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Ross Atkins details expansive offseason plan for Alejandro Kirk
Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins and his staff had a fairly extensive workout and dietary plan for catcher Alejandro Kirk that included sending team officials to Tijuana.
Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins and his staff had a fairly extensive workout and dietary plan for catcher Alejandro Kirk that included sending team officials to Tijuana.
"Who's next?" asked the "Weekend Update" co-anchor. "The ghost of Jeffrey Epstein?"
The comedian wishes other celebrities were as open as she was about the menopause
The star, who appeared on the seventh series of Big Brother in 2006, had anorexia.
Milwaukee Brewers (4-4) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (5-3) St. Louis; Sunday, 2:15 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Brewers: Brett Anderson (0-1, 7.20 ERA) Cardinals: Daniel Ponce de Leon (1-0, 1.80 ERA) LINE: Cardinals favoured by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 8 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Milwaukee Brewers visit the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday. The Cardinals went 22-18 in division games in 2020. St. Louis averaged 6.8 hits with 2.2 extra base hits per game last season. The Brewers finished 19-21 against NL Central Division opponents in 2020. Milwaukee hit 75 total home runs and averaged 7.2 hits per game last year. The teams meet for the second time this year. The season series is tied 1-1. INJURIES: Cardinals: Miles Mikolas: (right shoulder), Kwang Hyun Kim: (back), Dakota Hudson: (right elbow), Tyler O'Neill: (right groin), Harrison Bader: (right forearm). Brewers: Bobby Wahl: (right oblique), Justin Topa: (elbow), Tim Lopes: (right oblique), Derek Fisher: (left hamstring), Kolten Wong: (oblique), Mark Mathias: (shoulder), Jacob Nottingham: (left thumb). ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. The Associated Press
Kansas City Royals (3-3) vs. Chicago White Sox (4-4) Chicago; Sunday, 2:10 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Royals: Mike Minor (1-0, 6.00 ERA) White Sox: Dylan Cease (0-0, 5.79 ERA) LINE: White Sox favoured by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 9 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Kansas City Royals play the Chicago White Sox on Sunday. The White Sox went 25-15 in division games in 2020. Chicago hit .261 as a team with 3.3 extra base hits per game and 96 total home runs last year. The Royals finished 17-23 against AL Central Division opponents in 2020. Kansas City hit .244 as a team and averaged 2.9 extra base hits per game last season. The teams meet for the first time this year. Chicago leads the season series 1-0. INJURIES: White Sox: Jace Fry: (microdiscectomy), Jimmy Cordero: (tommy john surgery), Eloy Jimenez: (left pectoral), Billy Hamilton: (leg), Leury Garcia: (leg), Adam Engel: (right hamstring), Tim Anderson: (hamstring). Royals: Adalberto Mondesi: (right oblique strain). ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. The Associated Press
Colorado Rockies (3-6) vs. San Francisco Giants (5-3) San Francisco; Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Rockies: TBD Giants: Anthony DeSclafani (0-0, 1.80 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 4 strikeouts) LINE: Giants favoured by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 8 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Colorado Rockies square off against the San Francisco Giants on Sunday. The Giants finished 18-22 against NL West Division opponents in 2020. San Francisco averaged 8.9 hits with 3.4 extra base hits per game and 107 total doubles last year. The Rockies finished 17-23 against NL West Division opponents in 2020. Colorado pitchers had a WHIP of 1.49 last season while striking out 6.6 hitters per game. The teams meet for the second time this year. San Francisco leads the season series 2-0. INJURIES: Giants: Alex Wood: (back), Dedniel Nunez: (elbow), John Brebbia: (elbow), Tyler Beede: (elbow). Rockies: Scott Oberg: (blood clots), Peter Lambert: (elbow), Kyle Freeland: (shoulder), Brendan Rodgers: (hamstring), Chris Owings: (left thumb). ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. The Associated Press
Chicago Cubs (4-4) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (2-6) Pittsburgh; Sunday, 1:05 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Cubs: Trevor Williams (1-0, 3.00 ERA) Pirates: JT Brubaker (0-0, 2.25 ERA) LINE: Cubs favoured by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 8 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Pirates square off against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday. The Pirates went 16-24 in division games in 2020. Pittsburgh averaged 7.1 hits with 2.4 extra base hits per game and 76 total doubles last season. The Cubs finished 22-18 against NL Central Division opponents in 2020. Chicago averaged 7.0 hits with 2.7 extra base hits per game and 74 total home runs last year. The teams meet for the fifth time this season. Chicago leads the season series 3-2. INJURIES: Pirates: Jose Soriano: (elbow), Cody Ponce: (forearm), Austin Davis: (elbow), Blake Cederlind: (elbow), Steven Brault: (lat strain), Ke'Bryan Hayes: (wrist). Cubs: Rowan Wick: (oblique), Jonathan Holder: (shoulder), Austin Romine: (knee). ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. The Associated Press
New York Yankees (3-5) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (4-4) St. Petersburg, Florida; Sunday, 1:10 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Yankees: Jordan Montgomery (1-0, .00 ERA) Rays: Brent Honeywell Jr. (0-0, 0.00 ERA) BOTTOM LINE: The New York Yankees enter the matchup as losers of their last three games. The Rays finished 27-13 against AL East Division opponents in 2020. Tampa Bay hit .238 as a team last season and averaged 3.3 extra base hits per game. The Yankees went 23-17 in division play in 2020. New York hit .247 as a team with 3.1 extra base hits per game and 94 total home runs last season. The teams meet for the second time this year. Tampa Bay leads the season series 2-0. INJURIES: Rays: Chaz Roe: (shoulder), Colin Poche: (elbow), Pete Fairbanks: (shoulder), Oliver Drake: (forearm), Yonny Chirinos: (elbow), Jalen Beeks: (elbow), Chris Archer: (forearm), Nick Anderson: (elbow), Manuel Margot: (groin), Kevin Kiermaier: (left quad), Ji-Man Choi: (knee). Yankees: Luis Severino: (elbow), Clarke Schmidt: (right elbow), Zack Britton: (elbow), Luke Voit: (knee), Miguel Andujar: (wrist). ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. The Associated Press
Detroit Tigers (3-5) vs. Cleveland Indians (4-3) Cleveland; Sunday, 1:10 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Tigers: Jose Urena (0-1, 15.00 ERA, 2.67 WHIP, 5 strikeouts) Indians: TBD LINE: Indians favoured by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 9 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Detroit Tigers enter the matchup as losers of their last three games. The Indians finished 23-17 against AL Central Division opponents in 2020. Cleveland hit .228 as a team with 2.7 extra base hits per game and 96 total doubles last season. The Tigers went 12-28 in division play in 2020. Detroit pitchers struck out 7.4 hitters a game last year with a staff WHIP of 1.43. The teams meet for the fifth time this year. Cleveland leads the season series 3-2. INJURIES: Indians: Cam Hill: (right wrist). Tigers: Spencer Turnbull: (covid-19 protocol), Julio Teheran: (shoulder), Rony Garcia: (abdominal strain). ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. The Associated Press
San Diego Padres (6-3) vs. Texas Rangers (3-5) Arlington, Texas; Sunday, 2:35 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Padres: Adrian Morejon (0-0, 4.50 ERA) Rangers: Mike Foltynewicz (0-1, 9.00 ERA) LINE: Padres favoured by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 9 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Texas Rangers host the San Diego Padres on Sunday. The Rangers went 16-14 in home games in 2020. Texas batted .217 as a team last year and hit 62 total home runs. The Padres went 16-12 on the road in 2020. San Diego hit 95 total home runs and averaged 8.4 hits per game last year. The teams meet for the second time this season. San Diego leads the season series 2-0. INJURIES: Rangers: Joely Rodriguez: (ankle), Jose Leclerc: (elbow), Jonathan Hernandez: (elbow), Demarcus Evans: (lat), Matt Bush: (elbow), Brock Burke: (shoulder), Khris Davis: (quad), Willie Calhoun: (groin), Brock Holt: (hamstring), Sam Huff: (hamstring). Padres: Trey Wingenter: (elbow), Matt Strahm: (right patellar tendon), Dinelson Lamet: (right ucl), Pierce Johnson: (right adductor), Javy Guerra: (right elbow), Mike Clevinger: (elbow), Jose Castillo: (undisclosed), Michel Baez: (right elbow), Dan Altavilla: (right calf), Jorge Ona: (right elbow), Fernando Tatis Jr.: (shoulder), Austin Nola: (left middle finger). ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. The Associated Press
Seattle Mariners (4-4) vs. Minnesota Twins (5-3) Minneapolis; Sunday, 2:10 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Mariners: Chris Flexen (1-0, .00 ERA) Twins: Matt Shoemaker (1-0, 1.50 ERA) LINE: Twins favoured by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 8 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Minnesota Twins face the Seattle Mariners on Sunday. The Twins finished 24-7 in home games in 2020. Minnesota hit .242 as a team last season while averaging 7.8 hits per game. The Mariners went 13-23 away from home in 2020. Seattle hit .226 as a team last season and averaged 2.6 extra base hits per game. The teams meet for the second time this season. The season series is tied 1-1. INJURIES: Twins: Edwar Colina: (right elbow), Brent Rooker: (neck), Josh Donaldson: (hamstring). Mariners: James Paxton: (left forearm), Andres Munoz: (elbow), Ken Giles: (elbow), Kyle Lewis: (knee), Jake Fraley: (left hamstring), Evan White: (hamstring), Shed Long Jr.: (shin). ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. The Associated Press
Cincinnati Reds (6-2) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (3-6) Phoenix; Sunday, 4:10 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Reds: Jose De Leon (0-0, 3.60 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 9 strikeouts) Diamondbacks: TBD LINE: Reds favoured by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 9 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Cincinnati Reds visit the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday. The Diamondbacks finished 16-14 in home games in 2020. Arizona averaged 8.0 hits with 2.8 extra base hits per game last year. The Reds went 15-16 on the road in 2020. Cincinnati averaged 6.5 hits with 2.8 extra base hits per game and 90 total home runs last season. The teams meet for the second time this season. The season series is tied 1-1. INJURIES: Diamondbacks: Joakim Soria: (calf), Zac Gallen: (forearm), Tyler Clippard: (shoulder), Ketel Marte: (hamstring). Reds: Michael Lorenzen: (shoulder), Sonny Gray: (back), Brandon Bailey: (elbow), Shogo Akiyama: (hamstring). ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. The Associated Press
Chole Zhao became the first woman of colour to win the DGA’s feature-film directing award for Nomadland
The chequered legacy of Prince Philip’s notorious ‘gaffes’He could be disarmingly funny, but the Duke of Edinburgh’s erratic quips often caused genuine offence Prince Philip meeting Indigenous Australian cultural performers in 2002. Photograph: Fiona Hanson/PA
Kejriwal said that the current surge in COVID-19 cases is worse than what ‘Delhi saw during the third peak’.
BRUSSELS — European Union leaders no longer meet around a common oval summit table to broker their famed compromises. Instead, each of the 27 watches the other heads of state or government with suspicion via a video screen that shows a mosaic of faraway capitals. This is what COVID-19 has wrought. Lofty hopes that the crisis would encourage a new and tighter bloc to face a common challenge have given way to the reality of division: The pandemic has set member nation against member nation, and many capitals against the EU itself, as symbolized by the disjointed, virtual meetings the leaders now hold. Leaders fight over everything from virus passports to push tourism to the conditions for receiving pandemic aid. Perhaps worse, some attack the very structures the EU built to deal with the pandemic. Last month, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz decried how vaccine-buying in the bloc had become a “bazaar,” alleging poorer countries struck out while the rich thrived. "Internal political cohesion and respect for European values continue to be challenged in different corners of the Union," the European Policy Center said in a study one year after the pandemic swept from China and engulfed Europe. In some places, there have been demands for political accountability. In the Czech Republic on Wednesday, Prime Minster Andrej Babis fired his health minister, the third to be sacked during the pandemic in one of Europe’s hardest-hit countries. Last week, Slovakia’s government resigned over a secret deal to buy Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, and in Italy, Premier Giuseppe Conte was forced to resign over his handling of the economic fallout of the pandemic. But overall, political upheaval across the EU has been muted, considering that half a million people have died in the pandemic. At the EU level, there has been no serious call for the ouster of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the bloc's chief executive, despite her acknowledgment that serious mistakes were made. It is clear that the EU has not risen to the occasion so far — and it's not clear if it can. The European Policy Center noted that “there is no immediate end in sight to the health crisis, not to mention the inevitable structural economic challenges.” The EU and its countries, of course, fell victim to some events beyond their control, as other nations around the globe did. Good arguments can be made that part of the the bloc's problems are due to delayed deliveries from Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. But some of the crisis was plainly self-inflicted. The typical complaint is that there is no united EU health structure to tackle the pandemic and that largely health is still a national domain. But for years, the bloc has had a common drug regulator, the European Medicines Agency. And since last summer, the EU decided to pool vaccine purchases and spread them equitably among the 27 nations, big and small, richer and poorer. But while some non-EU nations were speeding ahead with emergency use authorizations, the EMA moved more slowly, at least in part because it followed a process that was largely similar to the standard licensing procedure that would be granted to any new vaccine. The agency's first vaccine greenlight came some three weeks after one was OK'd in the United Kingdom — the first country to authorize a rigorously tested COVID-19 shot. The bloc never caught up. On Friday, the U.K., for example, had given 46.85% of their citizens at least one dose, compared to 14.18% in the EU. The EU also made the mistake of overly equating securing vaccines with getting shots in the arms — and underestimating the difficulties involved in mass producing and distributing such a delicate product. While EU negotiators were focusing on liability clauses in a contract, other nations were thinking about logistics and pushing for speed and volume. And while nations like the United States were sealing their borders to vaccine exports, the EU took the high moral ground and kept exports flowing — to the extent that over the first quarter of the year almost as many doses left the bloc for third countries as were delivered to the clamouring EU member states. On top of missteps with the vaccine rollout, the EU will be slow to disburse money from its 750 billion-euro ($890 billion) rescue package, which will share debt and give out grants to poorer members in an unprecedented way. But bickering among leaders over some clauses and intricate rules have made it anything but a speedy process. What's worse, the German constitutional court could still torpedo or further delay the whole initiative. The nature of the crisis may be different from past ones, but familiar obstacles arose: onerous bureaucracy, unnecessary delays as legalistic and technical disputes overshadowed the bigger picture, and bickering politicians putting self-interest before the common good. This past week was a case in point. The EMA reiterated its advice for all member nations to stand together — this time to keep on using the AstraZeneca jabs for all adults despite a possible link to extremely rare cases of blood clotting. Instead, hours after the announcement, Belgium went against that recommendation, barring AstraZeneca for citizens 55 and under, and others issued or kept similar restrictions. “If government leaders don’t trust the science, trust in vaccination is gone. If we don’t rely on (the EMA), ANY common EU approach is doomed,” said leading EU parliamentarian Guy Verhofstadt, normally the staunchest of EU backers. It is noteworthy that the EU nations insisted on delaying their vaccination drives in December specifically because they wanted to wait for the EMA's decision. But many have repeatedly ignored the EMA advice in the months since, setting more restrictions on vaccine use than the agency has called for. This extreme hesitancy by many countries — in addition to often seesawing advice — has become a hallmark of a vaccination rollout gone wrong. It has exacerbated the supply and issues of trust the bloc has faced. With barely half of the doses that the EU had contracted for the first quarter delivered — 105 million instead of 195 million — the video summit last month saw EU nations squabbling over shots and a distribution system that a few thought unfair. Now there are expectations the EU can turn it around. It is hoping for 360 million shots this quarter — that would keep the promise alive to vaccinate 70% of adults by the end of summer in the bloc of 450 million inhabitants. In France, President Emmanuel Macron gave a glimmer of hope to millions when he said that a return to a semblance of normal life could perhaps come by mid-May when people could "reclaim our art de vivre embodied by our restaurants and our cafes that we love so much.” By then, EU leaders might even mingle in person again at summits that go through the night. Raf Casert, The Associated Press
Mystery over origins of Howard Hodgkin’s Indian art collection could see it lost to UKAshmolean in Oxford turned down chance to buy exquisite paintings and drawings, which may now go to New York Sultan Ali Adil Shah Hunting a Tiger, c 1660, is in the Howard Hodgkin collection. Photograph: Collection of Howard Hodgkin
Some home truths about DIY fertilisersHomespun versions of fertilisers are likely to have more downsides than up Growing pains: pasta water, banana skins and raw eggs all have drawbacks and won’t work as well as commercially made fertilisers. Photograph: Anna Ostanina/Alamy
Once seemingly untouchable, Alibaba founder Jack Ma has endured a tumultuous run that saw his Chinese e-commerce giant hit with a record 18 billion yuan ($2.75 billion) antitrust fine on Saturday, resolving one key uncertainty even as others persist for himself and his business empire. The reversal of fortune for the 56-year-old Ma, who has all-but-disappeared from public view since an October speech blasting China's regulatory system, has been striking for an entrepreneur whose transformation of commerce in China - and his relentless optimism - commanded cult-like reverence. Ma, who stepped down from Alibaba in 2019 but looms large in the corporate psyche and in the eyes of investors, had revelled in pushing boundaries with audacious statements, taking a high profile even as most Chinese peers kept their heads down.
Winnipeg Jets (25-13-3, second in the North Division) vs. Ottawa Senators (13-25-4, seventh in the North Division) Ottawa, Ontario; Monday, 7 p.m. EDT BOTTOM LINE: Winnipeg looks to keep its three-game win streak alive when the Jets take on Ottawa. The Senators are 13-25-4 against the rest of their division. Ottawa is 27th in the league with 31.3 shots per game and is averaging 2.6 goals. The Jets are 25-13-3 against the rest of their division. Winnipeg is sixth in the NHL recording 9 points per game, averaging 3.3 goals and 5.7 assists. In their last meeting on April 5, Winnipeg won 4-3. Pierre-Luc Dubois scored a team-high two goals for the Jets in the victory. TOP PERFORMERS: Drake Batherson leads the Senators with 25 points, scoring 13 goals and collecting 12 assists. Connor Brown has 9 points over the last 10 games for Ottawa. Kyle Connor leads the Jets with 18 goals and has 39 points. Andrew Copp has eight goals and five assists over the last 10 games for Winnipeg. LAST 10 GAMES: Senators: 3-5-2, averaging 2.7 goals, 4.4 assists, 2.6 penalties and 5.5 penalty minutes while giving up 2.8 goals per game with a .920 save percentage. Jets: 7-2-1, averaging 3.4 goals, 5.5 assists, 3.4 penalties and 7.4 penalty minutes while allowing 1.7 goals per game with a .942 save percentage. INJURIES: Senators: Joey Daccord: out (ankle), Micheal Haley: out (groin), Colin White: day to day (upper body), Austin Watson: out (wrist). Jets: Blake Wheeler: out (undisclosed). ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. The Associated Press