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Acknowledging Red Sox are ‘underdogs,’ Chaim Bloom opts to hold his cards

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:15 GMT

As well as they’ve played recently, most level-headed observers would admit the Red Sox are still at least a year away from true championship contention.Through his understated trade deadline and in his own words immediately afterwards, chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom acknowledged that reality Tuesday as well.After weeks of speculation over whether the Red Sox would be buyers or sellers, the answer turned out to be neither. The club wound up holding onto all of its big league trade pieces and made a single addition, acquiring infielder Luis Urías from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for low-minors pitching prospect Bradley Blalock.Bloom said they like the core they’re building and have high hopes for the current group, but he also called the Red Sox “underdogs,” adding they didn’t want to cut corners by making a short-sighted move that wouldn’t help them achieve their ultimate goals.“Look at the odds, we know what the odds are. We don&#...

Memorial honoring Boston’s Black veterans unveiled in Roxbury’s Nubian Square

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:15 GMT

Edward O. Gourdin is said to have been a man of firsts, and on Tuesday, community members and his family locked their eyes on a statue in his honor for the first time in Roxbury’s Nubian Square.Lore Shelton-Amber , granddaughter of General Edward O. Gourdin, touches the shoe of his statue during the opening ceremony of the Gourdin African American Veterans Park in Boston. Staff Photo by Nancy Lane/Boston Herald (Tuesday,August 1, 2023).Joseph Okafor, a private in the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment, stands next to the recently unveiled statue of General Edward O. Gourdin during the opening ceremony of the Gourdin African American Veterans Park in Boston. Staff Photo by Nancy Lane/Boston Herald (Tuesday,August 1, 2023).Haywood Fennel speaks during the opening ceremony of the Gourdin African American Veterans Park in Boston. Staff Photo by Nancy Lane/Boston Herald (Tuesday,August 1, 2023).Maria Chestnut Corman, Lore Shelton-Amber and Velicia Gourdin, granddaughters of General Ed...

Mike Lupica: Cohen’s Mets decide to dig themselves out of the hole, while Yanks just keep digging

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:15 GMT

Steve Cohen has stopped kidding himself about the Mets, which means a very smart guy stopped acting like a sucker about baseball. It’s why Cohen’s baseball people have now traded just about everybody except Mr. Met over the past few days. At least the Mets did something. The Yankees did nothing. Maybe the only suckers left at the table are Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman.All the Yankees did on Tuesday was add a pair of marginal pitchers, Keynan Middleton of the White Sox and Spencer Howard of the Rangers. They must think they can relief-pitch their way into the tournament in the American League. Or maybe the people in charge just continue to tell themselves their team is better than it really is.Across town, what Cohen is doing, to borrow an expression from the world of money, is a baseball version of selling off a losing position. His Mets made a big bet this season – that Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer could anchor a contender – and ended up with the ...

US court rules for Boston in Satanic Temple opening prayer lawsuit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:15 GMT

Not today, Satan.A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit The Satanic Temple filed against the City of Boston, ruling that the City Council did not discriminate against the group when it chose not to grant its request to deliver an opening prayer at a weekly meeting.“Invocation speakers are invited at the discretion of the individual city councilors, which heightens Establishment Clause concerns,” U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley wrote in a 31-page ruling filed on Monday.“The evidence on record, however, suggests that the city councilors’ discretion was not exercised in such a way that individuals or groups were excluded from giving an invocation because of their religious beliefs.”Kelley said the City Council “did not allow some requests while denying others.” Rather, she wrote that “the city councilors’ primary motivation in selecting an invocation speaker,” based on evidence reviewed by the court, “has always been the individual or organization’s involvement in the community...

The judge assigned to Trump’s Jan. 6 case is a tough punisher of Capitol rioters

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:15 GMT

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal judge assigned to the election fraud case against former President Donald Trump has stood out as one of the toughest punishers of rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attack fueled by Trump’s baseless claims of a stolen election. She has also ruled against him before.Trump is to appear Thursday before U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, a former assistant public defender who was nominated to the bench by President Barack Obama. She often has handed down prison sentences in Jan. 6, 2021, riot cases that are harsher than Justice Department prosecutors recommended.Trump was indicted Tuesday on federal felony charges for his persistent efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the two months leading up to the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters.Chutkan has ruled against Trump before in a separate Jan. 6 case. In November 2021, she refused his request to block the release of document...

Trump’s 2024 GOP rivals have mixed reactions to the indictment against him. Follow live updates

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:15 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Follow along for live updates on the Justice Department’s indictment of former President Donald Trump over his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The charges focus on schemes by Trump and his allies to subvert the transfer of power and keep him in office despite his loss to Joe Biden.___WHAT TO KNOW— Trump has now been indicted for the third time. Here’s where all the investigations stand— Trump also was indicted in June on charges that he illegally hoarded classified documents— Mar-a-Lago’s property manager is the latest Trump staffer ensnared in his legal turmoil— Special counsel Jack Smith has a long career of confronting corruptionFILE – Rioters wave flags on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)TRUMP’S 2024 GOP RIVALS HAVE MIXED REACTIONS TO THE INDICTMENT AGAINST HIMDonald Trump’s rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination are givi...

Padres trade with Marlins, net infielder and pitcher

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:15 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Padres continued to make deals Tuesday before the 3 p.m. PT Major League Baseball trade deadline.Soon after receiving left-handed pitcher Rich Hill and first baseman Ji-Man Choi from the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Padres made another move, acquiring infielder Garrett Cooper and right-handed pitcher Sean Reynolds from the Miami Marlins for left-handed pitcher Ryan Weathers, the team announced on its website.Cooper, who was a 2022 National League All-Star, is batting .256 (78-for-305) with 11 doubles, one triple, 13 home runs, 46 RBI and 28 runs scored in 82 games played this season. The 32-year-old, was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the sixth round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft out of Auburn University. Padres acquire Ji-Man Choi, Rich Hill in trade with Pirates Reynolds, a 25-year-old who has played with Double-A Pensacola and Triple-A Jacksonville in the Marlins' system this season, has recorded 12 saves in 17 save opportunities. He has a 2.77 ...

Judge assigned to Trump’s Jan. 6 case is a tough punisher of Capitol rioters. Follow live updates

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:15 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Follow along for live updates on the Justice Department’s indictment of former President Donald Trump over his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The charges focus on schemes by Trump and his allies to subvert the transfer of power and keep him in office despite his loss to Joe Biden. ___WHAT TO KNOW— Trump has now been indicted for the third time. Here’s where all the investigations stand— Trump also was indicted in June on charges that he illegally hoarded classified documents— Mar-a-Lago’s property manager is the latest Trump staffer ensnared in his legal turmoil— Special counsel Jack Smith has a long career of confronting corruption___The judge assigned to Trump’s Jan. 6 case is a tough punisher of Capitol riotersThe federal judge assigned to the election fraud case against former President Donald Trump has stood out as one of the toughest punishers of rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attack fueled by Trump’...

Sao Paulo police kill 14 people in sprawling raid in wake of the killing of elite officer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:15 GMT

SAO PAULO (AP) — The death toll from an ongoing raid in Sao Paulo state has climbed to 14, as law enforcement agents sought to strike at the people they blame for killing an elite squad officer last week. The sprawling operation has raised questions about the use of lethal force by police.Sao Paulo Gov. Tarcisio de Freitas, who on Monday had said 10 people were killed, on Tuesday announced the increased tally. News website G1 said the revised figures make the raid the most deadly in Brazil’s most populous and wealthiest state since 2006.De Freitas, a former minister of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro and deemed by many politicians as his potential heir, said he is proud of his policemen involved in the statewide raid, which is expected to finish on Aug. 28. The operation is also seeking the arrests of the killers of elite policeman Patrick Bastos Reis, who was shot dead on Thursday.“Those who decided to turn themselves in were arrested,” the governor said when asked about ...

Verlander going back to Houston highlights flurry of MLB trades ahead of Tuesday’s deadline

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:15 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — In a matter of days, Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer went from teammates on the New York Mets to opposite sides of a Lone Star rivalry.That’s how it goes this time of year.Verlander was shipped from New York to Houston ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline, returning to the Astros after he helped them win the World Series last year. The retooling Mets received minor league outfielders Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford in the deal.“It’s a big day when you have your Cy Young guy come back,” Houston owner Jim Crane told The Associated Press.Verlander’s reunion with the Astros headlined a deadline day that seemed more suited for the sellers than the buyers. With a handful of talented players staying on their underwhelming teams, there were no huge surprises. “This was a very strong sellers’ market,” Phillies President Dave Dombrowski said. “There were very few clubs that were actually looking to sell, and a lot of clubs that were willing to buy.”Looking...