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ASK IRA: Are the Heat the NBA’s version of an NIT team?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:11:59 GMT

Q: Ira, the Heat beat the Jazz and we get a parade about grit and perseverance and toughness and resilience. Go ahead, quick, name five Jazz players who played Monday night (no peeking) and I’ll spot you Lauri Markkanen and Kelly Olynyk. And that was after losing in overtime in Orlando (name five Magics). Stop talking about playoffs when you can’t beat nobodies. – Mel.A: Not going to lie, you got me about the Jazz roster, although Alec Kessler’s nephew was out there as was the guy from Italy that only those from Pescara knew about. The Magic are a bit easier to name if you simply have watched the lottery the last dozen years. But OK, killjoy, a point reasonably made. It’s like the story I posted about close games. While there is something to be said about finding a way to win, or even a way to fight back in Orlando and force overtime, when the going gets tough, the Heat has to be far tougher than such middling competition. They’re not. If the NBA ...

Cactus League report: Julian Merryweather’s comfort with new slider — and Leury García’s hustle impresses new manager

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:11:59 GMT

Crunch time is approaching with about two weeks left on the Cactus League schedule.Coming off Monday’s day off, Cubs manager David Ross said his conversations with the front office haven’t become too serious yet as roster decisions loom. But his messaging to the team is taking on a different tone.“We’ve talked to a couple guys already that the bats will get a little more focused, signs will start to be put on and start to implement a lot of that stuff fundamentally,” Ross said before Tuesday’s night game against the Colorado Rockies.White Sox pitcher Dylan Cease bounced back Tuesday against the Oakland Athletics at Camelback Ranch. The right-hander allowed one earned run on three hits and struck out four in 3⅓ innings of a 5-4 Sox victory.Cease allowed 11 earned runs in two-thirds of an inning in his previous start March 8 against the Kansas City Royals.“Definitely very much a positive step in the right direction,” Cease said.Chi...

Patriots reportedly signing veteran OT Riley Reiff, expect him to start

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:11:59 GMT

The Patriots are expected to sign free-agent offensive tackle Riley Reiff, according to ESPN.Reiff, an 11-year veteran, started 10 games last season at right tackle with the Bears but can play both sides. The Patriots expect him to win a starting job in training camp, per The Athletic.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | How Devin McCourty reportedly helped the Patriots create cap space in retirement New England Patriots | Patriots sit out initial days of NFL free agency despite ample cap room, lack of spending New England Patriots | Patriots re-signing S Jabrill Peppers to 2-year deal, per reports New England Patriots | Patriots reportedly signing Broncos O-lineman to 2-year deal New England Patriots | Jakobi Meyers explains decision to leave Patriots for team-friendly Raiders deal Reiff started his career at left tackle and has enjoyed previous stints in Detroit (2012-16), Minnesota (’17-20), C...

How Devin McCourty helped the Patriots create cap space in retirement

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:11:59 GMT

Last week, Devin McCourty announced his NFL retirement.But the 35-year-old former safety hasn’t filed his retirement papers yet, and there’s a good reason for that.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Jakobi Meyers explains decision to leave Patriots for team-friendly Raiders deal New England Patriots | Patriots free agency tracker and grades: Pats add another veteran OT, create $5 million in cap space McCourty and the Patriots agreed to tack one year onto his current contract for the veteran minimum $1.165 million, a way to create cap space for the team on the eve of free agency, a source told the Herald. McCourty’s contract had been set to expire Wednesday and saddle the Patriots with a $9 million dead cap hit because of attached void years. Instead, the Pats have created an additional $5 million in cap room this year and reduced McCourty’s dead cap hit to $6.2 million, which will be pushed to 2024 if the retirement is fina...

San Diego River flooding in Mission Valley

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:11:59 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego River is flooding in Mission Valley due to heavy rainfall that is forecast to continue Wednesday morning before decreasing into the day.According to National Weather Service data, the river level had almost reached 6 feet by 5 a.m. Looking ahead, NWS predictions show river levels may reach a peak of 10.8 feet by 3 p.m. Wednesday. Road preparations begin ahead of storm Residents can expect flooding in the area, particularly at Fashion Valley Road which is a problematic area that frequently floods during periods of heavy rainfall. FOX 5's Elizabeth Alvarez was on the scene Wednesday morning to get a first-hand look at the rising river. She said large branches and other debris could be seen rapidly moving in the water.Avenida Del Rio is blocked off near the San Diego River due to the river flooding.The San Diego Fire-Rescue Swift Water Teams area strategically placed around the city as heavy to moderate rain continues in the region. FOX 5 confirmed those t...

Police trying to identify homicide victim in Oshawa fire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:11:59 GMT

Durham Regional Police are seeking assistance from the public in identifying a man killed in a house fire in Oshawa, which officers are investigating as a homicide.The fire broke out at an address on Court Street, in the area of Olive Avenue and Simcoe Street, just before 10 a.m. Monday, March 6.Oshawa Fire officials quickly responded to control the spread of the flames, and one person was located dead inside the home.The Ontario Fire Marshal deemed the fire suspicious, police said, noting that a post-mortem revealed the victim suffered trauma to the body. As a result, investigators believe it to be indicative of a homicide.On Wednesday, Durham police said investigators “have exhausted all traditional means of identification” and requested the public’s assistance. The male victim is approximately 25 years old, five-foot-eleven to six feet and 160 to 190 pounds.Police said his hair was shaved at the sides with two long braids starting an inch back from his forehead....

Wisconsin Republicans propose abortion ban exceptions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:11:59 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republicans who control the Wisconsin Legislature unveiled a bill Wednesday that would create rape and incest exceptions to the state’s 1849 abortion ban and clarify when abortions that protect the health of the mother would be allowed, but would not return the same rights that were in place under Roe v. Wade.The move comes as a pending lawsuit supported by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers seeks to overturn the ban entirely. Evers soundly rejected the Republican proposal, “I won’t sign a bill that leaves Wisconsin women with fewer rights and freedoms than they had before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe.”Republicans and their anti-abortion allies, who suffered a series of defeats in ballot questions in states across the political spectrum last year, are tackling the issue nationwide in a variety of ways, including seeking exemptions.Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos told The Associated Press in an interview Tuesday that he hoped Democrats and Evers woul...

Wisconsin man pleads guilty to role in Whitmer kidnap scheme

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:11:59 GMT

BELLAIRE, Mich. (AP) — A Wisconsin man accused of assisting the key figures in a plot to kidnap Michigan’s governor pleaded guilty Wednesday to a lesser charge and will cooperate with prosecutors.Brian Higgins said he attempted to provide material support for terrorism, an offense that carries a maximum prison term of five years.Higgins was among five men scheduled to face trial later this year in northern Michigan’s Antrim County, the location of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s vacation home. They were not charged with the 2020 kidnapping conspiracy but were accused of providing key support.Higgins, 54, of Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, admitted that he drove past Whitmer’s property during a night ride that summer while others waited across a lake for his signal. He said he had a camera rigged to his pickup truck. Whitmer was not there at the time.“I wish to plead guilty,” Higgins told the judge, appearing in court by video from his home in Wisconsin, where he has been...

Officials: 2 men arrested in burglary of Salah’s Cairo home

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:11:59 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — Two men were arrested on suspicion of burglarizing Mohamed Salah’s Cairo villa earlier this month while the Egyptian soccer star was out of the country, authorities said Wednesday.In a statement, Egypt’s Interior Ministry said the suspects stole several pairs of soccer cleats, a medal, a small crystal ball and cable TV receivers from the Liverpool forward’s luxury villa. The home is situated in the upmarket area of Tagamoa, 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of Cairo’s center. It was not immediately clear whether the two men were charged with a crime or had legal representation. Their identities were not disclosed.Authorities said both men confessed to entering the empty property by climbing over the villa’s rear wall on March 2. Authorities were notified of the break-in by the player’s agent on Sunday and the men were arrested less than 48 hours later, it said. One of the accused had previously worked as a security guard in the neighborhood and was a...

‘Quantum Leap’ star Caitlin Bassett jumps from Army to TV

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:11:59 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Caitlin Bassett plays a woman who jumps through time and space on NBC’s “Quantum Leap,” a fitting job for an actor who has lived many lives already.Bassett, who spent seven years in the U.S. Army, then attended law school and later acting school, now finds herself on a hit TV show, a multi-career path driven by her curiosity and heart. “I think part of growing up is owning what you want to do and trying it and being like, ‘If I fail, well, that’s on me. But at least I tried,’” says Bassett, 32.Bassett was an intelligence analyst in the Army, attaining the rank of staff sergeant, and completed three combat deployments — two to Afghanistan and one to Qatar. She is grateful to the military for all that it nurtured in her.“It gave experiences. It gave abilities. It gave discipline. It gave work ethic. It gave perspective. Like, at the end of the day, if no one’s dying, we’re having a good day,” she says.The new “Quantum Leap” takes place decades after the sci-fi cl...