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Comedian Roy Wood Jr. on his father’s connection to Ernie Banks — and why he’s optimistic about the Chicago Cubs’ future

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:38 GMT

If Roy Wood Jr. were allowed to make one change as commissioner of Major League Baseball, he would encourage more bat flips and personality in the game.“It’s a simple change,” he said while sitting in Section 124 of Wrigley Field during the Chicago Cubs-Arizona Diamondbacks game on Sept. 9. “I like bat flips. I like K-struts. I like designs on sneakers. The cool bat paintings during the Home Run Derby. That should be a normal thing.“If a player wants to strut, if a player wants to dare to show an ounce of fun while playing this game …,” his voice trailed off as Seiya Suzuki stepped into the batter’s box in the second inning.Wood, a comedian, was in town with his son Henry, 7, to sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during the seventh-inning stretch. It wasn’t his first time leading the crowd in the song. In fact, Wrigley Field is his favorite place to experience a baseball game.Chase Field in Phoenix has the best food,...

Adam Frazier embracing role as Orioles’ clutch hitter as postseason nears: ‘That’s what I live for’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:38 GMT

When the Orioles signed Adam Frazier for $8 million this offseason, they hoped he could return to his 2021 form when he was an All-Star with the Pittsburgh Pirates.Frazier, a veteran second baseman, had a down year in 2022 and was one of several veterans Baltimore acquired hoping for a bounce back. Overall, that hasn’t happened. Frazier’s performance at the plate is near league average, and he’s rated by multiple metrics as one of the sport’s worst defensive second basemen.But none of that matters when he’s at the plate in a clutch situation.“That’s what gets me going,” Frazier said. “That’s what I live for.”Frazier, one of the heroes of Sunday’s exhilarating win over the Tampa Bay Rays, is one of the most clutch hitters on perhaps the most clutch team in the American League. The 31-year-old is hitting far better with runners in scoring position and in high-leverage situations than he does in low-pressure moment...

Column: Chicago Cubs season can’t be considered a success if they miss the playoffs — despite their midseason turnaround

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:38 GMT

The Chicago Cubs are a big-market team with enough resources to outspend their division rivals every season.They did just that last offseason, bringing in Dansby Swanson, Cody Bellinger, Jameson Taillon, Trey Mancini, Michael Fulmer and others in a $300 million spending spree to try to get into the postseason. They talked about it in spring training, and when the team took off in July, it seemed like President Jed Hoyer’s grand plan was working to a T.Not only did it look like the Cubs would make it to the postseason, but they were doing so with youngsters such as Christopher Morel, Adbert Alzolay, Javier Assad, Jordan Wicks and Miguel Amaya contributing. The addition of top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong in mid-September was icing on the cake.Now the Cubs are in for a major fight, having blown a chance to catch the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers with a 2-8 road trip. Entering Wednesday’s games they have a half-game lead over the Miami Marlins for the third National Le...

Here’s how to buy Orioles playoffs tickets and when they may play

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:38 GMT

While the Orioles have clinched a postseason berth, it’s not yet clear when they’ll play at Camden Yards during the playoffs, or who they’ll be playing.Currently, you’ll have to either be a season ticket holder or to have committed to becoming one by Tuesday to get tickets to the playoffs. According to the Orioles website, fans can still purchase 2024 memberships after the deadline, but access is limited.Those with 2023 season ticket packages should have already received information on how to get their postseason passes. Diamond and black-level ticket holders had to either pay for their membership in full or make a partial payment by Sept. 15 to get access.Those with the more budget-friendly season ticket packages, Reserved Orange and Flex Birdland Members, should be getting an email early this week with a date and time for purchasing single-game postseason tickets. Orange members will get one game per series, as will Rookie and Pro Flex members. Veteran and ...

5 candidates to be the new Chicago Sky coach — including a few ‘let’s try something different’ options

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:38 GMT

With the Chicago Sky eliminated from the WNBA playoffs, the team’s front office now faces the most important task of the year: filling the empty offices left by former coach and general manager James Wade, who unexpectedly departed the team midseason to take an assistant coaching job with the NBA’s Toronto Raptors.The Sky already made the critical decision to separate the coach and general manager roles, which All-Star guard Kahleah Copper confirmed during exit interviews Monday.“I know for sure the positions are going to be separate, which is great,” Copper said.The Sky were the last WNBA team with a dual coach/GM position, a status that both players and interim coach/GM Emre Vatansever criticized in the second half of this season.While Vatansever is under consideration for the permanent coaching position, he also voiced willingness to stay in Chicago as an assistant — he has worked for the Sky under two head coaches since 2018 — if he doesn̵...

Sikh separatism has long strained Canada-India ties. Now they’re at their lowest point in years

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:38 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — Canada-India relations have sunk to their lowest point in years as the two countries are swapping accusations and expelling each other’s diplomats over the killing of a Sikh separatist leader. Experts said it remains to be seen if it will create a lasting rift between the two U.S. allies, but it’s nonetheless an awkward situation for western countries seeking to woo New Delhi as a counterweight to China and win India’s cooperation on the Ukraine war.Five years ago, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau captured headlines in India for enthusiastically embracing the country’s culture during a weeklong trip with his family. He donned a series of colorful, glittering traditional Indian suits, visited monuments and even received Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s signature bear hug — a sign that their relationship was on the up.Those days seemed gone for good when Trudeau said Monday that his government is investigating “credible allegations” that In...

Peter Nygard sex assault case to appear in Toronto court with reduced charges

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:38 GMT

The sexual-assault case against Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard is expected to be back in a Toronto courtroom Wednesday after jury selection in his trial was delayed last week.The charges in the case were reduced from 11 to six, after a court heard three of the eight original complainants in the case are not expected to testify.Court documents show Nygard is now facing five counts of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement, down from eight sexual assault and three forcible confinement charges.Nygard, who appeared in court in a wheelchair on Sept. 11, faces charges in three jurisdictions in Canada and one in the U.S. after authorities alleged he used his position in the fashion industry to lure women and girls.He faces two sex charges in Quebec and is also charged with sexual assault and unlawful confinement in Manitoba after a person came forward with allegations from the early ’90s.Nygard, who in 1967 founded his fashion company in Winnipeg, has denied all th...

Vietnam detains energy policy think-tank chief, human rights group says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:38 GMT

Hanoi, VIETNAM (AP) — Vietnam has detained the director of a think tank that works on energy issues in the country — the sixth expert working on environmental and climate issues that authorities have taken into custody in the past two years, a rights group said Wednesday.Ngo Thi To Nhien, the executive director for Vietnam Initiative for Energy Transition (VIET) was arrested on Sept. 15, according to The 88 Project, a group that advocates for freedom of expression in Vietnam.Police also raided and searched the offices of the think tank and interrogated staff members, it said. It was unclear why Nhien was arrested. Police have said the earlier arrests of other energy experts were on suspicion of tax evasion.A person familiar with the situation who asked not to be further identified out of concern for their own safety confirmed that she had been detained. Police could not be reached for comment after business hours. “Nhien’s detention is significant as it signals that research o...

Prosecutors will lay out case against officers in the death of Elijah McClain in a Denver suburb

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:38 GMT

BRIGHTON, Colo. (AP) — Prosecutors are expected to present opening statements after jury selection wraps up Wednesday in the trial of two police officers charged in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, a Black man who was detained while walking in a Denver suburb.In the first of several trials stemming from the death of McClain, lawyers for the two sides are expected to paint contrasting pictures of the deadly struggle between the officers and the 23-year-old, who was stopped by police while returning home from a convenience store. He was unarmed.One question jurors could be asked to decide is whether it was lawful for officers Randy Roedema and Jason Rosenblatt to detain and use force against McClain, who a 911 caller had reported as being suspicious. If prosecutors can convince jurors the stop was unjustified, that would undermine any argument that McClain’s injuries were a result of the officers just doing their jobs.Roedema and Rosenblatt are both charged with criminally negligent ...

Biden and Brazil’s Lula are meeting in New York to discuss labor and climate issues

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:38 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden will meet his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Wednesday in New York as the leaders of the Western Hemisphere’s largest democracies seek areas of common ground despite some recent differences on Russia’s war in Ukraine and other matters.The two are expected to discuss labor and the environment. And senior U.S. administration officials who previewed the meeting said the two nations are rolling out a partnership on workers’ rights.Initial hopes that Lula would prove a staunch ally for Biden have been tempered in recent months, with the Brazilian leader voicing opposition on some issues and at times even seeming to thumb his nose at Washington. That has included dismissing allegations of Venezuela’s authoritarianism, calling for decreased dependence on the dollar for global trade and accusing the U.S. of fueling bloodshed in Ukraine by providing military aid. In his speech at the U.N. General Assembly on Tues...