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Chicago Cubs’ Cody Bellinger has a limited pregame BP routine, which has set him up for success

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:21 GMT

Cody Bellinger’s favorite time to hit happens long before the ballpark opens to fans.He finds solace during the 45-minute early batting practice sessions where “there’s no camera, no anybody and it’s not as controlled of an environment,” Bellinger explained to the Tribune.“If I’m going to hit on the field, I prefer the early hitting slot because it’s peaceful — it’s just you on a baseball field and it’s super, super enjoyable.”Outside of his early on-field work, Bellinger typically does not take on-field BP with his teammates at home or on the road. Bellinger instead prefers to go through his own routine using the indoor cage.It’s a practice that has become more common in the majors, among them most notably is Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani, who’s been known for how rarely he hits on the field pregame. Early in the season Bellinger would take BP with his teammates because he felt like he had to in a ...

Orioles single-game postseason tickets go on sale Thursday morning: Here’s how to buy them

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:21 GMT

The general public will be able to purchase single-game tickets for Orioles postseason games starting 10 a.m. Thursday, though it’s not yet clear when the team will play at Camden Yards during the playoffs, or who it will be playing.The single-game tickets going up Thursday are for each of 10 possible home games through the American League Championship Series, and are limited to six tickets per buyer. When the Orioles play and who they will face in the playoffs depends on how the next few weeks shake out. The cost of tickets for games that aren’t played will be automatically refunded within two to three weeks of the end of the postseason, according to the Orioles’ website, which says those interested in attending postseason games are “encouraged to sign up for the Orioles Insider Newsletter to access the sale.”Earlier this month, you either had to be a season ticket holder or to have committed to becoming oneto get tickets to the playoffs.Those with 202...

Oscar Pistorius is eligible for parole after serving half of his murder sentence, new documents say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:21 GMT

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Oscar Pistorius was eligible for parole in March under South African law and the double-amputee Olympic and Paralympic runner may have been wrongly denied early release from prison because of a miscalculation over when he began serving his sentence for murder, court documents show.Justice and correctional services authorities submitted the documents to the country’s apex Constitutional Court on Tuesday and said they won’t oppose the appeal from Pistorius arguing he has served the prescribed amount of time in prison and should immediately be declared eligible for parole.Offenders sentenced to more than two years in prison in South Africa must serve half their sentence to be eligible for parole.Pistorius’ appeal says he was eligible when he attended a parole hearing on March 31, when a parole board denied his early release and ruled he was not eligible until August next year.The new papers submitted to the Constitutional Court indicate ...

Google sued for negligence after man drove off collapsed bridge while following map

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:21 GMT

The family of a North Carolina man who died after driving his car off a collapsed bridge while following Google Maps directions is suing the technology giant for negligence, claiming it had been informed of the collapse but failed to update its navigation system.Philip Paxson, a medical device salesman and father of two, drowned Sept. 30, 2022, after his Jeep Gladiator plunged into Snow Creek in Hickory, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Wake County Superior Court.Paxson was driving home from his daughter’s ninth birthday party through an unfamiliar neighbourhood when Google Maps allegedly directed him to cross a bridge that had collapsed nine years prior and was never repaired.“Our girls ask how and why their daddy died, and I’m at a loss for words they can understand because, as an adult, I still can’t understand how those responsible for the GPS directions and the bridge could have acted with so little regard for human life,” his wife, Alicia P...

Seattle officer should be put on leave for callous remarks about woman’s death, watchdog group says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:21 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle’s Community Police Commission on Wednesday recommended that the city’s police chief suspend without pay an officer under investigation for making callous remarks about the death of a woman from India who was struck by a police SUV in a crosswalk.The 21-member commission and its three appointed co-chairs also requested that Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz “immediately engage in a workgroup” with the commission, the Office of Police Accountability and the Office of Inspector General to “address repeated concerns with the culture of policing and police practices” in his department, The Seattle Times reported.The letter calls on Diaz to suspend Officer Daniel Auderer, the vice president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild. Auderer has been under investigation since earlier this month when police officials listened to audio from Auderer’s body camera during an investigation into the death of Jaahnavi Kandula, a 23-year-old graduate student who was struck and kill...

World War I remembrance sites in Belgium and France have been added to UNESCO’s heritage registry

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:21 GMT

PARIS (AP) — UNESCO added World War I funerary and memorial locations across the Western Front to its prestigious World Heritage registry, expanding its list of landmarks of monumental importance. The World Heritage Committee announced the decision Wednesday during its ongoing meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.The list includes sites the panel has deemed “of outstanding value to humanity,” according to the agency, and deserving of ”special protection” — including funding and international protection in times of war under the Geneva Convention.The newly added sites stretch from Belgium’s north to eastern France, battle zones where the Allied forces clashed with the German army from 1914 to 1918. The array of sanctuaries ranges from expansive necropolises bearing multitudes of soldiers from different nationalities to humbler graveyards and individual monuments.The list previously included 1,157 sites notable for their extraordinary natural wonders or distinctive human contribution...

Video shows officer repeatedly discussed charging 11-year-old victim with child sexual abuse offense

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:21 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A Columbus police officer summoned to a home by a father concerned his 11-year-old daughter was being solicited by an adult man repeatedly asserted that the girl could face charges for sending explicit images of herself.Body camera footage obtained by The Associated Press showed the Sept. 15 interaction between the father and two officers. The father angrily closed the door after one of the officers told him his daughter could face charges for producing or recording child sexual abuse images despite being a victim.The parent posted to TikTok a now-viral security video of the conversation, which has generated widespread criticism of the police’s response.The officers’ conduct is being investigated, as well as any crime that may have been committed against the girl, Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said in a statement late Tuesday. She also said the department reached out to apologize to the father.Police have not released the father’s name, and the AP d...

Blue Jays beat Yankees, win 5th straight behind Gausman gem

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:21 GMT

Kevin Gausman pitched six scoreless innings and struck out 10 batters as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the New York Yankees 6-1 for their fifth-straight victory.Gausman (12-9) scattered only three hits, walking three batters across his six solid innings. He departed with the Blue Jays up 1-0 courtesy of a Bo Bichette infield single.The Blue Jays would add two insurance runs in the top of the eighth inning with two bases-loaded walks. Singles from Bichette and Spencer Horwitz, who finished the game with a career-high three runs batted in, would expand the lead even more en route to the win.INSURANCE! pic.twitter.com/4eDxj9NY4W— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) September 21, 2023Horwitz was a late addition to the lineup after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was scratched with knee discomfort. It’s unclear if Guerrero will be back on Thursday.RELATED: Blue Jays call up Cam Eden, option Ernie Clement to triple-A BuffaloToronto’s relievers were once again impressive out of the bullpen....

The greatest coach in Illinois history: How Bob Zuppke became 'Mr. Razzle Dazzle'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:21 GMT

OAK PARK, Ill. — On a late summer evening at Oak Park Rover Forest High School, the high-pitched bark of football coach John Hoerster, Jr.  is really an echo of football history. “Offense, offense come here,” Hoerster said to the team. “Huddle up.”The huddle – that staple of football at every level from Pop Warner to the pros, was invented at Oak Park River Forest High School by Robert Zuppke, one of the greatest minds in the history of the game.In a closely cropped parted haircut, and a bowtie, Zuppke prowled the sidelines more than a century ago.Zuppke was a German-born, Milwaukee-reared basketball player who became a football genius and landed at OPRF High School in 1910.“Oak Park-River Forest High School hired him to be athletic director, a history teacher – and the new football coach,” Frank Lippo, the Oak Park Historical Society’s executive director, said.OPRF H.S. is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. A special exhibit marks the milestone at the Oak Park River ...

Great Gatsby Party set to make Chicago stop among string of nationwide events

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:21 GMT

CHICAGO — A yearly spectacle that debuted back in 2015, two Chicago stalwarts are coming together to bring back one of America's most iconic party themes, and put it on the grand stage in the West Loop this coming weekend.Organizers with the Chicago Bucket List and Rose Lifestyle are set to make the yearly revival of the Great Gatsby Party at Union Station Saturday evening.Channeling the energy and atmosphere of the Roaring Twenties one hundred years after the popular era took place, guests will experience a wide variety of entertainment and food options including live music, aerialists, theatrical acts, dancers, contortionists, stilt walkers, and other performers, according to the event's website.VIP access also includes early access to the event, caviar sampling, petit fours, casino and speakeasy experiences, and more.Advance tickets for the event begin at $110 and can be purchased by visiting greatgatsbyparty.com for complete details and event updates. Tickets are limited and exp...