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Christopher Morel was sent to Iowa to get more playing time. But a laid-back Chicago Cubs clubhouse misses his exuberance.

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:18:01 GMT

Christopher Morel brought something to the Chicago Cubs last year that couldn’t be measured with numbers.From a bat-flipping celebration after homering in his first at-bat to hugging opposing players and fist-bumping umpires, Morel’s exuberance was impossible to ignore.“He’s such a positive guy, and I do think with any team, bringing up guys like that really energizes the group,” Cubs President Jed Hoyer said last May.The Cubs gave Morel playing time in center field and at second base, shortstop and third base — his preferred position — after calling him up from Double-A Tennessee. The super-utility role suited him, and he quickly became a fan favorite.But with Cody Bellinger signed to play center, Nico Hoerner moving over to second and Morel having a difficult time defensively at third in an extended audition last September, the Cubs decided to send him to Triple-A Iowa to start the season instead of playing him sporadically off the bench.M...

Ravens draft preview: If quarterback is in play, there are plenty of intriguing options

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:18:01 GMT

The calendar has officially flipped to April, which can only mean one thing: It’s time to get ready for the NFL draft.The first round begins April 27 in Kansas City, but until then, the Ravens have plenty to figure out. Most notably, their contract stalemate with star quarterback Lamar Jackson, who has requested a trade while under the $32.4 million nonexclusive franchise tag. If he gets his wish, the Ravens’ draft could look a lot different.Baltimore owns five picks: Nos. 22 (first round), 86 (third round), 124 (fourth round), 157 (fifth round) and 199 (sixth round). A blockbuster deal for Jackson would significantly increase the size of that haul, but the Ravens are guaranteed at least one additional first-rounder this year if Jackson signs an offer with another team before the draft and Baltimore declines to match it.As we get closer to the draft, The Baltimore Sun will examine which players at each position of need (quarterback, wide receiver, cornerback, edge rusher...

Chicago Bulls center Andre Drummond advocates for vulnerability in mental health conversations: ‘That superhero cape has to come off’

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:18:01 GMT

For Chicago Bulls center Andre Drummond, returning to the court alongside his teammates this weekend came as a relief.Drummond stepped away from the team for one game — Wednesday’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers — after sharing on Twitter and Instagram that he was deleting all social media apps and changing his phone number.“Time to focus on my mental health,” Drummond wrote. “If you too are struggling with your mental health, you are not alone. It’s okay to ask for help.”Even without knowing the full details of what he was facing, Drummond’s teammates and coaches were quick to show support when he returned to the team for last week’s trip to Charlotte, N.C.“Everybody was there for me,” Drummond said after Sunday’s win over the Memphis Grizzlies at the United Center. “Nobody really knew what was going on. I was going through a lot mentally and I had to take some time to really clear my mind and addre...

UFC and WWE combine to create $21.4B entertainment company

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:18:01 GMT

WWE and the company that runs Ultimate Fighting Championship will combine to create a $21.4 billion sports entertainment company.A new publicly traded company will be formed that houses the UFC and WWE brands, with Endeavor Group Holdings Inc. taking a 51% controlling interest in the new company. Existing WWE shareholders will hold a 49% stake.The companies put the enterprise value of UFC at $12.1 billion and WWE at $9.3 billion. The new business will be lead by Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel. Vince McMahon, executive chairman at WWE, will serve in the same role at the new company. The announcement comes after Vince McMahon, the founder and majority shareholder of WWE, returned to the company in January and said that it could be up for sale. Rumors swirled about who would possibly be interested in buying WWE, with chatter focusing on companies such as Endeavor, Disney, Fox, Comcast, Amazon and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. Industry experts had viewed WWE as an attractive ac...

Borissov appears winner of Bulgaria’s parliamentary election

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:18:01 GMT

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — The center-right GERB party of ex-premier Boyko Borissov appeared to be the winner of Bulgaria’s parliamentary election, the country’s central electoral commission said Monday, with 99% of the ballots counted.Results showed the GERB party receiving 26.6% of the vote, nearly 2% more than the pro-Western reformist bloc led by the We Continue the Change party.Four other parties also appear to have gained seats in the 240-seat chamber, according to the latest results.Riding a wave of pro-Russian sentiment that many in this former communist nation share, the ultra-nationalist Vazrazhdane party, which opposes any actions against Putin’s Russia, boosted support to come in third with 14.2% of the vote.The ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms came in fourth with 13.4%, followed by the Socialist party and the There is Such People party, led by a popular TV entertainer, with 9% and 4.1% respectively.It could take days before the final official results are anno...

Indian opposition leader will avoid prison during appeals

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:18:01 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — An Indian court on Monday suspended a two-year prison sentence for Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi as he appeals a criminal conviction for mocking the prime minister’s surname that saw him expelled from Parliament, dealing a huge blow to his Congress Party ahead of general elections next year.Gandhi, a fierce critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his main challenger in the 2024 polls, was ousted after a court sentenced him to two years in prison for defamation for a comment made in a 2019 election speech. The prosecution of Gandhi, the great-grandson of India’s first prime minister and scion of the dynastic Congress party, was widely condemned by opponents of Modi as the latest assaults against democracy and free speech by a ruling government seeking to crush dissent. The speed of his removal from Parliament shocked political circles in India. Gandhi appeared in a court in the western state of Gujarat Monday to file an appeal and was granted bail fo...

Finland to join NATO military alliance this week, chief says

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:18:01 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says Finland will become the 31st member of the military alliance on Tuesday.“From tomorrow, Finland will be a full member of the alliance,” Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels.Stoltenberg said that Turkey, the last country to have ratified Finland’s membership, will hand its official texts to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday as NATO foreign ministers gather in Brussels. Stoltenberg said he would then invite Finland to do the same.A flag raising ceremony to add the Finnish flag to those of the other members will take place at NATO headquarters at on Tuesday afternoon.The Associated Press

Ex-principal of Jewish school found guilty of sexual abuse

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:18:01 GMT

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The former principal of a Jewish girls school in Australia was found guilty Monday of sexually abusing two students, ending a nine-year legal battle that strained relations between the Australian and Israeli governments while antagonizing Australia’s Jewish community.Malka Leifer, 56, a Tel Aviv-born mother of eight, was convicted on 18 counts, including rape, and acquitted of nine other charges, including five that related to the eldest student, Nicole Meyer. The three former students — Meyer, Dassi Erlich and Elly Sapper — are all sisters.Trial judge Mark Gamble had issued a gag order preventing media reporting during the trial that Leifer had fought against her extradition to Australia following her return to Israel in 2008 as allegations against her first emerged. The legal battle she waged in Jerusalem courts since 2014 ended in 2021 when she boarded a flight toward Melbourne at Ben Gurion Airport, her ankles and wrists shackled.The news of Leifer’s ...

Finland turns to the right as country prepares to enter NATO

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:18:01 GMT

HELSINKI (AP) — Finnish voters have given a boost to conservative parties in a weekend election, depriving left-wing Prime Minister Sanna Marin of another term as the country prepares to make its historic entry into NATO in the coming days.Marin won popularity for her Cabinet’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and for her European Union nation’s strong support for Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion last year. But Sunday’s election was largely fought over economic issues, with voters in the nation of 5.5 million people shifting their allegiances significantly to parties on the political right as they seek solutions to rising state debt, inflation and other economic problems.The bloated debt will pose a challenge for the new government, particularly since NATO membership will require Finland to increase its defense spending. Finland could finally join NATO this week after Turkey ratified its membership last week, lifting the last hurdle to membersh...

Liz Weston: Will you face a tax bomb in retirement?

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:18:01 GMT

Good savers, beware. The money you’re stuffing into your 401(k) and other retirement accounts has to be withdrawn someday. If you’re not strategic about how you save, you could face unnecessarily high tax bills and inflated Medicare premiums in retirement — plus, you could be saddling your heirs with higher taxes.The earlier you start defusing this potential tax bomb, the better. But even people in their 60s or early 70s may have opportunities to lessen the potential damage — as long as they act swiftly.“You do not want to be in the position as some clients are that all of their funds are inside of a tax-deferred account,” says Pam Ladd, senior manager of personal financial planning at the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants.TAX BREAKS NOW COULD CAUSE TAX PAIN LATERMost retirement accounts offer a tax break when you put money in. Eventually, though, Uncle Sam wants to get paid. Required minimum distributions, or RMDs, typically must start at a certain age...