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30 American ballparks in one monumental road trip

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:50:45 GMT

It doesn’t take a rigorous Google search to learn that it was Ralph Waldo Emerson — rather than Yogi Berra — who insisted life is all about the journey, not the destination. Then again, ol’ Ralphie never spent a lazy summer day in the Dodger Stadium bleachers or gazed upon the Green Monster at Fenway Park.Any baseball devotee worth his peanuts and Cracker Jack knows that both the journey and the destination hold equal value when it comes to road tripping across North America to visit the fields of their dreams.It’s those wanderlusty fans, many of whom spent their youth collecting bubble gum cards, who now exuberantly collect major-league ballparks. In some ambitious cases, all 30 of them — from Oracle Park in San Francisco to Yankee Stadium in New York City.Sure, they might go about it differently: There are those who enjoy tailing their hometown team on an extended road trip. Others spend life in the fast lane, trying to hit as many stadiums as they can in a short amount of time. S...

The pets she lost in the fire: Caterina Scorsone fans mourn her cats and dog

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:50:45 GMT

Fans of “Grey’s Anatomy” star Caterina Scorsone are expressing gratitude that she was able to save herself and her three young daughters from a sudden and fast-moving house fire.But they are devastated by Scorsone’s news that her three cats and one dog — whom she often featured on her Instagram account — died in the blaze.“I am heartbroken right now,” wrote the creator of a fan Instagram account, scorsone.pets, which was dedicated to sharing photos of the actor’s animals, cats Luna, Bear and Clover and an unnamed dog. The photos included some from when Luna, Bear and Clover were fluffy white, black and calico rescue kittens.“Caterina Scorsone losing 4 pets in a house fire,” another fan tweeted. “What a strong woman. I literally think that’s something I would never be able to recover from. like my heart is aching for her.” Yet another fan wrote:So sad about the pets. They must have been so scared before dying. Grey...

SF Giants’ Taira Uematsu wants to be MLB’s first Japanese-born base coach. Why stop there?

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:50:45 GMT

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Taira Uematsu’s day began, like it always does, before dawn.It’s 6 o’clock now, as he slides into the corner table under his name at a sushi hotspot here — he just ran into Ichiro’s translator at the same spot last week — 12 hours since he arrived at the ballpark, first in the building, as usual.Twelve-hour days are tame for Uematsu, who puts in his order and begins to play with his chopsticks. His hands tell a story. His left thumb is permanently altered from a Hunter Strickland fastball, and the index finger next to it turns blue while he sleeps. Proof of the physical toll of more than a decade of grunt work, of never saying no, of being “Mr. Omnipresent.”Uematsu, 39, might be the most important person in a Giants uniform whom you’ve never heard of. One of the handful of folks left in the building with three World Series rings, Uematsu predates every current player and just about everyone else. He joined the organization in 2006, five years after moving to the ...

Athletics’ Sears, Guardians’ Kwan dispel notion of baseball’s prototypes

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:50:45 GMT

OAKLAND — When Steven Kwan settles into the batter’s box as anticipated for the Cleveland Guardians Tuesday night to lead off the game against left-hander JP Sears of the Athletics, it’s a victory for every aspiring player who looks at the requisite prototypes of big leaguers and wonders how they can ever measure up.Sears, 27, is in a precarious position as the No. 5 starter on a team with two projected starters currently on the injured list and expected to join the rotation at some point.Kwan, 25, is the former Washington High of Fremont star entrenched as the Guardians’ leadoff batter, playing an old-school style of baseball while disregarding the trend of recent years which bowed at the altar of power while shrugging off the indignity of the strikeout.He was in the middle of everything Monday night in a 12-11, 10-inning win for the Guardians, hitting a single, a double, a sacrifice fly and scoring three runs.The Sears-Kwan opening act will serve as a remin...

The California bills on a business ‘kill list’

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:50:45 GMT

By Grace Gedye |CalMattersThe California Legislature, with its Democratic supermajority, is known for passing first-in-the-nation laws that ramp up labor and consumer protections — often in the face of intense opposition from business groups.At the same time, the California Chamber of Commerce, a powerful business lobbying group, has honed a specific strategy with a high success rate — labeling bills it deems most burdensome “job-killers” and tracking them on an annual list.This week, the chamber announced its initial list for 2023. Among the bills are:A new tax on total wealth for individuals with a net worth of $50 million or more, introduced by Assemblymember Alex Lee, a Milpitas Democrat. Unlike an income tax, a tax on overall wealth is unprecedented in the U.S.Lee argues that ultra-wealthy people are able to avoid paying much in income taxes by holding assets, like stocks and property, and borrowing against them. The revenue raised by the tax would be used to invest in “schools...

Raincoats, undies, school uniforms: Are your clothes dripping in ‘forever chemicals’?

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:50:45 GMT

By Hannah Norman | Kaiser Health NewsThere could be more than just fashion risks involved when buying a pair of leggings or a raincoat.Just how much risk is still not clear, but toxic chemicals have been found in hundreds of consumer products and clothing bought off the racks nationwide.Thousands of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, exist since the first ones were invented in the 1940s to prevent stains and sticking. PFAS chemicals are used in nonstick cookware, water-repellent clothing, and firefighting foam. Their manufacture and persistence in products have contaminated drinking water nationwide. Also known as “forever chemicals,” these substances do not break down in the environment and can accumulate in our bodies over time.Drinking water is widely considered the greatest source of potential exposure and harm. And, in March, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed the first national standard for PFAS levels in drinking water. But the chemicals can als...

Apple to make job cuts in some corporate retail teams

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:50:45 GMT

By Mark Gurman | BloombergApple Inc. is eliminating a small number of roles within its corporate retail teams, according to people with knowledge of the matter, marking its first known internal job cuts since it embarked on a belt-tightening effort last year.The company is shedding positions in what it calls its development and preservation teams, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the move hasn’t been announced. Those groups are responsible for the construction and upkeep of Apple retail stores and other facilities around the world.While the number of positions being eliminated couldn’t be ascertained and is likely very small, the move represents a new step for the world’s most valuable company, whose peers have been slashing their ranks in the face of a shaky economy and sluggish consumer spending.Apple is positioning the move as a streamlining effort, rather than layoffs. It told employees that the changes were designed to improve upkeep of stores globally an...

NWSL announces Bay Area expansion team

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:50:45 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- The National Women's Soccer League has announced that the Bay Area is on track to be awarded an expansion team in 2024. The team, which has yet to be named, would be the 14th franchise in the 11-year-old professional women's soccer league.Four former U.S. Women's National Team players have been brought in to help develop the team. Former USWNT players Brandi Chastain, Leslie Osborne, Danielle Slaton and Aly Wagner will also be the public faces of the team. The players, who are being called the club's "Founding Football Four," will reportedly represent the club's majority women board and have an input into the team's strategic direction. Wiggins reportedly set to rejoin Warriors this week The ex-players will be working in partnership with majority investor, Sixth Street, a global investment firm with previous experience investing in international soccer powerhouses Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.Domestically, the group also has ties to the NBA's San Antonio Sp...

3 San Francisco shootings in 1 day leave 1 dead, 14-year-old injured

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:50:45 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Over the weekend, the San Francisco Police Department responded to several unrelated shootings, according to police. On Saturday, officers investigated three separate shootings, one of which resulted in a homicide, police said.Around 10:17 a.m., officers responded to a shooting involving a postal worker. The suspect allegedly came out of a house on Sparta Street in Visitacion Valley with a gun and shot at and missed the postal worker. Police said they recovered a stolen gun and arrested the suspect, Vo Ngyuen, 38. Ngyuen was booked for attempted homicide and will be charged federally, officials said. Pleasant Hill shooting victim identified Around 1 p.m., a 52-year-old victim was shot and killed on the 200 block of Golden Gate in the Tenderloin.Around 10:30 p.m., a 14-year-old was shot when multiple suspects started shooting out of a car near Eddy Street in the Filmore District, police said. The victim sustained non-life-threatening injuries. SFPD said it i...

Masters only big show in town as other tours take week off

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:50:45 GMT

AUGUSTA NATIONAL GOLF CLUBSite: Augusta, Georgia.Course: Augusta National GC. Yardage: 7,545. Par: 72.Prize money: TBA. Last year: $15 million (Winner’s share: $2.7 million).Television: Thursday-Friday, 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. (ESPN); Saturday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. (CBS); Sunday, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. (CBS).Defending champion: Scottie Scheffler.Last year: Scottie Scheffler capped off an incredible 56-day stretch by winning the Masters for his fourth victory of the year. He four-putted the final hole for double bogey and shot 1-under 71 to win by three shots over Rory McIlroy.Notes: Scottie Scheffler will try to join Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo and Jack Nicklaus as the only back-to-back winners of the Masters. … Woods is making only his second start of the year. This is his fourth tournament against elite competition since last year’s Masters. He has never missed the cut at Augusta National as a pro. … This is the fifth time in the last eight years the field has been fewer tha...