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SF Giants in Mexico City: Gabe Kapler’s adventures on public transit, pitchers adjust to altitude

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:10:39 GMT

MEXICO CITY — Gabe Kapler had himself an adventure on his first day in Mexico’s sprawling capital. The Giants’ foodie manager, of course, indulged in a plate of tacos. He took a walk to a local coffee shop. Then, always a man of the people, he hopped on the subway to visit the ballpark for the first time.That’s where things went awry.Or, more accurately, about six or seven stops before he was supposed to exit the train.“There was some sort of notification and everybody spilled off the train,” Kapler recalled from the interview room inside Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú, where the Giants will play two games against the Padres this weekend. “Obviously there were no other English speakers on the train. … I figured that was some sort of normal procedure, but I wasn’t ready for it. So I kind of followed the herd.”Unlike his counterpart, San Diego skipper Bob Melvin, Kapler followed starting pitchers Alex Cobb and Sean Manaea and was the last fig...

Warriors’ Kerr reacts to Giannis’ comments on success and failure: ‘He’s so right’

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:10:39 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO – Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo’s comments earlier this week on how success and failure are viewed in professional sports — and how everything’s not always so black and white — were right on the money.Asked in a postgame interview Wednesday following the top-seeded Bucks’ first-round series loss to the eighth-seeded Miami Heat whether he viewed his team’s season as a failure, Antetokounmpo snapped back and asked, “Do you get a promotion every year, in your job? No. So every year you work is a failure? Yes or no?”The Bucks, who finished the season with the NBA’s best record at 58-24, lost the series to the Heat four games to one. Milwaukee won the NBA championship in 2020-2021 and went 51-31 the following season, only to lose in the second round of the playoffs.“Every year you work, you work towards something, towards a goal, which is to get a promotion, to be able to take care of your family, pr...

Eva Green awarded $1M in ‘B movie’ spat

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:10:39 GMT

By Brian Melley | Associated PressLONDON — Eva Green was awarded $1 million Friday by a British court in a sensational dispute over the collapse of a film project she feared was destined to become a “B movie” that could ruin her career.The film in question was a sci-fi thriller but the case played out in court like a melodrama. The producers of “A Patriot” portrayed the French actor as a diva. She had called one of the executive producers a “devious sociopath” and “pure vomit” and said the production manager was a “moron.”A High Court judge cut through the vitriol that he said threatened to complicate the case and deemed it “relatively straightforward,” awarding Green the fee she had been promised for the production that folded in 2019.Green, 42, who played Vesper Lynd in the 2006 version of the James Bond thriller “Casino Royale,” said her professional reputation had been upheld after she stood up t...

Dolphins bolster secondary, take CB Cam Smith in NFL draft

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:10:39 GMT

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins added depth to their secondary by selecting South Carolina cornerback Cam Smith with the 51st pick of the NFL draft Friday night.Smith — a prospect that some experts felt had first-round talent — had six interceptions and 3.5 tackles for loss during his career with the Gamecocks. He’s joining a Dolphins secondary that was decimated by injuries last season, which played a role in Miami finishing 27th in passing defense in 2022.This offseason, the Dolphins fired defensive coordinator Josh Boyer, brought in Vic Fangio to lead the defense and traded for former Rams All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey.The selection is a bit of a surprise for the Dolphins, who could have added a tight end, offensive lineman or running back with their first pick of the draft. Miami will pick again at No. 84 in the third round.The Dolphins did not have a first-round pick after forfeiting one when an NFL investigation found they violated the league’s antitamper...

Outspoken abortion provider LeRoy ‘Lee’ Carhart dies at 81

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:10:39 GMT

LeRoy “Lee” Carhart, who emerged from a two-decade career in the Air Force to become one of the best-known late-term abortion providers in the United States, has died. He was 81.Carhart died Friday, according to Clinics for Abortions & Reproductive Excellence in Bellevue, Nebraska, where he was the medical director. His cause of death was not released by the clinic.Carhart began focusing on abortions after retiring from the Air Force in 1985. He was one of only a handful of late-term abortion providers in the U.S. and was among the most vocal. “Lee had a very simple belief that patients know what is best for their life plan and was there to support them,” the clinic’s statement said. “His lifelong commitment to serving patients seeking abortion services will be continued by his staff and doctors at both Maryland and Nebraska CARE locations.” He founded his first clinic specializing in abortion in 1992 with a mission to provide abortion care in a compassionate, comfortable ...

Rams take TCU’s Steve Avila to help rebuild offensive line

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:10:39 GMT

TARZANA, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Rams were gutted by injuries on the offensive line last season, ultimately using 13 different starting combinations in 17 games. They looked to address those issues by selecting TCU guard Steve Avila in the second round with the 36th overall pick of the NFL draft on Friday night.Avila played every position except left tackle during his five seasons with the Horned Frogs, earning consensus All-America honors at left guard as a redshirt senior in 2022.“I couldn’t really tell you where the versatility comes from,” Avila said in a video teleconference from Fort Worth, Texas. “I know it started right when I got to college because that whole year I was playing right tackle for the scout team. … It’s great, you know, for an organization that can have an offensive lineman that can move around, and I take very much pride in doing so.”A key piece up front during TCU’s unexpected run to the College Football Playoff title game, which it lost to Georgia, Av...

Steelers bring CB Joey Porter Jr. home in NFL draft

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:10:39 GMT

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Joey Porter Jr. is going home.The Pittsburgh Steelers selected the Penn State cornerback and Pittsburgh native with the first pick in the second round of the NFL draft on Friday night.The Steelers addressed a need with their second selection of the second round by taking defensive tackle Keeanu Benton out of Wisconsin.Benton will likely be given time to develop behind a group that includes longtime captain Cam Heyward.It won’t be that way for Porter. The son of former Steelers linebacker and assistant coach Joey Porter Sr., played high school football in Pittsburgh’s northern suburbs before spending four seasons with the Nittany Lions. The 22-year-old joins a cornerback group in need of an influx of youth and talent. While the Steelers signed veteran Patrick Peterson during the offseason, they also Cam Sutton to Detroit in free agency.The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Porter gives the Steelers a defender with size and the skills necessary to play in a scheme that...

Patriots take Georgia Tech’s Keion White in NFL draft

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:10:39 GMT

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The New England Patriots added one of the most agile edge rushers in this year’s NFL draft class, selecting Georgia Tech’s Keion White with the 46th overall pick on Friday night.White began his career at Old Dominion as a tight end before transferring to the Yellow Jackets and moving to defense. The 6-foot-5, 285-pounder had 17 1/2 sacks and 14 tackles for a loss last season.He is still learning the position, giving him a lot of room to master different techniques as a professional.It was the first of New England’s two picks on the second day of the draft. The Patriots entered Friday also holding the 76th overall pick in the third round — one of 11 remaining picks they had. A trade with the Steelers on Thursday gave New England a fourth-round pick (120th overall).On Thursday, the Patriots moved back three spots in the first round and selected former Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez with the 17th pick.___AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https:...

Packers take TE Musgrave, WR Reed in 2nd round of NFL draft

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:10:39 GMT

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — The Green Bay Packers got a couple weapons for new starting quarterback Jordan Love by selecting Oregon State tight end Luke Musgrave and Michigan State wide receiver Jayden Reed in the second round of the NFL draft on Friday night.Green Bay chose Musgrave with the 42nd overall selection, a pick they acquired in the trade that sent four-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets.The Packers also entered the night with the No. 45 selection in the draft, but they sent that to Detroit in a trade that brought them the No. 48 choice and a fifth-round pick. They then moved down two more spots and got a sixth-round pick from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before taking Reed at No. 50.Green Bay entered this draft needing to find more targets for Love, who had made just one start while backing up Rodgers the last three seasons.Although Green Bay drafted three receivers last year – North Dakota State’s Christian Watson in the second, Nevada’s Romeo Doubs in the f...

Titans trade up, take QB Will Levis in 2nd round of draft

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:10:39 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans ended Will Levis’ wait to hear his name called Friday night, trading up eight spots with Arizona to select the Kentucky quarterback with the No. 33 pick overall Friday night in the NFL draft.Levis left Kansas City after sitting around and never hearing his name called Thursday night. Talking to reporters via a Zoom call, Levis said where he was drafted won’t affect his work ethic. Levis had visited Tennessee and said he felt he connected with everyone he met. “I ended up where I was meant to be, and I’m just looking forward to competing and getting started,” Levis said.Levis flew home Friday and said he was eating after just walking through the door at home just as his name was called. Levis said he left Kansas City to make sure he got home in time for a big family gathering planned for Saturday believing he would be drafted in the first round Thursday night. “I was ecstatic to get the call,” Levis said. TV cameras kept going ...