Bonner, Thomas lead Sun to a 90-60 rout of the Lynx in WNBA playoff opener

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:57:55 GMT

Bonner, Thomas lead Sun to a 90-60 rout of the Lynx in WNBA playoff opener UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — DeWanna Bonner scored 17 points and grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds as the Connecticut Sun opened the WNBA playoffs with a 90-60 rout of the Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday night.Game 2 of the best-of-three series will be in Connecticut on Sunday. Alyssa Thomas added 15 points and 10 assists for the Sun, who earned the No. 3 seed after going 27-13 in the regular season. Rebecca Allen also scored 15 points on five 3-pointers and Tiffany Hayes had 14 points and four 3-pointers. The Sun made 16 of their 30 shots from behind the arc and held Minnesota to 35% shooting overall. Connecticut scored 30 points off 19 Lynx turnovers. Connecticut led by 14 at halftime and took their first 20-point lead in the third quarter at 56-36 on a layup by Thomas. The Sun closed the game on a 17-3 run. Kayla McBride had 16 points for the Lynx, who made the playoffs despite losing their first six games this season. Napheesa Collier added 14 for Minnesota, which also lost three of fou...

Dodgers’ Walker Buehler says he wasn’t recovering well enough after rehab start to return

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:57:55 GMT

Dodgers’ Walker Buehler says he wasn’t recovering well enough after rehab start to return LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler said Wednesday he shut down his comeback from Tommy John surgery this season because he wasn’t recovering well after a rehab start.The right-hander tossed two scoreless innings in a rehab appearance on Sept. 3 for Triple-A Oklahoma City. “I was throwing 96 (mph) or whatever. Physically I felt really good, it’s just the recovery part of it is tough,” Buehler said. “Trying to come back from a second Tommy John in 13 months to pitch in playoff games at some point had to go perfect and the nature of rehab is just that it doesn’t always go perfect.”It was his first outing since his Aug. 23, 2022, surgery.“The way I explain it is I feel like I kind of bet on a longshot horse and it ran second. I certainly don’t think it came in last,” Buehler said, using an analogy associated with the Kentucky native’s passion for horse racing. “I got really, really close. After the game we just didn’t like the pros and cons of where I wa...

Noda’s 1-out single in 9th ends no-hit bid, Astros win 6-2 and send Athletics to 100th loss

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:57:55 GMT

Noda’s 1-out single in 9th ends no-hit bid, Astros win 6-2 and send Athletics to 100th loss HOUSTON (AP) — Hunter Brown and the Houston Astros held Oakland hitless until Ryan Noda’s one-out single in the ninth inning of a 6-2 victory on Wednesday night that sent the Athletics to first consecutive 100-loss seasons since the 1960s.Brown pitched six innings, Rafael Montero, Héctor Neris and Bryan Abreu followed with perfect innings each as AL West-leading Houston retired 11 straight batters.Ryan Pressly retired Tony Kemp on a grounder leading off the ninth, then walked Zach Gelof. Nola grounded a changeup past Pressly and into center field for a single.Seth Brown’s single and Shea Langeliers’ sacrifice fly drove in runs before Pressly finished the two-hitter by throwing a called third strike past Brent Rooker.Oakland was held to two hits or fewer for the eighth time.Yordan Alvarez hit a three-run homer and Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker had solo shots for the Astros, who maintained a one-game lead over second place Texas, with Seattle is another half-game back...

Braxton Garrett works 6 strong innings as the Marlins beat the Brewers 2-0

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:57:55 GMT

Braxton Garrett works 6 strong innings as the Marlins beat the Brewers 2-0 MILWAUKEE (AP) — Braxton Garrett pitched six innings of four-hit ball and the Miami Marlins beat the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers 2-0 on Wednesday night.After dropping the first two games of the four-game series, Miami (75-71) moved within one-half game of Cincinnati and Arizona for the final NL wild-card spot.Garrett (9-6) struck out seven and walked two. The Marlins turned two double plays behind the 26-year-old left-hander, who didn’t allow a runner past second base.Three relievers completed a seven-hitter for Miami, with Tanner Scott working the ninth for his eighth save. Tyrone Taylor reached on a throwing error by third baseman Jake Burger leading off the ninth. Scott then retired Victor Caratini, Sal Frelick and Joey Wiemer.Colin Rea (5-6) followed opener Trevor Megill and allowed one run in 4 2/3 innings for the Brewers, who were shut out for the 11th time this season.In the fifth, Jesús Sánchez singled and was awarded second base when first baseman Carlos Santana st...

San Diego’s Juan Soto joins elite company with 2-plus seasons of 30-plus HRs and 100-plus walks

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:57:55 GMT

San Diego’s Juan Soto joins elite company with 2-plus seasons of 30-plus HRs and 100-plus walks LOS ANGELES (AP) — Juan Soto of the San Diego Padres went deep against the Los Angeles Dodgers, making him the seventh player in major league history with two-plus seasons of 30 or more home runs and 100-plus walks before turning 25.Soto joins such elite players as Ted Williams and Mickey Mantle on the list.The 24-year-old left fielder blasted a two-out shot to right field in the first inning Wednesday night for his 30th homer of the season.Soto’s 156 career homers and 627 walks are the most in MLB history before his age 25 season.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLBSource

Reynolds hits 21st homer, Pirates beat Nationals 7-6 to spoil Rutledge’s debut

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:57:55 GMT

Reynolds hits 21st homer, Pirates beat Nationals 7-6 to spoil Rutledge’s debut Pittsburgh Pirates' Bryan Reynolds crosses home plate after hitting a two-run home run off Washington Nationals starting pitcher Jackson Rutledge during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)(AP/Gene J. Puskar) Pittsburgh Pirates' Bryan Reynolds crosses home plate after hitting a two-run home run off Washington Nationals starting pitcher Jackson Rutledge during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)(AP/Gene J. Puskar) PITTSBURGH (AP) — Bryan Reynolds watched Washington Nationals rookie pitcher Jackson Rutledge try to gather himself after taking a throw off the back of his head from a ...

After child's suicide, mom reminds others that help is available

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:57:55 GMT

After child's suicide, mom reminds others that help is available DENVER (KDVR) — At the Crown Hill Cemetery in Wheat Ridge, chimes blow in a nearby pine tree, marking the final resting spot of Dominic Vigil.The 13-year-old had been on summer break for just two days when he died by suicide in early June.“Coming here, it’s devastating knowing that he’s lying in the ground and no longer with me,” said his mother, Crystal Crewse. “Dominic was such a bright, bright student and had such a bright future, and now it’s gone because he was getting bullied." Mental health resources available in Colorado Crewse said she knew Dominic was being bullied in school and believes it likely played a role in his death.“Parents, please teach your kids to stop bullying,” Crewse said. “These kids are 13 and younger, and they’re taking their lives because they can’t handle it no more.”Youth suicide more than doubles in ColoradoSince 2010, state records show youth suicides have been increasing dramatically, more than doubling from 40 in 2010 to ...

Lucas: Could SD Gov. Kristi Noem be #2 on Trump ticket?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:57:55 GMT

Lucas: Could SD Gov. Kristi Noem be #2 on Trump ticket? How many politicians running for president can ride a horse? Few.How many can ride a Harley or an Indian motorcycle? Fewer.How many do both? None.Except for Kristi Noem. She does both, which is not something to sneeze at.She is a rancher and businesswoman frequently seen on horseback and riding a motorcycle, most notably on a 50-mile Legends Ride for Charity at South Dakota’s annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally at the height of the COVID shutdown in 2021.South Dakota, like Florida, remained open during the COVID pandemic.Not that the 51-year-old conservative Republican governor of South Dakota is running for president or vice president.But she is available for the second spot if Donald Trump comes knocking. And he just might.She is articulate, energetic, and attractive, and she says all the things that Trump and his conservative base like to hear.Her stock with Trump rose dramatically last Friday when Noem endorsed him for president at a sold-out GOP fundraiser in Rapid City, S.D.No, sh...

Rubio: U.S. suffers when working-class men can’t thrive

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:57:55 GMT

Rubio: U.S. suffers when working-class men can’t thrive A nation without strong and capable men is a nation in serious trouble.Unfortunately, there’s reason to worry about boys and men today.My office compiled research on how men are performing in their vital role as providers. We published our findings for Labor Day in a report titled “The State of the Working (And Non-Working) Man.” The verdict? American men are doing poorly, from the classroom to the workforce and beyond.For one, men’s ability to provide a middle-class lifestyle for their families has fallen. In 1985, it took just 40 weeks of median male wages to cover food, housing, healthcare, transportation and education expenses for a family of four. In 2022, it took 62 weeks of median male wages to do the same. Simply put, this means countless working-class men are struggling to support their families and achieve the American Dream.As deindustrialization devastated communities and destroyed high-quality jobs, millions of men left the workforce. The Biden administration touts a re...

A bright, beautiful spring forecast on NY Fashion Week runways

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:57:55 GMT

A bright, beautiful spring forecast on NY Fashion Week runways Are you ready for spring? I know, fall’s barely here, but fashion is always three steps ahead, and New York Fashion Week opened its Spring 2024 Ready-to-Wear shows with a bang. Some shows were digital, some were in person. Many were spread across the city, some were in galleries, designers’ studios, and — if you were Jason Wu — in the Sunken Garden at the Chase Manhattan Bank Building in the Financial District.Things got off to a hot start at Rodarte, designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy had flowers on the brain — big huge blossoms and powerful petals. They were there in bold, bright colors and beaded fabrics, and absolutely huge ruffles.One of the most anticipated shows of the week was Peter Do’s debut at Helmut Lang. (He worked for Celine’s Phoebe Philo, and designers Eli Russell Linnetz and Thakoon Panichgul sat in his front row.) It seems pretty safe to say he revived serious interest in the ‘90s brand with his fresh take on bubble silhouettes, loads of denim paired with minimalist...