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The Orioles’ trade of Jorge López last year was controversial. It ended up being a steal. | ANALYSIS

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:30:37 GMT

The Orioles’ decision to trade Jorge López at last year’s deadline was heavily criticized.In shipping off López to the Minnesota Twins and Trey Mancini to the Houston Astros, Baltimore was parting ways with two of its most important players — an All-Star closer and a team leader, respectively — in the middle of a wild-card race.Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias knew as much, and he flew to Texas to talk with the team about the moves that were seen to hurt the club’s chances of making the postseason. He then told reporters that those rebuild-focused moves, in which the club acquired prospects for established big leaguers, would be the last of that kind, stating it would be “liftoff from here.”“At times, there are opportunities that feel like a step back,” he said. “But in the big picture, it’s a step forward for the entire organization.”The Orioles claimed López off wa...

Will Johnson: Should we pay to keep the White Sox local? Here’s what polling data says.

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:30:37 GMT

When the owners of the Chicago Bears announced earlier this year that they had purchased 326 acres in Arlington Heights for a new stadium and entertainment district, they did us one favor: They chose to stay within Chicagoland. The Bears would remain the Chicago Bears.That was then. The team and the village haven’t been able to get negotiations over the goal line, and the Bears’ gaze has started wandering again. And now Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf is making noises about moving the team out of Guaranteed Rate Field when their lease expires in 2029 — perhaps to Nashville, Tennessee.The situations highlight a conundrum for public officials: To what extent should taxpayers pony up for new ballparks to keep teams from abandoning metro Chicago?At the risk of mixing sports metaphors, it’s not a slam-dunk question from a public opinion perspective. Nearly 9 in 10 (85%) adult Cook County residents, in the city and suburbs alike, see sports as an important ...

Can Patriots QB Mac Jones rebound in Year 3?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:30:37 GMT

It’s not an exaggeration to call this a career-defining year for Patriots quarterback Mac Jones.Following one of the most efficient seasons by a rookie quarterback in NFL history, Jones — for a multitude of reasons — did not play up to the standards of a starting quarterback last year. If he can replicate or improve upon his rookie season, then the Patriots should pretend last year never happened. They ought to pick up Jones’ fifth-year option and give him job security as their future starter.But if he plays as poorly as he did in 2022, then head coach Bill Belichick should be looking for a new franchise quarterback — stat.There is optimism around the NFL that the rookie quarterback who became a Pro Bowl alternate and led the Patriots to the postseason in 2021 is the real Mac Jones. NFL talent evaluators saw Belichick’s decision to let Matt Patricia and Joe Judge lead the offense torpedo any second-year jump Jones could have made. They also believe bringing aboard Bill O’Brien...

Israel’s Netanyahu says he wants Eritrean migrants involved in violent clashes to be deported

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:30:37 GMT

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he wants Eritrean migrants involved in a violent clash in Tel Aviv to be deported immediately and has ordered a plan to remove all of the country’s African migrants.The remarks came a day after bloody protests by rival groups of Eritreans in south Tel Aviv left dozens of people injured. Eritreans, supporters and opponents of Eritrea’s government, faced off with construction lumber, pieces of metal and rocks, smashing shop windows and police cars. Israeli police in riot gear shot tear gas, stun grenades and live rounds while officers on horseback tried to control the protesters.The violence on Saturday returned to the fore the issue of migrants, which has long divided Israel. Its resurgence comes as Israel is torn over Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul plan, and supporters cite the migrant issue as a reason why the courts should be reined in, saying they have stood in the way of pushing the migrants...

Russia attacks a Ukrainian port before key grain deal talks between Putin and Turkey’s president

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:30:37 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Two people were hospitalized following a 3 1/2-hour Russian drone barrage against port infrastructure in Ukraine’s Odesa region on Sunday, officials said.The attack comes a day before Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to meet with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the resumption of food shipments from Ukraine under a Black Sea grain agreement that Moscow broke off from in July.Russian forces fired 25 Iranian-made Shahed drones along the Danube River in the early hours of Sunday, 22 of which were shot down by air defenses, the Ukrainian air force said on Telegram.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, described the assault as part of a Russian drive “to provoke a food crisis and hunger in the world.”Moscow hasn’t commented on the attack.Elsewhere in Ukraine, two people were killed and two others were wounded during Russian shelling Sunday on the village of Vuhledar in the Donetsk area.Artillery ...

Climate change, trade ties top agenda as Trudeau attends summits in Asia

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:30:37 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada has its eyes on Asia and the lucrative trade markets in the Indo-Pacific region as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau heads to the region tomorrow for a week of international summits and bilateral meetings.With stops in Indonesia, Singapore and India over six days, relationship building with Asian leaders is a critical goal.Canada wants in on the region’s rapid growth amid the global green energy transition, in which Canada sees itself as a key player.It also wants to diversity its trade in the region away from China. Canada launched a new Indo-Pacific strategy last fall, aiming to expand trade links throughout the region to help counter China’s dominance.It is in the midst of negotiating a comprehensive trade agreement with Indonesia and just temporarily paused formal trade talks with India pending further consultations with business stakeholders.It already has a trade pact with Singapore as both are signatories to the Pacific Rim trade deal usually referred ...

How Tamara Lich transformed from spokeswoman to symbol of ‘Freedom Convoy’ movement

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:30:37 GMT

OTTAWA — It’s a sunny July day at an outdoor hockey rink outside North Bay, Ont. An acoustic guitar player belts out a ballad about freedom. An adoring crowd sings along.Tamara Lich, mounted on the back of a brown and white horse and waving a large Canadian flag, enters the arena. “Love a grand entrance,” the 50-year-old says enthusiastically with a wide smile and a laugh, getting hoots and whistles from supporters gathered to hear her speak, as seen in a video posted on social media. To her fans, Lich is a proud Canadian, a lioness of the movement behind the “Freedom Convoy” protests and the target of a justice system that won’t abide her anti-government beliefs. For the combined 49 days she spent in jail, first after her initial arrest during the 2022 demonstrations and again following an alleged bail breach last summer, she was in their eyes a “political prisoner.” It’s a title she, too, has embraced.To the Crown, Lich is a ne...

Skywatch: A crowned jewel is on the rise

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:30:37 GMT

Most of us view Earth as the prettiest planet in our solar system. Look at any photo taken of it from deep space, and it’s the lovely blue marble of our solar system!  Many people, including this stargazer, put Saturn in second place in our solar system and, indeed, the best planet to gaze upon from here on Earth, even with a small telescope. Jupiter is great, but I so look forward to training my telescope on the ringed wonder of our solar system. Other planets like Jupiter, Neptune, and Uranus have ring systems, but nothing beats the ring system surrounding Saturn, the second-largest planet in our local family.Saturn has become prime time for viewing this month and will be available in our evening skies through next January. It reached its very closest approach to the Earth last Sunday, Aug. 27, when it was less than 815 million miles away, which is considered close for Saturn. This closest approach is something astronomers call opposition when Earth, in its yearly orbit around the...

Sunday Bulletin Board: Ralph, Alice, Ed, Trixie . . . and a big, ornery maid?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:30:37 GMT

Midcentury not-so-modernZOO LOU of St. Paul writes: “Subject: Vintage TV and the episode of ‘The Honeymooners’ that left me shaking my head and saying: ‘You’ve got to be kidding!’“As a big fan of Jackie Gleason and Art Carney in ‘The Honeymooners,’ it was a real pleasure reconnecting with this classic sitcom when the Catchy Comedy channel (226 in St. Paul) had a marathon the weekend of August 12 and 13.“One thing that always caught my attention was Ralph and Alice Kramden’s drab, barebones apartment, which made a cell at Alcatraz look like a suite at the Hilton. There was no radio, phone or TV, and the furniture consisted of a table and a few chairs. Oh yes, the tiny icebox still used real ice, and the stove looked like it came from a yard sale at the Ma and Pa Kettle farm. With all these ‘amenities,’ it’s no surprise their electric bill was once 86 cents!“Ralph, who was about as subtle as a rogue elephant, was constantly berating Alice about something, once ...

‘God sent her’: Bonnie Alton hands off Great Harvest Bread to new hand-picked owner

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:30:37 GMT

Bonnie Alton never considered sharing space in her Great Harvest Bread Co. kitchen until she got a call one day in 2019.The woman said she was helping her favorite baker, Mai Ker Hang, find a place to create her signature fruit-filled cakes. Would Alton consider renting out her Selby Avenue bakery in the evenings to Fruitee ‘n the Cake, Hang’s pop-up bakery business?“They had looked and looked, and everyone was saying ‘No’ to them,” Alton said. “I thought about it for a little bit, and I talked to Brian, my husband, about it, and I said, ‘You know, we can do this. The kitchen just sits empty at the end of the day.’”When Hang went to tour the bakery, she found Alton working in the back. “I told myself, ‘If only this woman is my mentor, I will go a lot farther and grow a lot faster,’” Hang said. “I think God sent her to me. I am so fortunate to have met her.”Fortunate, indeed.On Friday, Hang purchased the business from Alton. She is believed to be the first Hmong owner of a Great Harv...