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Officials highlight Fenway Park improvements ahead of Red Sox Opening Day 

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:17:08 GMT

Opening Day for the Red Sox at Fenway Park this year will bring with it a series of improvements at the concession stands and beyond. With Opening Day now just around the corner, officials gathered at Fenway Park this week to showcase items including a revamped locker room for the Red Sox, new LED field lighting and expanded artificial intelligence self check-out. “We have definitely turned the page,” Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner said. “It’s been a great vibe in spring training all March and [we’re] really looking forward to getting going here on Thursday.”Mayor Michelle Wu got a walk through Fenway’s improvements on Tuesday. The improvements, officials said, are all aimed at delivering a better experience. New food favorites are also coming to the ballpark, including gluten free pizza, helmet nacho dish and crispy avocado fries.With the first pitch just a few days away, officials said Boston has much to look forward to.“We need to stay healthy, grind at bats, throw st...

New MBTA GM will collect $185K pension from New York on top of $470K Boston salary

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:17:08 GMT

Incoming MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng will be taking in a roughly $185,000 pension from New York while being paid more than half a million dollars during his first year in Boston.Eng, former president of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Long Island Rail Road, came out of retirement to work for the MBTA, but remains retired with the New York State and Local Employees’ Retirement System, which is paying him a gross monthly pension of $15,357.39, according to a spokesperson for the New York State Comptroller’s office.Eng, who stepped down from his MTA post in February 2022, retired from New York’s ERS the following month, March 31, 2022, the spokesperson said. His monthly pension equates to $184,288 in annual compensation, which he can continue to collect while working at the MBTA, where he will be one of the highest-paid transit leaders in the country.“Mr. Eng’s post-retirement employment with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation would not impact his continuing to recei...

Red Sox top prospect Ceddanne Rafaela back in Double-A to start season

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:17:08 GMT

Ceddanne Rafaela will begin the 2023 season in Double-A Portland.It’s a decision that may come as a surprise as the 22-year-old top prospect emerged as a formidable defender when he moved from shortstop to the outfield last year, and draws comparisons to a young Mookie Betts.Rafaela skyrocketed to No. 3 in the Red Sox farm system, and finished the year as the organization’s Minor League Defensive Player of the Year. He also hit .299/.342/.539 with 32 doubles, 10 triples, and 21 home runs, 82 runs scored, 86 RBI, and 28 stolen bases between High-A (45 games) and Double-A (71 games).Added to the 40-man roster last November to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft, this was Rafaela’s first spring at major league camp. He appeared in 16 Grapefruit League games, going 7-for-32 with no extra-base hits, five runs, four RBI, a walk, and six strikeouts. He also went 1-for-3 in stolen-base attempts before the Red Sox optioned him to the minor leagues on March 13.A small, but underwhelming sample ...

Anthony Volpe caps-off stellar spring with standout performance in Yankees’ exhibition game vs. Nationals

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:17:08 GMT

The Anthony Volpe spring show featured a grand finale with a highly-anticipated encore beginning Thursday.The Yankees fell to the Nationals 3-0 Tuesday at Nationals Park in Washington D.C. in an exhibition matchup as a final tune-up before the regular season kicks off on Thursday.With a lineup that featured most of their likely Opening Day starters — excluding Giancarlo Stanton who had the afternoon off — Volpe was slotted in the No. 9 spot and displayed exactly why his 22 games at Triple-A were deemed enough to make the major league roster.In the bottom of the second, Nationals’ shortstop CJ Abrams ripped a grounder up the middle in which Volpe gathered with a full extension dive and fired to first in time. A few minutes later, the 21-year-old ripped a 101.2 mph single to left field and capped off his performance with a stellar running full-extension catch that knocked him off his feet in the bottom of the fourth.The New Jersey native finished 1-for-2 on the after...

Hingham man indicted on charges in deadly Apple Store crash

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:17:08 GMT

The 53-year-old Hingham man accused of slamming his SUV into an Apple Store, killing one person and seriously injuring 22 others, has been indicted on charges in connection to the deadly crash.Bradley Rein on Tuesday was indicted on one count of murder in the second degree and one count of motor vehicle homicide by reckless operation in the death of 65-year-old Kevin Bradley, who lived in Wayne, N.J.The Plymouth County grand jury also voted to indict Rein on reckless operation of a motor vehicle; 18 counts of aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon; and four counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon for injuring 22 other people in the wreck.Rein allegedly drove his SUV through the Hingham Apple Store’s plate glass storefront window at around 10:45 a.m. on Nov. 21, leaving a gaping hole in the storefront.Hingham Police responded to the crash in the Derby Shops after receiving 911 calls about a vehicle plowing into the store’s window, with multip...

Orioles return Rule 5 pick Andrew Politi to Red Sox as bullpen competition narrows

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:17:08 GMT

One former Rule 5 pick being put in the Orioles’ rotation opened a potential spot in their bullpen for another. But right-hander Andrew Politi’s time in the organization came to an end Tuesday.Baltimore returned the 26-year-old to the Boston Red Sox after he cleared waivers. Taken in December’s Rule 5 draft, Politi was required to remain on the Orioles’ active roster all season to be guaranteed of staying with the organization, but he was designated for assignment for Baltimore to select the contract of left-hander Danny Coulombe, who the team acquired in a trade for cash with the Minnesota Twins on Monday.When the Orioles decided to give right-hander Tyler Wells their fifth rotation spot over top prospect Grayson Rodriguez, it seemingly created a place in their bullpen that could have gone to Politi. A Rule 5 draft choice before the 2021 season, Wells pitched in relief that year and briefly served as the Orioles’ closer but returned to the rotation in ...

What's the forecast for Padres Opening Day?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:17:08 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Our weather team may sound like a broken record, but here we go again with more rain headed for San Diego.Another storm system on the horizon will bring widespread light rain, strong winds and mountain snow Wednesday and Thursday.Satellite imagery showed a strong low-pressure system off the coast of Oregon and Northern California Tuesday morning. It's expected to take a dive southward and closer to Central California by late Wednesday, but will lose intensity as it moves closer to San Diego County. What to know about Padres Opening Day In Southern California, onshore flow has started to increase. Winds will be consistent over the course of Wednesday with strongest gusts in mountain communities. Rain will move in by late morning Wednesday with widespread showers expected in the afternoon. That is the first round of precipitation with this system. The second round will happen Wednesday night into Thursday and feature showery conditions with chances of thunderstorms...

Army quickly plans new ads after Jonathan Majors’ arrest

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:17:08 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Army is working to quickly pull together some new recruiting ads to air during the NCAA’s Final Four basketball games this weekend, after being forced to yank commercials that featured actor Jonathan Majors, in the wake of his arrest last Saturday.Army leaders had been excited to feature Majors in the ads, as a key part of their new campaign aimed at reviving the service’s struggling recruiting numbers — which fell far short of their enlistment goal last year. They believed the ads would capitalize on Majors’ popularity coming off his recently released “Creed III” and “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania,” movies — hoping it would help them reach the youth audience.Last weekend, however, they pulled the ads off the air when Majors was arrested in New York on charges of strangulation, assault and harassment. New York City police said the actor was involved in a domestic dispute with a 30-year-old woman. But a lawyer for Majors, Priya Chaudhry, has said...

Carlson, Hannity among potential witnesses at Fox News trial

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:17:08 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Bret Baier are among the stars who both Fox News and the voting machine company suing it for defamation have signaled could testify if the case heads to trial next month.They are among the names submitted this week as potential witnesses by Fox and Dominion Voting Systems, although it doesn’t guarantee that they will appear in court. It still isn’t certain there will be a trial. Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis is expected to make a summary judgment ruling in favor of either side or to go forward with a trial.Dominion has accused Fox of airing false allegations that the company was engaged in voter fraud during the 2020 election even though many at the network doubted the claims were true. Fox says it was lawfully reporting on newsworthy developments.Carlson, Hannity and Baier all worried privately after the election that Fox’s early declaration that Democrat Joe Biden had won the key state of Arizona had dam...

Family of girl, 5, whose fingertip was partially amputated in incident suing Hamilton school board

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:17:08 GMT

The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) is being sued after a bullying incident reportedly caused a severe injury to the finger of a five-year-old girl, with the youth’s family accusing the board of doing nothing to stop it.In a press conference Tuesday, the girl’s mother, Sjanita-Marie Harrison, said her daughter had to have part of her fingertip amputated following an incident in a school washroom in November of 2022.Harrison alleges a student at Prince of Wales Elementary slammed the door on then-four-year-old Autymn-Rose’s hand, crushing one of her fingers. She also claims her daughter was put in an ambulance and was not accompanied by school personnel.“She had [also] hit her head and was in obvious distress, both physically and emotionally and mentally. Throughout this entire process of my child being in this condition. I was left in the dark,” Harrison claimed.The lawsuit alleges the board did not act in a reasonable manner to prevent...