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Column: Pressure mounts as the Chicago Cubs inch closer to a playoff spot before the trade deadline

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:34 GMT

Two moments in two days at Busch Stadium could mean the difference between the Chicago Cubs selling one or two of their biggest stars or going for broke at the trade deadline.It began when St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas suffered a brain cramp and intentionally hit Ian Happ on Thursday in response to Happ accidentally hitting former teammate Willson Contreras in the head with his backswing. Had Mikolas kept his cool and not been ejected, he wouldn’t have been replaced in the first inning by Dakota Hudson, who promptly imploded in what turned into a 10-3 Cubs win.And if Cubs center fielder Mike Tauchman didn’t make a sensational, over-the-wall catch with two outs in the ninth inning Friday to rob pinch hitter Alec Burleson of a three-run home run, the Cubs would have suffered a tough, walk-off loss instead of eking out a 3-2 win.A moment of stupidity and a moment of splendor added up to two huge wins for a surging Cubs team that might not have capitalized on the...

Aaron Judge gives Yankees energy — and vote of confidence — as deadline nears: ‘I wouldn’t count us out’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:34 GMT

BALTIMORE — With Aaron Judge leading the way in his second game back from a toe injury, the Yankees’ offense looked a lot different in Saturday’s 8-3 win over the Orioles.Giancarlo Stanton started the scoring with a solo home run in the first, and Kyle Higashioka added one of his own in the sixth. But it was Judge’s two-run homer in the third — part of a three-hit night for the reigning MVP — that had his peers in awe after the outfielder missed nearly two months.“That’s why he gets the big bucks,” said Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who ripped a three-run double in the sixth. “He’s the captain for a reason. He means everything to this organization, and you see the difference in the energy with or without [him]. Pretty self-explanatory. The fans rise up when he’s in the lineup.“I felt like when he wasn’t there, it was kind of just everybody flying open and trying to do too much.”The Yankees have been a su...

Big weekend in Baltimore could impact Yankees’ trade deadline plans

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:34 GMT

With the Aug. 1 trade deadline rapidly approaching, the Yankees, as of Thursday morning, feel they are in a position to be buyers. But with a big series in Baltimore starting on Friday, the team is taking things day-by-day.The Yankees, 54-48, entered Thursday in last place but just 2.5 games out of the American League’s third and final wild card spot. The Rays, Astros and Blue Jays all held wild card positions, while the Red Sox were 1.5 games out. The Yankees are currently exploring ways to improve, but three games against the first-place Orioles could change things before the Bombers return home for a three-game series against Tampa Bay, which overlaps with Tuesday’s deadline.Should the Yankees buy, adding outfield help makes perfect sense. They could use a left-handed bat and solid defender, especially in left field. The Cubs’ Cody Bellinger, the Rockies’ Randal Grichuk, the Cardinals’ Dylan Carlson, and the Nationals’ Lane Thomas are some of t...

A bomb at a political rally in northwest Pakistan kills at least 44 people and wounds nearly 200

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:34 GMT

By ANWARULLAH KHAN and RIAZ KHAN (Associated Press)KHAR, Pakistan (AP) — An explosion at a political rally on Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan killed at least 44 people and wounded nearly 200 in a Sunday attack that a senior leader said wanted to weaken Pakistani Islamists.The Bajur district near the Afghan border was a stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban — a close ally of Afghanistan’s Taliban government — before the Pakistani army drove the militants out of the area. Supporters of hardline Pakistani cleric and political party leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman, whose Jamiat Ulema Islam generally supports regional Islamists, were meeting in Bajur Sunday in a hall close to a market outside the district capital. Party officials said Rehman was not at the rally but organizers added tents because so many supporters showed up, and party volunteers with batons were helping control the crowd.Officials were announcing the arrival of Abdul Rasheed, a leader of the ...

Three killed when small plane hits hangar, catches fire at Southern California airport

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:34 GMT

UPLAND, Calif. (AP) — A pilot and two passengers were killed Sunday when a single-engine plane crashed into a hangar and burst into flames at a Southern California airport, authorities said. The Beechcraft P35 with three people on board crashed during departure around 6:30 a.m. at Cable Airport in Upland, the Federal Aviation Authority said. San Bernardino County firefighters doused the fire and pronounced the three victims dead at the scene, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of downtown Los Angeles, Upland Police said in a statement.The hangar had moderate damage, and no one else was injured, police said. The crash will be investigated by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board.The Associated Press

Rangers acquire Scherzer from Mets in blockbuster move by surprise AL West leaders

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:34 GMT

The Texas Rangers acquired three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer in a blockbuster trade with the New York Mets, an all-in move for the surprise AL West leaders.Both teams announced the deal Sunday after news of the agreement broke Saturday evening. Texas manager Bruce Bochy said Scherzer will make his Rangers debut Thursday when he starts at home against the Chicago White Sox. “It’s great. We’re pumped about it. We’re getting an experienced guy with a tremendous resume,” Bochy said in San Diego before the Rangers played the Padres. He said the message to his players is: “Hey, we mean business. We’re here to win. And it’s always a great message when a team does something like this.”The trade netted the Mets one of Texas’ top prospects in infielder Luisangel Acuña, the younger brother of Atlanta star Ronald Acuña Jr. New York said he will be optioned to Double-A Binghamton.Scherzer waived his no-trade clause to complete the deal, and the Mets will send cash to Texa...

4 found clinging to hull of overturned boat off New Jersey rescued, taken to hospital

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:34 GMT

SANDY HOOK, N.J. (AP) — Four people found clinging to the hull of an overturned boat off New Jersey were rescued and taken to a hospital, authorities said.Coast Guard officials in New York say Coast Guard crews and New York police and fire units were deployed to the area off Sandy Hook after receiving a distress call about 1 a.m. Sunday over VHF Channel 16 from the sailing vessel Eagle, which reported having run aground and was taking on water.Petty Officer Logan Kaczmarek told the Asbury Park Press that rescue crews found a floating debris field of items from the boat. They then found the four people about 2:15 a.m. Sunday holding onto the floating hull near the Romer Shoal Light Station about 2 1/2 nautical miles (4.6 kilometers) from the tip of Sandy Hook.Crews from Station Sandy Hook pulled two people from the water while the other two were rescued by New York fire crews. All four, who had all been wearing life jackets, were taken to Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch for tr...

Off-duty Chicago firefighter dies while swimming with his family in Lake Michigan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:34 GMT

CHICAGO — An off-duty Chicago firefighter died Sunday morning while swimming with his family in Lake Michigan after finishing a shift.According to the Chicago Fire Department, emergency personnel were called to help and they found him underwater. Woman killed, 8 others injured in shooting at party in North Lawndale overnight He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center where he died."The loss of any of our members is a loss for the first responder community and the city as a whole," Chicago Fire Department Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt said in a statement. A full investigation is being conducted into his death, Nance-Holt said.The man started working for CFD in 2008.

UFO-curious lawmakers brace for a fight over government secrets

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:34 GMT

(The Hill) – A bipartisan group of lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee say a high-profile hearing on UFOs is just the start of their push for answers.  And they are threatening to use heavier handed tactics if the Pentagon and intelligence agencies stand in their way. Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) and Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) want more information on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) — commonly referred to as UFOs — beginning with new laws, a classified hearing and the possible creation of a select committee. The lawmakers said they are willing to use subpoena power if needed to get the answers they’re seeking from the federal government.  “If there's not a cover up, the government and the Pentagon are sure spending a lot of resources to stop us from studying it,” Burchett told The Hill.  He added that they hope House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) can aid them ...

Airfares are back to normal — so why do they feel so high?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:34 GMT

(NerdWallet) - Inflation has rattled nearly every aspect of Americans’ finances, including vacation budgets. But one major travel cost isn’t just lower than it was last year — it’s even lower than pre-pandemic.June 2023 airfares are 18.9% lower than what they were in June 2022, according to July 2023 consumer price index data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).Considering that booming demand — alongside other factors like high jet fuel costs — led to record-high airfares last summer, it’s not surprising to see prices normalize. Not only have air travel costs come back down to earth from 2022’s highs, they’re even lower than pre-pandemic prices.According to BLS data, June 2023 airfares are down 1.33% from what they were in 2019, when airfares were already trending lower. Relative to what prices were a decade ago, they’re even cheaper.Pandemic aside, airfares have been trending cheaperBefore the pandemic, airfares had steadily been trending downward since 2014, save...