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Oakland A’s players are intriguing; it’s too bad ownership ostracized fans who would care

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:21:39 GMT

OAKLAND — The Oakland A’s are three losses away from their third 100-loss season since the team moved out West 55 years ago. But through the historic lows are glimmers of promise that showed up in the A’s 5-2 sweep-preventing win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday afternoon in front of a crowd of 3,871.It’s unfair to ask Oakland fans to care about the up-and-coming players that populate this A’s roster. Team owner John Fisher has, since buying the team in 2005, not only ripped beloved players from them, but is on the precipice of ripping their team right out of Oakland.The new crop of budding core — Zack Gelof, Lawrence Butler, Tyler Soderstrom — labeled themselves “New Oakland,” but a relocation will have them playing anywhere from a minor league stadium in Las Vegas to San Francisco or a desolate Coliseum while a new Las Vegas ballpark is built.The ties between fan and player are already severed beyond repair. Watching the...

Prosecutors seeking new Hunter Biden indictment

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:21:39 GMT

By Lindsay Whitehurst | Associated PressWASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors plan to seek a grand jury indictment of President Joe Biden’s son Hunter before the end of the month, according to court documents filed Wednesday.The filing came in a gun possession case in which Hunter Biden was accused of having a firearm while being a drug user, though prosecutors did not name which charges they will seek. He has also been under investigation by federal prosecutors for his business dealings.U.S. Attorney for Delaware David Weiss, newly named a special counsel in the case, referred to seeking an indictment before Sept. 29 in a status report required by Judge Maryellen Noreika.Defense attorneys, for their part, said Hunter Biden has kept to the terms of their original agreement with prosecutors on the gun charge. That calls for sparing him from prosecution if he stays clean and out of trouble for two years, and his lawyer argued it remains in force. Prosecutors disagreed.That agreement,...

Ex-Monte Vista High QB handed six-game suspension by NFL

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:21:39 GMT

METAIRIE, La. — New Orleans Saints rookie reserve quarterback Jake Haener has been suspended for the first six games of the regular season for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancers, a league spokesman said Wednesday.Despite showing promise during the preseason, Haener, a Danville native and former Monte Vista High School standout, was not expected to play this season. The Saints’ starting quarterback is former Raider Derek Carr and his backup is fellow veteran Jameis Winston.The Saints also could have Taysom Hill play quarterback full-time if needed, as he has done before. But Hill’s primary role is as a utility player who can execute designed quarterback runs, line up as a tight end, and also serve as the up back on the punt team.Haener, 24, will be eligible to return to the Saints’ active roster on Oct. 16, the Monday before New Orleans’ Week 6 game against Houston.A fourth-round draft choice out of Fresno State, Haener made the regular-season roster after playing in...

The five most expensive homes reported sold in Saratoga in the week of Aug. 28

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:21:39 GMT

A house in Saratoga that sold for $6.4 million tops the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in Saratoga in the past two weeks.In total, five residential real estate sales were recorded in the area during the past two weeks, with an average price of $3.9 million, $1,300 per square foot.The prices in the list below concern real estate sales where the title was recorded from the week of August 21 to the week of Sep. 3 even if the property may have been sold earlier.5. $860,000, condominium in the 19200 block of Vineyard LaneThe sale of the condominium in the 19200 block of Vineyard Lane in Saratoga has been finalized. The price was $860,000, and the new owners took over the condominium in August. The condominium was built in 1971 and has a living area of 1,088 square feet. The price per square foot was $790. The condominium features two bedrooms and two bathrooms.4. $1.7 million, condominium in the 14600 block of Placida CourtThe property in the 14600 block of Plac...

California’s mobile driver license app can speed you through airport, shield privacy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:21:39 GMT

California has been quietly testing out a mobile driver license that could help speed travelers through airport security and also help protect users’ privacy when asked to verify their age for purchases.The California Department of Motor Vehicles began a mobile driver license pilot in late May with the pool of pilot participants expanding in phases before a broader rollout in August. The DMV’s “mDL” pilot now is open to the public, with some 100,000 people already signed up, but the legislature limits the trial to 1.5 million.The California mDL is currently accepted at Transportation Security Administration PreCheck lanes at 26 airports nationally including San Francisco, San Jose and Los Angeles.“Fast and convenient, as with the boarding pass on the phone,” said Anita Gore, a DMV spokeswoman.TSA spokeswoman Lorie Dankers said the technology can be used at SJC’s Checkpoint A, SFO’s Terminal 3 and LAX’s Terminal 7.“TSA is pl...

Kurtenbach: The 49ers finally paid Nick Bosa because you can’t put a price on a Super Bowl

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:21:39 GMT

The 49ers gave Nick Bosa everything he wanted in his new mega contract.In return, the Niners will receive the NFL’s best defensive player for the next six seasons — the peak of his career.Sounds like a fair deal to me.The 49ers and the 25-year-old reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year have reportedly agreed on a five-year, $170 million extension with a whopping $122.5 million guaranteed. There’s no word yet on if he received any of the sinks in Levi’s Stadium as part of this new deal, which will, starting next season, make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league. The new contract also ends Bosa’s 44-day holdout.Now, was it wise for the 49ers to effectively wait until the last moment to pay their superstar player?No. It was unbecoming for the organization and general manager John Lynch, who should have wrapped up this record-setting deal months ago. The Niners made a saga out of something relatively straightforward by trying to press leverage th...

Mexico’s Supreme Court decriminalizes abortion countrywide

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:21:39 GMT

Associated PressMEXICO CITY — Mexico’s Supreme Court decriminalized abortion nationwide Wednesday, two years after ruling that abortion was not a crime in one northern state.That earlier ruling had set off a grinding process of decriminalizing abortion state by state. Last week, the central state of Aguascalientes became the 12th state to decriminalize the procedure. Judges in states that still criminalize abortion will have to take account of the top court’s ruling.The court’s sweeping decision Wednesday comes amid a trend in Latin America of loosening restrictions on abortion, even as access has been limited in parts of the United States.Mexico City was the first Mexican jurisdiction to decriminalize abortion 15 years ago.The Information Group for Chosen Reproduction, known by its Spanish initials as GIRE, said the court decided that the portion of the federal penal code that criminalized abortion no longer has any effect.“No woman or pregnant person, nor a...

Unruly fans singing Nazi songs and interrupting play with shouts cause problems at US Open

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:21:39 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Alexander Zverev felt he had to react when he heard a fan use language from Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime during his U.S. Open match.This wasn’t the type of heckling that players are prepared to face and trained to ignore. It highlighted a challenge faced by players and the U.S. Open itself as the event draws the biggest crowds in its history: making sure fans are engaged but not disrupting the tennis — and how to respond when they do.In the case of Zverev’s match, the spectator was sitting in a crowded section close to the court, where many more people besides the 2020 runner-up could hear the offensive words. So Zverev complained to the chair umpire and the man was ejected.“At the end of the day I said what I said, the umpire immediately said, ‘OK, we’re going to get him out,’ and that’s it,” Zverev said.Another fan was thrown out Tuesday when he screamed at a key moment during Novak Djokovic’s quarterfinal victory over Taylor Fritz, distracting the 23-tim...

Gavin Williams and the Guardians cool off the Twins and avoid a three-game sweep with 2-1 win

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:21:39 GMT

CLEVELAND (AP) — Rookie Gavin Williams and four relievers cooled off Minnesota’s offense and the Cleveland Guardians avoided a three-game sweep with a 2-1 win on Wednesday.Minnesota still leads second-place Cleveland by six games in the AL Central with 22 games left. The Twins won the first two games of the series against the defending division champs by a combined 28-9 score. Cleveland won the season series 7-6.The Twins seemingly scored at will Monday and Tuesday. Cleveland’s pitchers responded with a combined two-hitter and 11 strikeouts. Minnesota drew five walks, but was 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position.Williams (2-5) didn’t allow a hit until Andrew Stevenson’s RBI single in the fifth. He walked four and struck out four. Royce Lewis singled off Sam Hentges in the sixth. Hentges, Reynaldo López, Nick Sandlin and Emmanuel Clase each worked a scoreless inning. Clase retired all three hitters he faced in the ninth for his 38th save in 47 chances. Will Brennan had an R...

Arizona Coyotes sign general manager Bill Armstrong to a multiyear extension

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:21:39 GMT

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The Arizona Coyotes hired Bill Armstrong to shepherd a rebuilding project.After a solid start, Armstrong gets to see it through.The Coyotes signed Armstrong to a multiyear contract extension Wednesday, ensuring the general manager will be able to see the fruits of his overhaul.“That’s a big thing in negotiating this contract was: you come in here, you make all these moves, you start to get it going in a direction and you keep pushing,” Armstrong said. “Now you’re acquiring picks, you’re drafting players and we’ve been able to recruit some really strong free agents into our team. Now you see it start to come together and you want to finish what you started.”The Coyotes hired Armstrong in 2020 to replace John Chayka, who had an acrimonious split with the franchise right before the NHL’s playoff pandemic bubble. Armstrong’s task was to rebuild a franchise that hadn’t been to the playoffs since the 2012 Western Conferenc...