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Hal Steinbrenner says Yankees may make personnel changes but he’s not sure yet

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:14 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said Wednesday that the team may make personnel changes after three days of meetings last week that followed the team’s worst season in three decades.“We’re going to make some changes. Some may be more subtle than others,” Steinbrenner said during Sportico’s Invest in Sports conference. “Possibly personnel but not necessarily personnel. It could be practices. It could be the way we communicate.”New York failed to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016. The Yankees finished 82-80, their worst record since 1992, despite a 2023 payroll projected at $281 million and a luxury tax bill estimated at $31 million.Steinbrenner said a group of 15 team officials met in Tampa, Florida.“At times it got little dicey, but it was respectful,” he said.Steinbrenner recalled asking the group to “check egos at the doors.” Among the topics were player health, clubhouse culture, analytics and scouting.“I want you to challenge everything,...

Sharma’s century helps India beat Afghanistan by 8 wickets at Cricket World Cup

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:14 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — Rohit Sharma’s quick hundred off only 63 balls helped India earn a second straight win at the Cricket World Cup by beating Afghanistan by eight wickets on Wednesday.Sharma smashed 12 fours and four sixes on his way to the fastest century for an Indian batsman in a World Cup game, finishing on 131. He added 156 runs off 112 balls with Ishan Kishan as India steamrolled its way to 273-2. Earlier, Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai put on a 121-run partnership, the second highest ever in the World Cup for Afghanistan, as it finished on 272-8.Sharma broke a plethora of records on the day as India joined New Zealand and Pakistan on two wins from two games.It was Sharma’s seventh World Cup hundred — the most by an Indian batsman — and his 31st in ODIs. He is now third on the list of all-time ODI hundreds, after compatriots Sachin Tendulkar (49) and Virat Kohli (47).Kishan scored 47 runs off 47 balls, with five fours and two sixes. Kohli rounded up India’s night wi...

Democratic challenger raises more campaign cash than GOP incumbent in Mississippi governor’s race

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:14 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Democratic challenger in the Mississippi governor’s race has raised more campaign cash than the Republican incumbent so far this year, but the Republican has more money left to spend in the final weeks of the race, according to finance reports filed Tuesday.In a state where Republicans hold all statewide offices and a strong majority in the Legislature, first-term Gov. Tate Reeves discounted the fundraising by challenger Brandon Presley, saying Presley received $3 million from the Democratic Governors Association — making up more than one-third of Presley’s collections.“Ask yourself: why are they dropping historic money on Mississippi to flip it blue?” Reeves wrote on social media. “It’s because they know Brandon Presley will govern like a liberal democrat.”Presley is a utility regulator and cousin of rock ’n’ roll legend Elvis Presley, and he’s seeking to become Mississippi’s first Democratic governor in 20 years. Ron Ow...

Juventus midfielder Nicolò Fagioli investigated by Turin and soccer authorities for betting case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:14 GMT

TURIN, Italy (AP) — A lawyer for Juventus midfielder Nicolò Fagioli acknowledged Wednesday that the player is being investigated by prosecutors in Turin for betting online via unauthorized websites.Fagioli himself alerted the Italian soccer federation’s prosecutor about the case and the 22-year-old is “cooperating with both judicial and sports authorities with the utmost transparency,” lawyer Armando Simbari told the LaPresse news agency.Simbari added that Fagioli “does not have a relevant role” in the investigation and “he actually he wants to contribute to the inquiry.”Fagioli faces a multi-year ban if he is found guilty of breaking sports protocols.Fagioli has played in six of Juventus’ eight Serie A matches this season and is considered one of Italy’s top young midfielders.It’s another in a long string of off-field issues for Juventus. Midfielder Paul Pogba is provisionally suspended after testing positive for testosterone, and a false accounting case led to Juventus being exclu...

`The Laramie Project’ stages a special reading in Wyoming on the 25th anniversary of Shepard murder

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:14 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — It has been 25 years since the body of Matthew Shepard was discovered in Laramie, Wyoming. The gay college student had been tied to a fence post, tortured and left to die.The murder drew national attention to violence against gay people, and attracted the interest of theater director Moisés Kaufman, who turned the horror into art with “The Laramie Project.”This 25th anniversary has triggered deep sadness for Kaufman, founder and artistic director of the New York-based Tectonic Theater Project. He wonders about all the things Shepard could have become.“Every year around this time, it’s painful to remember, but this one has hit particularly hard,” Kaufman tells the AP. After Shepard’s 1998 killing, Kaufman and members of Tectonic traveled to Laramie and wrote the play based on more than 200 interviews. “The Laramie Project” is a poignant mix of real news reports, and actors portraying friends, family, police officers, killers and other Laramie residents.This week...

RH Bryce Elder gets the nod for Braves in Game 3 of NLDS vs Phillies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:14 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves picked right-hander Bryce Elder to start Game 3 of the NL Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday.Elder (12-4, 3.81) struggled down the stretch after pitching a career-high 174 2/3 innings in his first full season in the big leagues. But the Braves decided he was the best choice to face Philadelphia’s Aaron Nola (12-9, 4.46).Elder, who was sent down to Triple-A Gwinnett during spring training, was a surprising success over the first half of the season after being recalled to Atlanta. He was chosen for the All-Star Game and helped the Braves deal with injuries to Kyle Wright and Max Fried.But Elder posted a 5.11 ERA over 68 2/3 innings in 13 starts after the All-Star break, casting doubt on how he would be used in the postseason. He especially struggled in his last three appearances, giving up 13 earned runs, 19 hits and eight walks in 12 1/3 innings.Elder made two starts against the Phillies during the regular seaso...

International students from India worry about their future amid ongoing Canada-India Diplomatic tensions 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:14 GMT

Deteriorating diplomatic relations between Canada and India have left some students in Kingston, Ontario, fearing for their future in Canada. India has been the largest source of international students for Canada in recent years, with their numbers steadily increasing, benefiting both nations.For St. Lawrence College, International student tuition accounts for 67.6% of the colleges’ total tuition revenue, according to the colleges’ 2021 figures. Parth, an international student and St. Lawrence College alumnus, reveals that from an immigrant’s perspective, the situation has filled him with daily anxiety about what news to expect next. He also voices concerns about potential actions the Canadian government might take against Indian immigrants in Canada.“Every day, the first thing I check on my phone is the news related to this. I believe that every Indian student in Canada is grappling with the same fear, hoping things won’t change from how they were before. I ...

22 US citizens have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war: State Department

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:14 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of U.S. citizens confirmed to have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war has risen to at least 22, the State Department said Wednesday. That's an increase from 14 the day before.U.S. citizens also are among the estimated 150 hostages captured by Hamas militants during their shocking weekend assault on Israel, President Joe Biden confirmed on Tuesday. The war has already claimed at least 2,200 lives on both sides.The attack raised questions about the potential influence of Iran, the main sponsor of Hamas, and whether Iran had anything to do with it. But the U.S. has collected information that suggests senior Iranian government officials were caught off guard by the multipronged assault, according to a U.S. official who wasn’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. That piece of intelligence has informed White House officials publicly asserting that it has not yet seen evidence of direct involvement by Iran i...

Republicans nominate Steve Scalise to be House speaker and will try to unite before a floor vote

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:14 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans nominated Rep. Steve Scalise on Wednesday to be the next House speaker and will now try to unite to elect the conservative in a floor vote after ousting Rep. Kevin McCarthy from the job.In private balloting at the Capitol, House Republicans pushed aside Rep. Jim Jordan, the Judiciary Committee chairman, in favor of Scalise, the current majority leader, lawmakers said. The Louisiana lawmaker is seen as a hero to some after surviving a mass shooting on lawmakers at a congressional baseball game practice in 2017. He is now battling blood cancer.Republicans who have been stalemated after McCarthy’s historic removal last week will seek to assemble their narrow House majority around Scalise in what is certain to be a close vote of the full House. Democrats are set to oppose the Republican nominee.A floor vote of the whole House could come as soon as Wednesday afternoon.“I don’t know how the hell you get to 218,” said Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, referring ...

Ukraine tells NATO: Forget me not

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:14 GMT

BRUSSELS — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Brussels on Wednesday to discover a Europe no longer completely focused on the war Russia has unleashed on his country, but he’s rolling with the punches.He insisted that there was no danger of Israel crowding Ukraine out of the limelight, and instead encouraged Western politicians to visit Israel — replicating similar treks to Kyiv by most of the world’s leaders.“My recommendation to the leaders [is] to go to Israel,” said Zelenskyy. “Unity is more important than to be alone.”He also sought to tie the two conflicts together, saying that divisions in the alliance will only help the Kremlin: “Russia’s counting on it, on dividing support,” he said during an appearance with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. He then made the link between the two crises explicit, calling both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hamas “terrorists” that “seek to hold free...