CES' bat speed 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/hCaVjuaFj6 Steer sits after cortisone shot in balky shoulderMarch 2nd GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- was scratched from the Reds’ lineup on Saturday after the infielder/outfielder was given a cortisone injection in his bothersome right shoulder Steer received the shot after an exam with team orthopedist Andrew Razzano reaffirmed there was no major injury "I think it’s a step in the right direction “We feel like this was the best move going forward I’ve been treading water here the last week trying to get back to throwing So [I’m] hoping this is a step in the right direction [to] get some positive momentum going forward to throwing and getting back on the field.” is considered day to day to return to the lineup "I think it just depends on how it responds to the injections," he said With three weeks remaining until camp breaks manager Terry Francona hinted that Steer not beginning the season on time was among the possibilities “We need to discuss the next few days or the next week," Francona said after the Reds’ 7-3 victory over San Diego but we’ve got to do what’s right for him.” who came into camp as a possibility to play first base has been limited to DH all spring because of discomfort from throwing Shoulder soreness was an issue that bothered him throughout the 2024 season although he did not feel pain while swinging last year nor during this spring camp Although multiple MRI exams in the past have ruled out any significant structural damage in the shoulder Steer acknowledged that his swinging and throwing mechanics were likely affected by continuing to play “I think it’s a lot of inefficiencies from compensation of playing through the injury," Steer said "I got into a lot of bad habits mechanically It finds ways to compensate and fight through injuries [I’m] trying to kind of teach the shoulder again how to move properly I’m going to focus on that for the next week and get back into loading it up and getting the strength back and getting ready to roll.” Over 158 games in 2024, Steer batted .225 with a .721 OPS 20 home runs and 92 RBIs while primarily playing left field and first base and he gutted through it." Francona said "Doing it again doesn’t seem to make much sense.” CES' bat speed 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/hCaVjuaFj6 Bullpen shaping upThe Reds appear to have most of their bullpen spots locked up already, and one reliever -- right-hander Tony Santillan -- has gotten a big endorsement from Francona. The manager was asked whether Santillan being out of Minor League options was an issue in the competition “He’s not going to have to worry about that He’s going to pitch for us," Francona said Santillan has two scoreless innings this spring, with two hits, one walk and two strikeouts over two games. Other relievers expected to be part of the bullpen are Alexis DĂ­az, Emilio PagĂĄn, Sam Moll, Taylor Rogers, Scott Barlow and Brent Suter. That leaves one spot up for grabs among many, including Yosver Zulueta and non-roster invitees like Ian Gibaut before knee issues cropped up late and limited his postseason availability has had his past 4 postseasons impacted by persistent injury issues • Get NBA League Pass TODAY > (AP) — Kawhi Leonard is planning to be in the Los Angeles Clippers’ lineup for opening night unless his balky right knee prevents him from inaugurating the team’s new arena The health of their superstar once again looms large after Leonard was limited to two postseason games last season because of inflammation in a knee that has been surgically repaired twice Leonard’s absence proved costly when the Clippers were eliminated from the playoffs in six games by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round The Clippers open the regular season on Oct “Right now it’s a positive thing to think I will play but we’re taking it day by day,” Leonard said Monday at the team’s media day inside the new Intuit Dome in Inglewood I’m a human being and we’re playing basketball.” the Fun Guy in the building 🖐️ pic.twitter.com/UGhUbHYfLE — LA Clippers (@LAClippers) September 30, 2024 Leonard indicated he could be dealing with knee inflammation for the rest of his career “It can get that way,” the 33-year-old six-time All-Star said “There’s some stuff we can do or try to do to make me last USA Basketball concluded that it was in his best interest to focus on preparing for the upcoming NBA season although the Clippers later said they had no problem with him playing in Paris team in Las Vegas when he was replaced by Boston Celtics guard Derrick White Leonard played 68 games during the regular season before missing the final eight because of his knee He signed a three-year extension worth $152 million in January But his health has restricted his postseason availability for four straight years “Everything has been going great for the past month but being very cautious for reasons in the past,” he said “Haven’t been able to finish some playoff runs so making sure I stay healthy for those important moments.” Leonard said he considered last season a success from a health perspective “We didn’t reach our goal but in the grand scheme of things “Let’s see if I can keep it going from here.” The Clippers flew to Hawaii later Monday for the start of training camp which culminates Saturday with an exhibition game against the Golden State Warriors in Honolulu The All-Star and two-time Finals MVP agrees to a contract extension with the LA Clippers The Celtics guard replaces the Clippers star who has decided it's best to prepare for next season rather than compete in Paris the 2 superstars didn't hesitate to join Team USA for a 'dream' opportunity to represent their country LA's standout forward will miss his 3rd straight game as the Clippers try to extend the series against the Mavs Aaron Gordon comes up clutch again for the Nuggets while the Thunder face the 1st big test of their 2025 playoff run Boston's reliance on the 3-ball backfires while New York's defenders come through in the clutch to pull off massive comeback for series-opening win Celtics announce Porzingis was questionable to return with an illness that they specified was non-Covid Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones glamour up alongside Angel Reese for the annual fashion event Kenny Atkinson experienced a setback on his coaching journey it fueled the 2024-25 NBA Coach of the Year 95.3/99.1 The Score (WSCO) in Appleton is making a midday programming shuffle this fall “The Doug Gottlieb Show” will debut alongside the return of “The Mike Heller Show,” while “The Show” continues with host Eric Balkman “The Doug Gottlieb Show,” a Fox Sports Radio nationally syndicated program “Our show is so excited to expand our footprint in Wisconsin.” said Gottlieb people ask where they can hear us…now the answer is WSCO Woodward Community Media’s Talk Brand Manager “With Doug now serving as head coach for UW-Green Bay men’s basketball and continuing his national show it was essential to bring his voice to sports fans in northeast Wisconsin.”  WSCO will also welcome back the statewide syndicated “Mike Heller Show”’ which will air weekdays from noon-2 p.m Heller is a graduate of Appleton East High School and UW-Oshkosh who previously hosted the show on WSCO from 2016 to 2019 “The Show with Leo and Balky” will now be rebranded as “The Show with Balky” following John Leopold’s decision to step back to focus on his sales executive role Balky will continue as the solo host from 11a.m “We are thrilled to enhance our local and regional sports coverage by bringing Doug’s show to our audience and welcoming Mike back to northeast Wisconsin.” Privacy Policy . Terms and Conditions 2025 at 9:49 pm ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}The balky bovine apparently went looking for greener pastures but found herself at a swimming pool store instead NJ — A wayward cow who apparently went looking for greener pastures found her way to a swimming pool store in South Jersey town on Saturday leaving police seeking help to round her up and get get her to safety Logan Township police shared a photo of the balky bovine on Facebook after she had been found in the area of U.S Route 322 near the Woolwich Township border around 9:30 a.m. "We can't make this up," police said in the post where they asked for help in catching the cow lassos and lariats aren’t in our standard equipment issue," police said police said the cow was safely under control The cow was taken to Gloucester County DREAM Park equestrian facility on Route 130 until it could be reunited with its owners The site of the cow's home pasture wasn't immediately known "Big thanks to them for helping moooove her along!" police said Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. LA Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank didn’t even need to accept a question from the press Tuesday before addressing Kawhi Leonard’s status going into training camp Leonard, the two-time Finals MVP and a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team has had each of the previous four seasons ruined by injuries to his right knee Inflammation in the knee prematurely ended Leonard’s 2024 regular season limited him to only two playoff games and kept him from staying on the United States Olympic men’s basketball team that won a gold medal A week before the Clippers begin training camp in Hawaii Frank declared the swelling in Leonard’s right knee “has significantly gone down” and that the team would hold Leonard out of drills to “really focus on strengthening” the joint to “get him at 100 percent so he can have a great season — not just this year Lawrence Frank on Kawhi Leonard pic.twitter.com/MZvQ3g5FWf — Law Murray 💡 (@LawMurrayTheNU) September 24, 2024 When Leonard returned from the ACL tear to begin the 2022-23 season, knee stiffness cost him 25 days (12 games) after the season’s first week. He eventually got strong enough to return to form, only to tear his meniscus in the 2023 West quarterfinals against the Phoenix Suns and miss the final three games of the five-game series The latest knee issue that first popped up for Leonard in early April is still a factor almost six months later Frank is optimistic it won’t be but would not commit to Leonard being ready for the team’s regular-season opener at Intuit Dome against the Suns on Oct “I think the timing is all going to depend on how his knee responds to each phase,” Frank said I know he’s super determined to have a great year but the timing when it comes to your body and your health I think you just have to respond to how he responds.” pardon fans and followers of this franchise for feeling like they have been here before and believing in this team requires a prescription To know the Clippers is to never be comfortable with them for an extended period It’s actually nice to know moving to a new arena in a new city with a new logo won’t change the inevitable anxiousness of investing attention into this team the Clippers aren’t the franchise that moved to Southern California in 1979 and from San Diego in 1984 which lost more than 60 percent of its games in 23 seasons between 1981 and 2011 the Clippers have had a winning record each year Frank made a point to mention the pride of that streak at the beginning and end of Tuesday’s media availability Nine of those seasons saw the Clippers win at least 60 percent of their games including last year’s 51-31 finish that included a Pacific Division title and so the mark of disappointment isn’t failing to win regular-season games but whether the Clippers fail to make a postseason run he became the first player to establish himself as the face of Intuit Dome peaked shortly after the ink dried on Leonard’s extension George tabled his extension talks a month later head coach Tyronn Lue had to respond to George calling the team soft we are going to find an identity this year,” Lue deadpanned Tuesday Harden’s performance declined after Westbrook went out with a broken hand Even though the Clippers toughened up to finish the regular season who was traded last November to Philadelphia so the 76ers could acquire Harden Harden signed a two-year deal that includes a 2025 player option Lue also signed a long-awaited long-term extension There is an outline of a winning team with the personnel Frank has put together When Leonard missed the entire season in 2021-22 and the team will lean on Harden offensively The 2017-18 MVP knows that the Clippers need more than just his talent and Frank praised Harden for leading a players-only retreat at Arizona State and being “fully immersed” entering his first training camp with the Clippers “It’s awesome just to watch James and how he works I know he’s determined to have a great year,” Frank said Tuesday “We do hear what people have to say about our team and our guys are extremely motivated to have a season that hopefully surprises a lot of people.” Both Frank and Lue acknowledged the team’s need to play harder defensively which means getting back in transition and rebounding Lue said that the team needs to play faster hit the paint and actually shoot available 3s Per @SecondSpectrum Clippers averaged 5 passes per game fewer than the 29th-ranked Mavericks and 2.1 fewer catch 3 attempts than the 29th-ranked 76ers last season It’s been on Tyronn Lue and his staff’s mind all summer. Here’s more on Lue’s response to that pic.twitter.com/xU9bgYPGGb — Law Murray 💡 (@LawMurrayTheNU) September 25, 2024 Lue likes to say that “hope is stronger than fear.” The organization coaching staff and players have to prepare to wait on Leonard But the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry I mentioned earlier this month Leonard is as safe a bet to miss 20 games as almost any player in the league Leonard could get himself ready to play in a preseason game or two stay on the floor in October and have the kind of season he had last year when he played enough games to return to All-Star and All-NBA status for the first time in three seasons It’s just as easy to see a scenario where Leonard doesn’t get right and his day-to-day turns into week-to-week for an injury he has been dealing with for months After the year it has already been for the Clippers and Leonard you can understand both waiting to see Leonard be healthy to believe in his progression as well as simply never reaching a state of assurance he will actually stay on the floor long enough Any level of stability the Clippers and Leonard experience going forward should be considered a bonus Jake Paul and Mike Tyson embrace after their heavyweight boxing match LOS ANGELES (AP) — Netflix’s first attempt at handling a live sports event did not receive a passing grade The fight Friday night between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul experienced streaming problems according to many viewers on social media Many viewers took to Twitter/X and Bluesky to express their frustrations with streaming and buffering problems before and during the fight The bout was scheduled for eight two-minute rounds as opposed to the normal three minutes and 10 or 12 rounds for most pro fights Netflix representatives had no comment via e-mails to The Associated Press on the streaming problems viewers experienced leading up to or during the fight Netflix said Saturday that the bout was watched by a worldwide audience of 60 million and peaked at 65 million concurrent streams It said nearly 50 million households were turned in for the co-main event between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano in which Taylor kept her undisputed super lightweight championship with another disputed decision Netflix said it would provide additional viewership information The bout between the YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul was Netflix’s biggest live sports event to date and an opportunity to make sure it can handle audience demand with the NFL and WWE on the horizon It streamed globally to Netflix’s 280 million subscribers at no additional cost Netflix will broadcast two NFL games on Christmas Day and will begin streaming WWE “Raw” on Jan The streaming delays weren’t the only problems Netflix experienced leading up to the fight Netflix chose to make light of the faux pas After news broke that some European countries are not ready to introduce the EU’s biometric travel scheme the European Commission now says it will not rule out delaying the upcoming Entry-Exit System (EES) Germany says that the main issue lies in the lack of readiness in the EU’s IT systems stating their concern over the lack of time to test the new travel scheme and expected long queues According to the German Ministry of Interior the main issue is the lack of stability and functionality of the central computer system overseen by eu-LISA the agency tasked with operating large-scale IT systems related to law enforcement France and the Netherlands have not been able to implement final and nationally required tests even though the three countries host 40 percent of traveler traffic affected by EES The trio have yet to declare their readiness to go ahead, according to unnamed sources quoted by the newspaper. The launch of the EES has already been delayed several times Some countries have floated the possibility of a soft launch that would test the system in pilot areas The system will require non-EU citizens to submit fingerprint and face biometrics on their first crossing of Schengen borders and scan their passports at self-serve kiosks during future crossings The introduction of EES will be followed by the arrival of another travel scheme called the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) The UK government has also expressed concern over the new digital border scheme with its Foreign Office warning travelers of long queues at EU borders But British passport holders are not the only ones who are worried – countries that welcome large numbers of UK travelers are also monitoring the introduction of the EES A survey from Co-Op Insurance shows that 22 percent of British vacationers would be put off from visiting countries implementing the new travel scheme. Among this percentage, nearly half (48) percent say that they dislike the idea of having their biometric data recorded for three years in the system, according to the British tabloid The Daily Express Some British travelers are already changing their holiday plans a survey from travel app Holiday Extras has shown they are more likely for destinations such as Cyprus a city that limits the Gibraltar-Spain border to the south is demanding more information about EES implementation with the neighboring British overseas territory Warnings are also arriving from the travel industry. Budget airline EasyJet has warned that the EES could affect customers’ airport transfers and lead to long queues at border control. Transport industry organizations have been warning that launching the EES without tests could present a “huge risk.” “Launching the system without having fully tested it is a huge risk potentially leading to widespread disruptions across the European air transport network,” Olivier Jankovec A research paper has listed a number of factors that must be considered by governments for the proper conduct of… the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) announced it had received more than 10,000 public… Expressions of interest will be called for a software integrator for MOSIP (Modular Open-Source Identity Platform) The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) – an international organization defending the interest of Uyghur people in and out of China… Indonesia has suspended World (formerly “Worldcoin”) and World ID following public complaints The country’s Ministry of Communication and Digital has… The Airports Company of Zimbabwe (ACZ) is seeking international partners as it prepares to install civil aviation security systems —… This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. and air-conditioning system is a marvel of engineering and efficiency that seldom works as designed That’s because there are so many variables affecting indoor temperature from the integrity of your ducting to how much sun The result is that some rooms are always warmer or cooler than you want them to be Some people solve this problem by obsessively opening or closing the vents that bring hot or cold air to the various parts of their homes I didn’t want to join the hourly vent patrol so I just added or shed clothes to adjust to the room I was in there’s been little you could do about this problem My own home was plagued by an HVAC system that would alternately overheat or overcool one area of my home to account for poor ventilation in another So I had an industry-revered HVAC firm assess what it would take to balance my system The proposed solution came to the tune of more than $10,000 which tell the Flair Smart Vents when to activate Flair’s system should increase the volume of hot air to cooler rooms in winter and do the reverse in summer After installing a few Flair Vents and Pucks I restarted my system and waited for the results and it just didn’t seem to make any difference—in fact I began to suspect there was a larger problem lurking I came upon a possible culprit: leaky ductwork an apparently common ailment in US homes (more on that below) Although Flair Vents weren’t a cure for my system I can’t recommend Flair Vents for use as an automated system in the way the company intends But I do think they may be worth considering for anyone who routinely does a lap around the house to adjust vents on a daily or regular basis (or simply for anyone with vents that are hard to reach) Each one contains a temperature sensor and a motor that opens or closes the louvers to direct more conditioned air to rooms that need it and restrict air from rooms that are over-conditioned These vents replace your existing registers—you remove an old one and pop one of these vents in place—and they are either battery-powered or can be plugged into a low-voltage system (there are several options) The Flair Vents are currently available in a range of standard sizes Not all colors are available for all vent sizes at this time which can act as an additional temperature sensor You can also use some of the remote sensors from those companies in lieu of a Flair Puck (Nest sensors in particular aren’t compatible) Theoretically the Flair Smart Vents can be set up to maintain a specific temperature in a room or zone Or they can be set on a specific repeating Schedule Or they can be opened or closed on demand using the Flair app with the Flair Vents requiring a little bit of assembly after which they drop right into the floor or screw neatly into the ceiling Many settings and options will be confusing to a non-technician the app asked if I wanted the thermostat acting as the brain behind the Flair Vents or if I wanted the Pucks to have control (I don’t know I had problems with the app and a sensor that may have been faulty and the tech eventually had to commandeer my system remotely to complete the setup and address a wonky Flair Puck That means having a cord run down your wall and a wall wart or running wire behind the wall Flair offers an adapter so that pucks can be plugged into wall outlets that have a built-in USB port But the outlet would need to be high enough off the floor to work appropriately and if you don't have a USB-style outlet already you'd need to install one The Flair Bridge (a separate receiver) connects to your router and boosts reception eliminating the need to plug in Flair Pucks; again I have been running a pair of automated Flair Smart Vents in my 37-year-old approximately 1,100-square-foot home for about a year I have a forced-air heat pump that barely keeps up in wintery Mid-Atlantic weather One Flair Smart Vent is in my basement TV area which is warmer but not as warm as the second floor where I have no Flair Smart Vents (none were available in the size of my registers at the time of installation) The Flair Vents were set up with my Ecobee thermostat as the main controller Each floor with a vent also had a Flair Puck a combined sensor and gateway that connects the vent to the home Wi-Fi and internet It’s worth noting that I made my measurements with a portable digital room thermometer which would often read differently than the temperatures on the Flair Pucks The result was simply not what was advertised The Flair Vents made no difference in the 5-degree disparity in temperatures between my coolest and warmest rooms in either summer or winter I had the company seal my ductwork, a process that involves spraying a sealant through the entire system. And after a followup, the leaks were dramatically reduced, from 40%-plus down to just 5%. And at that percentage, after a few days, the usual five-degree difference between the basement and second floor was down to one degree. If you simply want the ability to control vents that are hard to reach, or you currently run around your house a few times a day to adjust the registers, Flair Smart Vents may make it easier to do what you’re already doing. But you should first have your system assessed, to confirm whether your ducts are reasonably sealed as intended (or not, as I discovered). Installing a series of Flair Smart Vents and Pucks is not cheap. The energy savings, if any, may not be worth the investment The Flair app provides access to a fair amount of data, such as the current temperature in the rooms where there are sensors, a record of Vents opening and closing, settings for when you’re at home or away, and interaction with Ecobee, Nest, Honeywell, Carrier, Bryant, and GE/Heier. But the app and the Flair portal on the web are slow to load and balky when retrieving data. It can take long enough for the screen to refresh to leave you wondering whether it’s frozen. (Be patient.) And, curiously, though you can use Alexa or Google to change the temperature parameters of the Flair Pucks, you can’t use voice or app commands to open or close Flair Vents. This article was edited by Jon Chase and Grant Clauser. What I CoverRoy Furchgott has personally tried more than 1,000 pieces of consumer technology and more than 500 apps Roy’s work has appeared in more than 100 publications Roy has won awards regionally and nationally for writing and regionally for photography Nest thermostats are the gateway to smart-home life can make your home’s HVAC more energy efficient without sacrificing your comfort The temperature of your bedroom plays a major role in the quality of your sleep A smart thermostat ensures you find that sweet spot Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice we’ll help you get it right (the first time) Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) is sacked by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts during the second half of an NFL football game Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) watches from the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert walks away after a press conference following an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert looks for an open receiver during the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) walks off the field after being sacked by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts during the second half of an NFL football game Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert speaks during a press conference after an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Nick Herbig forces a fumble by Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) during the second half of an NFL football game Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) talks with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields The Los Angeles Chargers quarterback threw a first-half touchdown pass to Quentin Johnston and largely stayed out of trouble in the face of T.J Watt and the rest of Pittsburgh’s relentless pass rush “I did everything I could to go back in there,” Herbert said afterward “I didn’t feel like I could move around or really push off of it.” Herbert went to the medical tent to be evaluated then spent the rest of the game on the bench as the Chargers (2-1) saw their promising start under first-year head coach Jim Harbaugh take a hit “Not every game is going to be a fairytale ending,” Harbaugh said Harbaugh declined to speculate whether Herbert will be available next week when Los Angeles hosts AFC West rival Kansas City saying only the team will take the same “wait and see” approach it used after Herbert initially injured the ankle on Sept Herbert practiced little during Los Angeles’ extended stay in Charlotte and the Chargers listed him as questionable on Friday Herbert walked onto the Acrisure Stadium turf about two hours before kickoff on Sunday in a white T-shirt and blue shorts and spent about 30 minutes going through a typical warm-up Harbaugh saw enough to feel comfortable giving Herbert the nod with the caveat he would put Heinicke into the lineup at the first sign of trouble He made quick decisions and moved the ball with relative ease including a 27-yard dart to a wide-open Johnston that gave Los Angeles an early lead Then he felt his ankle twist underneath him as Roberts dragged him to the ground Harbaugh then opted to pull his franchise quarterback rather than risk further damage on a day Herbert ended 12 of 18 for 125 yards “I knew Justin wasn’t going to take himself out,” Harbaugh said a decision Herbert didn’t try to talk his coach out of but only after exhausting all physical options “I pushed myself (and) I couldn’t do it anymore,” Herbert said And I knew that Taylor gave us a better shot to win.” Heinicke completed both of his pass attempts for 24 yards but was also sacked twice on Los Angeles’ final possession on a pair of plays in which the pressure came so fast he could do little in response “It’s a difficult spot but I feel like my whole career has been like that acquired by the Chargers from Atlanta in late August It wasn’t something new but playing this defense at their place on a home opener Neither quarterback got much help from a running game that did little J.K Dobbins was held to 44 yards on 15 carries on a day the Chargers ran for just 61 yards total way fewer than they averaged during early victories over Las Vegas and Carolina The Los Angeles defense also wore down late without edge rusher Joey Bosa who left in the first quarter after aggravating the hip injury that’s been nagging him for weeks A handful of costly penalties — three alone on Pittsburgh’s go-ahead drive in the fourth quarter — also cost the Chargers “(The Steelers) got the momentum at that point and kept it and held onto it,” Harbaugh said Harbaugh made it a point to praise Herbert’s toughness and that of his team Yet he’s also well-versed in how these things go when two teams essentially on equal footing meet It was right where I thought it would be and we didn’t get it done at the end there Timberlake x Nike shoe collab early access A putter grip change can be a key to solving your issues on the green Welcome to Fit Factor, a new GOLF.com series in which we’re shining a light on the importance of club fitting, powered by insights, data and other learnings from the experts at our 8AM Golf sister company, True Spec Golf it’s never been easier to find something tailor-made for your game Getting a certified club-fitter involved will help you target the problem area with your wand it’s still important to know how some of the changes can help your putting Changing the head or going to a different length are two of the most obvious choices but there are a few more you should also be considering along the way Below are three sure-fire ways to help fix a balky putter Understanding how you bring the putter back and deliver it to the ball can make a world a difference Maybe you rotate the face open on the backswing but leave it open at impact Some fitters — 8AM Golf sister brand True Spec Golf included — can track your stroke on a high-speed camera and offer a frame-by-frame breakdown of what’s really going on take note of your misses over the course of several rounds and see if a pattern exists Many of today’s putters feature a number of different neck options All three are meant to compliment your stroke a putter with an offset hosel (also known as a “plumber’s neck”) tends to favor a golfer with a left-aim bias So if you have a tendency to aim too far right With custom options increasing, you need to know what you’re looking for. Thankfully, some brands, including Ping add a color-coded band to the shaft that lets you know the arc type that would most benefit from the putter design Your putter likely has a traditional stepless steel shaft that you know little about Golfers have a tendency to fixate on the shaft profile and flex in their woods and irons but when it comes to arguably the most important club in the bag Steel is the most common option and usually fits a wide range of skill levels and handicaps Multi-material shafts are a secondary option that can help shore up consistency and stability issues while negating unwanted vibrations at the same time. Odyssey’s StrokeLab, LA Golf’s Ozik TPZ and Breakthrough Golf Technology’s Stability shaft are some steel alternatives worth checking out If you’re deadset on playing a blade adding a multi-material putter shaft can (depending on the golfer) give you mallet-like stability with the same head While it’s an obvious one, it’s worth repeating you shouldn’t be buying a putter off the rack without considering the grip. Maybe you benefit from getting your hands involved during the stroke and need a traditional Ping PP58 (a la Tiger Woods) pistol grip Maybe a slightly larger option is a better choice If you defaulted to the grip that was on the putter at purchase time and are now noticing some issues, it’s time to contemplate a change. It could be as simple as going to a cord version of the same grip or increasing the overall size to engage the larger muscles during the stroke There are also arm-lock grips and some that feature weight plugs in the butt end to fine-tune feel and stability It’s all about finding a grip option that works for you Looking for the perfect clubs for your game? Head over to True Spec Golf to book a custom fitting check out our latest Fully Equipped podcast in the Spotify embed below Jonathan Wall is GOLF Magazine and GOLF.com’s Managing Editor for Equipment Prior to joining the staff at the end of 2018 he spent 6 years covering equipment for the PGA Tour He can be reached at jonathan.wall@golf.com All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team The craziness of March wrecked our brackets and still gave us a pretty boring semifinal group I’m not the only one to note it’s a bummer that this March Madness which has unquestionably been one of the craziest in recent memory Three number one seeds fell before the Elite Eight a bottom eight seed broke into rarified air and yet the remaining four schools represent 41 percent of the National Champions crowned since the turn of the millennium this has led to some upsettingly bad public bracketology And while I’m sure most bracket groups have struggled mightily the Rock M group seems especially moribund the opening page of our group is harrowing Deweyniner is one of two competitors to stick in the top bracket and looks to have at least a decent shot at winning it all assuming.. Elenox21 is the other person to stay near the top though it doesn’t look like he’ll pull through to the top spot given he can’t get the big points we’re looking at the top spot coming down to the winner of the National Championship one of Ethan or Jimic2001 will claim the top Obox37 and JRizzle62 seem to have pretty strong claims near the top Now comes to my least favorite part of the post the part where I have to explain the devastating failures of our woebegone Rock M Nation masthead Only one person ranks within the “Top 20,” our sterling podcast producer Levi But even his bracket only falls in the 69th percentile (nice!) I won’t even stoop to acknowledge my own bracket (Editor’s note: Karen has scored no points since the round of 32 Visit us next week where we’ll celebrate the winner of our abominable Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole walks to the field before a spring training baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays Friday New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole reacts as he is taken out of the game by manager Aaron Boone during the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays Friday Atlanta Braves starting pitcher AJ Smith-Shawver throws during the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the New York Yankees Sunday Atlanta Braves starting pitcher AJ Smith-Shawver throws during the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies Wednesday Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow throws during the second inning of a spring training baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians in Phoenix San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish throws against the Seattle Mariners during the fourth inning of a spring training baseball game Sunday New York Mets pitcher Edwin Diaz throws during the fifth inning of a spring training baseball game against the Miami Marlins Monday New York Mets pitcher Edwin Diaz jogs in from the bullpen to work the fifth inning of a spring training baseball game against the Miami Marlins Monday The pitching staffs of longtime rivals New York and Boston are hurting as the regular season approaches Both Cole and Giolito have been durable in their careers has made at least 30 starts in each of the last six full regular seasons two-year deal with the Red Sox during the offseason has pitched at least 160 innings in five of the last six seasons The Yankees had been bringing the 33-year-old Cole along slowly this spring having him throw fewer pitches during his outings than the rest of the rotation Cole reported feeling a higher level of fatigue than usual between starts has been more akin to what he feels in the season when he’s making 100 pitches,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday “He usually doesn’t have the recovery issues he’s having So we’re going to get an MRI to see what we’re dealing with here.” Cole is entering the fifth season of a $324 million nine-year contract that pays $36 million annually He has the right to opt out after the season and become a free agent the Yankees can lock him up by adding a guaranteed $36 million salary for 2029 We know it’s with the ligament,” manager Alex Cora said “So we’ll know more tomorrow when they go in It will be Tyler Glasnow against Yu Darvish when the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres meet in the Seoul Series opener in South Korea later this month acquired by the Dodgers in the offseason and signed to a $136.5 million will make the second opening day start of his career when the series begins on March 20 The 6-foot-8 right-hander went 10-7 with a 3.53 ERA last season while pitching for Tampa Bay Darvish will make the fourth opening day start of his career The 37-year-old right-hander struggled at times last season going 8-10 with a 4.56 ERA — the second highest ERA of his 11-year career — before being shut down in August due to concerns about his right elbow The Atlanta Braves optioned top prospect AJ Smith-Shawver to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday moving closer to settling on their pitching staff for opening day An unwanted year off doesn’t seem to have slowed down New York Mets closer Edwin DĂ­az The hard-throwing right-hander needed just 14 pitches to dispatch JesĂşs SĂĄnchez AvisaĂ­l GarcĂ­a and Jon Berti in the top of the fifth DĂ­az hit 98 mph on the radar gun and seven of his strikes were swung on and missed “It was crazy because I felt the people screaming and everything,” DĂ­az said “I was just trying to control my emotions at that moment I treat this game like (the) regular season.” New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge is not expected to play again until Wednesday due to spring training fatigue Judge has not taken on-field batting practice the last couple days and was replaced after three innings and two at-bats Associated Press writer Mark Didtler in Tampa contributed to this report Learn how our members and community are changing the worlds Our citizen-funded spacecraft successfully demonstrated solar sailing for CubeSats How artificial intelligence will shape the future of exploration Membership programs for explorers of all ages Accelerate progress in our three core enterprises — Explore Worlds or designate a core enterprise of your choice Empowering the world's citizens to advance space science and exploration the engineers select a target and then place the arm and turret against it The turret contacts the drill target through two stabilizers that project in front of the drill but the arm does have sensors that can detect how much force is pressing against the stabilizers The rover "preloads" the arm against the target by pressing down on the stabilizers with the motors in the arm the arm holds absolutely still until drilling is complete Drilling happens with motion of mechanisms within the drill The video below shows a successful drilling operation on Mars And here's a diagram of the major mechanisms within the drill which I'll explain in a bit more detail below Drilling depends upon three mechanisms in the drill pounds on an anvil rod behind the drill 30 times a second in order to pulverize the rock below the drill bit the drill feed mechanism moves the whole shebang (drill bit and percussion components) along a set of linear rails to advance the drill into the ground. There is one more mechanism in the drill which would allow Curiosity to release its drill bit assembly and exchange it for a new one in one of the bit boxes mounted to the front of the rover That would only be necessary if the existing drill bit wore out (it's currently in like-new condition) or if the drill bit were to get totally stuck in the ground (more on that in a bit) A potentially serious problem was discovered during Earth testing of a testbed version of the drill mechanism in 2011 A broken bushing caused a short circuit in the test drill that could have fried the rover's motor controller if engineers had not acted swiftly The consequences of such an event happening on Mars would be dire It was too late to make any changes to the flight drill Engineers in Florida opened the belly pan of the rover to install a "battle short" that would route half of the excess current to ground if such a short circuit developed in flight sensors detected current flowing through the battle short as Curiosity was using drill percussion to transfer sample from the drill to CHIMRA There is no way to know if the cause is the same as the problem discovered on Earth ...[The mission has] changed the way they operate the drill: originally they began drilling with a medium percussion level and adjusted based on the penetration rate but they now begin with very light percussion and only increase the rate as needed Engineers have also developed a new rotary-only drilling technique made possible by the softness of the rocks within Gale crater but rotary-only drilling has not yet been used on Mars because of a different drill anomaly the mission attempted to drill at a site named Precipice It would be the very first use of rotary-only drilling and commanded the drill to feed forward -- and it didn't work The rest of this post is based upon a September 1 interview with Curiosity deputy project manager Steven Lee Steve has worn many other engineering-related hats on Curiosity in the past Navigation and Control Systems Manager and Strategic Uplink Lead The mechanisms on Curiosity's arm are "a miracle of integration and miniaturization," Lee told me But the dense packaging allows for only a small number of sensors to give engineers information about what had happened all they knew is that current was flowing through the motor windings to generate torque but that the torque was producing no motion; the rover correctly detected this ending operations with the drill and awaiting further instruction from Earth (The rover is smart about arm-related faults -- it allows other non-arm activities like camera imaging and weather data collection to proceed as commanded even if the arm has faulted.) The team stood down from drilling activity and tried to figure out what could produce the observed behavior they fairly quickly zeroed in on a likely cause: a problem with the brake in the drill feed mechanism an internal brake holds the feed firmly in position; this prevents other energetic activities (such as percussing the drill) from forcing the feed backwards The brake consists of two plates that are pressed firmly against each other with a set of springs the rover energizes a solenoid within the drill feed mechanism Energizing the solenoid pulls one plate (the "movable brake") away from the other (the "fixed brake") freeing the feed to move as the motor winds it out with a worm drive there is no sensor within the brake to tell the rover whether the brake is actually engaged or disengaged The windings of the motor are not fully redundant but again these elements are created by multiple physical wires terminated at multiple pins so a degraded torque capability would be available in the event of a problem Each Arm actuator has a power-off brake that is mechanically engaged when non-powered to lock the motor rotor A brake solenoid is energized to release the motor energized by separate brake drivers and separately cabled All actuators with brakes on the Rover are configured with redundant solenoids is to try the other solenoid and see if that released the brake That strongly suggested a single cause for the drill feed stall: something -- such as a displaced component or a piece of foreign debris -- is interfering with the motion of the movable brake preventing it from fully disengaging when commanded There doesn’t appear to be anything wrong with the solenoids but energizing either solenoid with the usual voltage didn’t result in brake release If the drill feed does not advance the drill All Curiosity can do to deliver samples without that is scoop just approaching a completely new and different type of rock A number of obvious tests presented themselves and the team began to sort through which ones would be best to try on Mars and in what order Could they energize the solenoids with more voltage Try it all with the drill held in different orientations Recognizing that returning the drill to operation would be a project taking months at least the mission left Precipice behind and continued driving southward across the Bagnold dunefield toward Vera Rubin Ridge interspersing drill diagnostic tests with routine mission science -- routine given how important drilling is to the Curiosity mission Changing the way the drill feed brake is operated requires the use of low-level commands that had never been used on Mars All first-time activities with the rover have to be tested on Earth first The team also has to take extreme care to protect the irreplaceable asset on Mars They had to think each command through carefully -- would commanding the drill in a new way cause some other problem Might it impart forces on other parts of the turret Might it cause heating that's not being modeled properly Throughout the four months after the anomaly the team carefully and steadily built up a toolbox of low-level commands usable on Mars for testing The work resulted in slow progress on improving feed reliability They were able to extend the drill feed all the way out and wind it all the way back in They were preparing to try feeding forward and backward again at the slower rate needed to actually drill into rock when they rolled up to a site named Ogunquit Beach Ogunquit Beach was a sand dune site where the rover scooped up sand and prepared to deliver samples to the laboratory instruments the rover spins the turret so that the scooped sample rests on top of a fine-holed sieve and vibrates the turret for about 20 minutes to encourage the finer-grained sample material to pass through the sieve into a chamber where it will be portioned for delivery to the instruments The rover uses a few more rocking motions and a bit more vibration to portion out a sample and drop it into the SAM instrument vibration activities had been conducted several times since the drill feed anomaly first appeared after preparing and delivering the first Ogunquit Beach sample to SAM on sol 1651 the engineers found on March 29 that the drill feed was behaving differently -- and much worse -- than before they could no longer advance the drill feed all the way out not even dropping the Ogunquit Beach sample into the other lab instrument Ogunquit was a pretty big event," Lee says "It started shifting our thinking from returning to drilling normally we need to have another option.'" Lee asked the team to continue working on returning to normal operations while also starting to think about how they might drill and deliver samples without a functioning drill feed But JPL engineers are nothing if not creative "it didn't seem as ridiculous as we thought at first," Lee says the drill cannot penetrate into the ground So the first item of business was to get the drill feed to work just well enough just long enough to feed the drill out past the prongs the brake was particularly stuck; it would stall after just a couple of motor revolutions Mars passed behind the Sun as seen from Earth -- a geometry called conjunction -- which required a stand-down of Curiosity operations A clearer look at the fully extended drill: but that doesn't mean drilling will actually work While the team was working on getting the feed extended they were also working with the testbed rover on understanding how drilling would work without a functioning feed It's straightforward to use arm motion instead of feed motion to move the drill bit downward But the arm wouldn't be braced against the rock with the stabilizers -- only the tip of the drill bit would be in contact with the target Would arm motion on top of the drill actually result in drilling a hole or would the drill bit skitter and bounce uselessly across the surface of the rock would the hole be straight enough that the bit wouldn't get stuck The new drilling regime is called feed-extended drilling (or FED Earth testing of feed-extended drilling into three representative rock types suggests that skittering doesn’t preclude drilling a hole; the drill can penetrate pretty straight into the rock without the benefit of stabilizer prongs The shape of the hole is a slightly bigger concern The arm is capable of moving in a smooth way compensating intelligently for the rotation of components as it presses into a rock target keeping the drill moving in a nearly straight line But as anybody who has ever used hand tools knows holes or cuts that look perfectly straight can have just slight curves that cause blades or bits to bind Curiosity can drill a hole that looks perfectly straight but the bit still binds a little when Curiosity pulls on the arm to extract the bit I want to be careful here to emphasize that we're not talking about the bit getting trapped in the rock; it's just a little harder to extract the bit with feed-extended drilling than with ordinary drilling Harder to extract means that there are tensional forces being exerted on the arm that are higher than the rover on Mars has dealt with before The forces observed in the testbed so far are well within Curiosity's design tolerances but any time there is a major change to forces acting on the rover the engineers take very special care to make sure those aren't causing any unintended consequences to other systems on the rover but of course the rover on Mars is in a different gravity regime and is a different machine the engineers just need to sit and have a really good think about what could go wrong The worst thing would be to cause a new problem while attempting to fix an existing problem It does look like feed-extended drilling is going to work But the drill feed has a second function that's going to be more difficult to replace It currently performs well but could worsen as a result of dynamic activities (like CHIMRA vibration) the team could use the feed only to align the sample chamber outlet port with the CHIMRA inlet port and deliver sample that way because the feed is unreliable enough that any motion could potentially be the last there is a strong desire not to move it again (or at least always keeping the drill bit fed beyond the stabilizer prongs) So how else could the rover deliver samples to SAM and CheMin In feed-extended sample transfer (or FEST) engineers are now exploring delivering sample directly from the bit The rover would position the drill bit directly over a sample inlet The drill would auger material out of the sample chamber and the stuff would fall directly in to the sample inlet It's actually pretty straightforward; the drill can be positioned very precisely and the drill auger allows a reasonably controlled delivery method There are two main problems with reverse-auger sample delivery both of them having to do with bypassing CHIMRA One: the sample material will not have been sieved beforehand The team is actually not terribly concerned about this issue because drill tests on Earth using a variety of rock types show that the drill reliably produces powder with very small grain sizes As long as Curiosity continues to drill into similar rocks the powder should be okay for delivery to both instruments If Curiosity drills into a very different-looking rock it can drop some sample onto its observation tray for scientists to check out the grain size and other properties before approving delivery to the laboratory instruments If the drilled sample turns out to have some coarse-grained material in it both lab instrument inlets have 1-millimeter screens over them to prevent large grains from falling into the instruments so they will be safe from the largest grains A bigger problem with reverse-auger sample delivery is that it's difficult to know how much material is being delivered The team can experiment with drops onto the observation tray to characterize how much sample gets dropped with how much augering but it's going to be imprecise and there will be no way to know if an especially small or large sample gets dropped This is particularly difficult for SAM; some of SAM's scientific experiments are quite sensitive to the amount of material that is delivered But other experiments aren't so sensitive and can proceed even if the team doesn't quite know how much sample is being dropped The engineering team has explored other methods of sample delivery including dropping all the drilled sample on the ground and then attempting to scoop it up that puts it into CHIMRA for ordinary delivery Anyone who has ever swept a floor knows that if you move a dustpan slowly It takes a quick motion to scoot the lip of the pan underneath the pile Trying to scoop dropped sample mostly just pushes the sample around without lifting any of it into the scoop They've also looked at dropping it on sand scooping a mixture of drilled material and sand and then scooping unsullied sand and running it as a blank it would likely be too hard to pull the signal of the drilled sample out of the noise of the contaminating sand for this to be worth the effort reverse-auger sample delivery seems to be the best path forward Curiosity is now just about to climb up onto Vera Rubin Ridge and a juicy new type of rock Earth testing will continue to produce results that can eventually lead to the first attempts at feed-extended drilling on Mars “It’s very difficult to predict exactly when we can get back to drilling with FED/FEST We first need to complete more testbed testing beyond proof-of-concepts to flesh out the approach and characterize performance.” In the meantime Curiosity does have a suite of remote sensing and contact science instruments that enable it to do survey science It's easy to feel frustrated about the pause in drilling and the loss of opportunities to sample so many rocks that have passed under Curiosity's wheels But it's all part of the adventure of doing something no one has done before with a machine that's already survived far longer than warranted It always impresses me to talk with spacecraft engineers I won't say they're never frustrated -- I'm sure they more than anyone else wish everything were working perfectly -- but they never give up Every problem they encounter stimulates new creativity and they'll keep pushing their machine to do its old tasks in new ways as long as the machine's still talking to Earth Give today to have your gift matched up to $75,000 you join our mission to increase discoveries in our Solar System and beyond elevate the search for life outside our planet and decrease the risk of Earth being hit by an asteroid and exclusive opportunities to support space exploration The Planetary Society is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization By: Brent Maycock and Scott Paske/KSHSAA Covered Falling tree limbs in Birmingham kills one person BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Unable to see, Carla McQuillan typically uses a program that converts the letters on a screen into audible words when she wants to read something online. The tool wouldn't work when she tried to schedule an appointment to get a COVID-19 vaccine but I wouldn’t have known what it was,” said McQuillan who operates a Montessori school and serves as president of the National Federation of the Blind of Oregon Donte Little helped 20 blind and deaf people who had trouble signing up for vaccinations and getting to a clinic for shots “It’s been a challenge for anybody. Add deafness or blindness on top of it and it’s that much more of one,” said Little, who is visually impaired and directs a regional center for the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind. emails and paper documents required to sign up for an immunization in the United States is presenting a challenge for people who are visually impaired or hard of hearing Providers are using multiple different systems that can vary by state and even cities often forcing the disabled to rely on others to help them get in line Federal laws require communications in an understandable format and accommodations to assist people who might face obstacles and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has laid out instructions that include having local health departments provide staff to address accessibility needs and plans But the National Federation of the Blind wrote to every U.S governor last month complaining about hurdles posed by balky sign-up systems and vaccine distribution methods including drive-up clinics which it said are largely inaccessible to people who can't see The group has yet to receive a "substantive" response from any state the National Association of the Deaf said problems including confusing and complex information phone systems that can't be used by hard of hearing and a lack of interpreters is making it difficult for people who can't hear to make appointments for immunizations Rosenblum said the group has asked the Biden administration for help "The process continues to be very haphazard and confusing for everyone but particularly for people with disabilities due to the lack of foresight on accessibility," he said in an email The CDC reports that an estimated 12 million Americans over the age of 40 have impaired vision and the National Association of the Deaf said a 2011 study found that 48 million Americans are deaf or hard of hearing The National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness estimated in 2008 that about 40,000 U.S a director with the American Association of the DeafBlind said members trying to sign up for vaccines have faced multiple problems including glitchy websites inaccessible notifications and the speed required to fill out forms while reading Braille “I had to rely on someone who can see and that is unsettling because we the DeafBlind aim for independent living and we know we can do things by ourselves for the most part,” she said in an email interview said clunky telephone systems are posing problems for some who can't hear because some appointment hotlines don't have workers who understand how to use video services that allow for communication by sign language That leads to frustration and calls that end with hang-ups some sites will accept pre-registration online but conduct the actual scheduling via telephone leaving voice messages even when the deaf person has explicitly requested contact via text or email This can be a significant barrier,” said Weinstock director of public relations at Gallaudet University who works with a COVID-19 team at Gallaudet said simply getting the word out to deaf people about vaccination availability is a problem because so much notification is done by platforms including radio “This means the Deaf community has a delay in getting information The cycle is then repeated,” she said an an email But there are cases where the system is working Weinstock said both he and his wife went to vaccination locations and got shots with relative ease because there were interpreters and people had been trained from check-in to ‘recovery,’ whipped out their smartphones and used a notes app to converse with me or otherwise made sure I was fully included,” Weinstock experienced problems firsthand when he tried to get an appointment for a shot in Missoula He was eventually able to snag a time with the help of a friend who can see but Jaquiss said the sign-up system isn’t built to accommodate people unable to navigate quickly during the process “When they say a site link opens up at 1 p.m. and if you’re not Johnny on the spot the appointments are gone.” Hartford likely to demolish large portions of high school because of PCB contamination Barnard reconsiders terms of lease with BarnArts for former fire station BARNARD — The Selectboard and BarnArts Center for the Arts have reached an agreement on the nonprofit theater’s lease of the old fire station you agree with our use of cookies to personalize your experience measure ads and monitor how our site works to improve it for our users Few people thirst to compete at the highest levels as much as Boston Celtics All-Star point guard Kemba Walker does so missing time to prepare his often-achy knee for a tough condensed 2020-21 NBA season has been a challenge for the UConn product Bothering him going back to his days at Rice High in New York City the knee became a problem for the Bronx native while he was still with the Huskies eventually requiring surgery in 2015 during his time with the Charlotte Hornets It required occasional rest and medical attention in subsequent years most notably requiring an extended ramp-up ahead of the Disney restart Walker has no plans to push to get back on the court this go-round however having learned he needs to take more care to get the level of production he needs out of that balky knee Speaking with team reporter Amanda Pflugrad in a recent interview Walker explained the reasoning behind this season’s more gradual approach it would just be the same thing that happened in the bubble I don’t want that again — I want to be healthy I want to be at my best and I just want to be able to play basketball at a high level and have fun while doing it That’s how I play basketball.” “That went into the decision to take my time and not be rushed back,” he added As a player whose game depends on rapid de- and re-acceleration knee health is especially critical for the 6-foot guard So how will he know he’s ready this time “Just working — that’s really it,” Walker explained “Just put in the work to get stronger get my mental right as far as knowing that when I step on the court and I don’t have to worry about anything and I’m not thinking about anything.” we may not see the New Yorker on the court for the Celtics until we are well into the month of January if he plans on resting it until he is completely confident it’s ready to go And with a shortened season packed with back-to-backs Walker’s return may be a gradual one with short-minute stints in the games he does play early on and no back-to-backs in a schedule with one nearly every week But if the payoff is the All-Star point guard the Celtics will need to make a realistic run at the title this season it will be more than worth the wait for all involved among the many topics covered with new Celtics floor general Jeff Teague was what he knows about new teammates Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum Teague revealed he’d learned a few things about the pair since joining the team in free agency despite knowing them casually through the league “I knew they were really good players,” said Teague “I know they both play really hard on both sides of the floor.” “Both are leaders on the floor — both lead in different ways but I didn’t know they were that close as friends and that they communicated a lot like that But they are the players that I thought they were and I think they’re both really good players and I think they’re both superstars.” Brown in particular forged a bond with Teague going back to his first stint with the Hawks where the veteran would sometimes sit in on the Georgia native’s games in high school “He’s one of our leaders in the NBA,” said Teague of Brown with a nod to his activism and engagement with the Players Association more generally what he brings to the table — his voice who’s the first guy to call me and tell me if I needed anything he’d show me around the city and let me know anything But that’s just the kind of person that he is he’s texted me every day to see if I was cool what’s a cool spot to order from and things like that.” “That’s just the kind of person he is; I think we all know that he’s a special person,” Teague added And it’s not just Brown; the duo works extraordinarily well together — and with others “They do a great job of listening,” he explained “They take advice; it’s a back and forth thing.” So I just try to get my point in if I can see something I’ll try to let them know what I see Coach Brad Stevens gave an update about the general state of the team’s health after practice on Saturday Stevens brought the media up to speed on new center Tristan Thompson’s pulled hamstring that’s kept the former Cleveland Cavalier out of practice to date (“hard to say right now — he’s not been in any part of practice yet he has done our pre-practice”) as well as an update on starting point guard Kemba Walker’s progress with his knee rehabilitation (“mostly spot shooting; a little bit of movement”) he also shared a slightly concerning tidbit as well about Boston’s newest rookie floor general who evidently injured a finger in practice “Payton Pritchard had his finger pop out today,” noted Stevens “I don’t know what the right medical term is for that but they were able to place it back and hopefully his timeline to return to practice will be sooner rather than later on his left hand But I think everybody else has been good to go.” BOSTON – Jaylen Brown is hoping his back will be strong enough for him to return to the court for the Celtics as early as Saturday night’s game in Minnesota it may not be to the starting lineup that he’s been a part of for all 19 of his games played this season And he says he’s fine with that if that’s what’s going to help this team get on a roll after a rocky first quarter of the season “Possibly – especially if we’re winning,” he said of potentially coming off the bench if Celtics coach Brad Stevens opts to stick with Marcus Smart and Marcus Morris in the first five “Whatever it is that needs to be done to figure it out “Whatever it is where we can make it work now who bruised his tailbone on a hard fall during Saturday night’s loss in Dallas missed his second straight game Friday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers at TD Garden But he was able to do some shooting prior to the game and said he intends to test it out Saturday morning with hopes of playing against the Timberwolves “I think it’s a possibility,” he said before Friday’s game I don’t know how much of a possibility it is I didn’t test as much as I’m going to test it (Saturday) I’ll have a better understanding then when I’m at Stevens said Brown had not been ruled out for Saturday as of pregame Friday night but that if he were to guess he would say Brown will not play the Celtics have four days off before their next game Thursday night against the New York Knicks Brown revealed he has a history of “low-back tightness” that he manages and that he’s experienced some back spasms in recent days “It’s definitely related to the fall,” he said I am looking forward to getting back on the court.” Brown was playing his best basketball of the season prior to the injury Despite shooting just 39.8 percent overall he was 11-for-16 (68.8 percent) in his last two games as he attacked the lane and took only three 3-pointers in 16 shots (18.8 percent) compared to taking 36.4 percent of his shots from beyond the arc for the season “Getting to the basket is what got me to this league,” he said “Continuing to do that at a high level is what’s going to keep me in this league But I think I can do a little bit of everything there are only certain things that need to be done  Al Horford also sat out Friday’s game for “rest” purposes in a move Stevens said was planned early in the year “He has had a little soreness in his knee,” the coach said Rookie Robert Williams was active with Horford out “The reason we didn’t send him to Maine (to play for the Red Claws Thursday night) is that we knew there was a chance to he might get in,” Stevens said “We haven’t had a chance to get Daniel (Theis) in the last couple of games We need all those guys (frontcourt players) to be good for us.” … Dozier from the Red Claws on Friday as part of his two-way G-League contract Dozier is coming off a big effort for the Maine on Thursday night when he scored 31 points with 11 assists and eight rebounds 6.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists for the Red Claws Only needing a two-putt to close out Grant Askew in his first-round match of the TGA City Match Play on Thursday Zach Hillmer didn’t have to make the 8-footer he had for birdie he didn’t have to putt it either with Askew — already in for par — conceding the putt and match But after the day Hillmer had on the greens at Cypress Ridge Golf Course “I wanted to see one go in the hole after hitting 5-wood onto the green,” Hillmer said but I really did want to see the last one go in the hole It was a good right-to-left breaker uphill So Hillmer politely eschewed Askew’s sportsman concession and hit the putt but more importantly some good vibes with a club that had given him fits all day Askew admitted Hillmer didn’t miss a tee shot or iron shot all day in their match But Hillmer’s balky putter kept things interesting Instead of cruising into Friday’s 12:20 p.m Hillmer had to fight off Askew with the match going the distance “It was really survive and advance,” said Hillmer “I hit it great off the tee and I felt I hit pretty good wedge shots Hillmer’s match with Askew was one of only two that made it to No 18 with most of Thursday’s nine matches ending up in blowouts 15 seed Kevin Matayka two-putted for par on the final hole to edge No 18 Patrick Golden 1-up in the other full-length match — one that saw Matayka build an early lead before Golden rallied back “It was a good day out there,” Matayka said who graduated from Washburn Rural in 2002 before joining the Marines and serving three tours in Iraq said getting back to competitive golf for the first time in nearly two decades was enjoyable “It’s a boost to win and I just have to keep looking forward.” Valdivia is joined in the second round by younger brother Alex who in his first Match Play tournament knocked off last year’s runner-up “I definitely was nervous,” Alex Valdivia said I could see myself shaking when I was putting.” The match went back and forth with Duddy turning in his typical steady par-making game while Valdivia rode a little more of the roller coaster The two were even with three holes to play but Valdivia sank a key 8-foot par putt on No 16 to take the lead and then made par on No 17 while Duddy made bogey to close out the match “He didn’t have a lot of bad holes and just made a lot of pars,” Valdivia said so it was a tough match early on and I just grinded I made a lot of pars on the back nine and started getting up and down Hillmer’s final putt could serve as a bit of a confidence boost he missed a putt he felt was very makeable Despite recording eight birdies on the scorecard he didn’t make a good putt until the final hole — many of his previous birdies coming on approaches that were close enough for concession Thus an area that Hillmer said has long been his Achilles heel reared its ugly head but it’s putting that’s been the letdown in my game,” Hillmer said “I’m the king of new equipment and I’ve probably got 40 putters in the bag at home I’ve been out with this Ping this year and it’s been great and I’ve putted really well the greens were faster by far than they have been all year and I just don’t play like I used to I play Friday afternoons — I’m not out here grinding at lunch I either make them or I don’t and it’s not anything I’m going to lose any sleep over.” The top seven seeds all had byes on Thursday Play resumes at noon Friday with the second round • Deadlines for the TGA City Four-Man Best Ball/Shamble and City Champions Two-Person Scramble are approaching with both tournaments having been rescheduled from earlier dates on the TGA schedule which will be held June 27-28 at Cypress Ridge June 22 is the deadline for the Champions Two-Person which will be held June 29-30 at Firekeeper Golf Course Tiger Woods’ final round at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational came to a sudden Woods withdrew because of a lower back injury after hitting his tee shot on No This was the eight-time champion’s 10th round of golf since he returned from back surgery late last month “It happened on the second hole when I hit my second shot,” Woods said in a statement Woods said he tried to play through the injury double bogeyed 7 and appeared to grimace after his tee shot on 9 He was hauled off the course in a cart and taken to the parking lot where he was driven away in a Cadillac Escalade Woods’ status for next week’s PGA Championship and beyond is unknown The withdrawal is likely the final blow to his FedExCup playoff and Ryder Cup hopes this season Reach Mike at 330-580-8341 or on Twitter: @mpopovichREP NASA's Lucy asteroid probe continues to fly with a partially unfurled wing Shortly after Lucy's Oct. 16 liftoff, mission team members determined that one of the spacecraft's two huge solar arrays had not fully deployed Lucy's handlers have been working hard on the problem Related: Meet the 8 asteroids NASA's Lucy spacecraft will visit "An anomaly response team continues to work on establishing what caused the solar array to not fully deploy," NASA officials added "NASA and SwRI are evaluating a range of options including the possibility of leaving the array in its current state Any attempt to safely redeploy the array would occur no earlier than Nov SwRI is the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder the home base for Lucy's principal investigator The spacecraft continues to check off milestones and has performed several small maneuvers as planned "which is the standard flight mode for outbound flight and allows for substantial autonomy for the spacecraft," NASA officials wrote in the update Another big milestone is scheduled for Friday (Oct the Lucy team plans to point the spacecraft toward Earth so they can prepare to start checking out its scientific instruments Lucy is embarked on a long and ambitious deep-space trek that will see it fly by eight different asteroids between 2025 and 2033 little-studied asteroids that zoom around the sun in Jupiter's orbit The eighth resides in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter Sunlight is about 25 times weaker in the realm of the Trojans than the flow we experience here on Earth so Lucy needs huge solar arrays to soak it up Each of its two panels is 23.9 feet (7.3 meters) wide when fully deployed Lucy will visit more asteroids than any other spacecraft, if all goes according to plan. And it will set another record as well: No solar-powered spacecraft has ever operated as far from the sun as Lucy aims to, although NASA's Jupiter-orbiting Juno probe comes close.  Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com. but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California See photos snapped in space by Europe's 1st private reentry capsule What would it be like living on Tatooine from 'Star Wars' This exoplanet orbiting twin suns could tell us Mickael Pietrus said he planned to give a lot more to the Celtics in the second half of the season Last night he couldn’t give anything at all has bothered him lately and forced him to sit out against Portland Celtics coach Doc Rivers hopes the knee improves enough for Pietrus to play against the Lakers in L.A tomorrow when Boston begins an eight-game road trip Chris Wilcox also didn’t play last night because of what Rivers said were personal reasons Pietrus admitted last month that he had been concerned about re-injuring his knee so he settled for shooting 3-pointers instead of driving to the basket He insisted that would change after the All-Star break Considering the Celtics suffered their most lopsided loss in more than six years Wednesday in Philadelphia Rivers wishes he had sat out Pietrus that night When Pietrus takes only one shot in a game Rivers said Pietrus told trainer Eddie Lacerte before Wednesday’s game that his knee was bothering him Rivers said he has learned he must sit Pietrus for his own good because he won’t ask out of the lineup Pietrus basically admitted that last month when he said Pietrus had made only 7 of 38 3-point attempts over his last 11 games to drop his season percentage from 40.4 to 33.9 he has shot 30.1 percent overall and averaged 4.7 points compared to 8.1 in his first 17 games with the Celtics He didn’t score in either of his last two games Rivers blamed his shooting slump on his sore knee “He’s not lost confidence at all,” Rivers said “I don’t think it’s any deeper than that.” Jermaine O’Neal missed his eighth consecutive game with a sprained left wrist Rivers was left with only rookies Greg Stiemsma and JuJuan Johnson to back up Kevin Garnett and Brandon Bass up front Garnett has played well for the most part while filling in at center for O’Neal “The one thing we’ve found so far with Brandon and Kevin,” Rivers said “is trying to predict who is going to guard Kevin some teams have gone with the smaller guy and put the bigger guy on Brandon You really don’t know until they toss the ball.” a rail-thin 6-foot-11 center who averaged 1.5 points and 1.3 rebounds in four games for the Celtics last season “He’s athletic and he can run the floor and he’s tall,” Rivers said a couple of weeks shy of his 38th birthday The 6-foot-11 Camby averages only 3.9 points a game but leads the Blazers with 9.2 rebounds a game Rivers thinks fans forget Camby is still in the league because he’s in Portland he’s still playing?’ Not only is he still playing Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid (21) shoots next to Indiana Pacers’ Myles Turner (33) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday DENVER (AP) — Philadelphia star Joel Embiid missed the 76ers’ game at Denver for a fourth consecutive season Saturday after the team’s medical staff determined he shouldn’t play The Sixers scratched Embiid minutes before tipoff after he had discomfort in his balky left knee during warmups It denied basketball fans another marquee matchup with Nikola Jokic and the defending NBA champion Nuggets the Ball Arena crowd broke out into chants of “Where’s Embiid?” as the Nuggets opened their game against the short-handed Sixers with a 13-4 run Also sitting out at Denver were Tyrese Maxey (sprained left ankle) Tobias Harris (illness) and Mo Bamba (inflamed right knee) This marks Embiid’s 11th game he has missed this season He can only miss six more to remain eligible for the league’s awards which he won last year for the first time while denying Jokic a third consecutive such honor Embiid wasn’t listed on the injury report Saturday and he was preparing to play in Denver for the first time since Nov His last four matchups with Jokic were in Philadelphia 16 in which Embiid had 41 points and 10 assists to Jokic’s 25 points and 19 rebounds in a matchup of the last two NBA MVPs Embiid was mocked last year with “Missing Person” signs in the stands at Ball Arena after he sat out the Sixers’ game in Denver with a sore right calf leading to accusations he was ducking Jokic He beat out Jokic for the MVP honor last season but the Sixers were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs while Jokic led the Nuggets to the franchise’s first NBA championship with Jokic winning Finals MVP honors Embiid and Jokic have jockeyed for MVP front-runner status again this season and Embiid’s latest “DNP” in Denver could hurt his chances of repeating even if he plays enough games to qualify Embiid said he wouldn’t force himself to play more games to meet the NBA MVP requirement if he’s not healthy enough to play The new collective bargaining agreement requires players in most instances to play in 65 regular-season games to be eligible for awards such as MVP who has met that threshold only twice when he played a career-best 68 games in 2021-22 and 66 games last season Linebacker Tommy Eichenberg eyes a tackle for loss in the Iowa backfield during Saturday’s romp over the Hawkieyes (Press Pros Feature Photos by Sonny Fulks) and limited Iowa to 158 total yards in a 54-10 blowout victory at Ohio Stadium OH – Ohio State knew very well that playing against Iowa’s defense would be a lot like wrestling in the mud with a bunch of thick-necked tough guys who seem to be everywhere That’s what coordinator Phil Parker’s boys have been doing to people in the Big Ten for more than a decade the final numbers for quarterback CJ Stroud & Co looked pretty darned good on the computer screen Veteran columnist Mark Znidar writes the Buckeyes for Press Pros Magazine.com Proudly sponsoring the Buckeyes and OHSAA events on Press Pros Magazine.com Stroud kept the volume raised on his Heisman Trophy candidacy by completing 20 of 30 passes for 286 yards and four touchdowns two of them pinpoint throws that you see on Sunday in the NFL The people who vote for the various polls will see the No 2 Buckeyes 54-10 victory over the Hawkeyes and be impressed Let’s put it this way: They weren’t Clemson scratching to beat Syracuse or UCLA doing a face plant against Oregon Ohio State’s defense swallowed Iowa whole in giving up 158 total yards and having six turnovers that included a pick six by linebacker Tommy Eichenberg and two interceptions by linebacker Tanner McAlister Miyan Williams scores this first half touchdown behind the escort of tight end Gee Williams But for the 104,848 seeing the game in person on a sun-splashed we saw this last season against a worthy defense “I think it was healthy for us to get a good challenge today,’’ head coach Ryan Day said of Iowa’s defense he threw all the praise toward coordinator Jim Knowles’ defense “I think the story is the defense and how well it played,’’ Day said Stroud was intercepted once for the fourth straight game and it would have been two picks had there not been off-setting penalties that nullified the down He threw into coverage or wide of the target a lot in looking harried confused and sometimes desperate to make a play but that was only because it fizzled badly on third down to the tune of 3-for-13 Here’s a statistic that’s wince-worthy: There were four field goals kicked the previous six games it was four three-pointers in a single game Logan Services proudly sponsors Buckeye sports on Press Pros Magazine.com “The first half was kind of weird,’’ Stroud said “It’s tough starting out with the ball at the (opponents’) 30 and 40 The second half of the season you get games like that where you (struggle) early on.’’ Stroud said that “take away three or four plays and I felt we had a good first half.’’ and four touchdowns in the 54-10 win over Iowa “We were just off a little bit,” he said Iowa’s not coming in here to give us anything What’s to make of a running game that produced 66 yards – you read that correctly – on 30 carries TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams rammed into a flesh wall time and againi the former netting 38 yards on 11 carries and the latter 19 yards on 10 very good job up front and takes away the middle,’’ Day said “We’ll have to see what we did well and what to work on What happened was a flashback to 2021 in games against Penn State The offense was crippled by penalties and being unable to run the ball Day had to call timeout in the red zone because the play clock was winding down Trouble with the offense surfaced right off when the Buckeyes settled for a 46-yard field goal by Noah Ruggles after McAlister returned an interception to the Iowa 29 on the game’s first play from scrimmage “We have everything you never knew you always needed.” Shop online: www.Lehmans.com Hawkeyes lineman Joe Evans shot a 5-foot-wide gap up the middle and forced Stroud to fumble He scooped the ball and ran for an 11-yard touchdown for a 7-3 lead The only time Ohio State drove the ball was on its third possession a 2-yard run by Williams on third-and-goal to end a 10-play Tommy Eichenberg scored on a pick six in the second quarter a timeout was used just before the snap with the play clock at 4 seconds 3 defense nationally in holding five opponents to 3 Michigan had to huff and puff for a 27-14 victory we saw this failure on third down and trouble running the ball from the Buckeyes last season “We have great weapons and we have to continue to find that balance,’’ Day said Receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba returned after a three-game absence because of a hamstring injury and caught one pass for 7 yards Day said that he was on a “pitch count’’ and was limited to 20 plays The Buckeyes did turn it on in the second half beginning with a sweet 6-yard touchdown pass from Stroud to Marvin Harrison Jr at the left front pylon on fourth-and-goal to lead 33-10 Stroud hit Emeka Egbuka for a 13-yard touchdown pass on the next possession and Julian Fleming for a 79-yard touchdown Your athlete – any sport – runs better on chiropractic That made it 47-10 and one began to wonder why Iowa paid good money to send its marching band It was Ohio State’s defense that won the day The first pick by McAlister put the ball at the Iowa 29 a strip by end Zach Harrison and recovery by safety Lathan Ransom put the ball at the 27 a tackle by freshman end Caden Curry on a fake punt put the ball at the 34 and McAlister’s second interception took the ball to the 15 Eichenberg didn’t wait for the offense in returning an interception 15 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter I know it has an impact on the whole team,’’ Knowles said they help a lot in terms of winning the game.” Film study aided McAlister in getting the first interception Quarterback Spencer Petras rolled to his left with his linemen running laterally in front of him Tight end Cade Stover ran through this Hawkeye tackle attempt in the Buckeyes’ win on Saturday they ran a sprint-out and the whole line is blocking for the quarterback and he doesn’t see me,’’ McAlister said “He thinks he has a free access to the flat The Hawkeyes have a lousy offense – they are dead last at No 131 in averaging 238.8 yards per game – and the crowd sensed a blowout “Being able to get the crowd into it early We know they are not confident now having that turnover.’’ Petras obviously didn’t see Eichenberg on an interception return for a touchdown It was the first play of a possession from the 13-yard line thanks to a poor decision by Kaleb Johnson to return a kickoff that went a couple of yards deep in the end zone “I’m not really sure (what happened),’’ Eichenberg said “I knew the d-line was pressuring him pretty well and he was unsure in the pocket Park National Bank proudly sponsor high school and Ohio State sports on Press Pros Š PressProsMagazine.com, All Rights Reserved. | Site Map | Terms of Use | Website Designed by Marketing Essentials. Tiger Woods will make the weekend in the FedEx Cup Playoffs opener but Friday at The Northern Trust brought him plenty of frustration A balky putter ruined a strong ball-striking day from Woods who found his first 14 greens in regulation on the round as he could only muster an even-par 71 – closing the round with a three-putt bogey from inside 30 feet That drop to even par overall could've been a disaster The cut was projected at even par when he finished but had a chance to move to 1 under by day's end at Ridgewood Country Club which allowed Woods to make the cut on the number It was a Friday full of missed opportunities for Woods The 42-year-old hit a pair of early tee shots into the rough with fairway woods but otherwise he was impressive ball-striking wise The driver was clicking as he found eight of 10 fairways with the big stick and Woods used that to help him find 16 greens in regulation on the day But there were times his approaches weren't that close to the cup The bigger issue: his putter failed him as he kept letting good birdie opportunities go by Woods found the green in two at the par-5 third and hit a nice lag from 100 feet to inside 5 feet But the remainder for birdie slid by on the left He missed a 13-footer for birdie at the fifth but seemed to be turning things in the right direction when he rolled in a 7-footer at the seventh for his first birdie of the day to move to 1 under But Woods then missed low on 10- and 13-foot birdie putts at Nos A 16-footer at the 12th for birdie also failed to drop Another birdie would arrive at the par-5 13th after he stopped a wedge 6 feet from the cup and drained the putt to move to 2 under Woods' 8-foot birdie putt at the 14th was always left and never had a chance of hitting the cup The same was the case on his 5-footer for par at the par-3 15th That bogey came on his first missed green of the day and dropped Woods to 1 under A potential missed weekend came back into focus after Woods parred the 16th and the cutline moved to 1 under That put Woods right on the cutline with two holes to play He then left himself a 4-footer for par at the par-5 17th and needed to make it to stay inside the cutline The cut then fell back to even par as he played the 18th and Woods seemed in line to par that final hole and keep himself safe at 1 under But he left his 28-footer for birdie almost 4 feet short and his remaining putt started left of the hole and stayed there he will need to see something change to produce anything other than a mediocre finish this week Tiger Tracker: Shot-by-shot recap of Tiger Woods' second-round 71 Highlights from Tiger Woods' second-round 71 at Northern Trust MIAMI -- The Marlins placed right-handed reliever Carter Capps on the 15-day disabled list prior to Monday's contest and selected the contract of right-hander Brian Ellington from Triple-A New Orleans the Padres at Marlins Park with right elbow stiffness after coming on in the eighth inning and throwing 13 pitches -- had an MRI on Monday morning He called the DL stint "more precautionary," adding that his arm "feels great" and he has "full range of motion." "It's good news," Capps said before Monday night's series opener against the Mets I have to go on the DL so we can get some other pitchers up here But it's a great opportunity for other guys." Capps estimated that he'll take the next 2-3 days off from any throwing it will be the minimum 15 days and he'll be back," manager Dan Jennings said The hard-throwing 24-year-old is having a breakout season After being recalled from New Orleans on May 19 Capps seized the setup role in Miami's bullpen going 1-0 with a 1.16 ERA in 31 innings this season Capps experienced right elbow issues in 2014 as well as a sprained right elbow sent him to the 60-day DL and caused him to miss almost three months he assured that Sunday's elbow issues were not similar or as serious "It was just a different type of pain," Capps said "I'm pretty excited it's not more serious than it is." With Capps' absence for at least the next two weeks Jennings said lefty Mike Dunn and righty Bryan Morris will handle the setup duties Ramos -- who took the loss on Friday and blew the save opportunity on Sunday -- will remain in the closer role while the younger relievers will now get their opportunities "to bridge the gap from the starter to the eighth inning." One of those relievers is Ellington, 24, who was the Marlins' 2012 16th-round Draft pick out of West Florida. He was just recently promoted to New Orleans -- making one appearance and tossing 1 1/3 scoreless innings. The 6-foot-4, 195-pounder has done most of his work this season for Double-A Jacksonville, going 4-1 with a 2.51 ERA in 43 innings. Ellington made his Major League debut in Monday's 12-1 loss to the Mets striking out two in a scoreless inning of relief Video: NYM@MIA: Ellington strikes out Conforto in debut "He really started to turn the corner last year in the Arizona Fall League," Jennings said "The reports we got on him from this year have been real well with a mid-to-upper 90s fastball and really just throwing the ball extremely well." Sometimes when I return the brakes are locked and when I push the starter button After sitting for about 10 minutes it'll start and performs normally A: I would start with checking the very basics The first thing I would check is the battery and electrical connections Recently I had a similar issue with a new Jeep that I rented on vacation The issue was some debris under the starter push button I removed the push button and cleaned the area under it and the car started fine for the next several days It is also possible that the battery in the key fob is getting weak Q: I recently had the "service trailer brake system" light come on with my Chevrolet Silverado truck They stated — after a technical inspection of the truck — that there was an engine code PO160 and two oxygen sensors needed replacement the "check trailer brake light" is back on Is it possible that it could be an additional sensor A: The code and the sensors that were replaced have nothing to do with the trailer brake system it is certainly possible the sensors were starting to fail The typical issue with General Motors trucks is that the trailer brake system develops a poor circuit ground which triggers the warning light The fix in most cases is to provide a new ground location free of rust so the circuit functions properly Q: I have a 2004 Jeep Liberty with the 3.7 V6 engine that I purchased brand new With the exception of brakes and normal maintenance Occasionally the oil light comes on at a stop The oil is full and the vehicle isn't making any noise The repair shop says if it is not doing it A: The best thing to do at this point is to measure the actual oil pressure with a mechanical gauge If the mechanical gauge shows the oil pressure is okay then more than likely the oil pressure sender that connects to dash gauge is faulty then the problem could be a faulty oil pump or the start of major engine problems Q: My kids left some partially open Halloween candy in my car and now there are melted chocolate stains on my cloth seats A: I have had pretty good luck with using an ice cube or ice pack to harden the chocolate to brush it off with a stiff brush try cleaning the stains with an upholstery cleaner You can also try dish detergent mixed with a little bit of water The dish detergent will also remove any oily residue try it in an inconspicuous spot to check for color fastness — John Paul is the AAA Northeast Car Doctor He has more than 30 years of experience in the automobile industry and is an ASE-Certified Master Technician Or email jpaul@aaanortheast.com and put "Car Doctor" in the subject field Follow him on Twitter @johnfpaul or on Facebook Kids dashed and footballs flew around the sunny courtyard of Hi View Gardens as a dozen tenants of the McKeesport apartment complex gathered by concrete steps to challenge a mysteriously named landlord with resources they could only guess at they’d watched their 117-apartment community deteriorate and had complained individually to managers hired to run Hi View by a landlord referred to on property records as McKeesport Urban Holdings 2 LLC They’d placed buckets below leaky roofs and plumbing They’d fired up stoves when the radiators failed the tenants – mostly Black or Brown women – were getting organized Give us somebody in our office who knows what they’re doing And get our apartments together,” tenant leader Tanya Brown summarized as they discussed the petition they planned to circulate and present to the management company and landlord they founded the Hi View Gardens Tenant Council represented by attorneys at the Community Justice Project They signed the petition demanding that unnamed owners make Hi View a “safe affordable and welcoming place to live,” rather than one where residents were treated “with a lack of respect and dignity.” The tenants didn’t know it then, but responsibility for their housing ultimately rests with the nation’s seventh-largest commercial bank one with nearly half a trillion dollars in assets that has taken a deep interest in affordable housing PNC Bank bought McKeesport Urban Holdings 2 and thus Hi View It simultaneously bought McKeesport Urban Holdings 1 and the idea of preserving existing affordable housing for the residents of Pittsburgh was very appealing,” said Todd Crow the bank's executive vice president in charge of tax credit solutions a department that includes affordable housing investments we saw the potential that this property could be lost as affordable rental housing,” he said it could instead help current residents to stay He acknowledged that the bank’s efforts have faced setbacks driven by governmental decisions and the pandemic He said maintenance backlogs are being addressed and redevelopment plans are in the works the bank contacted local officials “right off the bat,” said the city’s Community Development Director A.J we're going to change the culture of those buildings and we're going to make them nice and do all this,'" Tedesco said in a June interview health code violations and 911 calls at Hi View and Midtown jumped nearly 50% compared to the prior two years driving some of the nearly 200 households to search — often in vain — for other housing options Said Tedesco: "So it seems to have really gone downhill since their initial takeover.” seemed like a fine place in 2012 to pursue her recovery from alcoholism as she held her great-granddaughter in her lap [who] cleaned up the property and stuff .. It was the atmosphere where people wanted to live In 2019 she started seeing maintenance decline and she eventually began complaining to the Allegheny County Health Department Inspectors visiting her unit and building found: As it typically does when it finds a violation the department demanded that the owner listed in property records — in this case McKeesport Urban Holdings 2 — repair the problems It sent the report to the Hi View office staffed by Maine-based Preservation Management Inc which handles day-to-day operations of that complex and Midtown Plaza There is no sign in the documents that the Health Department knew of PNC’s ownership or directly alerted the bank to the violations PublicSource and WESA reviewed Health Department data and around 800 documents — including 89 inspection reports noting one or more violations — describing the county’s handling of health complaints in Hi View and Midtown Hi View and Midtown amount to around 5% of McKeesport’s 4,400 rental units they typically accounted for around 10% of that city's housing health code violations the 143 housing health code violations found in Hi View and Midtown accounted for 42% of such violations logged by the county in that city Health Department inspectors responding to complaints from Hi View and Midtown found: Some of the violations stemmed from inspections of the same apartment on different dates the Community Justice Project lawyer representing the Hi View tenants said he got involved because three other attorneys and one community organization alerted him to the unusually high levels of complaints voiced by residents He added that between federal subsidies and tenant payments Hi View management can charge $1,200 for a three-bedroom apartment and the quality of the housing should reflect that He added that he doesn't believe Hi View is "representative of subsidized housing within the Allegheny County market." said the pandemic had “a profound impact on our affordable housing properties,” adding that they “held up very well.” He said the pandemic and related restrictions: Crow said much of the maintenance backlog has been cleared He added that he had “tremendous sympathy” for residents who endured periods with no air conditioning or heat and that management provided space heaters and offered residents temporary hotel stays “Our understanding is that the property management team got those problems fixed as quickly as supply chains would permit,” he said Brown said she doesn’t believe the pandemic justifies the persistent problems “This was going on way before the COVID — way before the COVID,” she said have nice heat and stuff like that and feel comfort at home but they don't give a shit about the tenants When PNC bought the limited liability companies that own Hi View and Midtown the Pittsburgh-headquartered bank took a stake in one of Allegheny County’s most delicately balanced housing markets McKeesport, a city in which roughly half of the children are growing up in poverty, has 9,000 occupied housing units split almost evenly between rented and owner-occupied homes Hi View and Midtown both stem from land sales by the Redevelopment Authority of the City of McKeesport to private developers, the first in 1969, the second in 1974. It was a time when federal housing policy was moving away from public ownership of affordable apartments and toward the model known as Section 8 Section 8 vouchers allow low-income tenants — the vast majority of whom are elderly disabled or working low-wage jobs — to pay 30% of their incomes as rent with the federal government covering the balance which allows institutions to invest in affordable housing in return for reduced tax bills In its most recent Community Reinvestment Act report PNC indicated that it had made 102 investments totaling $780.8 million in development backed by tax credits it owns affordable housing properties in around 30 communities nationwide Hi View and Midtown were backed by Section 8 subsidies and were owned until 2018 by a New York-based businessman named Israel Gross PNC learned that the federal Section 8 contracts that control rents at those properties were set to expire in 2021 “Our concern was that a competing buyer could step in buy these properties and choose not to extend the rental assistance contract in order to raise rents He said the bank extended an existing contract with HUD governing the affordability of some of the units Responsibility for day-to-day operations at the properties was assigned to Maine-based PMI government-subsidized apartments in 20 states PNC and a development team led by Maine-based Evergreen Partners and including PMI applied through the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency for $11.4 million in low-income housing tax credits They planned to use the credits in an $18 million effort to renovate both the site and all apartments and preserve the affordability of Hi View PNC had planned to reapply for tax credits for Hi View this year and for Midtown next year, according to Crow. A May 2020 fire left one of the Hi View buildings uninhabitable and may affect that timetable He said the bank is in talks with nonprofit developers about renovating both Hi View and Midtown while keeping them affordable for the long term It’s not uncommon for a company buying an affordable apartment complex to take a year or two — sometimes three — to line up financing and fix it up, said Denise Muha, executive director of the National Leased Housing Association which represents companies involved in the affordable rental sector doesn’t absolve them of one responsibility: “They still have to maintain it.” More calls for emergencies — but fewer fire alarms that's when things started going downhill.” Someone shattered her sliding glass patio door in May 2020 while breaking into her apartment Management replaced it with a piece of plywood Eleven months later, a Health Department inspector, on scene to investigate a complaint about failed heating, noted: "Broken/missing glass in door(s) The temporary covered up plank to the broken glass door is not weathertight." On April 27 threatening a $2,500 fine if the door wasn’t fixed paint bubbled and a canvas painting of a cross was turning brown She said that she has repeatedly asked for repairs and a PMI manager made multiple excuses: that a new door had been ordered that maintenance was too short-staffed to replace it and at one point that the manager “doesn't have money for the door.” So Hill returns from work daily to await her baby in an apartment with a plywood door that she calls “very flimsy .. Anybody could just rip it off and come break into my home again.” In 2019 and 2020 — the first two full years of PNC's control — Hi View and Midtown generated 2,062 calls to Allegheny County’s 911 system drugs and gun or weapon incidents more than doubled Hill echoed other tenants' concerns that Hi View has no security guards and doors into the building hallways don’t lock "You don't need a key fob or anything to get in here like you do with any other apartment complex around McKeesport," she said "So I feel that that's why people hang out in the hallways It's usually a lot of people that do not live on the premises.” a senior citizen apartment building owned by the McKeesport Housing Authority spurred by concerns that Hi View’s security problems could affect the seniors the authority began spending $2,072 a week to post guards one major category of 911 calls declined: fire alarms "We've had issues with the fire alarm system having been taken offline due to malfunction," said McKeesport Fire Chief Jeffrey Tomovcsik "So then we have to put them on notice and force them to fix the alarm system nothing that's ever really corrected the problem.” building inspectors responding to an anonymous tip found that fire alarm systems weren't working in any of Hi View's buildings and ordered that they be fixed "immediately." Inspectors confirmed that the system was working on Feb “We haven't had any loss-of-life incidents they're fixing things to get to the minimum requirements,” Tedesco said “They have not done anything to exceed minimum safety requirements or to make the buildings nicer.” Residents say they feel trapped in an unsafe place said it took her six months to get management to replace a stove that wouldn’t turn off and repeatedly caught fire But some people don't have help so some people have to stay where they're at,” she said Told by WESA and PublicSource that Hi View residents were organizing a tenant council Crow said PNC encourages the formation of resident groups “We have found that tenant councils actually improve communication with the residents,” he said several tenant council members said they were shocked As she walked from her apartment toward Tanya Brown’s back porch for a July 8 tenant council meeting Barbara (who is not related to Tanya) said she was determined to find a new home She had endured winters with intermittent heat other than space heaters and a persistently leaky roof. A December Health Department inspection report documented the bubbling and peeling paint on her ceiling and walls mold in the kitchen cabinet and leaks into her bathroom “You couldn't even sit on the john,” she said attorney Vitek and six residents clustered around a plastic table mulling whether they should demand inspections of every unit to make a comprehensive list of Hi View’s maintenance problems Or perhaps they should take their concerns to elected officials Or how about asking for rebates for rent they paid during months when they had no central heat Tanya Brown said she was a reluctant spokeswoman for the tenants but was leading the charge “for all of these other parents around here that got kids and stuff.” she took her smiling great-granddaughter from her granddaughter’s hands she said her first priority was just to communicate “Why don’t they bring their behinds out here and talk to us?” Rich Lord is PublicSource’s economic development reporter, and can be reached at rich@publicsource.org or on Twitter @richelord Ryan Loew is PublicSource’s visual storyteller/producer and can be reached at ryan@publicsource.org or on Twitter @ryanloew Kate Giammarise is a reporter covering the impact of COVID-19 on the economy for WESA, and can be reached at kgiammarise@wesa.fm or 412-697-2953 PublicSource intern Xiaohan Liu contributed to data analysis and visualization Point Park University student Nick Tommarello contributed to document processing and reporting This story was fact-checked by Matt Maielli and Oliver Morrison This content was produced with support from the Doris O'Donnell Innovations in Investigative Journalism Fellowship awarded by the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University in Pittsburgh Have a tip for the WESA newsroom? Email news@wesa.fm Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information 2018 at 3:04 PM EDTBookmarkSaveLock This article is for subscribers only.JetBlue Airways Corp reaffirmed its faith in Pratt & Whitney’s troubled jet engine with an order for another 97 to power new Airbus SE planes The airline will take a total of 183 geared turbofan power plants increasing an earlier decision to buy 86 engines for its A320neo family of aircraft While the carrier didn’t disclose the value of the deal which also includes a critical 15-year maintenance agreement the total for the engines alone could exceed $2 billion based on list prices before typical discounts The charity golf exhibition with Rory McIlroy and friends was a nice opening act but the sport’s headliner returns this weekend Tiger Woods will play for the first time in three months ending his longest layoff since recovering from spinal fusion surgery in 2017 Woods and Phil Mickelson will reprise their match-play showdown of 2018 this time to benefit coronavirus relief efforts and in pairings with former NFL rivals Peyton Manning and Tom Brady The appearance will be a meaningful opportunity to assess the fitness of not just Woods’ golf game but also his back which after four operations is an anatomical wild card The competitive golf world’s last glimpse of Woods when he was stiff and uncomfortable as he shot an ignominious 11 over par in the final two rounds of the Genesis Invitational to finish last among those who made the cut It appeared to be a minor setback at the time Woods withdrew from a series of high-profile March tournaments When the PGA Tour was suspended soon afterward with the Masters postponed the same day because of the coronavirus pandemic Woods was idled like thousands of other athletes around the globe has a shrinking window to add to his celebrated sporting legacy He is tied with Sam Snead for the most career PGA Tour victories with 82 and his 15 major golf championship titles are three behind the record total won by Jack Nicklaus It’s not just Woods’ age that will pose a challenge going forward; there are questions about how long his back can hold out it would need to occur pretty soon,” said Dr an orthopedic spine surgeon at Chicago’s Northwestern Memorial Hospital who has studied athletes after spinal fusion operations “It’s more likely he would have success now rather than three added that no professional golfer had returned to competition after the kind of fusion surgery performed on Woods “He’s proven the experts wrong already,” Hsu said “Some people have an incredible amount of reserve in every other part of their body or their muscles are stronger and can support a significantly degenerated spine to perform at a high level.” In a conference call with reporters this month to promote Sunday’s event which will team Woods and Manning against Mickelson and Brady Woods appeared fit and said he was swinging a golf club freely again When Mickelson teased Woods about not winning their previous nationally televised match he draped the green jacket he earned with his stunning win at the 2019 Masters across his shoulders and upper body like a blanket he insisted that the condition of his back had improved greatly since February “I feel a lot better than I did then,” Woods said “I’ve been able to turn a negative into a positive and been able to train a lot and get my body to where I think it should be.” While Woods will not get to defend his Masters title until November and while there will be at least one fewer major championship this year because of the cancellation of the British Open his recent break from tournament play may be beneficial who noted that Woods most likely has significant arthritis in his back “Time off can only help his symptoms and his pain.” But if the PGA Tour resumes June 11 in Texas a compacted schedule with almost weekly tournaments would theoretically follow until Thanksgiving Woods took about 2½ weeks off between tournament appearances Five times he waited three or more weeks between competitions “I’m going to sit down with my team and figure out what is the best practice schedule what are the tournaments that I need to play to be ready,” Woods told GolfTV All the things that are kind of up in the air I’ve been through episodes like this in my career with my back You have to slow things down and do things at a different pace.” The first step back is Sunday’s match at the Medalist Golf Club we’ve been playing a lot — guys playing matches down here,” Woods said in the conference call GREEN BAY - Guard Josh Sitton has aspirations of team glory individual achievement and financial compensation Sitton has come to understand he must do everything in his power to alleviate the chronic back problems that have bedeviled but never sidelined him during the Green Bay Packers’ past three seasons Sitton dropped about 20 pounds in the offseason primarily to lighten the load on his back and at his current weight of 317 is in the pink of health entering his ninth season “I feel really good right now,” Sitton said last week The stakes are even higher for Sitton this season and with a contract expiring in March his agent could build a case why his client should be the highest-paid guard in the league “I remember when I was going to get my deal done last time around five years ago,” Sitton said and it kind of throws you off a little bit describes his running buddy as a player with rare athletic ability “The rest of us feel we really have to scratch and claw to win every block His recover ability is just something else.” Related: Rotheram sidelined by biceps injury Related: Packers cautious with Montgomery even players as gifted as Sitton often start thinking about doing more when they turn 30 Sitton wasn’t quite as dominant in 2015 as in previous seasons due in part to the back by far the fewest of the starting offensive linemen but wasn’t able to practice fully before the last 10 games The Packers’ injury report listed the back as his medical problem in the last seven of those games the free-spirited Sitton would just kind of do enough to get by in the offseason Sitton embarked on a workout program this year designed not only to keep him playing on Sundays but also allow him to practice during the week “When you’re young you can get away with just doing whatever it is you have to do,” he said “When you start getting older you learn to go and do a whole bunch of things on your own.” Sitton was taught a stretching and workout routine by his trainer in Florida “I do all my stuff on my own,” Sitton said “He taught me basically all the things I do and there are things I learned here from our staff When you get to this point in your career the time you spend by yourself is kind of what determines how long you can play.” and is determined not to have any at all costs “I don’t have any like nerve stuff that shoots down (his leg) or anything like that Sitton has real estate holdings in Pensacola where he also is co-owner of a construction company that Sitton ever would walk away from the game “I still feel really good so I’d like to play until I don’t.” coach Mike McCarthy takes an enlightened approach when it comes to getting them to opening day that consists of withholding him from the one-on-one pass-blocking drills for the second straight summer after limiting him to merely two turns in 2014 Sitton moved into the starting lineup at the right-guard spot previously held by Jason Spitz He held sway there through 2012 before shifting to left guard in ’13 It wasn’t until the last two years that Sitton was voted to the Pro Bowl Largely because the vote of fans now is used in conjunction with ballots by coaches and players the Pro Bowl has lost meaning as an accurate measure of the best players The system used by the Journal Sentinel since 1994 to pick the All-NFC North Division team (All-NFC Central through ’01) provides a better barometer of player performance The team is selected annually by vote of personnel people after 15 games Sitton’s dominant play is reflected in his seven straight first-team berths including the last six as a unanimous choice Sitton is tied with Randall McDaniel among guards for most first-team berths (seven) and unanimous selections (six) Next in first-team berths was Minnesota’s Steve Hutchinson with five Hutchinson and Green Bay’s Mike Wahle followed in number of unanimous selections with three McDaniel would have made the all-division team several more times in the first six years of his 14-year career (1988-’93) if it had been created McDaniel was voted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in ’99 “The position I play is a tough position to get in there,” Sitton said “My goals every year are to win Super Bowls It (Hall of Fame) is not something I really think about When Sitton was asked if he keeps up with the salaries at guard since signing a five-year his average salary per year of $6.85 million and his guarantees of $8.5 million were impressive especially in view of the fact he had another year left on his rookie deal excluding the high draft choices still playing under lucrative rookie deals Sitton’s average salary ranks seventh among guards with second and third contracts while his guaranteed money ranks 10th among guards and 38th among all offensive linemen The nine guards with larger guarantees than Sitton are the Raiders’ Kelechi Osemele ($25.7 million) the Texans’ Jeff Allen ($12M) and the Vikings’ Alex Boone ($10M) Statistics recorded by the Journal Sentinel Sitton’s yield of 17 sacks in eight seasons includes 4½ in the last three years and two of those came in January when McCarthy erred starting him at left tackle against the Vikings Sitton’s total has either been the lowest or second-lowest among the offensive linemen in each of the last six years After being charged with a career-high 17 “bad” runs in 2011 Sitton has ranked near the low end of the unit with 6 ½ in 2012 Sitton’s lone statistical blot is a career-high 10 penalties (six for holding) last season ‘How does this guy get it done?’ But he just gets it done I’d say he’s been playing at a Pro Bowl level the last three Nose tackle Kenny Clark continued to marvel at Sitton three weeks into his first NFL training camp calling him “by far” the best lineman he had ever faced “His pass protection is real unorthodox,” Clark said there’s no telling how long Sitton might play or what honors he might receive Kris Bryant's balky back has landed him back on the Colorado Rockies' injured list The Rockies announced Wednesday that they placed the outfielder on the 10-day IL because of a lower-back strain He had just returned from the injured list on Saturday after missing 21 games because of back pain. He played two games against the New York Mets but hasn't played since is still looking for his first home run with the Rockies He is now batting .278 with four RBIs and 15 strikeouts in 74 plate appearances The Rockies called up right-handed pitcher Ryan Feltner from Triple-A Albuquerque on Wednesday to take Bryant's roster spot and gave Feltner his fourth career start as they wrapped up a three-game set in Pittsburgh three hits and two walks and seven strikeouts in the Rockies' 10-5 loss Feltner's bid for his first major-league victory disappeared when the bullpen struggled to Pittsburgh's scuffling offense in check Colorado manager Bud Black was pleased with what he saw from the team's fourth-round pick in the 2018 amateur draft particularly after getting knocked around a bit in his previous start this season A minor-league game is really different from a major league game But he has a good head on his shoulders and I think he's going to be fine in the long run.'' The Associated Press contributed to this report For a company that builds some very quick cars Honda sometimes moves with glacial slowness The ★★★★2017 CR-V compact SUV is a prime example After years of complaints about its over-reliance on touch screen controls Honda gave the new SUV’s audio system a volume dial but inexplicably retained the annoying touch screen for functions like tuning and switching from audio to navigation and among audio sources It’s likely to remain America’s best-selling SUV despite Honda’s aversion to simple controls comfortable and loaded with useful features It competes with small five-seat SUVs like the Chevrolet Equinox Terrain and Tiguan go on sale shortly but are not available for evaluation This review does not compare the CR-V to them These compact SUVs are among America’s most-popular vehicles Sales have skyrocketed as their sophistication and fuel economy improved and buyers deserted compact and midsize cars for the SUVs’ height CR-V prices start at $24,045 for front-wheel drive and a 184-horsepower 2.4-liter engine An all-wheel drive model with the same engine costs $25,345 All CR-Vs have a continuously variable automatic transmission A turbocharged 190-horsepower 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine powers all other CR-Vs starting at $26,695 for FWD and $27,995 for AWD I tested a top of the line AWD CR-V Touring with voice recognition That’s less than some competitors that have lower fuel economy Honda builds the CR-V at three plants in North America — East Liberty The 2017 model’s wheelbase grew two inches to improve rear legroom and cargo space The result is an accommodating cabin with plenty of passenger and cargo room The interior of my test vehicle had leather upholstery soft plastic covering the dash and door uppers and attractive faux-wood trim The front seat has loads of storage space including a deep and accommodating bin in the center console Big windows deliver good sight lines that are complemented by blind-spot and cross-traffic alerts There’s noticeable wind noise at highway speeds navigation and other systems are cumbersome The touch screen is too slow and many of the touch points are too small for easy use in a moving vehicle The result is too much time with the driver looking at the touch screen rather than the road It’s hard to understand why an outstanding automaker like Honda repeated mistakes the whole auto industry should have learned from Ford’s problems with its over-reliance on touchscreens and flat panel controls years ago with a suspension that absorbs bumps and good steering effectively mimicking the feeling of a fixed ratio automatic 33 on the highway and 29 combined tops all competitors The 1.5-liter engine provides plenty of power for driving around town and highway cruising Keep an eye open when pricing and fuel economy are announced shortly for the new The 2018 Equinox the 2017 Honda CR-V is the best in its class Contact Mark Phelan: 313-222-6731 or mmphelan@freepress.com  All-wheel drive five-passenger compact SUV Price as tested: $33,695 (excluding destination charge) Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0T Ultimate AWD: 19/24/21 Comparative base prices (excluding destination charges) Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0T Ultimate AWD: $33,450 Engine: 1.5L 16-valve turbocharged 4-cylinder Transmission: Continuously variable automatic Standard equipment: Antilock brakes; stability control; brake assist; electronic brake distribution; LED daytime running lights; curtain air bags;  front seat side air bags; push button start; rear vision camera; lane change alert; blind spot and cross traffic alert; lane keep assist; forward collision alert; collision mitigating automatic braking; ; 7.0-inch touch screen; voice recognition; Apple CarPlay; Android Auto; XM satellite radio; navigation; leather trimmed seats; power front seats windows and locks; memory for driver settings; AM/FM/HD radio; nine-speaker audio; USB port; Blueooth compatible; heated front seats; 60/40 split folding rear seat; dual-zone climate control; auto dimming rearview mirror; power tailgate; floor mats; cargo cover; sunroof; 18-in alloy wheels; LED head and tail lights; fog lights; remote start; walk-away lock; capless fuel filler Matt McLain has zero hits in 14 trips to the plate in Cactus League action this spring as the former 1st round pick of the Cincinnati Reds dealt with oblique soreness throughout much of camp it’s a similar injury to the one that derailed his otherwise electric rookie campaign in 2023 and that’s something that’s hard to simply dismiss - especially given the nagging injuries we’ve seen to so many other of his peers It wasn’t the oblique that made him a surprise late scratch over the weekend against the San Francisco Giants, though. That was due to something he felt in his shoulder, and that ‘something’ is something that popped up in his recent MRI, as The Enquirer’s Charlie Goldsmith relayed on Tuesday afternoon In said relay: the word ‘surgery’ being tossed out as a possibility by manager David Bell something that may or may not happen (but comes with the veiled worry of serious connotations) David Bell said Matt McLain (left shoulder) got an MRI They're looking at all the options for next steps David Bell said that he wasn't sure if McLain would start the year on the active roster or the IL."All of the options are on the table." One of the options is surgery,… Brandon Williamson and Nick Lodolo won’t be ready for Opening Day while the bullpen is still shuffling as each of Alex Young A McLain injury of serious nature would be something of a hammer blow to that already growing list of issues one that might thrust Jonathan India (and his persistently balky foot) into being an everyday middle-infielder once again it could end up being ‘something’ close to nothing That’s the incredibly wide range of options that are out there in this odd scenario which tells me it’s in a pretty precarious spot to watch over the days leading up to next week’s Opening Day both for the state of this once-deep Reds lineup and McLain himself The recent history of 1st round picks of the Reds getting off to good starts only to fall completely apart is ominous in its own conspiratorial way so I won’t even speak their names into existence here (and will instead lean on the power of our photo library) Don’t scroll further down than this if you’re reading Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This March 11, 2021, photo provided by Rebecca Stumpf shows Robert Jaquiss, who is blind and experienced problems when he tried to get an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccination near his home in Missoula, Montana. The confusing maze of websites, phone numbers, emails and paper documents required to sign up for an immunization in the United States is presenting a challenge for people who are visually impaired or hard of hearing. (Rebecca Stumpf via AP) BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Unable to see, Carla McQuillan typically uses a program that converts the letters on a screen into audible words when she wants to read something online. The tool wouldn’t work when she tried to schedule an appointment to get a COVID-19 vaccine, however. “When I clicked, it wouldn’t tell me what the date was. I could have tapped on something, but I wouldn’t have known what it was,” said McQuillan, who operates a Montessori school and serves as president of the National Federation of the Blind of Oregon. Her husband, who can see, eventually helped out. In Alabama, Donte Little helped 20 blind and deaf people who had trouble signing up for vaccinations and getting to a clinic for shots. “It’s been a challenge for anybody. Add deafness or blindness on top of it and it’s that much more of one,” said Little, who is visually impaired and directs a regional center for the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind. The confusing maze of websites, phone numbers, emails and paper documents required to sign up for an immunization in the United States is presenting a challenge for people who are visually impaired or hard of hearing. Providers are using multiple different systems that can vary by state and even cities, they say, often forcing the disabled to rely on others to help them get in line. Federal laws require communications in an understandable format and accommodations to assist people who might face obstacles, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has laid out instructions that include having local health departments provide staff to address accessibility needs and plans. But the National Federation of the Blind wrote to every U.S. governor last month complaining about hurdles posed by balky sign-up systems and vaccine distribution methods including drive-up clinics, which it said are largely inaccessible to people who can’t see. The group has yet to receive a “substantive” response from any state, spokesman Chris Danielsen said. Separately, the National Association of the Deaf said problems including confusing and complex information, phone systems that can’t be used by hard of hearing and a lack of interpreters is making it difficult for people who can’t hear to make appointments for immunizations. Chief Executive Howard A. Rosenblum said the group has asked the Biden administration for help. “The process continues to be very haphazard and confusing for everyone, but particularly for people with disabilities due to the lack of foresight on accessibility,” he said in an email. The CDC reports that an estimated 12 million Americans over the age of 40 have impaired vision, including 1 million who are blind, and the National Association of the Deaf said a 2011 study found that 48 million Americans are deaf or hard of hearing. The National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness estimated in 2008 that about 40,000 U.S. adults were both deaf and blind. Tara L. Invidiato, a director with the American Association of the DeafBlind, said members trying to sign up for vaccines have faced multiple problems including glitchy websites, inaccessible notifications and the speed required to fill out forms while reading Braille. “I had to rely on someone who can see and that is unsettling because we the DeafBlind aim for independent living and we know we can do things by ourselves for the most part,” she said in an email interview. Robert Weinstock, who is profoundly deaf, said clunky telephone systems are posing problems for some who can’t hear because some appointment hotlines don’t have workers who understand how to use video services that allow for communication by sign language. That leads to frustration and calls that end with hang-ups, he said. “Also, some sites will accept pre-registration online, but conduct the actual scheduling via telephone, leaving voice messages even when the deaf person has explicitly requested contact via text or email. This can be a significant barrier,” said Weinstock, director of public relations at Gallaudet University, a school for the deaf. Alicia Wooten, who works with a COVID-19 team at Gallaudet, which is in Washington, D.C., said simply getting the word out to deaf people about vaccination availability is a problem because so much notification is done by platforms including radio. “This means the Deaf community has a delay in getting information, so that by the time they try to register, vaccines are already reserved. The cycle is then repeated,” she said an an email. But there are cases where the system is working. Weinstock said both he and his wife went to vaccination locations and got shots with relative ease because there were interpreters and people had been trained. “Every single person I spoke with, from check-in to ‘recovery,’ whipped out their smartphones and used a notes app to converse with me, or wrote on paper, or otherwise made sure I was fully included,” Weinstock, who lives in Maryland, said in an email exchange. Robert Jaquiss, who is blind, experienced problems firsthand when he tried to get an appointment for a shot in Missoula, Montana. He was eventually able to snag a time with the help of a friend who can see, but Jaquiss said the sign-up system isn’t built to accommodate people unable to navigate quickly during the process. “I can’t just zip-zip through,” Jaquiss, 67, said in a phone interview. “When they say a site link opens up at 1 p.m., they mean 1 p.m., and if you’re not Johnny on the spot the appointments are gone.” Mets ace Max Scherzer is dealing with a hamstring issue and isn’t sure when he’ll pitch next, scratched from a simulated game Saturday one day after it was announced star Jacob deGrom will miss significant time with a shoulder injury. Suddenly, New York’s heralded rotation is fragile and breaking. Just five days away from opening day in Washington, Scherzer said he wasn’t sure about the immediate plans. The three-time Cy Young Award winner doesn’t expect the trouble with his right hamstring to be a long-term problem. “Don’t know,” Scherzer said when asked when he’d pitch again. “I’ve had these little hamstring injuries before. They go away in days. Fortunately enough I’ve been pretty good to not have serious hamstring injuries. I’ve had just little hiccups. “I’d noticed something a couple days ago from running. Hamstring just tightened up, didn’t feel like I strained it or anything like that. I had good recovery the past two days, then I went through my normal routine to go for it and make a start today, and the hamstring just tightened up.” Manager Buck Showalter said he would lean on the 37-year-old righthander for advice going forward, but added that Scherzer was still in consideration for the opening day nod against his former Nationals teammates. “If you look at the days off and what have you, yeah, but I’m not committed to that,” Showalter said. The Mets signed Scherzer as a free agent to a $130 million, three-year contract. That seemed to give them a dominant front of the rotation, but the news that deGrom wouldn’t throw for up to four weeks put a huge dent in those hopes. All-Star Chris Bassitt, acquired last month in a trade with Oakland, is set to pitch Sunday’s Grapefruit League contest. Carlos Carrasco and Taijuan Walker are lined up to round out the rotation’s back end. “Just because something doesn’t happen on the first game of the season, I’m not going to put the whole thing in disarray for one spot or even two spots,” Showalter said. “We have options to go in different directions if we want to. I told all three of those guys to continue down the path you’re on right now.” Atlanta reliever Luke Jackson has ligament damage in his right elbow and there’s no timetable for his return. A key part of the bullpen last year during the run to the World Series championship, Jackson is having a “comprehensive evaluation” and that tests after he was shut down for a week revealed damage to the ulnar collateral ligament. Problems with the UCL can lead to Tommy John surgery, which would end Jackson’s season. Jackson posted 18 saves in 2019 and has since served as one of the team’s top setup men. He was 2-2 with a career-best 1.98 ERA in 71 games in 2021, helping Atlanta win its first championship since 1995. He allowed one hit in three games and 3⅔ World Series innings against Houston. The bullpen is one of the team’s deepest areas following the offseason additions of closer Kenley Jansen and Collin McHugh. If Jackson is unavailable, McHugh’s role becomes especially important as another righthander in the bullpen. Also Saturday, lefthanded White Sox reliever Garrett Crochet told reporters he will have Tommy John surgery next week, shelving the 22-year-old who made 54 appearances for Chicago last season for at least a year. The No. 11 pick in the 2020 draft had a 2.82 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 54⅓ innings, striking out 65. The White Sox announced Crochet would likely need surgery Friday soon after trading reliever Craig Kimbrel to the Dodgers Home Delivery Gift Subscriptions Log In Manage My Account Customer Service Delivery Issues Feedback News Tips Help & FAQs Staff List Advertise Newsletters View the ePaper Order Back Issues News in Education Search the Archives Privacy Policy Terms of Service Terms of Purchase Work at Boston Globe Media Internship Program Co-op Program Do Not Sell My Personal Information — Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash believes ace Shane McClanahan can avoid going on the injured list due to mid-back tightness left Thursday night’s 6-5 loss to the Kansas City Royals with two outs in the fourth inning he’s good,” Cash said before Friday night’s game against the Royals McClanahan’s next scheduled start is Wednesday night at Arizona but it is possible he could be pushed back a couple days “I know we’re going to put our heads together,” Cash said “I don’t feel like he’s going to miss time or anything like that as we speak right now “Definitely a better spot than yesterday,” McClanahan said I’d say I’m still in a pretty good spot to line up (for my next start).” hit against injured relievers Andrew Kittredge (Tommy John surgery) and Calvin Faucher (right elbow) at the team’s minor league complex in Sarasota The second baseman has nine homers and 29 RBIs in 50 games this season “Everybody said that it was full-force swings,” Cash said Lowe and Faucher may play in a rookie-level Florida Complex League game next week Kittredge is not expected back until August talking interactive robot is running into glitches in its new job as a museum guide in Tokyo The bubble-headed Asimo machine had problems telling the difference between people raising their hands to ask questions and those aiming their smartphones to take photos at the Miraikan science museum It froze mid-action and repeated a programmed remark The robot guide is connected wirelessly to six sensors in the ceiling to discern where a crowd is gathering It has no voice recognition and responds to written questions selected from a touch-panel device meaning that interacting with Asimo was even less natural than the typical dead-end conversation with a smartphone although among the most advanced for mobility has come under fire as lacking practical applications and being little more than an expensive toy Asimo was too sensitive to go into radiated areas after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis and Honda had to do new work to develop robotic arms that could be used in reactors He said the goal is to have Asimo recognize who is talking to it but it's not able to comprehend the meaning of the waving," he told reporters A possible future use for Asimo would be to help people buy tickets from vending machines at train stations speeding up the process for any humans unfamiliar with the process the robot walked around and gesticulated while it answered a question about its own features while projecting diagrams on a big screen Honda said it has been programmed to reply to about a 100 questions Four get chosen randomly and pop up on the touch panels for the audience to choose Honda's humanoid prototype was first shown in 1996 and it has grown smaller and nimbler over the years It has fingers with joints and can open a thermos lid and pour a drink It has image sensors and can make its way through objects in a room.