GLENDALE, Ariz. — They have become the unicorns of Major League Baseball — two-way catchers, players who can handle the difficult defensive demands behind the plate and also contribute offensively. Last year, big-league catchers had the lowest batting average (a cumulative .229), on-base percentage (.305), slugging percentage (.391) and, naturally, OPS (.697) of any position…
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By JOHN WAWROW BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — A long list of injuries prevented Andreas Athanasiou from making an offensive impact for the Los Angeles Kings for much of this season. On Sunday, in his first game back after missing five nursing an undisclosed ailment, Athanasiou put on display what he’s capable of by scoring twice…
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By RONALD BLUM NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball reacted angrily to the latest offer by locked-out players when bargaining resumed Sunday, accusing the union of backtracking and showing no sign of a breakthrough to get the derailed season back on track. The squabbling sides talked for 95 minutes on the 95th day of…
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What we learned on the final weekend of the regular season in Pac-12 men’s basketball. 1. Oregon missed its chance As a classic NCAA Tournament bubble-sitter — a team with several premium wins and a slew of abysmal losses — the Ducks could not afford to lose to either Washington or Washington State. And they…
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Bedbugs, once associated with crowded and dirty living quarters, have become a more widespread problem in recent years. They can be found anywhere – from public transportation to nice hotels. Like most unwelcome guests, they are notoriously difficult to get rid of. These bloodsucking beasties live anywhere humans live. Although they can feed on other…
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A man dubbed the “Black & White Sneaker Bandit” was recently seen on camera allegedly robbing at least eight banks across central and north Orange County, according to federal investigators. The FBI in Los Angeles released images of the man taken from bank security cameras in Fullerton, Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa. The photos show…
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Is war really an art? More like a craft, let’s say. Like plumbing. Plumbing is good, and we don’t want to live without it. But Monet’s water lilies it is not. Still and all, politicians — and generals of the army — are forever quoting Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War,” from the 5th century…
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By Jeff Lowenfels Like the swallows returning to Capistrano, seed racks are back! These harbingers of spring are now appearing in stores and nurseries all over North America, exciting gardeners with visions of a new gardening season. Without dampening the excitement that these spinning or stationary racks generate, I do suggest that both novice and…
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Anyone in California who would like to open an individual retirement account can walk into, or log into, any number of well-established financial services companies to see an array of options. One of those options is to have an automatic recurring withdrawal from current earnings or savings. It’s a useful way to “pay yourself first”…
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By YURAS KARMANAU LVIV, Ukraine (AP) — A second attempt to evacuate civilians from a besieged city in southern Ukraine collapsed Sunday as Russian attacks stopped plans to create a humanitarian corridor, a Ukrainian government official said, and Pope Francis called for an end to the “rivers of blood and tears” created by the war.…
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