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5 things the Mets need to do in the second half

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:52:11 GMT

The first half was a mess for the Mets.Stars such as Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander and Pete Alonso struggled through stretches of inconsistency. The bullpen sputtered without injured closer Edwin Diaz. Key contributors from last year’s 101-win team have taken steps back.The result was a 42-48 record before the All-Star break, good for fourth place in the NL East and 18.5 games behind the division-leading Braves. The $360 million Mets showed signs of life with a six-game winning streak to begin July, but they ended the half on a sour note with back-to-back losses to the similarly disappointing Padres.The good news? With three NL Wild Card spots, the Mets remain within striking distance of playoffs at seven games out.Here are five things the Mets need to do to salvage their season.START STRONGThe next three weeks will be key for the Mets to determine where they stand at the Aug. 1 trade deadline. If they’re going to make a legitimate push, they’ll need to win games ...

Bruins beat: Making the playoffs will be a challenge for Boston

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:52:11 GMT

Don’t look now, Bruins fans, but the waters of the Atlantic Division are getting deeper by the day.Anyone who was paying attention during the B’s historic 65-win regular season knew it was a high-wire act performed without a net. The forever-stagnant salary cap was clearly going to bite them in the 2023-24 season and it has indeed taken a big chunk out, with Taylor Hall, Tyler Bertuzzi, Dmitry Orlov, Garnet Hathaway and Connor Clifton out the door. A couple have gone to the B’s direct divisional competition – all of have stayed in the Eastern Conference. Whether Patrice Bergeron and/or David Krejci will return is still in doubt.The latest Atlantic Division team to improve itself was the Detroit Red Wings, who on Sunday landed game-breaker Alex DeBrincat, the 25-year-old two-time 41-goal scorer, from the Ottawa Senators. DeBrincat, who signed a four-year extension at a reasonable $7.87 million, joins a promising corps of Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond and Moritz ...

Beer pioneer Anchor Brewing to shutter

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:52:11 GMT

San Francisco’s 127-year-old Anchor Brewing Co. will shut down and liquidate after years of declining sales, citing tough economic conditions.Anchor was a trailblazer in the U.S., brewing craft beers in the 1970s when most Americans were loyal to a handful of major brands. Its unique brewing techniques ignited demand beyond the city borders of San Francisco, and it quickly became a sought-after prize by beer geeks everywhere.In recent years, however, brewers have faced increasing difficulty turning a profit with a proliferation of canned cocktails, crafted drinks, spirits and wines dinging beer sales. Lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic pressured brewers further.Last year, overall beer sales volume slid 3.1% in the U.S., according to the Brewers Association. Craft brewer sales volume ticked 0.1% higher during the period, but imports are rising.“We recognize the importance and historic significance of Anchor to San Francisco and to the craft brewing industry, but the i...

City Budget Office: Madison Square Garden’s tax break doesn’t make sense

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:52:11 GMT

Madison Square Garden’s enormous tax break should be eliminated because James Dolan is unlikely to move his teams from the New York City cash cow, according to a new report from the Independent Budget Office.The tax break, which began prior to Dolan’s reign as MSG warden, has cost New York City roughly $1 billion, according to the government agency, which it called a conservative estimate. Dolan is now saving about $43 million per year on property taxes.The reason for the tax break — which was established in 1982 after threats from the Knicks and Rangers that they’d leave New York City — is outdated, the IBO determined.“The current location of MSG in Midtown Manhattan and directly above Penn Station, creates optimal conditions for revenue generation that would be impossible to replicate were MSG to move to New Jersey or another major metropolitan area,” read the 30-page report titled, ‘An Examination of the Madison Square Garden Proper...

Plastic surgeon who livestreamed procedures on TikTok banned from practicing medicine in Ohio

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:52:11 GMT

By SAMANTHA HENDRICKSON (Associated Press/Report For America)COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio plastic surgeon’s state medical license was permanently revoked Wednesday after a medical board determined she harmed patients while livestreaming their surgeries on the social media app TikTok. The Ohio Medical Board voted to ban Katharine Grawe — also known as Dr. Roxy in her plastic surgery practice “Roxy Plastic Surgery” and to her many TikTok followers — from ever practicing again in the state. The board said Grawe, who originally had her license suspended in November, neglected her patients as she livestreamed parts of their procedures, spoke into a camera and answered viewer questions — all while the surgeries were taking place.Neither Grawe nor her lawyers responded to Wednesday messages seeking comment. Grawe’s TikTok account is currently private. The board warned Grawe about her actions as early as 2018, citing concerns over patient pri...

3 dead, 14 hurt after Greyhound bus strikes semis in Illinois; NTSB investigating

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:52:11 GMT

By The Associated PressHIGHLAND, Ill. (AP) — A Greyhound passenger bus crashed into three tractor-trailers parked along a highway exit to a rest area early Wednesday in southern Illinois, killing three people and injuring 14 others, some seriously, state police said.The St. Louis-bound bus was traveling westbound along Interstate 70 in Madison County around 1:55 a.m. when it crashed into the three semis, Illinois State Police said, citing an initial investigation.Four people were taken to the hospital by helicopter and at least 10 others were taken by ambulance, state police said in a news release. Police did not immediately release details about those who were injured and killed.No one in the three trucks was injured in the crash near the city of Highland about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of St. Louis, police said.State Police spokesperson Melaney Arnold said those killed and injured were all on the Greyhound bus. She was not sure if the bus driver was among those killed or...

Ticker: Musk to launch own AI company; Inflation dips to 2-year low

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:52:11 GMT

Elon Musk, who has hinted for months that he wants to build an alternative to the popular ChatGPT artificial intelligence chatbot, announced the formation of what he’s calling xAI, whose goal is to “understand the true nature of the universe.”On a website unveiled Wednesday xAI said its team will be led by Musk and staffed by executives who have worked at a broad range of companies at the forefront of artificial intelligence, including Google’s DeepMind, Microsoft Corp. and Tesla Inc., as well as academic institutions such as the University of Toronto.Musk was involved in the creation of OpenAI, the highest-profile AI startup and developer of ChatGPT. But he has frequently and publicly criticized OpenAI since he left the board in 2018, especially after it created a for-profit arm the following year. He has said he believes it to be “effectively controlled by Microsoft.”Inflation dips to 2-year lowThe US inflation rate slid to a more than two-year low, a major step toward ending the ...

Playboi Carti to make San Diego stop on world tour

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:52:11 GMT

SAN DIEGO — Playboi Carti is making a stop in San Diego as part of his Antagonist world tour, it was announced Wednesday.The rapper, known for his hits like "Magnolia" and "Sky," will be performing at Pechanga Arena on Sept. 17 at 7:30 p.m.Tickets for the San Diego show will go on sale Friday, July 14 at noon and will range from $44.50 to $154.50 before fees, according to AXS.You can register for early access to tickets here.This will be Playboi Carti's first headlining tour since 2021 after the release of his Billboard 200 chart-topping album "Whole Lotta Red." Ice Cube to headline old-school rap concert in San Diego The Antagonist tour will kick with a Sept. 6 show in Denver, stopping at major U.S. cities before heading to Europe and closing out with a Dec. 4 show at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark.The rap music superstar recently performed at several major music festivals like Rolling Loud California in Los Angeles, Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash in Chicago and the Wirele...

There have been 175 sports-betting violations since 2018, 17 active investigations, NCAA head says

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:52:11 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The NCAA has found 175 infractions of its sports-betting policy since 2018 and there are 17 active investigations, according to a letter from the sports organization’s president that was obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press.NCAA President Charlie Baker included the numbers in a letter sent this week in response to a query from Rep. Dina Titus, a Democrat from Nevada whose district includes the Strip in Las Vegas.The NCAA does not release details of active investigations and Baker’s letter does not list any schools or athletes. The NCAA told the AP in an email that less than 0.25% of its approximately 13,000 sporting events “are flagged for suspicious betting patterns, and a much smaller percentage have specific, actionable information.” The NCAA pays a company to look for and flag potential betting policy infractions; many college conferences do the same thing.In Baker’s letter to Titus, he said athletes, coaches and administrators comm...

‘Heartless’: Miller criticizes Manitoba government’s decision not to search landfill

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:52:11 GMT

The federal minister of Crown-Indigenous relations says Manitoba’s government is standing in the way of a search for the remains of two slain Indigenous women believed to be in a landfill. “We are willing to play a role, a very important role in this,” Marc Miller said Wednesday at the Assembly of First Nations general meeting in Halifax. “But the reality of where we’re working is that the Government of Canada can’t nationalize the garbage dump or the waste disposal system of the City of Winnipeg.”Dozens of protesters have blocked the main road of the Brady Road landfill demanding a search of a different landfill north of Winnipeg, called Prairie Green, where it’s believed the remains of two Indigenous women were dumped last year. The blockade began last week after Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson said the province would not support a search of Prairie Green, pointing to a study that said it could cost $184 million, pose safety risks...