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Column: Another Chicago Cubs home season ends at Wrigley Field, where traditions still matter

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:42:59 GMT

The Chicago Cubs’ final regular season home game at Wrigley Field on Sunday afternoon was probably not unlike the end of their first season at the ballpark 107 years ago, albeit with more fans and richer players.The Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-3 before an estimated crowd of 5,000 on Oct. 1, 1916, then prepared to meet the White Sox in the City Series, the exhibition games that mattered most to Chicagoans. On Sunday, the Cubs beat the Colorado Rockies 4-3 before a crowd of 37,060 and prepared for a season-ending six-game road trip that would decide their postseason fate.Even if the Cubs make it into the playoffs, chances are they won’t/ have a home game unless they won the National League wild-card series and advanced to the NL Division Series, where they would start out on the road.So people who call the ballpark home from March through the end of the regular season said their goodbyes Sunday, hoping they’d be back again in mid-October, knowing the odds wer...

Orioles cut magic number to 3, match franchise record for road wins with 5-1 victory over Guardians

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:42:59 GMT

The Orioles will have the chance to clinch the American League East next week at Camden Yards. That’s in large part thanks to how well they have played away from it.Baltimore closed the road portion of its regular-season schedule Sunday with a 5-1 victory over the Cleveland Guardians. With the Tampa Bay Rays losing to the Toronto Blue Jays, the Orioles’ magic number to clinch the division fell to three. Regardless of how the Rays close the season, three victories on the upcoming six-game homestand would give Baltimore its first AL East title since 2014 and first 100-win season since 1980.The Orioles (97-59) have played well in Baltimore in putting together the AL’s best record, but they have been even better on the road. Sunday’s victory left them at 52-29, matching the 1997 “wire-to-wire” club for the most wins as visitors in franchise history.“I just think we’re a really consistent team that shows up no matter where we are and plays ...

Patriots credit captain Matthew Slater for motivational speech before Jets win

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:42:59 GMT

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — For the Patriots, Sunday was about choice.Deciding whether they wanted to come close again or stand victorious.Determining whether they would get tossed into the 0-3 trash bin of NFL history or rise to 1-2.Choosing to beat the Jets drum for a 15th straight time, or let Gang Green play an upset tune.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots have three more key injuries to worry about after win over Jets New England Patriots | Patriots QB Mac Jones responds to Sauce Gardner’s low blow accusations New England Patriots | Patriots get right with 15-10 win over Jets in strong defensive performance New England Patriots | Patriots inactives: One rookie WR out of doghouse, another a healthy scratch New England Patriots | Patriots’ defense gets bad news ahead of Week 3 game vs. Jets After Sunday’s 15-10 win over New York, multiple players credited captain Matth...

Political neophyte Stefanos Kasselakis elected new leader of Greece’s main opposition Syriza party

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:42:59 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A 35-year-old businessman without prior political experience was elected Sunday to lead Greece’s main opposition bloc, the left-wing Syriza party.Stefanos Kasselakis defeated Effie Achtsioglou, a 38-year-old lawmaker and former labor minister, in a runoff contest. Three other candidates had been eliminated in an earlier first round. With the votes still being counted, Achtsioglou called her rival to congratulate him. Kasselakis had just under 57% of the votes late Sunday with 70% of precincts reporting, while Achtsioglou had just over 43%. About 136,000 Greeks turned out to vote, fewer than in the first round.Kasselakis, a resident of Miami, was unknown to the Greek public until he was anointed a candidate on Syriza’s at-large list. In Greece’s national elections, 15 of the 300 lawmakers are elected at-large, depending on each party’s share of the votes. At-large candidates can include expatriates. Syriza elected four such lawmakers in the May election an...

12 buses carrying migrants arrive in Chicago over the weekend 

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:42:59 GMT

CHICAGO — As the city works to keep up with the influx of migrants arriving, more buses were brought to the city, including the largest number of buses in a single day since the start of the operation. The 12 buses are expected to arrive as volunteers work around the clock to get people the resources they need.“This weekend has been really tough, and it was coming off of a lot of movement as well of people out of districts and into shelters," Anna Gomberg, a lead volunteer organizer, said. Biden granting temporary protective status to Venezuelan migrants Gomberg is one of hundreds of people helping migrants in the city. She leads the efforts to organize volunteers at the 15th Police District in the city's Austin neighborhood.“At this station alone we have about 150 people who are a part of our group," Gomberg said.According to city officials, 12 buses are expected to arrive this weekend. Five buses came in on Saturday and another seven are expected to arrive on Sunday. Gomberg say...

Dolphins beat Broncos 70-20, scoring the most points by an NFL team in a game since 1966

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:42:59 GMT

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — De’Von Achane could hear the crowd at Hard Rock Stadium chanting “Three more points!” on Miami’s final drive. The Dolphins had the ball inside the Denver Broncos’ 30 with less than a minute left, and they were three points shy of breaking the NFL’s single-game scoring record.Instead of sending out his kicker for a potential record-setting field goal, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel elected to take a knee and run out the clock.“It felt like chasing points and chasing a record — that’s not what we came to the game to do," McDaniel said.They almost got there anyway. The Dolphins scored the most points in a game by an NFL team since 1966, overwhelming the Broncos 70-20 on Sunday behind the rookie speedster Achane’s 203 yards rushing and Tua Tagovailoa’s no-look shovel-pass TD. Taylor Swift attends Chiefs game amid Kelce dating rumors The Dolphins set a franchise record for scoring and finished two points shy of the NFL’s regular-season recor...

Twins pitcher Chris Paddack’s long-awaited return delayed by rain

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:42:59 GMT

The first time Chris Paddack blew out his elbow, he was 20 years old and yet to debut. He was full of doubt.“You don’t know if you’re going to be able to pitch in a game, let alone a big league game again, chasing that career, chasing that dream,” Paddack said.He was more established the second time around, more than three seasons into his big league career. But that didn’t make it much easier. Injuring his ulnar collateral ligament again, he said, “ate me up a little bit.”Paddack had surgery last May. A year and a half later, the starting pitcher is ready to return — for the remainder of this season, it will be in a bullpen role. The Twins activated him from the injured list ahead of Sunday’s game and planned to put him out there in the seventh inning.One issue.As Paddack was announced and was jogging in from the bullpen, the rain started intensifying, forcing a 50-minute rain delay. Manager Rocco Baldelli called him into his office almost immediately and told him he wasn’t going t...

Kirk Cousins throws last-second interception in end zone as Vikings fall 28-24 to Chargers

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:42:59 GMT

Credit the Vikings for getting the big stop when they needed it on Sunday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium.  After getting pulverized by star quarterback Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers all day long, the defense stepped up and forced a turnover on downs in the final minutes of the game. That group did its job when it needed to.That gave quarterback Kirk Cousins and the offense the ball with a chance to win the game. They couldn’t do it.After converting for a crucial first down in the final seconds, Cousins tried to fit a ball into tight end T.J. Hockenson in the Chargers’ end zone. It got tipped into the air, and of course, intercepted as the Vikings suffered a heartbreaking 28-24 loss to the Chargers. They are now 0-3, with each of those losses coming in games decided by a single possession.On their opening drive of the game, the Vikings pounded the rock with Mattison five straight times, committing to the run game like they promised they would. None of it mat...

Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton after fumbling ball twice: “Unacceptable”

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:42:59 GMT

Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton was a co-star in Denver’s horrific 70-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. But his role in one of the worst defeats in league history painted a good picture of how bad of a day it was.Denver was already down 42-13 with 5:23 left in the third quarter, and desperately needed something to prevent the scoreboard from entering historically bad territory. That’s when quarterback Russell Wilson stepped into the pocket and threw to Sutton on a crossing route. The veteran wideout ran 29 yards down the sideline before Dolphins safety Jevon Holland punched the ball out of Sutton’s right arm and cornerback Kader Kohou recovered.It was Sutton’s second fumble of the day. Throw in a dropped touchdown pass in the back of the end zone, and the positives of an eight-catch, 91-yard performance quickly faded into the background.“Unacceptable,” Sutton said. “When carrying the ball, we have everyone’s dreams, goals and aspirations. I fumbled the ball...

1 dead, 1 hospitalized in fatal Denver crash Sunday afternoon

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:42:59 GMT

A Sunday afternoon crash in Denver killed one person and hospitalized another, police said.Officers responded to a crash near the intersection of Chambers Road and Green Valley Ranch Boulevard around 4 p.m. Sunday.When officers arrived, they found one motorist dead at the scene of the crash and transported another to the hospital with serious injuries, according to a post from the Denver Police Department on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter.#TRAFFIC: #DPD officers are investigating a fatal crash involving 2 motorists in the area of GVR/Chambers. 1 motorist has been pronounced on scene and 1 was transported to the hospital with serious injuries. Expect delays in the area. Alternate routes advised. pic.twitter.com/XZFfM2hcC6— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) September 24, 2023Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | Pedestrian killed in Denver Saturday night crash Crashes and Disasters | Interstate 70 westbound reopens in Glen...