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19-year old Red Sox prospect full of potential

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:47 GMT

He’s been called the right-handed version of Rafael Devers, and aspires to be like Ronald Acuña Jr.His name is Miguel Bleis, and he’s one of the most promising talents in the Red Sox organization.Signed out of the Dominican Republic in January 2021, Bleis was one of the top players available in that international signing class. A hard-hitting outfielder with a strong arm and serious speed, he’s already earning a rare baseball label:Five-tool player.“You don’t talk about five-tool players too often, but he is one of them,” Red Sox farm director Brian Abraham told Alex Speier of the Boston Globe last fall.Acuña is a role model for that reason, Bleis told Speier through Red Sox translator Carlos Villoria-Benitez.Bleis is the No. 4 prospect in the Red Sox organization and No. 93 in MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospects. He’s in the top 100 at Baseball Prospectus (67) and Baseball America (88), Keith Law ranked him No. 72, and Kiley McDaniel put him at No. 95. Fa...

Giants add Colts LB Bobby Okereke, Bucs DL Rakeem Nunez-Roches on defense

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:47 GMT

The Giants’ first outside free agent signings of 2023 addressed their lack of speed and run-stopping on defense.They agreed with Indianapolis Colts inside linebacker Bobby Okereke on a reported four-year, $40 million contract with $22 million guaranteed. And they secured Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches on a reported three-year, $12 million deal with $7.5 million guaranteed.Okereke now tops Wink Martindale’s inside linebacker depth chart that includes veteran Jarrad Davis, who is back on a one-year deal, and second-year pro Darrian Beavers, who is coming back from a torn left ACL.The former Colts third-round pick out of Stanford made 132 tackles in 2021 and 151 tackles in 2022. The terms of his contract were first reported by NFL Network.The Giants gave Okereke a lot of money at a devalued position. On a day when the inside linebacker market exploded, he received the second-biggest contract of all ILBs behind only the Buffalo Bills’ Tremain...

7 of 8 dead after suspected smuggling boats overturn presumed Mexican

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:47 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Seven of eight people who died after two suspected smuggling boats overturned near Black's Beach late Saturday were presumed to be Mexican citizens, consulate officials confirmed.The nationality of the seven victims were based on the "identifications that some of them carried," the Consul General of Mexico in San Diego stated in a news release Monday. They are also working with authorities to identify the victims and assist their families."As soon as there is confirmation from the coroner's office in this regard, it will be informed to their relatives," the foreign consulate said.Authorities on Sunday said a Spanish-speaking caller reported two vessels, one carrying eight people and another carrying approximately 15 had overturned. San Diego father killed in avalanche Lifeguards and Customs and Border Protection officers found a total of eight bodies and two capsized boats when they arrived on scene, according to fire officials. "People planning to cross the border in...

In-N-Out 'cookout truck' to serve mini versions of classics

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:47 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- In-N-Out enthusiasts can now bring the fast-food restaurant to them with their very own "cookout truck."Lynsi Snyder, the granddaughter of late In-N-Out Burger co-founder Esther Snyder, made the announcement on Instagram to honor her grandmother's "giving legacy.""The best part about this truck is that, in honor of my Grandma and her love for helping children, it supports the In-N-Out Burger Foundation’s efforts in assisting children who have been victims of child abuse. So, let's get that truck on the road and help give children an abuse free childhood and a future," Lynsi Snyder said.The special truck equipped with a staff will be reserved for children and youth events, offering mini versions of In-N-Out's classic hamburger, cheeseburger, Double-Double, fries as well as fountain drinks, according to the Esther Snyder Cookout Truck's website. For the love of lumpia: This famous Filipino food truck has evolved into a San Diego restaurant How to make it happenCustomers...

Retrial ordered for 87-year-old ex-boxer on Japan death row

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:47 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Tokyo’s high court on Monday ordered a retrial for an 87-year-old former boxer who has been on death row for more than five decades after his murder conviction that his lawyers said was based on forced confession and fabricated evidence.The Tokyo High Court said Iwao Hakamada deserves a retrial because of a possibility that a key evidence that led to his conviction could have been fabricated by investigators, according to a statement from the Japan Bar Association.Amnesty International says Hakamada is the world’s longest-serving death row prisoner. He has been temporarily released since 2014, but still not cleared of charges, when the Shizuoka District Court in central Japan suspended his execution and ordered a retrial. That ruling was overturned by the Tokyo High Court until the Supreme Court in 2020 ordered the lower court to reconsider. His defense lawyers rushed out of the courtroom and flashed banners saying “Retrial.” “We won his retrial. I’m so glad, and that’s...

Avril Lavigne shocked as topless fan crashes Juno Awards broadcast

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:47 GMT

EDMONTON — Avril Lavgine shooed a topless fan off the Juno Awards stage in Edmonton shortly after the show got underway.The pop-punk princess appeared blindsided when someone from the audience leapt on the stage during her introduction of AP Dhillon and stuck around in the background for nearly 30 seconds.Once Lavigne noticed the fan, she swore at her and told her to get off the stage before security escorted away the person.It was a surprise moment in a typically tame broadcast, hosted again this year by actor Simu Liu.Early winners included Jessie Reyez who picked up contemporary R&B recording of the year for “Yessie” as her tearful father looked on.This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 13, 2023.David Friend, The Canadian Press

What’s the status of the US death penalty?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:47 GMT

The first federal capital case tried under President Joe Biden ended with a split among jurors that means the life of an Islamic extremist who killed eight people in a New York City will be spared. It came at a rare federal death penalty trial in a state without the death penalty.That Biden’s Justice Department continued to pursue the death penalty for Sayfullo Saipov, who used a truck to mow down pedestrians and cyclists on a popular bike path, was a surprise to many given Biden’s opposition to capital punishment and his 2016 campaign pledge to end it federally. The jury’s failure to reach a unanimous decision means Saipov receives an automatic sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for the October 2017 attack.The initial decision to seek the death penalty came under then-President Donald Trump, who tweeted a day after the attack that Saipov “SHOULD GET DEATH PENALTY!” But Attorney General Merrick Garland, under Biden, gave his prosecutors th...

Biden’s test: Can he show competence to avert banking chaos?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:47 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — In 2016, Vice President Joe Biden warned against efforts to unravel banking regulations that Democrats had fought to implement following the nation’s financial crisis, just as the emerging Trump administration was determined to loosen those strict banking rules.Biden argued that without the far-reaching 2010 banking overhaul known as Dodd-Frank, financial institutions would continue to gamble with consumers’ cash and ultimately hurt the middle class. “We can’t go back to the days when financial companies take massive risks with the knowledge that a taxpayer bailout is around the corner when they fail,” Biden said in a speech at Georgetown University in the waning days of the Obama administration. Now there’s a banking crisis on his watch as president, and Biden is moving aggressively to assure the public that it is contained, bank executives will be fired, deposits are safe and taxpayers aren’t on the hook — measures also designed to calm jittery ...

Seoul: North Korea launches 2 ballistic missiles toward sea

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:47 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea test-fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters Tuesday in Pyongyang’s second show of force this week, officials said, a day after the beginning of U.S.-South Korean military drills that the North views as an invasion rehearsal. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the launches were made from the southwestern coastal town of Jangyon from 7:41 a.m. to 7:51 a.m., and it assessed that the missiles flew across North Korea before landing in the sea off that country’s east coast. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the South Korean military had boosted its surveillance posture and maintained readiness in close coordination with the United States.Pyongyang could further escalate its weapons tests over the coming days in a tit-for-tat response to the allies’ military drills, which are planned to run until March 23. Last week North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered his troops to be ready to repel wha...

Bill to legalize sports wagering clears Kentucky House

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:47 GMT

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A bill to legalize sports betting in Kentucky won House passage on Monday, setting up a potential Senate showdown on a proposal that creates divisions among the Republican supermajorities.Past efforts to legalize sports wagering in the Bluegrass State garnered House support but died in the Senate. It’s a reflection of how divisive gambling is in the state that’s home to Churchill Downs in Louisville, where the Kentucky Derby is run.After several years of coming up short, supporters said it’s time for Kentucky to accept a form of wagering already available in most bordering states.“You literally just have to drive across the county line or cross the river to go take part in their programs.” said Republican Rep. Michael Meredith, the bill’s lead sponsor.The measure cleared the House on a 63-34 vote, but its prospects in the Senate are uncertain, with a higher procedural hurdle to overcome this year. It needs a three-fifths vote in each chamber to pass, sinc...