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Ohtani and Acuña win MLB’s Hank Aaron Awards as outstanding offensive performers

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:19:54 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuña Jr. won the 2023 Hank Aaron Awards on Saturday, presented by Major League Baseball to the most outstanding offensive performer in each league.The MLB award is picked by fan balloting combined with votes from a panel of Hall of Famers and former winners, a group that this year included Johnny Bench, Craig Biggio, Ken Griffey Jr., Derek Jeter, Chipper Jones, Pedro Martínez, Eddie Murray, Albert Pujols, David Ortiz, John Smoltz and Robin Yount.The pair also won Most Valuable Awards last month in voting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Ohtani was the first two-time unanimous MVP.Ohtani became a free agent after the season and left the Los Angeles Angels for a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He led the AL with 44 homers and hit .304 with 96 RBIs, eight triples and 20 stolen bases in a season at the plate that ended Sept. 3 because of an oblique injury. The right-hander was 10-5 with a 3.14...

UMass blows 18-point lead before Minutemen beat West Virginia 87-79

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:19:54 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — Josh Cohen scored 19 points and Robert Davis Jr. hit six 3-pointers and finished with 18 points to help Massachusetts survive a furious rally by West Virginia and beat the Mountaineers 87-79 Saturday night at the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic Rahsool Diggins scored 15 points and Matt Cross added 13 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and two steals for UMass (6-2). Quinn Slazinski, who picked up his third personal foul about 2 minutes into the second half, scored 10 consecutive West Virginia points in a 16-2 run sparked when Noah Farrakhan hit a 3-pointer with about 15 minutes to play and capped when Kerr Kriisa made another 3 with 10:29 left. The Mountaineers tied it on a 3-pointer by Seth Wilson about 90 seconds later and Akok Akok threw down a dunk to make it 62-all with 6:34 to go. Cohen answered with a layup 14 seconds later and UMass led the rest of the way.The Minutemen made 15 of 18 from the free-throw line in the final 3 minutes to seal it. Daniel ...

Creighton’s Kalkbrenner returns after missing most of 1st half against Alabama with ankle injury

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:19:54 GMT

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner returned to the eighth-ranked Bluejays’ game against Alabama at the start of the second half after injuring his right ankle.Kalkbrenner turned his ankle while running back on defense seven minutes into the game. He went to the locker room for the rest of the half but was back on the court after doing some jogging and stretching drills. The 7-foot-1 Kalkbrenner is the Bluejays’ second-leading scorer, two-time Big East defensive player of the year and one of the country’s premier rim protectors.Fredrick King, Isaac Traudt and Jasen Green took over in the middle during Kalkbrenner’s absence.___Get poll alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here.___AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketballSource

Canada beats US 3-2 to cut Americans’ Rivalry Series lead to 3-1

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:19:54 GMT

SARNIA, Ontario (AP) — Marie-Philip Poulin scored the lone shootout goal, Ann-Renée Desbiens made 22 save sand Canada beat the United States 3-2 on Saturday night to cut the Americans’ Rivalry Series lead to 3-1.Canada overcame a two-goal deficit in the third period, with Danielle Serdachny scoring with 9:54 left and Ella Shelton tying it with 7:21 remaining. “The game was such a back-and-forth contest,” U.S. coach John Wroblewski said. “It was a physical contest and a classic U.S.-Canada game.”Megan Keller opened the scoring for the United States with a short-handed goal at 8:19 of the second period. Alex Carpenter made it 2-0 at 4:46 of the third.Nicole Hensley stopped 24 shots for the Americans.On Thursday night in Kitchener, U.S. captain Hilary Knight scored on a power play 28 seconds into overtime to give Americans a 3-2 victory.The U.S. opened the series last month with a 3-1 victory in Tempe, Arizona, and a 5-2 decision in Los Angeles. The series shifts to Saskatchewan ...

Joel Embiid scores 42 points as 76ers hand Hornets worst loss in franchise history, 135-82

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:19:54 GMT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Joel Embiid had 42 points and 15 rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers handed the injury-depleted Charlotte Hornets their worst loss in franchise history, 135-82 on Saturday night.Tyrese Maxey added 21 points for the 76ers (18-7), who shot out quickly when Embiid outscored the Hornets by himself in the first quarter, built a 29-point halftime lead and were never challenged.The Hornets’ previous largest loss was a 50-point defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks on Jan. 10, 2000.Charlotte played without three starters in LaMelo Ball, Gordon Hayward and Mark Williams, two key reserves in P.J. Washington and Cody Martin, and then lost top scorer Terry Rozier in the third quarter when he caught an elbow to the nose. Rozier, who averaged more than 28 points over the previous seven outings, was never ruled out, but did not return to the game.Brandon Miller led the Hornets (7-17) with 14 points despite shooting 4 of 16 from the floor.Embiid set the tone early with 18 poin...

Virginia Beach, Richmond, Fairfax receive millions for trails and road safety improvements

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:19:54 GMT

The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded the city of Virginia Beach a $14.9 million federal grant on Wednesday, marking the single largest grant to a Virginia’s locality from the Safe Streets and Roads for All program established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.The funding will support the Virginia Beach Trail, a 12-mile long east-west corridor for walkers and bikers that will stretch the length of the city from its western edge to the Oceanfront.Currently, pedestrians and cyclists traveling along the corridor must walk or ride in heavily trafficked roadways or on narrow sidewalks. The trail project will instead provide a paved, shared-use path for safer non-car transit.The trail is also the final segment of a regional trail system that will connect Richmond to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.“The city appreciates the support for public safety improvements in our community and acknowledges the significance of the Virginia Beach Trail project,” said city spokeswoman Tiffany R...

Md. Department of Environment’s climate plan coming soon — but not soon enough for House hearing

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:19:54 GMT

The Maryland Department of the Environment has a plan — a plan to achieve the state’s ambitious climate and clean energy goals. But the plan isn’t quite ready for prime time yet — though it should be by year’s end.Which made the timing of Friday’s virtual hearing by the House Environment and Transportation Committee on how the state plans to implement the groundbreaking Climate Solutions Now Act a little inopportune. Lawmakers’ attempts to drill down on details of the Moore administration’s plans for meeting the provisions in the bill were politely swatted away more than a few times by Maryland Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain and her top lieutenants.But McIlwain did vow that the state was on track to meet the goals laid out in the 2022 climate legislation.“I tell you we will achieve the 60% greenhouse gas reductions by 2031 and we will achieve net zero emissions by 2045,” she said.On July 1, McIlwain’s agency released a pre...

Butler wins it at the buzzer for Miami, as Heat top Bulls 118-116

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:19:54 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — Jimmy Butler hit a step-back jumper as time expired to give the Miami Heat a 118-116 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night.Butler had 28 points to help Miami split of a two-game home series with Chicago. Kevin Love added 22, Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 18, Caleb Martin 17 and Kyle Lowry 10.DeMar DeRozan led Chicago with 27 points. Coby White added 22, Torrey Craig had 16, Patrick Williams 15 and Nikola Vucevic finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds.There were four lead changes and five ties in the final quarter, the last of those ties coming when Lowry made a layup with 31 seconds left.Vucevic missed a hook on the next Chicago possession, Butler grabbed the rebound and the Heat — who had two timeouts — didn’t call one and left the game in his hands.Nobody else touched the ball again.Butler came up the left side of the floor, then went to the right, headed toward the lane and coolly hit the step-back over White as time expired.Miami again played without Bam Adebayo ...

2 hospitalized after driver slams into Pembroke Pines restaurant, causing minor damage

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:19:54 GMT

Two people were taken to the hospital after a driver accidentally slammed into the front of a restaurant in Pembroke Pines.Pembroke Pines Police and Fire Rescue units responded to the scene of the crash at Hong Kong Tokyo Chinese Restaurant on Sheridan Street, at around 2:15 p.m., Saturday.Investigators said the motorist accidentally pressed the accelerator, causing the wine-colored SUV to strike the business.The crash scattered glass and debris all over the floor of the premises, causing minor damage to the building.Paramedics transported the victims to Memorial Hospital Miramar with injuries that were not life-threatening.

Dorchester Elite Eagles, Boston Lady Raiders celebrate with championship parade

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:19:54 GMT

The Dorchester Elite Eagles and the Boston Lady Raiders Cheerleaders celebrated their Pop Warner championships with a parade in Boston on Saturday.The Eagles and Raiders won their divisions at the National Pop Warner Championship earlier this month in Florida.Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was on hand for the parade and celebration.“Thank you so much for making our city proud, thank you for putting Boston the map once again, in the 37-year history of Pop Warner football, never once did we have a champion back home in Boston until now,” she said.