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As Nelson Velázquez makes a case for an extended shot in the majors, the Chicago Cubs outfielder is embracing each chance

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:21:04 GMT

Three pitches into the at-bat, Nelson Velázquez found himself in a tough spot against one of the best closers in the majors.Velázquez, behind 1-2 in the count versus San Diego Padres lefty Josh Hader, needed to find a way to keep the Chicago Cubs alive with two outs in the ninth inning Wednesday. The 24-year-old outfielder’s big-league opportunities have been limited this year, but when the Cubs have called on him, Velázquez is finding ways to deliver.He watched two balls sail above the zone, then fouled off three consecutive sinkers from Hader, including two up and in on his hands, to keep the game alive. Velázquez capped the nine-pitch sequence — all sinkers — by shrewdly taking ball four just outside the zone to set up Nico Hoerner with two runners on and a two-run deficit.Hoerner fouled out on the next pitch to end the 5-3 loss on a blustery night at Wrigley Field.“Nelly had a phenomenal at-bat,” manager David Ross said. “B...

Patriots 7-round mock draft: Bill Belichick surprises in 1st round, adds WR and TE late

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:21:04 GMT

We made it.Draft day has arrived.Here is the Herald’s final seven-round Patriots mock draft:1st roundNo. 14: EDGE Myles Murphy, ClemsonHt/Wt: 6-4, 268It wouldn’t be a Bill Belichick draft without a curveball, right? But stay with us.Murphy is a freak athlete packed within the exact body type the Patriots covet for their edge defenders. He’s explosive, plays with high effort and can anchor versus the run. He recorded 17.5 sacks and six forced fumbles over three years at Clemson, where he played all across the defensive line, another plus in New England.The Patriots interviewed him at the combine, his Pro Day and invited him to Foxboro for a top-30 visit. At minimum, Murphy has met with director of player personnel Matt Groh, director of college scouting Camren Williams, multiple scouts, defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington and, most likely, Belichick.Based on current projections, the Patriots could nab Murphy at 14th or if they trade back. He would immediately am...

Ukraine ask pope’s help in getting children back from Russia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:21:04 GMT

ROME (AP) — Ukraine’s prime minister said he asked Pope Francis during a private Vatican audience Thursday to help facilitate the return of Ukrainian children who were forcibly taken to Russia.Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, briefing reporters on his half-hour audience with the pontiff, said he also invited Francis to come to Ukraine.“I asked the Vatican and the Holy Father for help in getting back children taken by force by Russia,” the prime minister said.The Vatican’s brief statement on the audience did not go into particular points of the talks. It noted that Shmyhal met with the Holy See’s secretary of state and foreign minister after his meeting with Francis.During the “cordial discussions, which took place in the Secretariat of State, various matters connected to the war in Ukraine were highlighted, with particular attention to the humanitarian aspects and efforts to restore peace,” the Vatican said.Francis has repeatedly decried the war in Ukraine, which bega...

Leafs fans on edge as team looks to dispel two decades of playoff letdowns

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:21:04 GMT

Could tonight finally be the night?Fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs have been waiting 19 years to celebrate a playoff series victory — the team has a chance to move on to the second round with a Thursday night win.The Leafs come home with a commanding 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven first round series with the Tampa Bay Lightning after putting together back-to-back thrilling victories on the road.The team completed two epic comebacks to force overtime in games 3 and 4 down in Florida. Morgan Rielly and Alex Kerfoot scored OT winners to give Toronto a two-game cushion over Tampa.You could forgive the fanbase for their apprehension. The Leafs previously held a 3-1 series lead over the Montreal Canadians in the 2020 playoffs. The Leafs lost three straight elimination games to lose the series in seven games. That series with Montreal was played in the Toronto bubble with limited fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The Leafs sport an 0-10 record over the last five years in playoff eli...

Iran urges Lebanese sides to reach agreement over president

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:21:04 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Iran’s foreign minister said Thursday that Tehran wants Lebanon’s rivals to reach an agreement to elect a new president in the crisis-hit country that has been without a head of state since October. Hossein Amirabdollahian made his comments during his first visit to Lebanon since Iran and Saudi Arabia reached an agreement in China last month to re-establish diplomatic relations and reopen embassies after seven years of tensions that had major repercussions in the tiny Mediterranean country. The agreement negotiated with China lowers the chance of armed conflict between the Mideast rivals — both directly and in proxy conflicts around the region. The effects of the agreement include eased tensions and an exchange of prisoners between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Iran-backed rebels, as well as improved relations between Saudi Arabia and Syrian President Bashar Assad. Lebanese groups are deeply divided between an Iran-backed coalition led by the powerful Hezbollah ...

City-United FA Cup final to be affected by train strike

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:21:04 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Traveling to the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium in London just got much harder for fans of the two Manchester clubs.The British trade union representing train drivers announced Thursday three days of strike action by its members, including June 3 — the day of the first meeting between Manchester City and Manchester United in an FA Cup final.That will mean severe disruption for Manchester-based supporters of the teams looking to make the journey south to the capital.The match has already been brought forward to 3 p.m. from its recent slot of 5:30 p.m. because London’s Metropolitan Police deems the match to be a high risk.Train drivers are striking amid a long-running dispute over pay.___More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsThe Associated Press

Bombardier reports Q1 profit compared with a loss a year ago, revenue up 17%

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:21:04 GMT

MONTREAL — Bombardier Inc. reported a profit in its latest quarter compared with a loss a year ago as its revenue gained 17 per cent, helped by higher deliveries and selling prices for its medium and large aircraft as well as increased services revenue.The aircraft maker, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, says it earned US$302 million or US$2.98 per diluted share for the quarter ended March 31 compared with a loss of US$287 million or US$3.09 per diluted share a year ago.Revenue totalled US$1.45 billion, up from US$1.25 billion in the first three months of 2022. The company says it is on track to reach its production guidance for more than 138 aircraft deliveries this year. On an adjusted basis, Bombardier says it earned US$1.06 per diluted share in its latest quarter compared with a loss of 80 cents per share in the same quarter last year.It says it repaid about US$400 million in debt in its first quarter.This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2023.Com...

Turkish citizens abroad begin voting in national election

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:21:04 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Some 3.4 million Turkish citizens living abroad were invited to begin voting Thursday in national elections that will decide whether President Recep Tayyip Erdogan can continue governing Turkey after two decades in power. The overseas balloting began amid concerns over Erdogan’s health after he was forced to cancel election rallies on Wednesday and Thursday. However, the 69-year-old leader was scheduled to attend a Thursday ceremony via video link to mark the inauguration of Turkey’s first nuclear power plant.The biggest contingents of overseas voters include 400,000 Turks in France and 1.5 million in Germany who can cast their ballots in Turkey’s presidential and parliamentary elections until May 9. Voting in Turkey itself doesn’t take place until May 14.During Turkey’s last presidential election five years ago, a significant majority of Turkish voters in Germany backed Erdogan. It is unclear whether he will receive the same level of backing from the...

NATO allies send 1,500 combat vehicles, 230 tanks to Ukraine

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:21:04 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — NATO countries have delivered more than 98% of the combat vehicles promised to Ukraine amid its war with Russia, the military alliance’s chief said Thursday, giving Kyiv a bigger punch as it appears poised to launch a counteroffensive.Along with more than 1,550 armored vehicles, 230 tanks and other equipment, member nations have sent Ukraine “vast amounts of ammunition” and also trained and equipped more than nine new Ukrainian brigades, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said.More than 30,000 troops are estimated to make up the new brigades. “This will put Ukraine in a strong position to continue to retake occupied territory,” Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels.His comments came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping had a “long and meaningful” phone call in their first known contact since Russia’s full-scale invasion more than a year ago.Though Zelenskyy wsaid he was encouraged by Wednesda...

Thinking of Starting a Business? Consider Buying One Instead

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:21:04 GMT

Starting a business can be an enticing dream. It’s also notoriously difficult to come up with an original idea, find the right team and fund its growth.If you want to work for yourself, there may be an easier way — buying an existing business. Think of it like renovating a house instead of building one from the ground up, says Mark Zweig, professor and entrepreneur-in-residence at the University of Arkansas Walton College of Business .“I like the constraints of an existing business versus a clean sheet of paper,” Zweig says.Here are four reasons to consider this path to entrepreneurship.YOU DON’T HAVE TO START FROM SCRATCHFounders need to find customers, develop relationships with vendors and hire employees. They may need to rent space and buy equipment. They also need to create processes, set up software tools, hire lawyers and accountants, and complete other relevant tasks.Building that structure takes time and money. When you buy a business, at least some of those things are alre...