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Israel, Dominican Republic rival baseball teams come together to spread message of unity

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:00:38 GMT

The two teams are rivals, but off the field it’s all about love of the game and love for one another.“First of all, we have to love each other,” said a coach. Coaches and players from the national baseball teams of Israel and the Dominican Republic are in South Florida this week for the World Baseball Classic.“It’s an important time, both in the Latino and Jewish community, but in particular in the Jewish community hate has increased,” said Jesse Rojo, director of Philos Latino.On Tuesday, they came together at Jose Marti Park in Miami to spread a message against hate.“Member of the Jewish and Latino community to promote hope and friendship, solidarity, a time to use sports to build bridges,” said Rojo.“Teach the kids the importance and hopefully educate them,” said Nelson Cruz, general manager of the Dominican Republic baseball team.“To teach them from a young age, baseball is a sport that you learn from a young age....

Sports Betting Launch Triggers More Than 400,000 Accounts

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:00:38 GMT

More than 400,000 mobile sports betting accounts were active during the first three days the activity was available in Massachusetts and more than 8 million transactions took place, making Massachusetts the fifth busiest mobile betting state in the country last weekend.GeoComply, a vendor that provides the Gaming Commission with geolocation and fraud detection services, said Tuesday that it recorded 406,437 unique player accounts and 8.1 million “geolocation transactions” last weekend across the six mobile operators that went live in the Bay State on Friday. In-person betting began at the end of January, but mobile betting is expected to quickly become the dominant method of sports wagering here.The company said it also prevented more than 5,000 transactions from “devices or accounts with a known history of fraud, saving its customers tens of thousands of dollars.”“Today, one of the biggest challenges facing operators is onboarding genuine players and k...

Man accused of killing 13 year old in Mattapan appears in court after grand jury indictment

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:00:38 GMT

The man accused of killing a 13-year-old in Mattapan appeared in court on Tuesday to face a charge of first degree murder after prosecutors said he shot Tyler Lawrence of Norwood on Jan. 29. Csean Skerritt, 34, was arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court Tuesday following a grand jury indictment on March 9. He was previously arraigned in Dorchester District Court after his arrest last month. Lawrence, who lived in Norwood, was walking by the intersection of Babson and Fremont streets in Mattapan when he was killed. The teen had been in the area to visit his grandparents.Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said the investigation led police to Skerritt, who had been taken into custody a day before for allegedly distributing fentanyl on Feb. 1, just days after Lawrence’s death.Skerritt has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail. He has another court date scheduled for April.

Orioles observations on Félix Bautista’s first outing, Jackson Holliday’s reassignment and more

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:00:38 GMT

It was at last Mountain time in Florida.Orioles closer Félix Bautista made his first appearance of the spring as Baltimore’s starter in Tuesday’s exhibition against the Pittsburgh Pirates, pitching a perfect opening frame with two strikeouts as his fastball reached 99 mph.Bautista had a slower build-up to games after his outstanding rookie season ended with him suffering a sprained left knee. Having also experienced arm fatigue late in the year, he was put on a shoulder-strengthening program in the offseason, as well.Despite his late debut, Bautista said he believes Tuesday’s appearance puts him on track to be available for the Orioles’ March 30 opening day matchup with the Boston Red Sox.“The possibility is definitely there,” Bautista said through team interpreter Brandon Quinones.Bautista threw 15 pitches, the first three resulting in a strikeout of Oneil Cruz with two whiffs on his splitter. He froze Ji-Man Choi with a full-count fastball ...

Yankees’ Isiah Kiner-Falefa beginning to work in center field as shortstop battle comes down to wire

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:00:38 GMT

We may have a concession in the Yankees’ shortstop competition. Isiah Kiner-Falefa has begun working out in the outfield and will play in center field during Grapefruit League games this week, manager Aaron Boone told reporters on Tuesday.Kiner-Falefa has never registered a major league inning in the outfield, however, he has displayed versatility in his career as he’s played shortstop, second base, third base and catcher during his five-year career.With the writing on the wall that one of the Yankees’ prized young prospects — Anthony Volpe or Oswald Peraza — is set to take over shortstop duties, Kiner-Falefa is looking for a peaceful transition of power so he can remain in pinstripes by making himself available at different positions.The 27-year-old has been solid in spring games going 5-for-19 (.263) with a homer and a double.Kiner-Falefa played 138 games at shortstop for the Bombers last season recording 15 errors and struggling on routine plays thro...

Jose Quintana shut down until at least July after opting for bone graft surgery on rib

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:00:38 GMT

There is no such thing as too much pitching, or so the saying goes in baseball. For the Mets, this is once again proving to be true.Left-hander Jose Quintana underwent more testing for his injured rib this week and was diagnosed with a tumor on his rib, general manager Billy Eppler announced Tuesday. A biopsy came back benign, but Quintana opted to have a bone graft, which means he’ll be shut down until at least July.The important thing is Quintana’s health. Eppler said Quintana, his family and his agent, Adam Katz, talked through the options with team doctors and orthopedic tumor specialists. He made the decision to undergo surgery Tuesday and the operation is scheduled for Friday in New York.Quintana left his second spring training start on March 5 with what was described as tightness in his left side. The following day, imaging revealed a stress fracture of his fifth right rib and the team orthopedist found something concerning in the scan. Quintana was sent back to N...

You can’t spell heart attack without H-e-a-t, as season of close calls persists

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:00:38 GMT

It has become a cut-and-paste season for the Miami Heat.Close games now, then and seemingly forever.Of the 70 games played by the Heat going into Wednesday night’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies at Miami-Dade Arena, 50 have fallen into the NBA’s definition of clutch – a game within five points at any point in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter.In other words, only 20 Heat games all season have not carried the designation.The Heat are 28-22 in those games.Further, by holding off the visiting Utah Jazz 119-115 Tuesday night, the Heat improved to 24-15 in games decided by five or fewer points.That victory total ties the league all-time record for wins by five or fewer, set by the 1999-2000 Philadelphia 76ers, with the 39 overall five-point games two off the record of the 41 such games by the Denver Nuggets in 1977-78.As a matter of reference, those 1999-2000 76ers finished the regular season in fifth place in the Eastern Conference and lost in the Eas...

Chicago Bears safety Eddie Jackson is ‘ahead of schedule’ and excited about the defensive additions in free agency

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:00:38 GMT

Safety Eddie Jackson has been like many Chicago Bears fans this week, tracking the team’s free-agency activity on social media. On Monday evening, Jackson offered up a 29-character Twitter review of general manager Ryan Poles.“That’s what I’m talking about,” he tweeted.That reaction came in the middle of a 10-hour surge in which Poles and the Bears agreed to terms on contracts with four veterans, including three defenders. Tremaine Edmunds was the headliner, a two-time Pro Bowl selection coming to play weakside linebacker for coach Matt Eberflus. It was that signing that prompted Jackson’s excited reaction.Edmunds will be flanked by fellow newcomer T.J. Edwards, a Lake Villa native and lifelong Bears fan who was a starter on the Philadelphia Eagles’ NFC championship team last season. The Bears also added pass rush help late Monday with DeMarcus Walker.Jackson approved.“It’s always fun to add those type of players,” he said ...

Missing girl, 3, found safe

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:00:38 GMT

VISTA, Calif. -- A missing 3-year-old girl who authorities were looking for Tuesday afternoon in Vista has been found safe, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.

What’s known – and not – about US-Russia military air crash

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:00:38 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — When a Russian fighter jet collided with a large U.S. surveillance drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday, it was a rare but serious incident that triggered a U.S. diplomatic protest and raised concerns about the possibility Russia could recover sensitive technology.U.S. and Russian officials had conflicting accounts of the collision between the MQ-9 Reaper drone and the Russian Su-27 fighter jet — each blaming the other. But a Pentagon spokesman raised the possibility that the Defense Department could eventually declassify and release video it has of the collision.Defense officials said the drone has not been recovered. But the Pentagon declined to say whether any effort was underway to gather debris or pieces of the Reaper.Here’s what’s known — and uncertain — about the crash.WHAT THE US SAYS HAPPENEDThe Pentagon and U.S. European Command said that two Russian Su-27 aircraft dumped fuel on the MQ-9, which was conducting a routine surveillance mission ove...