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Mets Notebook: Struggling Eduardo Escobar sits out series finale vs. Brewers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:00 GMT

MILWAUKEE — Eduardo Escobar received another day off as the Mets searched for ways to jumpstart their third baseman.Escobar spent time talking to manager Buck Showalter in his office at American Family Field ahead of the Mets’ series finale with the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday morning, along with infield coach Joey Cora, and while the contents of the meeting were not disclosed, Showalter did voice his confidence in the 34-year-old Venezuelan that played such an important role for the Mets last summer.“We’re just trying to put our best foot forward today in the idea that it might make us better in the long run,” Showalter said. “And him, individually.”Showalter has always liked Escobar and it’s tough to not like him. He’s effusively positive and he’s a well-liked teammate in the clubhouse. But Brett Baty outplayed him in spring training and his offensive struggles over the first week of the 2023 season have been magnified...

Mets home opener against Miami Marlins Thursday postponed due to forecasted rain

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:00 GMT

Met fans will have to wait a bit longer to watch their team in Queens.The Mets home opener against the Miami Marlins has been postponed, the team announced. The game will be made up on Friday, which was originally scheduled as an off day.First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m.The news comes on the same day the Yankees learned their first road trip of the season against the Baltimore Orioles would start with a postponement.The Marlins are in Queens to play a three-game series. They previously lost a four-game series against the Mets in Miami to start the 2023 season.After the three-game series against the Marlins concludes, the Mets will end their homestand with a three-game series against the San Diego Padres. ()

Great white shark researchers try to figure out where and when the East Coast sharks mate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:00 GMT

Before great white sharks migrate north to Cape Cod for the summer and fall, shark researchers are trying to figure out where and when the apex predators mate.Right now in early April, many of the East Coast great whites are off the North Carolina coast, and scientists from the nonprofit OCEARCH will be heading to the region soon to collect data from sharks.The researchers hope to sample mature white sharks to solve the most elusive piece of the Western North Atlantic white shark puzzle: when and where they breed.“Our comprehensive studies of the white shark, the ocean’s top predator, are in their final stages in the Western North Atlantic, and now we turn our attention to a gap that still remains,” said OCEARCH Chief Scientist Bob Hueter. “This is the great migration of sharks from their overwintering grounds off the southeast U.S. towards their summer feeding areas, as increasing spring temperatures and light levels signal to the sharks that it’s time...

Air pollution may increase dementia risk, Harvard researchers find: ‘A big step in providing actionable data’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:00 GMT

Air pollution exposure may lead to an increased risk for dementia, according to Harvard researchers who call this new finding “a big step in providing actionable data” for the EPA.The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health scientists found consistent evidence of a link between the exposure to fine particulate air pollutants (PM2.5) and dementia.The Environmental Protection Agency is looking at a proposal to strengthen PM2.5 regulations, and the researchers emphasized that their findings support the public health importance of limiting exposure to these fine particulate air pollutants.“This is a big step in providing actionable data for regulatory agencies and clinicians in terms of making sense of the state of the literature on this hugely important health topic,” said lead author Marc Weisskopf, who’s a Cecil K. and Philip Drinker professor of Environmental Epidemiology and Physiology.“The results can be used by organizations like the Environm...

3 things we learned from the Chicago Cubs’ rain-shortened series in Cincinnati, including the top of the order setting the tone

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:00 GMT

The Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds tried to wait out the stormy weather to conclude their three-game series Wednesday.Instead, after a 1-hour, 43-minute rain delay before a pitch was thrown, the series finale was postponed.The game was rescheduled as part of a split doubleheader Sept. 1 at Great American Ball Park. Both games, scheduled to start at 12:10 and 5:40 p.m. CDT, will be nine innings. Major League Baseball played seven-inning doubleheader games during the 2020 and 2021 seasons.The postponement gives the Cubs back-to-back days off with Thursday’s scheduled day off. They are pushing their starters back one game, lining up Marcus Stroman, Justin Steele and Jameson Taillon to start the weekend series at Wrigley Field against the Texas Rangers.Here are three more things we learned during the Cubs-Reds series.1. The top of the lineup is setting the tone.The top third of the Cubs lineup has raked to open the season.Nos. 1-3 hitters Nico Hoerner, Dansby Swanson and Ian Hap...

NPR blasts Twitter’s ‘state-affiliated media’ tag

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:00 GMT

NEW YORK — Twitter has labeled National Public Radio as “state-affiliated media” on the social media site, a move some worried Wednesday could undermine public confidence in the news organization.NPR said it was disturbed to see the description added to all of the tweets that it sends out, with John Lansing, its president and CEO, calling it “unacceptable for Twitter to label us this way.”It was unclear why Twitter made the move. Twitter’s owner, Elon Musk, quoted a definition of state-affiliated media in the company’s guidelines as “outlets where the state exercises control over editorial content through financial resources, direct or indirect political pressures, and/or control over production and distribution.”“Seems accurate,” Musk tweeted in a reply to NPR.NPR does receive U.S. government funding through grants from federal agencies and departments, along with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The company said i...

Jayson Tatum among two Celtics starters ruled out Wednesday against Raptors

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:00 GMT

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla ruled out Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart before Wednesday’s home tip-off against the Raptors.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Guregian: Level of Patriots dysfunction growing by the minute New England Patriots | Bill Belichick reportedly shopped Patriots QB Mac Jones to 4 teams in trade talks New England Patriots | NFL notes: There’s a lot riding on Bill O’Brien fixing Patriots QB Mac Jones New England Patriots | After cardiac arrest, NFL’s Damar Hamlin backs plan for more defibrillators in schools New England Patriots | Where does the Patriots’ roster stand heading into the NFL Draft? Both players had been listed as questionable on the team’s injury report. Smart is dealing with a neck spasm, while Tatum has a left hip contusion, per the Celtics. Tatum played one of his worst offensive games of the season Tuesday against the Sixers, scoring 19...

Chinatown affordable housing project secures $26M

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:00 GMT

An 85-unit income-restricted rental housing complex going up on Chinatown’s Harrison Avenue has secured just under $26 million in funding, developers announced in a release Tuesday — showing staunch support for fostering affordable housing opportunities in the area.“A key piece to solving the state’s housing crisis is reimagining underutilized spaces and recognizing the development potential of such properties,” said Dan Rivera, president and CEO of MassDevelopment, noting the company is “proud” to partner to fund the project.The complex, proposed by Beacon Communities and the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of New England (CCBA), is set to go into a parking lot at 288 Harrison Ave. currently serving the Tai Tung Village affordable housing community.The $26 million tax-exempt bond was issued by MassDevelopment and bought by Citizens, in addition to $22.7 million in federal low-income housing tax credits.“The provision of tax-exempt fin...

Magic remain optimistic despite the pain of crushed postseason hopes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:00 GMT

As the Orlando Magic walked off Rich and Helen DeVos Court after Tuesday’s 117-113 home loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the consequences of the defeat started to settle in.Those ramifications made the loss sting more than most.“I’ve come a long way with my mental stuff, from last year to this year. Just staying solid and trying to move on to the next play and being in a better mental space. I’ve come a long way,” guard Jalen Suggs told the Orlando Sentinel at his locker at Amway Center. “But this [expletive] hurts. I’m not going to lie to you. Once the realization on the court when it was over, that [expletive] hurt.”The loss to the Cavaliers eliminated the Magic (34-45) from contending for a spot in the play-in tournament.Orlando was four games behind the Chicago Bulls for the No. 10 seed in the East entering Tuesday and the Magic’s “magic” number was one — meaning they’d be eliminated from postseason co...

Citing gender-equity gap in NIL money, two college athletes join fight to level playing field

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:00 GMT

Edward Lee | (TNS) Baltimore SunLast fall, Mia Ewell and a male college athlete did the same promotional work for an online employment company. But when it was time to get paid, Ewell, a junior shortstop for the Morgan State softball team, received $30 less than her counterpart.“It’s not a huge amount of money that I’m that upset about. But it was the fact that it even happened,” she said. “It was kind of like, ‘If I’m doing the same work, why am I not receiving the same compensation?’ It’s disappointing, but as a woman and as someone who has lived the life of a young girl and has done all this, it’s not that surprising.”Ewell and Olivia Rothfeld, a junior singles player for Towson tennis, are hoping to change that outlook. They signed a name, image and likeness deal last month with H&R Block’s “A Fair Shot” program to raise awareness about the imbalance of NIL deals between male and female college athletes.“I was really honored to be chosen to be a part of this project because ...