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Nelson Velázquez’s performance earns him an extended shot in the majors as the Chicago Cubs: ‘It means the world to me’

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:13:52 GMT

Nelson Velázquez knows roster decisions are out of his control.So he let his play force the Chicago Cubs to give him an extended opportunity in the majors. The Cubs kept Velázquez on their active roster when center fielder Cody Bellinger returned from paternity leave before Friday’s series opener in Miami.Instead, the Cubs designated catcher Luis Torrens for assignment. Torrens, who is out of options, had started only five times, all as designated hitter. He went 5-for-20 with one walk and eight strikeouts. Torrens, 26, has a good chance of getting claimed off waivers.“We’ve got a really long season ahead of us and just three outfielders was going to be a little tough to carry as we start to play this thing out,” manager David Ross said. “It’s nothing (Torrens) did. Nelly’s come up and played really, really well and earned this spot.”Velázquez started his fourth consecutive game Friday, this time as the DH against Marlin...

Pat Leonard: Joe Schoen’s offseason emphasis may help Wink Martindale unleash Giants defense

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:13:52 GMT

The most exciting part of Deonte Banks’ first-round selection isn’t just that the Giants got a talented player at a premium position of need.It’s the possibilities that Banks’ presence at outside corner and Joe Schoen’s free agent signings may open up for Wink Martindale’s Giants defense on Brian Daboll’s team.The Baltimore Ravens ranked in the top three of the NFL’s scoring defenses for three straight seasons from 2018-2020 with Martindale as their coordinator.Martindale has never seen a pressure scheme he didn’t like, but his ideal game plan is predicated on having capable man corners to trust in isolation when he sends the house.“They send a lot of pressure and put man behind it,” Banks said Friday at his introductory press conference in East Rutherford, recalling Ravens games he watched growing up in Baltimore.Those years, Martindale trusted the likes of Brandon Carr, Jimmy Smith, Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters...

2023 NFL Draft | Levis finally picked in second round

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:13:52 GMT

By The Associated PressKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — It’s Day 2 of the NFL draft! Will Levis has finally come off the board after being picked in the second round by the Tennessee Titans. The standout Kentucky quarterback was the biggest name on the board when the second round kicked off at 7 p.m. EST from Kansas City’s Union Station.Bryce Young went first overall to the Carolina Panthers followed by C.J. Stroud to the Houston Texans for a 1-2 quarterback combo at the top of the draft Thursday. The second round can be viewed on NFL Network and ESPN. Follow for live updates from Associated Press reporters across the country (all times EST).LEVIS TAKEN IN SECOND ROUND BY TITANSThe Tennessee Titans have selected Will Levis in the second round of the NFL draft.Here are some things to know about the former Kentucky quarterback.Levis projected as a first-round pick but wasn’t selected on opening night.He sat uncomfortably among the prospects at the draft in Kansas City a...

Army grounds non-critical aviators after fatal crashes

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:13:52 GMT

By BECKY BOHRER (Associated Press)JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The U.S. Army on Friday said that it has grounded non-critical aviation flight units for training after deadly helicopter crashes in Alaska and Kentucky killed 12 in the past month. The suspension of air operations was effective immediately, with units grounded until they complete the training, said Lt. Col. Terence Kelley, an Army spokesperson. For active-duty units, the training is to take place between May 1 and 5. Army National Guard and Reserve units will have until May 31 to complete the training.On Thursday, two Army helicopters collided near Healy, Alaska, killing three soldiers and injuring a fourth. The helicopters were from the 1st Attack Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment at Fort Wainwright, near Fairbanks, and were returning from training at the time of the crash, the Army said.A U.S. Army team from Alabama has been making its way to the Alaska Interior to the investigate the collision between two AH-64 Apache...

Gators’ Anthony Richardson goes from QB-rich UF to Peyton, Johnny U’s Colts

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:13:52 GMT

Anthony Richardson respects tradition, embraces expectations and aspires to history.At Florida, he followed a long line of quarterback greats but left too soon to join their ranks. The No. 4 overall pick in the NFL draft, Richardson now heads to the Indianapolis Colts, whose tradition of signal callers is as storied as that of any franchise, up there with Green Bay, San Francisco and Dallas.The most intriguing and athletic prospect in the draft is not intimidated. During the NFL Scouting Combine in his new city, Richardson told reporters, “I want to be a legend,” a phrase he also had stitched on the inside of his suit jacket Thursday night in Kansas City.The Colts’ brass and fans hope Richardson is up to the challenge and can follow in the footsteps of legends Johnny Unitas and Peyton Manning, not to mention former No. 1 pick Andrew Luck, who suddenly retired in 2019 after seven seasons. If Richardson can perform even like a young Bert Jones, the 1976 NFL most valu...

Yankees Notebook: Aaron Judge awaiting MRI results on hip

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:13:52 GMT

ARLINGTON — Aaron Judge underwent an MRI on Friday, a day after leaving the Yankees’ win over the Texas Rangers with right hip discomfort, manager Aaron Boone confirmed.Boone didn’t have the results of Judge’s testing before Friday’s game in Arlington but said he hoped to get an update soon.“He’s going to see the doctor and we’ll have a better idea of what he’s dealing with,” Boone said.“[Judge] said he woke up, felt better today,” the manager added. “Hopefully that’s an encouraging sign.”Judge got banged up on an awkward head-first slide into third base during Wednesday’s series finale against the Minnesota Twins but managed to remain in that game. He also rolled up on his hand during the slide.The testing Friday was only for Judge’s hip, Boone said.Judge was out of the lineup Friday after leaving during the fourth inning the night before. Following Thursday’s early exit...

DUI suspect to stand trial in hit-and-run that killed toddler

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:13:52 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A San Diego man will stand trial for a collision that killed a toddler last summer.Forty-six-year-old Margarito Angeles Vargas is charged with murder, DUI and hit-and-run, accused of killing one-year-old Annalee Rodarte in a collision that happened in the evening of September 24 in City Heights.Family members told FOX 5 Annalee followed siblings as they ran from their grandmother’s home through an alley into the street.Prosecutors say Vargas was speeding in an SUV down Redwood Street when he hit the little girl, then drove off, leaving her dying on the ground. She had a traumatic brain injury and later died at the hospital.Home surveillance video captured the SUV as it went down the street. Timeline: Unfolding of the Nathan Fletcher scandal One of the most compelling pieces of evidence is from a neighbor who said he was working on his car in his driveway and saw the collision. He then jumped in his car and chased after the driver and started recording video on his cel...

Man walking on SR-15 hit, killed by car

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:13:52 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A man was fatally struck by a vehicle Thursday evening on State Route 15 in the Kensington area, authorities said.The incident occurred around 9 p.m. on SR-15 northbound, located south of Adams Avenue, Officer Samuel Mendoza with the California Highway Patrol said in a release Friday.According to law enforcement, the pedestrian was within the freeway's traffic lanes when a 57-year-old man driving a Chevrolet Silverado hit the man. Rules of the Road: Are tinted windows legal in California? The pedestrian died at the scene due to his injuries while the driver of the Chevrolet was not injured, Mendoza said.The crash prompted multiple lanes to be closed for about two hours.It is unknown at this time if the pedestrian or the driver of the Chevrolet were under the influence.

Syria: Israeli strikes hit province of Homs, causing fires

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:13:52 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Suspected Israeli airstrikes targeted the Syrian province of Homs early Saturday, state media reported.Syria’s state news agency, SANA, citing military officials, said that three civilians were wounded in the strike and that a civilian fuel station caught fire and a number of fuel tankers and trucks were burned. It reported that Syrian air defenses responded to Israeli missiles in the sky over Homs and shot down some of them. The pro-government Sham FM radio said fires broke out south of the city of Homs as a result of the strikes and “successive explosions sounded from the area. The Britain-based opposition war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Israeli missiles had destroyed an ammunition depot belonging to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah at a military airport in the countryside of Homs. The observatory said it was the second time Israel targeted the site in a month. On April 2, state media reported Israeli airstrikes hit several sites in Ho...

B.C. crown prosecutor says Ibrahim Ali killed girl, 13, during sexual assault

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:13:52 GMT

VANCOUVER — A B.C. Supreme Court trial can expect to hear evidence that shows a 13-year-old girl from Burnaby, B.C., was passing through a neighbourhood park when she was dragged off a pathway into the forest by Ibrahim Ali, sexually assaulted and strangled, the Crown prosecutor told the jury Friday.In an opening statement, Crown attorney Isobel Keeley said the court will hear evidence showing the murder was random, but DNA results will prove Ali sexually assaulted her. Ali is charged with first-degree murder and entered a not guilty plea before the jury earlier this month.The body of the girl, whose name is protected under a publication ban, was found in Burnaby’s Central Park in July 2017, just hours after her mother had reported her missing.“There are no eyewitnesses to the murder,” Keeley said, but told jury members that cellphone and bank records prove Ali was in Burnaby that day.They “were strangers to one another,” she said, adding that phone rec...