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Kurtenbach: 5 under-the-radar free agents who could salvage the SF Giants’ offseason

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:50:04 GMT

Contrary to popular belief, the Giants do not need to spend the massive pile of money they allocated for Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.In fact, the Giants would be foolish to sign a big-money free agent now that those two players are Dodgers.No, San Francisco needs to stay nimble. With big money comes long terms — the Giants might be able to afford the pay, but they can’t afford four-plus years of a second-tier free agent.(If those guys were sure things, they’d be signed by now.)After going for the big play and failing — again — the Giants need to stay true to their systems (it did win 107 games one season) and remain flexible. Don’t do anything this offseason that you’ll regret next offseason.Of course, the Giants still need to augment their whole roster, but director of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi tries to turn the organization into a self-sustaining winning machine — one that might create a big-time free agent one day.Luckily, baseball’s ...

Former SF city employee charged with conflict of interest laws

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:50:04 GMT

(KRON) – A former employee of the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection, Van Zeng, has been charged with three misdemeanor counts of having a financial conflict of interest in a government decision. According to the District Attorney’s Office,  Zeng signed off on an inspection of his own home. He also signed off on inspections for two construction projects for Mutual Seiko Construction, his father’s company. Zeng was the contractor for the projects.  Inert bomb found on Santa Cruz County beach San Francisco law prohibits a city and county employee from participating in, making, or seeking to influence a governmental decision in which the employee has a financial interest. “San Franciscans should expect our public employees to act with integrity and not engage in self-serving behavior,” said the San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. “My office is committed to rooting out employees who violate ethics laws and hold them accountable.”   Zeng was arraigned and plead...

Federal judge dismisses effort to block Trump from Virginia ballot

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:50:04 GMT

Protesters supporting U.S. President Donald Trump storm the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. Congress held a joint session today to ratify President-elect Joe Biden's 306-232 Electoral College win over President Donald Trump. Pro-Trump protesters entered the U.S. Capitol building during demonstrations in the nation's capital. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)(Getty Images/Win McNamee) Protesters supporting U.S. President Donald Trump storm the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. Congress held a joint session today to ratify President-elect Joe Biden's 306-232 Electoral College win over President Donald Trump. Pro-Trump protesters entered the U.S. Capitol building during demonstrations in the nation's capital. (Photo by Win McNa...

Littler, 16, reaches final of world darts championship in one of the sport’s most unlikely stories

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:50:04 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Luke Littler reached the final of the world darts championship at the age of 16 on Tuesday, extending one of the most unlikely stories in the history of the sport.Littler, an unseeded player from Runcorn in northwest England who started throwing darts as a toddler, beat 2018 champion Rob Cross 6-2 to get into Wednesday’s title match against either Scott Williams or Luke Humphries.The winner of the final will earn 500,000 pounds ($630,000).The teenager has made front-page headlines with his amazing run at Alexandra Palace that also included eliminating multiple former world champion Raymond van Barneveld, his idol. It started on Dec. 20, when he beat Christian Kist in the first round to be the youngest player to win a match at the tournament and got serenaded with chants of “You’ve got school in the morning” by the boisterous fans.Littler’s new-found celebrity status has led to him and his family receiving complimentary tickets to watch Premier League ...

Buffalo Bills overcome deficiencies, missteps to set up showdown at Miami for AFC East title

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:50:04 GMT

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Don’t count the Buffalo Bills out of — or into — the playoffs just yet. This has, after all, been a team that’s not made much appear easy this season.It’s remarkable that the Bills (10-6) have made made it this far. They’ve won four straight and five of six as they prepare to close their schedule at Miami (11-5) with the AFC East title on the line on Sunday night.A win would secure the Bills their fourth straight division title and the AFC’s No. 2 seed. But a loss could leave them out of the playoffs altogether. If the Bills lose or tie, they would need a Pittsburgh loss or tie, a Jacksonville loss or tie or Houston’s game against Indianapolis finishing in a tie. The Dolphins have clinched a playoff berth.The Bills will know the math before kickoff, since their game is the last of the regular season.They’re in this position despite a patchwork defense, quarterback Josh Allen’s ongoing turnover troubles and an inconsistent offense that led to coordinat...

Price cuts boost Tesla’s 4Q sales, beating estimates as electric vehicle growth rate slows

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:50:04 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Steep price cuts helped electric vehicle maker Tesla Inc. increase its fourth-quarter vehicle sales by almost 20% as EV sales growth slowed across the industry.The Austin, Texas, company said Tuesday that it sold 484,507 vehicles worldwide from October through December. That handily beat Wall Street estimates of 473,000 for the quarter, according to data provider FactSet.For the full year, Tesla said it sold just over 1.8 million vehicles, up 37.7% from 2022 numbers. Full-year sales numbers fell far short of CEO Elon Musk’s prediction of 50% sales growth in most years. But the company did exceed an internal target for the year of 1.8 million vehicle sales.Tesla chopped prices in the U.S. multiple times during the year, at times by $20,000 on some of its higher-priced models. Even its lowest-price model, the rear-wheel-drive 3, saw a cut of at least $6,600. Industry analysts expect the price cuts to trim Tesla’s profit margins when it reports earnings on Ja...

U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez faces new allegation that he used clout to help businessman get deal with Qatari investment fund

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:50:04 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez faces new allegation that he used clout to help businessman get deal with Qatari investment fund.Source

Greenwood one of three Getafe players sent off in 2-0 loss to Rayo Vallecano in Spanish league

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:50:04 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Mason Greenwood was accused of insulting a referee in the Spanish league on Tuesday, becoming one of three Getafe players sent off in a 2-0 loss to Rayo Vallecano.The referee said in his post-match report that Greenwood insulted him in the 50th minute with an expletive in English, something that the British player and the Spanish club denied.“He doesn’t speak Spanish very well, he told me that he was saying something else,” Getafe coach José Bordalás said in his post-match interview. “He was frustrated because the referee was not calling any fouls on him, but he never offended anyone. It was just a comment that he made.”Referee Jorge Figueroa Vázquez also said in his report that, after being sent off, Greenwood made a gesture pointing to his head and expressing his disagreement with the decision.Greenwood is playing with Getafe on a loan from Manchester United, which he left at the end of last season following a criminal investigation into a possible attempted ra...

Trump appeals Maine decision barring him from ballot over Jan. 6 attack, and appeal of Colorado ballot ban is expected

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:50:04 GMT

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Trump appeals Maine decision barring him from ballot over Jan. 6 attack, and appeal of Colorado ballot ban is expected.Source

Analysis: Falling short in the playoffs won’t cut it for Lamar Jackson and the Ravens

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:50:04 GMT

On Football analyzes the biggest topics in the NFL from week to week. For more On Football analysis, head here.___Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens played their best football in the biggest games of the regular season.Now, they’ve got to do it in the playoffs.Jackson has been one of the NFL’s top players for several years, but the Ravens are just 1-3 in the playoffs with him.This season seems different. The Ravens have not only beaten the better teams, they’ve dominated them.Jackson boosted his chances for his second AP NFL MVP award with back-to-back sensational performances in lopsided wins over the 49ers (12-4) and Dolphins (11-5) to help the Ravens (13-3) secure the AFC’s No. 1 seed.He threw for 573 yards and seven touchdowns with a 145.3 passer rating and ran for 80 yards in the two games as the Ravens outscored both teams 89-38.In five games this season against teams that currently have 11 wins, Jackson has completed 90 of 125 passes (72%) for 1,339 yards, 13 TDs and two ...