Ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Yankees, Oakland will reportedly promote left-hander A.J. Puk from Triple-A in hopes he’ll shore up an inconsistent bullpen. Puk, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft, is eventually expected to become a starter for the organization. For now, though, his high-90s fastball and sharp slider could make him a primary late-inning option for manager Bob Melvin at a crucial point in the season....

The 2018-19 preseason outlook, however, seems a little more bleak. All three of those contenders lost significant pieces from their prosperous seasons. The top of the conference seems more open, which is good news for teams like Memphis and UCF, who do return some key players. MORE: Sporting News preseason top 25 Less apparent star power makes it less likely the conference will garner the same attention on a national level as it did last season, but the AAC still possesses a handful of teams that could make noise late into March....

But Wallace was found guilty of being an accessory after the murder, a spokesman for Bristol District Attorney Thomas Quinn told The Boston Globe, and could face a maximum term of seven years in prison. Hernandez was convicted of Lloyd’s murder on April 15, 2015, and sentenced to life in prison. MORE: Disgraced athletes: Where they went wrong Hernandez is also facing a double murder indictment in a separate case....

According to Fox Sports, prosecutors on Tuesday alleged that Hernandez grew angry with Lloyd after an incident at Rumor nightclub in Boston, and the former Patriots tight end went to his rented Chevrolet Suburban and grabbed a pistol. MORE: Aaron Hernandez timeline No shots were fired that night, and it’s not clear what exactly prosecutors allege angered Hernandez. But other witnesses Monday described Hernandez as angry. “His cheeks, like everything, looked tense....

“You don’t have time to get all the way there,’’ Judge said Friday, per the New York Post . “It’s the season. You’ve got to get back. Once I’m healthy enough to get back in games, I’ll get back out there.” The injury-riddled Yankees aren’t pressuring Judge to get back in the lineup. In fact, it’s just the opposite. “I talked to Aaron when I was there Tuesday, and he’s right on schedule,” Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner told The Associated Press ....

Naturally, he saved them for Kenny Mayne’s final time anchoring “SportsCenter.” Rodgers, one of several high-profile athletes making appearances on Monday’s episode of “SportsCenter,” opened his appearance by saying, “I’m just here so I won’t get fined” — an ode to former Cal teammate Marshawn Lynch, also scheduled to appear on “SportsCenter.” Rodgers and Mayne joked around, with the latter asking whether the Packers quarterback would be willing to use the Fan Controlled Football League as a bargaining chip with Green Bay....

Pittsburgh fans were intrigued by the viral moment between the two. Indeed, many wondered if it had any significant meaning, considering Rodgers’ uncertain future in Green Bay and the fact Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was already considered to be playing in his final season (his “Monday Night Football” game vs. the Browns is likely his last at Heinz Field). MORE: Aaron Rodgers’ MVP case: Will off-field COVID vaccination saga impact voting?...

Aaron Rodgers has been dealing with a toe injury in recent months that has kept him limited in practice, but not as much as limited in games as the season comes to a close. While there was a bit of confusion surrounding Rodgers’ toe, Rodgers himself took to Zoom to clear up any confusion surrounding the failing phalange. Here’s the latest on what Rodgers is playing through as the Packers close out the 2021 season:...

The 19-year-old, who joined Belarusian Women’s League side ZFK Minsk last year, believes she will be able to win the Uefa Women’s Champions League when she lands such an opportunity in England. ‘‘My aim is to play for Chelsea Ladies. I want to win the Women’s Champions League with Chelsea Ladies so I will do my best during the World Cup in France,’’ Abambilla told Spice FM. ‘‘Women football in Ghana doesn’t pay off financially....

The Bosnian Serbs were the principal aggressors during the war and, predictably, they have committed the most egregious violations. Vote rigging was so blatant that the elections team this month canceled the munic- ipal component of the elections–even though its instructions from Washington and the European Community clear- ly have been to see that the polling takes place no matter what. Officials express dismay at this outcome, but that can’t be taken at face value; their anti-fraud measures were weak and inconsistent....

Ironic, given that Abe had built his political reputation, and early popularity, on hawkish and pro-American policies. Now he has joined the ranks of colleagues including Spain’s José María Aznar, Italy’s Silvio Berlusconi and Britain’s Tony Blair, who found themselves pushed out of power when their support for America’s wars lost traction with their own countrymen. Others, from Pakistan’s Pervez Musharraf to Australia’s John Howard, face rising popular discontent over their ties to George W....

The man was captured in a group of anti-mask protesters who gathered outside Utah Governor Gary Herbert’s house in Orem, Utah on Sunday. He was featured as a quickly-seen bystander in the video footage from KSL News, a local NBC affiliate. The similarities in appearance between the man and Lincoln have TikTok users laughing at the idea of the late president looking upon 2020. While we’re sure it’s not actually Lincoln (just a reminder, he died in 1865) it’s an entertaining comparison that got over 2....

Arsenal confirm Kolasinac arrival The Switzerland international’s agent confirmed last week that his client was in talks with the Italian giants, and the club have now added fuel to the fire with a cryptic message of their own. Captioned “Soon”, the video posted on Twitter shows Rodriguez’s initials in Wolfsburg colours before the background soon changes to the red and black of Milan. The full-back has also arrived in Italy to complete his move, saying to reporters: “I am very happy to be here....

The 1995 Fifa Ballon d’Or winner and three-time African Player of the Year defeated 73-year-old Joseph Boakai to become the country’s 25th president. Weah succeeds Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who is the first elected female head of state in Africa. The AC Milan legend had indeed reaped the most votes in the first round of voting but he nonetheless failed to meet the required amount to secure election. And as a result, faced a run-off against the current vice-president, the Unity Party candidate Joseph Boakai – defeating him by clinching 12 of the 15 counties in the west African country....

It is the religion of intolerance, and its poison seems to have reached the soul of our nation. It currently masquerades, for many, under the organizational banner of Black Lives Matter (BLM) and the sloganeering banner of “social justice.” First came the “safe spaces” that were carved out on college campuses across the country. This is where students could find respite and retreat from the harsh reality of other people’s opinions that might be offensive and could make them feel “marginalized....

MORE: SN’s 2019 March Madness projections Virginia’s aiming for its second consecutive conference title with its veteran-heavy roster. The one team the Cavs haven’t been able to beat is the tremendously talented — and young — Duke team, which has given them both their losses in regular-season play. Those two teams, plus UNC, may be the favorites to earn the ACC’s automatic bid, but you can expect several conference teams to get a ticket to the Big Dance....

title: “Across The Divide” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-25” author: “Steven Hewes”

The coalition stopped the tax cuts by gathering enough signatures to keep the measure from being enacted until voters can decide in November 2022, according to The Associated Press. “In Arizona, you have to win five or six times if you’re trying to get policies that the governor and the Legislature don’t want,” said Joe Thomas, president of the Arizona Education Association, a group part of the activist coalition. “And so you have to win lawsuits as you’re filing, you have to win lawsuits when you deliver your signatures....

“In the past 48 hours, I’ve received about 500 literal death threats from white ‘Christians’ who want me to know that they will kill me before they will ever take down their statues of white Jesus,” King tweeted on Wednesday. “Christian whiteness has always been violent, though.” His comments come as Confederate monuments and statues representing colonialism have been torn down across the world in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis police custody and the subsequent protests demanding an end to systemic racism in America....

Most fighting dogs aren’t so lucky. If they don’t die of injuries suffered in the ring or get killed by their owners, they’re often euthanized by local authorities because they’re considered too dangerous to re-enter society. The ones that do survive breed more fighting dogs, and their puppies enter an ugly world where survival of the fittest is not just a cliché. This week’s federal indictment of NFL superstar Michael Vick, complete with stomach-turning allegations, has brought this blood sport to the front pages, but it’s really nothing new: organized fighting has been around as long as domesticated dogs....