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Why are the SF Giants playing in Mexico City?

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:30:14 GMT

When Major League Baseball officials reached out to the 30 clubs about playing in the first-ever regular season games in Mexico City, the Giants rushed to the front of the line.“There were a lot of teams who expressed interest, more so than we anticipated,” said MLB executive Chris Marniak, “but the Giants held their hand up from the beginning.”They didn’t stop there. The Giants built a compelling argument to be one of the chosen teams.“The Mexican fanbase is really important to our future,” Giants president Larry Baer said. “We want to show this isn’t just a one-time relationship. We want Giants fans in our region to know there’s a real connection.”“We could have been doing a better job connecting with the Latin American and Hispanic community, here and abroad,” said Giants vice president Matt Valdez. “This is our opportunity to do so.”To that end, the Giants sent Hunter Pence to Mexico City last month to engage with youth programs and help launch their bid ...

Lee Elia’s epic rant, after a poor start, was 40 years ago today. What’s kept Mark Kotsay from blowing his top?

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:30:14 GMT

OAKLAND – It was 40 years ago Saturday when former Chicago Cubs manager Lee Elia went on a profanity-filled rant in a postgame meeting with reporters, an epic tirade in which he ripped into the team’s fans for their lack of support — and their possible lack of employment — and protected his players from what he felt was unfair criticism after a 5-14 start.After a loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Elia pleaded with the media to ease off the Cubs players and direct their brickbats toward him, saying in one of more printable passages, “don’t rip them (expletive) guys ’cause they’re giving everything they can give. And right now, they’re trying to do more than God gave ’em, and that’s why we make the simple mistakes. That’s exactly why.”A’s manager Mark Kotsay has seen his team get off to a worse start than Elia’s Cubs did four decades ago, making some of those same simple mistakes, as Oakland had a 5-22 record before Saturday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds at the Coliseu...

High schools: Legendary Menlo School tennis coach retiring after next school year

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:30:14 GMT

NEW: PREP SPORTS MAILBAGThe Bay Area News Group is introducing a high school sports mailbag in May. Get your questions in as soon as possible. Our debut edition is an open forum. Got questions about spring sports playoffs, coaching changes, an early peek at football season, etc.? Send questions to [email protected]. Please include “mailbag” in the subject line.Menlo School’s Bill Shine has achieved just about everything in high school tennis.Friday, the longtime coach of the boys and girls teams announced that next school year will be his last.Shine has led Menlo’s teams to a combined 27 Central Coast Section and 24 Northern California championships over nearly three decades.He could add to those totals next month as the boys team is 18-1 overall and champions of the West Bay Athletic League entering the CCS playoffs.In addition to filling up the school’s trophy case, Shine also teamed with Monta Vista coach Gene Fortino to start a national high school tou...

Commentary: Montgomery County declared a Climate Emergency. But we aren’t acting like it

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:30:14 GMT

This content was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.Boucher is a retired scientist; he directed the Climate Research and Analysis team of the Union of Concerned Scientists for a decade. Metchis is retired from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and is now a member of the Climate Action Plan Coalition of Montgomery County.Sergeant Joe Friday of Dragnet fame advisedly said, “just the facts, ma’am”. So, here are the facts. The U.S. has warmed 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit since 1970 and the annual rate of warming is accelerating. The frequency of billion-dollar disasters in the U.S. has increased from once every 4 months in the 1980s to once every 3 weeks (after accounting for inflation). The U.S. is experiencing some of the most severe sea-level rise on the planet. The incidence of Lyme disease, which thrives in warmer weather, has doubled since 1991. And Montgomery County is not immune ...

Phillies put OF Cristian Pache on 10-day IL with knee injury

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:30:14 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Cristian Pache was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a torn meniscus in his right knee.Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Pache will need surgery, but the defending National League champions did not have a date scheduled yet and there was no immediate timetable for Pache’s return.Pache was injured Friday night in a game against the Houston Astros when he slipped going back to second base after taking a lead off the bag. He was removed in the fifth inning of a 3-1 victory.To fill his roster spot, the Phillies recalled outfielder Dalton Guthrie from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.The 24-year-old Pache was acquired from the Oakland Athletics in a March 29 trade for minor league reliever Billy Sullivan. Pache is batting .360 (9 for 25) with one home run, three doubles and four RBIs in 18 games this season. He has made six starts for Philadelphia in center field and three in right.Pache gave the Phillies a 2-1 lead Friday with an RBI d...

Braves-Mets game postponed by rain, Scherzer pushed back

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:30:14 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The game between the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets scheduled for Saturday has been postponed because of rain.It will be made up Aug. 12 as part of a split-admission doubleheader at Citi Field, with the opener starting at 1:10 p.m. and the nightcap at 7:15 p.m.The postponement until August means Mets ace Max Scherzer won’t be eligible to pitch in this series against the NL East rival Braves. The three-time Cy Young Award winner is serving a 10-game suspension imposed by Major League Baseball following his ejection for having a foreign substance on his hand while pitching in an April 19 game at Dodger Stadium.Scherzer’s penalty had been due to end Sunday and he was scheduled to start the series finale Monday against Atlanta. But with the rainout, Monday now would mark his 10th game sitting out, and he won’t be permitted back on the mound until at least Tuesday night in Detroit.Tylor Megill (3-1, 3.96 ERA) was slated to pitch Saturday for the Mets i...

Urawa takes home 1-1 draw with Al-Hilal in Asian final

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:30:14 GMT

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Urawa Reds came back and held on against Al-Hilal to return to Japan with a 1-1 draw after the first leg of the Asian Champions League final on Saturday.Salem Al-Dawsari opened the scoring for four-time champion Al-Hilal in a dominant first half at sold-out King Fahd International Stadium, but a fortuitous equalizer by Shinzo Koroki in the second half gave the Japanese visitors the advantage going into the return match next weekend.That did not look likely in the first half, highlighted after 13 minutes when Al-Hilal took the lead in the third final between the teams. Urawa won in 2017 and the Riyadh giant in 2019.Brazilian attacker Michael Delgado broke free down the right side and his low center pass caused confusion between Urawa defender Alexander Scholz and goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa, who left the ball for each other.It carried through to Al-Dawsari, who scored the winning goal for Saudi Arabia against Argentina at the World Cup in November. At the...

Picault, Mukhtar spark Nashville over Atlanta United 3-1

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:30:14 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Fafà Picault scored a first-half goal, Hany Mukhtar had two assists and Nashville SC defeated Atlanta United 3-1 on Saturday.Picault gave Nashville (4-3-3) the lead when he took passes from Walker Zimmerman and Mukhtar and scored in the 36th minute.Teal Bunbury scored unassisted in the 56th minute to stretch Nashville’s lead to 2-0.Atlanta United (5-2-3) cut the lead in half when Thiago Almada delivered on a penalty kick in the 72nd minute.Nashville added an insurance goal in the first minute of stoppage time when Jacob Shaffelburg scored on an assist from Mukhtar.Mukhtar has contributed to 44 goals in home matches (29 goals, 15 assists) since the start of the 2021 season, 10 more than any other player in the league.Atlanta United had a 17-11 advantage in shots, but Nashville had a 4-2 edge in shots on goal.Joe Willis finished with one save for Nashville. Clément Diop saved one shot for Atlanta United.Atlanta United beat Nashville in the first two meeti...

Benzema nets hat trick in Madrid win, Vinícius takes knock

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:30:14 GMT

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Karim Benzema scored a first-half hat trick to lead Real Madrid to a 4-2 win over Almeria on Saturday in a Spanish league game that included an injury scare for forward Vinícius Júnior.Whether Madrid’s season ends in success or failure will hinge on next weekend’s Copa del Rey final against Osasuna and its Champions League semifinal rematch from last season with Manchester City.With Luka Modric already doubtful for those critical games, the last thing coach Carlo Ancelotti needed was to see his best winger grab his right knee and ask to be substituted several minutes after banging into a defender.But after the match Ancelotti said Vinícius would likely be good to go.“He had a knock on his knee that bothered him, but it’s nothing, just a knock,” Ancelotti said. “I think he will be fine in a couple of days. He will be ready for the cup final.”Fellow Brazil forward Rodrygo also ended the game on the bench with an ice pack on his left knee. But he did...

Rays reacquire reliever Javy Guerra in trade with Brewers

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:30:14 GMT

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays acquired right-handed reliever Javy Guerra from the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday for $75,000 or a player to be named.Guerra was 0-0 with an 8.64 ERA in eight appearances with the Brewers this season. He was designated or assignment Monday, one day after he allowed five runs over 1 2/3 innings in a 12-5 loss to the Boston Red Sox.The trade returns Guerra to the Rays, with whom he went 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA in 17 appearances last season.Tampa Bay had traded Guerra to Milwaukee last November for what was announced at the time as a player to be named later. Milwaukee completed that trade by sending minor league pitcher Victor Castaneda to the Rays last month.Guerra has a 3-1 career record with a 6.92 ERA and 36 strikeouts over 52 innings in 52 career appearances. He began his career with the San Diego Padres in 2019. The Rays acquired him from the Padres for cash in April 2022. ___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource