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Twins’ Max Kepler on offensive breakthrough: ‘Healthy toes and a healthy mind’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:35:55 GMT

Max Kepler’s dramatic turnaround — most of which has happened in the second half of this season — can be explained in a multitude of ways.But the right fielder does so simply.“I’m healthy,” he said. “I’ve got healthy toes and a healthy mind. It helps.”Kepler hit .211 in 2021, posting a 98 OPS+. A year later, he hit .227 with a 92 OPS+ (100 is league average) and just nine home runs, down from 19 a season before and 36, his career high, in 2019. The season was disrupted by a broken pinky toe, suffered in July when he was hit by a pitch.“Last year, I was playing with a fractured toe for a while which, people might care or not, but it affected my game, personally,” Kepler said. “So I’m just happy to be healthy, mentally and physically.”While he had a slow start to this season — he was slashing .207/.279/.409 at the all-star break — his second-half numbers have shown a return to peak form for the outfielder. In the second half of the season, those numbers have improved...

Record-setting California Powerball jackpot still unclaimed

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:35:55 GMT

This summer was marked by not one, but two record-setting lottery jackpots that ballooned at the same time. The first to pop was a $1.08 billion Powerball jackpot won in California, and the other a $1.602 billion Mega Millions jackpot hit in Florida.Yet we still don’t know who the winners are. Will we ever? The short answer is yes, but it could be a while. It’s most likely the Powerball winner we’ll get to know first. A ticket matching all six winning numbers drawn on July 19 — 7, 10, 11, 13, and 24, and red Powerball 24 — was sold at the Las Palmitas Mini Market in downtown Los Angeles.  Can a lottery jackpot winner remain anonymous? Not in these states Initially, it was believed the lucky winner was spotted at the store just days after the drawing. But the granddaughter of the store’s co-owner later told Daily Mail that woman wasn’t the winner. The real winner has yet to be confirmed. In California, winners of such large payouts have one full year from the da...

Kurtenbach: The 49ers’ perfect start justifies this team’s preseason hype

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:35:55 GMT

All that preseason hype for the 49ers looks justified.Yes, it was only one game. But what a game it was.The 49ers didn’t just beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-7 Sunday in the season opener, they smacked their opponents around.Brock Purdy threw two touchdowns to Brandon Aiyuk, Christian McCaffrey scored on a 65-yard run, and the Niners’ defense forced Pittsburgh to go three-and-out on their first five series, giving San Francisco a 20-0 lead that was never challenged.At one point in the first half, the Niners had out-gained the Steelers 231 yards to 1.If you watch college football, you’ve seen this type of game before: It was the big, blue-chip school taking on the small, lower-division regional college.But instead of Alabama against Southeast Louisiana State, it was two professional teams in the NFL’s era of parity.The Niners entered this season expecting to have the best defense in the NFL and one of the league’s most talented offenses. No one can argue...

Group of juveniles involved in fight at Westfield mall: SFPD

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:35:55 GMT

(KRON) -- A fight broke out late Saturday afternoon at Westfield mall in San Francisco. The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) said officers responded to a report of a fight involving a group of juveniles around 5:45 p.m.One of the individuals in the fight "may have had a knife," SFPD said. Officers, however, arrived after most of the juveniles involved had already left the scene. No arrests were made.Officers met with mall security who directed them to one of the juveniles involved who remained on scene.The juvenile said he hit his head on an object during the fight, according to SFPD. The extent of his injuries is unknown, and he refused medical treatment. He was later released to the custody of a parent. Bowling alley opens at Westfield Valley Fair SFPD did not confirm whether or not this fight happened inside or outside the Westfield mall. No other information was released by SFPD.

Bates flourishes with 2 picks and a forced fumble in debut for new-look Falcons defense

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:35:55 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Safety Jessie Bates led a cast of new veteran starters on the Atlanta Falcons’ defense that was dominant against Carolina rookie quarterback Bryce Young, especially in the second half.“Honestly, it was my day. I felt good,” Bates said after the Falcons’ season-opening 24-10 win over the Panthers on Sunday.Bates stood out with 10 tackles, two interceptions, a forced fumble and two pass deflections in his memorable first home game as the Falcons’ safety.Linebacker Troy Andersen also had 10 tackles and was credited with a shared sack.The spotlight in the matchup of NFC South rivals was on the two rookie first-round picks, Young and Atlanta running back Bijan Robinson. Robinson showed his speed, power and elusiveness on an 11-yard touchdown reception early in the second quarter.Bates and the defense took the lead from there.Bates signed a $64 million, four-year deal with Atlanta after starting 79 games in five seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. Bates h...

3 Woodbridge teenagers found with 1,000 fentanyl pills, 2 handguns during traffic stop

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:35:55 GMT

Three 19-year-olds were found with over 1,000 fentanyl pills and two loaded handguns during a traffic stop Thursday for speeding on I-95, according to the Spotsylvania’s Sheriff’s Office.The three teenagers from Woodbridge were identified by police as D’Shon A. Mims, Jada Sales-Perez and Francisco D. Chavarria.Police say, around 5:30 p.m. Thursday, a traffic stop was attempted after they saw a sedan with no front tags speeding on the interstate. Officers then saw the driver, Mims, move into the back seat while Sales-Perez, who was in the passenger seat, took over the wheel while the car was moving.The vehicle then abruptly stopped in the right travel lane at the 124 mile marker, where police say they located over 1,000 fentanyl pills and the two loaded semi-automatic handguns.Police say Mims was arrested for possession with the intent to distribute a schedule I/II narcotic, possessing a firearm while in possession of a schedule I/II narcotic, concealed weapon, obst...

Bigsby makes amends for big mistake by helping Jags earn rare 31-21 victory at Indy

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:35:55 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Tank Bigsby had the perfect response for his rookie mistake.He scored Sunday’s go-ahead touchdown.Travis Etienne Jr. made sure the Colts paid dearly for their own miscue with his game-sealing run.Together, they helped the Jaguars end their misery at Indianapolis. Bigsby’s 1-yard scoring run with 5:14 left gave the defending AFC South champs the lead and Etienne’s 26-yard TD run following an interception closed out the 31-21 victory that snapped their five-game skid at Lucas Oil Stadium.“I think everybody rallied behind him (Bigsby),” quarterback Trevor Lawrence said. “It was kind of a weird play, but you move on. We kept giving him the ball and that shows the faith we have in him to put the ball in his hands. That was a big touchdown.”It was an emotional day for Bigsby.Officially, he logged seven carries for 13 yards and had no receptions. But the one touch that didn’t show up in the box score nearly turned him into the Week 1 goat. After casually catching a ball...

USA TODAY SPORTS ACFA COLLEGE FOOTBALL COACHES POLL

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:35:55 GMT

USA TODAY SPORTS AFCA COLLEGE FOOTBALL COACHES POLL, Sept. 10, 2023.The USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll Top 25 with first-place votes received, team’s records, total points based on 25 for first place through one point for 25th and ranking in last weeks poll.RecordPtsPvs 1. Georgia (64)2-016241 2. Michigan (1)2-0153323. Florida State2-0144154. Ohio State2-0140145. Southern California3-0131966. Texas2-01318107. Penn State2-0122978. Washington2-0112989. Tennessee2-01039910. Alabama1-11016311. Notre Dame3-010041112. Utah2-08931213. Oregon2-08701314. LSU1-17141415. Kansas State2-06751516. Oklahoma2-05841717. Oregon State2-05621818. North Carolina2-05061619. Mississippi2-05032020. Duke2-03632421. Colorado2-03572522. Clemson1-12072123. Miami (Fla.)2-0195NR24. Iowa2-0166NR25. UCLA2-0101NRDropped Out: No. 19 Wisconsin (1-1); No. 22 Tulane (1-1); No. 23 Texas A&M (1-1).Others Receiving Votes: Washington State (2-0) 80; Kentucky (2-0) 38; TCU (1-1) 26; Auburn (2-0) 23; Texas A&...

Morel, Bellinger Swanson connect in 3rd, Cubs power past Diamondbacks 5-2

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:35:55 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Christopher Morel, Cody Bellinger and Dansby Swanson each hit solo homers in the third inning, and the Chicago Cubs snapped a three-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday.Swanson added two singles and Kyle Hendricks tossed 5 2/3 effective innings to help Chicago (77-67) strengthen its hold on the second NL wild card spot and close to within three of first-place Milwaukee in the NL Central.Arizona’s four-game winning streak ended, but the Diamondbacks (75-69) remained in the third wild-card spot. Arizona held the Cubs to just four runs in winning the first three games of the series.“I”m proud of how we came back today, bounced back,” Bellinger said. “Overall, we had a lot of good swings. You know, for us try to pick it up a little bit, do our part and as an offense help the team win, we did a good job today.”Morel hit his 21st homer, Bellinger his 25th and Swanson his 20th off rookie right-hander Brandon Pfaadt, who was orig...

Deion Sanders brings Prime Time to Colorado and makes Folsom Field the epicenter of college football

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:35:55 GMT

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — A year after the Colorado Buffaloes’ only victory came on a disputed touchdown in overtime, Folsom Field is suddenly the epicenter of college football.Tickets can set fans back more than $400, and Deion Sanders’ guest list never disappoints. For his home coaching debut Saturday, fellow Hall of Famers Michael Irvin, Terrell Owens and Shannon Sharpe were in attendance, along with the Wu-Tang Clan.With thousands of students itching to storm the field as the resurgent Buffaloes were putting the finishing touches on their 36-14 drubbing of Nebraska, Fox announced that its “Big Noon Kickoff” set would remain in Boulder for another week.Fox originally had planned to pack up and head to Champaign, Illnois, for the Penn State-Illinois matchup. Instead, the network will feature the Rocky Mountain Showdown when the Buffaloes (2-0) host Colorado State (0-1) on Saturday night.The Rams-Buffs game isn’t exactly a marquee matchup, but the draw here is Coach P...