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José Ruiz ‘raised the bar’ with his WBC performance — which included striking out Chicago White Sox teammate Tim Anderson

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:44 GMT

Chicago White Sox reliever José Ruiz saw a familiar face in the batter’s box for Team USA during Saturday’s World Baseball Classic quarterfinal in Miami.Pitching for Team Venezuela, Ruiz squared off against Sox teammate Tim Anderson.“That was a very funny moment,” Ruiz said through an interpreter Monday. “I didn’t know he was on deck until I saw him in the batter’s box. It was a healthy competition.”Ruiz got the better of the matchup, striking out Anderson in the first inning of the 9-7 U.S. victory.“Afterward, when he was at third base, I was messing around with him from the dugout,” Ruiz said.Ruiz had an impressive WBC, going 2-0 and allowing one hit with five strikeouts in 4⅓ scoreless innings during three appearances.“I love what he’s done,” Sox manager Pedro Grifol said Sunday. “I love the intensity and focus of his pitches, his demeanor, his ability to go back out for a second inning...

Tom Thibodeau ‘happy’ to hear Rick Pitino landed St. John’s job: ‘I know he’ll do a great job’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:44 GMT

Tom Thibodeau will be reunited with one of his mentors at Madison Square Garden.With Rick Pitino taking the job at St. John’s and scheduled soon for an introductory press conference, Monday was an opportunity for Thibodeau to allude to his halcyon days as a young Ivy League assistant.“Just really, really happy for him. I think he’s been a great coach wherever he’s been,” Thibodeau told reporters before his Knicks faced the Timberwolves. “So he’s been through a lot. When I was a young coach, I used to go watch his practices at Providence. So he’s a good man, great coach, and I know he’ll do a great job at St. John’s.”When Thibodeau was an assistant at Harvard in the late 80s, he traveled to Providence — roughly an hour from Cambridge — to observe Pitino’s practices and absorb the lessons of the trademark aggressive defense.It wasn’t only a helpful classroom since Pitino’s Friars went to th...

Identity crisis: Nets torn between crashing glass and playing fast

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:44 GMT

The most underrated part of any defensive possession is the end: securing a rebound.It doesn’t matter how solid the defensive principles are, how much length and athleticism is on the floor, how versatile the defenders are or if that versatility allows you to switch one through five defensively.Every defense will crumble if the opponent has multiple attempts at a basket on a single possession.Such is the state of affairs for a Nets team that ranks second-to-last in rebounding behind only the Dallas Mavericks, who do not have a true center on the roster.The Nets only have one — Nic Claxton — who is a lock to play every single night. And because the Nets play an aggressive style of defense tailored to Claxton’s ability to switch defensively while also helping from the weak side to block shots at the rim, the Nets are susceptible to being pummeled on the offensive glass.“Yeah, we have to accept it. It’s truth. It’s staring us in the face,”...

Analysis: How should the Magic approach the final 10 games?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:44 GMT

The Orlando Magic returned to Central Florida Monday from their West Coast trip in the same spot in the standings as when left — and even further behind the teams ahead of them in the race for a spot in the play-in tournament.The Magic (29-43) enter Tuesday’s home game vs. the Washington Wizards (32-39) multiple games back in the play-in race with just 10 games remaining.Their 1-3 West Coast swing, which ended with Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, made their chances of qualifying for the play-in less likely entering the season’s final three weeks.Before the trip they were:4 games behind Toronto for No. 93½ games behind Chicago for No. 103 games behind Washington for No. 112½ games behind Indiana for No. 12.Heading into Monday’s games, they were:6 games behind Toronto for No. 95 games behind Chicago for No. 103½ games behind Indiana for No. 113½ games behind Washington for No. 12.Seeds 7-10 in each conference compete in the pl...

Dolphins receiver Trent Sherfield bolts for division-rival Bills in free agency; Michael Deiter heading to Texans

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:44 GMT

Wide receiver Trent Sherfield is bound for the division-rival Buffalo Bills after one season with the Miami Dolphins, the Bills announced Monday.Sherfield was likely to be on the move after the Dolphins signed former New York Jets slot receiver Braxton Berrios, a University of Miami alum, and decided to hold on to River Cracraft in the receiving corps.The Bills add Sherfield after releasing former Broward County high school football standout Isaiah McKenzie, a product of American Heritage in Plantation who notably had success against his hometown Dolphins over the years.Sherfield had his best season of his five-year NFL career in 2022 with the Dolphins. He established career highs with 30 receptions for 417 yards and two touchdowns as he elevated himself to be Miami’s No. 3 wideout over fellow free-agent acquisition Cedrick Wilson Jr.Sherfield’s most notable highlight with Miami was his 75-yard touchdown on a pass from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on the first offensive pl...

Orioles observations on DL Hall’s ‘good first step,’ up-the-middle power on display and more

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:44 GMT

The numbers don’t necessarily show it, but DL Hall was sharp in his 2023 spring training debut Monday.Hall, the Orioles’ No. 2 pitching prospect, allowed three hits and three runs (one earned) in 1 2/3 innings against the Philadelphia Phillies. But Hall was sharp until his defense let him down in his second inning, displaying the elite stuff that made him a first-round selection in 2017 and a consensus top-100 prospect.“That was the highlight of the day for me, seeing DL Hall out there,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “I thought he threw the ball outstanding. We didn’t make a couple plays there, he could’ve had an easy two innings. He had really good stuff, love the changeup and the breaking balls. It was just great to see him out there.”The 24-year-old left-hander struck out four of the first six batters he faced — two on fastballs and one apiece on a changeup and a curveball — and tallied 10 swings and misses.“Just good...

Lonzo Ball undergoes cartilage transplant in his left knee — beginning an unprecedented recovery process for the Chicago Bulls guard

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:44 GMT

Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball underwent a cartilage transplant in his left knee Monday, a rare procedure that could decide the fate of his return to the court.This was the third surgery on Ball’s left knee in the last 14 months. Uncertainty has shrouded every step of Ball’s recovery since the injury occurred in January 2022, but this procedure throws Ball’s future into completely unprecedented territory.Cartilage transplants are rare in professional sports. The procedure is relatively new, designed as a step down from a full knee replacement to maintain the integrity of the knee joint. No NBA player has undergone a cartilage transplant and returned to the court.Coach Billy Donovan said Ball’s doctors were optimistic after the procedure Monday. But with no clear timetable or standard of success to look toward, the Bulls don’t know what to expect from the next stage of Ball’s recovery.“There’s nothing that’s out there that s...

Joel Embiid? Nikola Jokić? Giannis Antetokounmpo? The Chicago Bulls are seeing all the MVP front-runners over the final month.

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:44 GMT

The final month of the NBA season is also a final gauntlet for the Chicago Bulls against the front-runners for Most Valuable Player.After surprising Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets with a 21-point rout March 8 in Denver, the Bulls on Monday began a home-and-away series against Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers, who come to the United Center on Wednesday. They visit Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks on April 5 in Milwaukee in their third-to-last game.This year’s MVP debate has dominated conversation throughout the league: Has Jokić won too many times? Has Embiid done enough to edge out Antetokounmpo?But Bulls star DeMar DeRozan said most players tune out the noise when it comes to end-of-season accolades.“You play your game to the best of your ability and let the chips fall,” DeRozan said. “I doubt there’s any guys out there chasing, trying to get the MVP, feeling like they got to do this, that and the third. Everybody else gets caught up i...

Two San Diego companies pay $1.1M after fair labor violations

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:44 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The U.S. Department of Labor (USDL) has recovered $1.1 million for 50 Mexican nationals, some paid as little as $2.43 an hour, from two companies operating in the San Diego area, officials said.Freig Carrillo Forwarding Inc., a custom broker company that provides logistic and transportation services for goods traveling between U.S. and Mexico, was ordered to pay $1 million in back wages and damages to 35 workers, $400,000 of which must be paid within 15 days with monthly payments of $16,928 for three years, USDL stated in a news release. They also owe $26,215 in civil money penalties for its violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, the department said."The court’s action follows a division investigation of Freig Carrillo Forwarding’s pay practices from December 2019 through December 2021 that found the employer denied minimum wage and overtime wages to Mexican nationals working at its San Diego warehouses," USDL said. "On average, investigators determined that the co...

Canadian parents still struggling to find consistent supply of baby formulas

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:44 GMT

A little over a year after the closure of a U.S. baby formula plant triggered a widespread shortage in North America, Canadian parents are still struggling to find a steady supply of certain products.“I find a disconnect between perhaps what the Government of Canada is saying and my experience in the stores,” said Toronto mother Christina Marrella.Marella says she typically buys Nestle’s Good Start concentrated liquid formula for her 8-month-old son online. A few weeks ago, she noticed every website displayed as out of stock.When her supply at home began to dwindle last week, she visited several pharmacies and big box retailers only to find their shelves were bare. Some stores limited baby formula purchases to two per customer.Marrella called Nestle’s customer service line. She said they could not definitively answer when new stock would arrive. A representative even suggested she switch brands.“I’m a bit concerned about that because I know with t...