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Nets GM: Ben Simmons isn’t yet playing 5-on-5, not going to rush his return

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:17 GMT

LAS VEGAS — The seemingly endless wait for Ben Simmons to play competitive basketball remains open-ended.Nearly five months since his last game with the Nets, Simmons’s training still doesn’t include 5-on-5 or 3-on-3 workouts, GM Sean Marks revealed Sunday.It was a notable development since the Australian national team coach said recently that Simmons was gearing up to play in August at the FIBA World Cup. But Simmons subsequently pulled out of World Cup consideration, which Marks said was a collaborative decision involving the Nets.The GM said he visited Simmons in Miami and offered a rosy report of “he’s in great physical shape and also mentally.” But there remains no time table for his return from the back injury, only hope that Simmons will be available for Nets training camp at the end of September.“We’ve got time,” Marks said. “This is not something where we’re going to rush him back in to play 5-on-5 in the nex...

Chicago Cubs pick Matt Shaw, a shortstop from Maryland, with the No. 13 pick in the MLB draft

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:17 GMT

After going the pitcher route in the first round three of the last four years, the Chicago Cubs tapped into the college hitter pool for their top 2023 draft pick.The Cubs chose Maryland shortstop Matt Shaw with the No. 13 pick. Shaw, 21, was considered one of the top college hitters in the draft. He won the 2023 Brooks Wallace Award as the nation’s top shortstop and was the Big Ten Player of the Year.Shaw hit .341 with a .445 on-base percentage, 1.142 OPS, 20 doubles and 24 home runs during his junior season at Maryland. He also stole 18 bases and was caught only once. He showed a good approach and limited his whiffs, drawing 43 walks against 42 strikeouts in 62 games (317 plate appearances).This marks the third time the Cubs have picked at No. 13. They selected outfielder Tyler Colvin in 2006 and catcher Bill Hayes in 1978. Manny Ramirez (1991), Frank Tanana (1971), Chris Sale (2010), Trea Turner (2014) and Paul Konerko (1994) have the highest career WARs from that draft posi...

Chicago White Sox select Jacob Gonzalez, a shortstop from Ole Miss, with the No. 15 pick in the MLB draft

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:17 GMT

The Chicago White Sox looked to the infield in the first round of the MLB draft, selecting Mississippi shortstop Jacob Gonzalez with the No. 15 pick Sunday.Gonzalez, 21, earned second-team All-SEC honors this year after starting all 54 games at shortstop and leading the Rebels in doubles (18) and walks (35).He finished second on the team in batting average (.327), on-base percentage (.435) and RBIs (51) and was third in slugging percentage (.564), runs (46), hits (66) and total bases (114).As a sophomore Gonzalez started all 65 games at short and made first-team All-SEC as Ole Miss won the College World Series. He went 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs, and two runs scored in the title-clinching win against Oklahoma.The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Gonzalez, who is from Glendora, Calif., bats left-handed and throws right-handed. He was ranked No. 18 on MLB.com’s Top 250 draft prospects list.Here’s a breakdown of the Sox’s selections in the 2023 MLB draft.Round 1: No. 15 (bo...

‘Life threatening’ flooding overwhelms New York roadways, killing 1 person

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:17 GMT

HUDSON VALLEY, N.Y. (AP) — Heavy rain sparked extreme flooding in New York’s Hudson Valley that killed at least one person, swamped roadways and forced road closures on Sunday night.The National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings across parts of southeastern New York, describing it as “life threatening.”One person died due to the flooding, Steven M. Neuhaus, the Orange County executive, told The New York Times.State Route 9W was flooded, and the Palisades Interstate Parkway became so drenched that parts of it was closed, the New York State Police said in a statement. The police asked the public to avoid the parkway.Cedar Pond Brook in Stony Point was flowing over the road and into private properties, according to WABC.Rockland County Executive Ed Day instructed residents to “remain indoors in a safe location” until the heavy rainfall ended.The Associated Press

Blue Jays select shortstop Arjun Nimmala in baseball amateur draft

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:17 GMT

The Toronto Blue Jays selected power-hitting shortstop Arjun Nimmala with their top pick in baseball’s amateur draft on Sunday night.The 17-year-old Nimmala, from Strawberry Crest High School in the Tampa, Fla., region was picked 20th overall.The six-foot-one, 170-pound athlete bats right, throws right and is regarded as one of the top hitters in his age group.Shane Farrell, the amateur scouting director with the Jays, said Sunday the team was very impressed with Nimmala’s overall “tool package.”“The power, the arm strength, playing at a premium position, that all makes him a real exciting player and somebody I’m really happy to get into the farm system,” said Farrell.Farrell added that the team has built a strong relationship with the high school athlete and didn’t expect signing him to be an issue.Nimmala’s age and offensive upside were on display all summer, including at Major League Baseball’s High School all-American G...

Argentina archbishop says he made mistakes in handling abuse allegations against priest

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:17 GMT

LA PLATA, Argentina (AP) — Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernández, chosen by Pope Francis to head the Vatican office that ensures doctrinal orthodoxy, conceded Sunday he made mistakes in handling a 2019 case of a priest accused of sexual abuse of minors.The case has drawn allegations by critics that Fernández tried to protect the priest, a charge that he has denied.“Today I would certainly act very differently and certainly my performance was insufficient,” he told The Associated Press during an interview after celebrating Mass in La Plata, about 70 kilometers (40 miles) south of Buenos Aires.Pope Francis appointed Fernández on July 1 to head the Holy See’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, which guarantees doctrinal orthodoxy and one of whose areas involves handling sexual abuse allegations brought against clergy. He was also named a cardinal Sunday along with about two dozen religious.BishopAccountability.org, a U.S. group that maintains an online archive on abuse in the Roman ...

9-year-old shot and killed at birthday party in Franklin Park

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:17 GMT

FRANKLIN PARK, Ill. — A nine-year-old boy from Chicago was shot and killed while attending a birthday party for his grandmother in Franklin Park Saturday night, according to the Franklin Park Police Department.Police said nine-year-old Ulysses Campos was playing near an alley in the 2800 block of Elder Lane when a disturbance took place. Shots were fired from a moving vehicle, and Ulysses was hit in the chest.Once first responders arrived on scene, Ulysses was taken to Loyola Hospital in Maywood, where he was pronounced dead. Man charged with 1st degree murder after 10-year-old Rockford girl found dead Investigators were able to find the suspects' vehicle in unincorporated Leyden Township, and a person of interest is in police custody.Police said 4-6 shots were fired into the group at the birthday party, and no one else was hit, besides Ulysses.Police also consider this an isolated incident and said there is no threat to the public.If you or someone you know witnessed or has infor...

Man charged with 1st degree murder after 10-year-old Rockford girl found dead

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:17 GMT

ROCKFORD, Ill. — A man from Blue Island has been charged with first degree murder after a 10-year-old girl was found dead in Rockford Saturday, according to the Rockford Police Department.Antonio Monroe, 44, was charged Sunday with first degree murder, attempted murder, two counts of kidnapping and aggravated battery/strangulation. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Police: 10-year-old girl found dead in Rockford According to police, officers were dispatched around 12:07 p.m. Saturday after a call from a woman who said her 6-year-old daughter came home and that a man took her 10-year-old sister.At around 12:40 p.m., Rockford police officers said they were flagged down by a male who said he found an unresponsive juvenile girl outside of a residence in the 1200 block of 9th Avenue. When officers arrived on scene, they found the child and administered CPD.The Rockford Fire Department then took her to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.As the child was taken to the hospital, police said a...

Tesla hiring seasonal test drivers in Austin, 14 other cities

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:17 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Tesla will begin hiring drivers who will help test vehicle performances, according to job postings on the vehicle manufacturer's website Sunday.The company is seeking applicants who, if hired, will serve as a "seasonal vehicle operator." These employees will "operate a vehicle in a designated area for data collection" and help write drive reports detailing on observations or issues, per a job posting.The company is hiring for operators in the following cities:Austin, TexasBrooklyn, New YorkElgin, IllinoisBrooklyn Park, MinnesotaDraper, UtahDenver, ColoradoBellevue, WashingtonMarina Del Rey, CaliforniaMiami, FloridaBoynton Beach, FloridaRoswell, GeorgiaTempe, ArizonaFarmer's Branch, TexasPeabody, MassachusettsFremont, CaliforniaThe positions are described as "at-will, temporary" work, with the assignment expected to last roughly three months. The expected compensation is listed between $18 and $48 per hour.More details on the available roles are posted online.

Joey Meneses homers for third consecutive day, leads Nationals past AL West-leading Rangers, 7-2

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:17 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Joey Meneses homered for the third consecutive day, Patrick Corbin earned his first home victory since May 20, and the Washington Nationals defeated the Texas Rangers 7-2 on Sunday.Stone Garrett and Dominic Smith also homered for last-place Washington, which won the final two games of the series after dropping 15 of its previous 16 at Nationals Park.“Hats off to the group to come back against a first-place team like that and to take a series going into the (All-Star) break,” Smith said. “I think we can build on that and there’s a lot of things we can look forward to in the second half.”Texas enters the break atop the AL West despite losing eight of its past 11. The Rangers (52-39) have not won a series since taking two of three June 19-21 from the Chicago White Sox, but still are tied for their fifth-best record through 91 games in franchise history.Texas just completed a stretch of 30 games in 31 days, including 17 in a row ending Sunday.“You take where we’re at a...