“His went a little farther than mine,” Hays said with a laugh.Last season, Hays, 27, was Baltimore’s most impactful hitter early before nagging injuries and imbalance in his hitting mechanics led to a dramatic second-half slump. Mountcastle, 26, had less dramatic splits in that regard, but his results also dipped beginning in late June; he was among baseball’s most unfortunate hitters over the course of the season, with his luck worsening further in the season’s final mon...

Booze still all aboard on Amtrak 

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:11:41 GMT

CONCORD, N.H. — Riders on an Amtrak train that runs from Maine to Boston can continue to buy alcoholic beverages during the 35-mile stretch of the trip that goes through New Hampshire as officials said they plan to work out a “creative solution” to avoid violating a state liquor law.The Amtrak Downeaster takes passengers 145 miles from Brunswick, Maine, to Boston. The train includes a cafe car that serves alcohol.The Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, a quasi-government agency that has a service agreement with Amtrak, said it was told by the New Hampshire Liquor Commission that the train can’t serve alcohol during the New Hampshire portion of the journey. There’s a law that forbids serving alcohol that hasn’t been purchased in the state.The liquor commission “will initiate a simple change in statute to ensure there is no further confusion,” to allow alcohol sales to continue, spokesperson E.J. Powers said Wednesday.In a statement...

Nets set to have 3-game winning streak tested as team heads into Milwaukee

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:11:41 GMT

Nets fans couldn’t have scripted a three-game stretch better than this.Brooklyn’s victory over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday made it three in a row for a team seeking chemistry and continuity during their end of the season playoff push.The winning streak includes a 28-point come-from-behind victory over the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics, and a convincing victory over the same Charlotte Hornets team that ended the Knicks’ nine-game winning streak without star guard LaMelo Ball.And now comes a dose of reality: The Houston Rockets own the worst record in all of basketball and are the first team to reach 50 losses this season. They will be the worst team in the NBA for the third straight season if they finish the year at their current pace.The Hornets might as well be in the same boat without Ball. Their victory over the Knicks was their first since the star guard suffered a season-ending ankle injury. The Nets easily disposed of the Hornets and held them to under 90 poin...

Massachusetts State Police make major drug busts in Revere and Hampden County

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:11:41 GMT

State Police announced arrests and major hauls in two separate operations, with a Revere man under arrest for a suspected drug trafficking operation netting more than $190,000 and an alleged ring in Hampden County netting more than $100,000.State and local police on Monday searched the Revere home of Humberto “Pancho” Mesa-Gomez, 52, where police say they found about 16 kilograms of cocaine — which is roughly 35 pounds — and $190,750 in cash making up suspected proceeds of a Greater Boston trafficking operation.Mesa-Gomez was arraigned Tuesday in Chelsea District Court on a charge of trafficking a Class B narcotic, over 200 grams.In Western Massachusetts, eight men who made up a suspected drug trafficking organization supplying the wider Springfield area with heroin and fentanyl were arrested between Jan. 27 and Feb. 17. The investigation began in 2022 under the direction of the West Unit of the State Police Commonwealth Interstate Narcotics Reduction Enforcement Team, or CINRET-Wes...

Aaron Judge makes left field debut, Gerrit Cole dominates in Yankees’ 4-0 loss to Cardinals

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:11:41 GMT

It was a day of experimenting for the Yankees on Wednesday afternoon at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.The Bombers want to get a look at Aaron Judge in left field this spring with the hope that they can get Giancarlo Stanton more reps in right field which will open up the DH spot for one of the club’s extra infielders and lengthen their lineup.The early results? Not enough data to say one way or the other.Judge had just one ball hit in his direction — an uncatchable bloop single — during his 1-for-2 afternoon. The newly appointed Yankee captain made his first appearance in left field since 2016 when he was a member of the Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.No. 99 will get another opportunity to play left field Thursday against the Red Sox and if Aaron Boone wants to see his plan for Stanton in the outfield come to fruition, there will likely need to be more of a sample size for this new configuration.“Best case scenario, we’re talking abou...

Athletes sue Ivy League over no-scholarship rule 

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:11:41 GMT

HARTFORD, Conn. — A pair of basketball players from Brown allege in a federal lawsuit that the Ivy League’s policy of not offering athletic scholarships amounts to a price-fixing agreement that denies athletes proper financial aid and payment for their services.The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Connecticut by attorneys representing Grace Kirk, a member of Brown’s women’s team, and Tamenang Choh, who played for the men’s team from 2017 through 2022. They are seeking class-action status to represent all current and former athletes at the eight Ivy League schools dating back to those recruited since March 2019.The suit argues Ivy League schools illegally conspired to limit financial aid and not compensate athletes for their services.“In either case, regardless of whether considered as a restraint on the price of education, the value of financial aid, the price of athletic services, or the level of compensation to Ivy League athletes, ...

US to relax COVID testing for travelers from China

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:11:41 GMT

By Aamer Madhani and Zeke Miller | Associated PressWASHINGTON — The Biden administration is preparing to relax COVID-19 testing restrictions for travelers from China as soon as Friday, according to two people familiar with the decision.The people, who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the administration has decided to roll back the testing requirements as cases, hospitalizations and deaths are declining in China and the U.S. has gathered better information about the surge.The restrictions were put in place on Dec. 28 and took effect on Jan. 5 amid a surge in infections in China after the nation sharply eased pandemic restrictions and as U.S. health officials expressed concerns that their Chinese counterparts were not being truthful to the world about the true number of infections and deaths. The Washington Post was first to report on Tuesday about the expected administration move.At the time, U.S. officials also said the restrictio...

There’s a stunning new way to view Niagara Falls

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:11:41 GMT

The grandeur of Niagara Falls keeps tourists seeking new and better views of the natural wonder — and it’s easy to find them. On both the U.S. and Canadian sides of the river, you can gaze from lookouts, boat tours, a bridge, towers with wide windows, helicopter rides and even a zipline.But the newest view in town may also be the most fascinating. It’s found at a decommissioned hydropower station that for 100 years generated electricity for several Canadian cities. Now you can walk through the 2,200-foot tunnel that once carried water from the plant back into the Niagara River, bringing you to a viewing platform only 100 yards from the bottom of Horseshoe Falls. That puts you within mist range (no worries, rain ponchos are provided), with a stunning view that has never before been offered to tourists.The 2,200-foot-long tunnel at the decommissioned Niagara Parks Power Station leads to panoramic views of both the Horseshoe Falls and the American Falls. (Colleen Thomas/TNS)There’s mor...

Sinclair believes contribution to growth in women’s soccer will be what she’s most proud of

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:11:41 GMT

On International Women’s Day, Canadian soccer icon Christine Sinclair knows her decades-long soccer career will be remembered alongside her fight to make soccer more inclusive for future generations.It comes amid the public battle between Canada’s women’s national team and Canada Soccer.This battle is well-documented in Sinclair’s memoir, “Playing the Long Game,” but significant developments have occurred since that point.Sinclair said the opportunity arose to write a memoir after the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, and she decided to step outside her comfort zone to be able to share another part of herself with the young girls who look up to her.The Burnaby, B.C. resident helped Canada win gold at the 2021 Olympics and has been a staple on the Canadian national team for over two decades — playing in five World Cups and four Olympic tournaments, scoring 190 goals throughout her career.She’s also become more and more comfortable using her voice to...

Jury deliberations begin for XXXTentacion’s accused killers

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:11:41 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Jury deliberations began Wednesday in the trial of three men accused of murdering rising rap star XXXTentacion during a 2018 robbery outside a Florida motorcycle shop after the alleged gunman’s attorney argued that DNA evidence proves his client and another man are innocent. Attorney Joseph Kimok gave the final defense closing argument in the trial of three men accused of first-degree murder, telling jurors that while the artist struggled with his killers before being shot and DNA was found on the body and on a stolen necklace, it wasn’t from his client, 28-year-old Michael Boatwright. Nor was it from accused second gunman Trayvon Newsome, 24, or accused getaway driver and ringleader Dedrick Williams, 26. “Whoever (XXXTentacion) struggled with is not in this courtroom,” Kimok told jurors as the four-week trial neared its conclusion. “The DNA proves that someone not named Michael Boatwright or Trayvon Newsome participated in this murder.”A fourth ma...