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Rockies’ German Marquez searching for missing fastball in quest for All-Star return

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:57:28 GMT

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — When German Marquez is on, there’s a swagger to his game. He glowers at hitters.The right-hander can unleash a sizzling 97 mph fastball that sets hitters up for a knuckle curve that leaves them muttering as they trudge back to the dugout. Marquez practically smacks his lips waiting for his next victim.But last season, the Rockies’ right-hander mislocated his fastball and misplaced his mojo, his swagger replaced by chagrin.In a game against Texas in late August at Coors Field, Marquez gave up six runs on eight hits over six innings, leaving him with an unsightly 5.22 ERA. “A game like this is frickin’ frustrating,” he said at the time.For Marquez, an All-Star in 2021, there were far too many “frickin’ frustrating” games last season. Though he improved some in the second half his 4.95 ERA was the highest of his six full seasons in the majors, his 7.43 strikeouts per nine innings were the lowest, and the 30 home runs h...

Opinion: Suit keeps telling the truth about Fox News. It’s not pretty

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:57:28 GMT

With each new revelation from filings in the $1.6 billion defamation suit against Fox News, the dimensions of the hole the network is in become clearer.It’s deep.In more typical defamation cases, the plaintiff’s beef is with a negligent or unscrupulous reporter or editor, or perhaps a flawed system of fact-checking or other guardrails. Dominion Voting Systems’ case against Fox is unique in that the evidence increasingly depicts a thoroughly corrupt organization undertaking a systematic effort to spread lies and influence elections.The latest motions from Dominion capture Fox Chairman Rupert Murdoch and star host Tucker Carlson, among others, disparaging Donald Trump. As it turns out, their actual view of the president they tirelessly championed is that he is a destructive lunatic.Carlson was blunt, texting at one point, “I hate him passionately.” Of Trump’s presidency, he said, “We’re all pretending we’ve got a lot to show for it, because admitting what a disaster it’s been is too t...

Mathews: Schwarzenegger still must guard his ballot successes

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:57:28 GMT

Running for office in California is tough, but temporary. You win or you lose, and life goes on.Sponsoring a ballot initiative is forever.That lesson hit me while interviewing former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger during a global forum on direct democracy last week in Mexico.Californians elected Schwarzenegger governor 20 years ago. His second term concluded in 2010. But he is still governing us, for two reasons: First, because he is a famously relentless person. Second, because he has been among the most prolific backers of ballot initiatives in the history of our state.Getting voters to enact your ballot initiative is only the beginning. Every election brings new ballot initiatives that might affect or even cancel your ballot initiative.So, you must defend it.The best-known example of this is Proposition 13. Today, 45 years after its passage and 37 years after the death of its sponsor, Howard Jarvis, there is still a Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association to protect the initiative and it...

Opinion: Jimmy Carter was right about importance of human rights

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:57:28 GMT

When I first joined the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Service, I was optimistic about the positive role the United States played in the world. By the time I left not quite a decade later, I was haunted by how dangerous our shortsighted foreign policy can be.What worried me most was how casual the U.S. government was about arming, training, and resourcing dictators, tyrants and local thugs all over the world. We typically justified this in the name of stability or maintaining influence, but pursued it with shockingly little accountability for the negative consequences.I didn’t understand how we could reconcile the human rights values we claimed to champion with the human rights offenders we championed too. After I walked away from my career, I wanted to know more.I was a history major with a law degree. I hadn’t studied international relations, so on-the-job training was my foreign affairs education. Freed up from the daily rigor of diplomatic work on the front lines, I pored throu...

Brooks: The self-destructive effects of progressive sadness

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:57:28 GMT

One well-established finding of social science research is that conservatives report being happier than liberals. Over the years, researchers have come up with a bunch of theories to explain this phenomenon.The first explanation is that conservatives are more likely to take part in activities linked to personal happiness — such as being married and actively participating in a religious community. The second explanation is that of course conservatives are happier; they are by definition more satisfied with the established order of things.The third explanation, related to the second, is that on personality tests liberals tend to score higher on openness to experience but also higher on neuroticism. People who score high on neuroticism are vigilant against potential harms, but they also have to live with a lot of negative emotions — such as sadness and anxiety.I’ve paid only casual attention to these debates over the years, mostly because, during the Barack Obama years, for example, li...

Shulga leads Utah State past Boise State 72-62 in MWC semis

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:57:28 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Max Shulga had 19 points in Utah State’s 72-62 win against Boise State on Saturday in the Mountain West Conference Tournament semifinals.Utah Valley, the tournament’s No. 3 seed, will face top-seeded San Diego State in Saturday’s championship game.Shulga added five assists for the Aggies (24-7). Steven Ashworth scored 14 points, shooting 4 for 13 (3 for 10 from 3-point range) and 3 of 5 from the free throw line. R.J. Eytle-Rock shot 4 of 6 from the field and 4 for 4 from the line to finish with 13 points.Marcus Shaver Jr. led the way for the Broncos (23-8) with 14 points and eight rebounds. Boise State also got 14 points from Naje Smith. In addition, Tyson Degenhart finished with 13 points.Sean Bairstow scored nine points in the first half and Utah State went into the break trailing 36-28. Utah State turned a three-point second-half advantage into a 12-point lead with a 12-3 run to make it 68-56 with 1:06 remaining in the half. Shulga scored 14 sec...

Southern Utah edges Utah Valley 89-88 in WAC semifinals

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:57:28 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Tevian turned a four-point play with four seconds left to lift Southern Utah past Utah Valley, 89-88 in the Western Athletic Conference semifinals on Friday night. Tevian drilled a 3-pointer while drawing a foul, then added the game-winning free throw. The win sends the Thunderbirds, the tournaments’ No. 3 seed, into the championship game to face fifth-seeded Grand Canyon Saturday night.Jones led Southern Utah with 20 points, shooting 6 for 15 (3 for 8 from 3-point range) and 5 of 5 from the free throw line for the Thunderbirds (20-11). Harrison Butler added 19 points while going 5 of 11 from the floor, including 1 for 4 from distance, and 8 for 14 from the line, and he also had six rebounds. Jason Spurgin shot 5 of 9 from the field and 5 for 7 from the line to finish with 15 points, while adding seven rebounds.Trey Woodbury led the way for the Wolverines (24-7) with 29 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Tim Fuller added 14 points, seven rebounds and thre...

UC Santa Barbara beats UC Riverside 92-87 in Big West semi

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:57:28 GMT

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Ajay Mitchell had 28 points in UC Santa Barbara’s 92-87 win over UC Riverside on Friday in the Big West Conference Tournament semifinals.The No. 2 seed in the tournament, the Gauchos will face fourth-seeded Cal State Fullerton in Saturday’s tournament championship game.Mitchell had seven assists for the Gauchos (24-7). Josh Pierre-Louis scored 20 points while shooting 8 of 13 from the field and 3 for 6 from the line, and added five assists. Miles Norris shot 5 for 7 (3 for 3 from 3-point range) and 3 of 3 from the free throw line to finish with 16 points, while adding six rebounds.Flynn Cameron led the Highlanders (21-11) in scoring, finishing with 31 points and six assists. Zyon Pullin added 24 points and five assists for UC Riverside. In addition, Lachlan Olbrich finished with 12 points and seven rebounds.Pierre-Louis scored 11 points in the first half and UCSB went into halftime trailing 42-39. Mitchell scored 18 points in the second half to hel...

Former Greek Finance Minister Varoufakis attacked in central Athens

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:57:28 GMT

Former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis was attacked in central Athens late on Friday, suffering a broken nose, cuts and bruises. The assault, which his party DiEM25 described as a “brazen fascist attack,” took place while Varoufakis was dining in the central Exarchia district with party members from all over Europe.“A small group of thugs stormed the place shouting aggressively, falsely accusing him of signing off on Greece’s bailouts with the troika [the country’s bailout creditors],” DiEM25 said in a statement. “Varoufakis stood up to talk to them, but they immediately responded with violence, savagely beating him while filming the scene.”Politicians from across the political spectrum swiftly condemned the assault in Varoufakis, the motorbike-riding, leather-jacket-wearing politician who became well-known as the country’s finance minister in 2015.  As part of the left-wing Syriza-led Greek government, Varoufakis battled the so-called troika and Europe-imposed austerit...

Speed restrictions lifted for most rail lines after MBTA announces 25 mph limits

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:57:28 GMT

Speed restrictions have been lifted for several MBTA lines less than 24 hours after officials announced speeds on all Red, Orange, Green, and Blue line trains would be capped at 10-25 miles per hour.In a press conference Friday morning, MBTA Interim General Manager Jeff Gonneville said restrictions were lifted on the Red, Orange, and Blue lines except for in localized areas. Gonneville said that restrictions were still in place on the Green and Mattapan lines, where necessary inspections may take until Monday.Announced the night before, the restrictions came in response to findings from a site visit by the Department of Public Utilities on Monday of this week, which involved checking on track maintenance conditions on the Red Line between Ashmont and Savin Hill stations, according to the MBTA.The next day, the DPU sent the MBTA letters laying out a list of areas where immediate action needed to be taken. Some of the problem areas included track conditions, third rail insulators, hea...