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Presto’s Picks: Maryland, Virginia begin conference play, along with 6 top-10 teams

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:30:11 GMT

Dress rehearsals are nice, but there’s no substitute for being on stage facing the audience with the lights on and the curtain goes up for the first time. Maryland and Virginia both begin league play this weekend, and they’re not alone. Of the AP Top 25 teams in action this week, 16 will be playing conference openers.And that’s a good thing as we put college football’s bread course behind us, for the most part. No matter who you play outside your league, nobody knows what you can and can’t do better than those who reside in your neighborhood.So, after three tuneups, it’s time to see if Texas is really back and how wobbly Alabama might actually be. Will Michigan be hampered by an extremely soft nonleague slate? And will Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes continue to roam?No. 19 CU’s game at No. 10 Oregon is one of six matchups this week where both teams are ranked, and that doesn’t count a Clemson team that’s on the cusp of t...

Author Javier Zamora explores his immigrant journey to the US as a 9-year-old boy in ‘Solito’

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:30:11 GMT

WTOP is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. All this month, discover stories from the diverse Latino communities in the D.C. region, here at WTOP.com and on air at 103.5 FM.In 1999, Javier Zamora began his journey to the U.S. at 9 years old. The young boy from La Herradura, El Salvador, lived with his grandparents after his mother and father fled the country at different stages of his early childhood. His parents wanted to reunite with their son, but the journey was no easy feat.His family paid for human smugglers — known as “coyotes” — to take Zamora over 3,000 miles through Guatemala, Mexico and the Sonora Desert to make it to the U.S. After nine weeks, the Salvadoran boy finally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border on his third attempt and rejoined his family. Yet, going through the passage left a lasting impact.In 2019, Zamora, now a poet and educator, began documenting his passage as a form of therapy, which, two years later, became his memoir &#...

US breaking pros want to preserve Black roots, original style of hip-hop dance form at Olympics

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:30:11 GMT

As ambassadors of the country where breakdancing originated 50 years ago, members of Team USA have something to prove — and potentially to lose — when the hip-hop dance form makes its official debut at the Paris Games in 2024.That’s because for U.S. breakers like Carmarry Hall, Victor Montalvo and Jeffrey Mike Louis, it’s more than just nailing the right moves; it’s about preserving breaking’s soul.“When I started breaking, it wasn’t about competition; it was about culture, it was about Black dance,” said Hall, an African American Team USA member. “The Olympic platform is not going to appreciate the understanding. It’s structured in a certain way, and in that structure, you lose a little bit of the heart.”But it is precisely that structure that international competitors to the U.S. have zoned in on while battling for a shot at Olympic gold in head-to-head contests over the past year. And at the moment, Team USA’s squad of b-boys and b-girls, the term for male...

1 dead following shooting in Lauderhill

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:30:11 GMT

Tragedy struck Lauderhill Thursday night as one person lost their life in a shooting incident near Northwest 60th Avenue and 59th Way. The incident occurred around 8:30 p.m., prompting a swift response from Lauderhill Police and Fire Rescue units.Upon arrival at 2205 N.W. 59th Way, officers discovered an adult male in the roadway, critically injured with multiple gunshot wounds. Regrettably, the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.The Criminal Investigation Division (CID) and Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) teams also responded to the scene to gather further evidence and details surrounding the incident. Please note that the information provided is preliminary and subject to change as more facts emerge.Lauderhill Police are actively investigating this tragic shooting.

Brightline’s inaugural Miami to Orlando trip commences

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:30:11 GMT

In a historic moment, Brightline is set to embark on its maiden voyage from Miami to Orlando, marking the first private US passenger rail line to link two major Florida cities at high speed in 100 years. This new travel option promises convenience and accessibility for residents and tourists alike.Starting Friday, Brightline trains will operate between Miami and Orlando, providing a unique travel experience for those looking to journey between these vibrant cities. The train service offers a convenient alternative to traditional transportation methods.The journey from Miami to Orlando will make several stops along the way, with each stop averaging just two to four minutes. Travelers can purchase a Smart Ticket starting at $79 for a one-way trip, or $158 for a round trip. For those seeking an enhanced experience, Premium Tickets start at $149 for a one-way trip, offering a round trip for nearly $300.Brightline also introduces dynamic pricing, which may result in lower ticket prices f...

Orioles CEO John Angelos said ‘everything is stacked against’ small-market MLB teams. Is he right?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:30:11 GMT

The New York Yankees — the pinstriped enemy of so many American League teams and the owner of a record 27 World Series titles — always appear to have a leg up on the competition. With the magic wave of a checkbook, they can seemingly sign free agents that many other teams do not even consider. Each year, they spend more than their rivals, and this season aside, the results are often apparent.Baseball has a unique economic structure, one that favors teams in larger markets in a way that the NFL and NBA do not. It’s something that Orioles’ CEO and Chairman John Angelos often points to.“The hardest thing to do in sports,” Angelos said in a New York Times article last month, “is be a small-market team in baseball and be competitive, because everything is stacked against you — everything.”It’s true that Baltimore is a small market — meaning there are fewer people in its metropolitan area than most other MLB cities. Based u...

Analysis: As Orioles’ player spending plunged from pre-pandemic levels, team income and value soared

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:30:11 GMT

With a playoff spot in the bag, the Orioles’ rebuild is paying dividends on the field and seemingly in the team’s finances.Earlier this year, before the O’s remarkable 2023 season began, Forbes magazine valued the Baltimore MLB franchise at $1.7 billion, up 24% from a year earlier.According to Forbes’ annual analysis, Baltimore’s ballclub generated about $150 million in operating income during the prior two seasons. That’s a significant improvement from the years before the coronavirus pandemic when the O’s often lost money.As part of the rebuild, the Orioles focused on developing younger, inexpensive talent, shrinking its player payroll by shedding more expensive players that acted as a drag on its finances. According to Forbes, the Orioles went from spending more than $160 million a year on players in the 2016, 2017 and 2018 seasons to spending $66 million in 2021 and $83 million last year.Instead, the club has focused spending on more sus...

Should the Chicago Bulls trade for Damian Lillard or Buddy Hield? Exploring the pros — and cons — of both stars.

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:30:11 GMT

Training camp begins soon for the Chicago Bulls — but that hasn’t slowed the NBA trade rumor mill, which continues to churn as key players seek new homes for the 2023-24 season.After two conservative seasons, should executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas and the front office make a major move?Speculation surrounding a Damian Lillard trade reignited this week after Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports reported the Bulls have entered conversations to negotiate a multi-team trade to “get into the Lillard sweepstakes.” A day later, The Athletic reported Buddy Hield is seeking a trade from the Indiana Pacers, making one of the best 3-point shooters available.Both Lillard and Hield are enticing options for the Bulls, but a path to landing either star is unclear.Let’s start with the big one: could the Bulls land Lillard?The Bulls have floated around the outskirts of the Lillard negotiations — which appears to be thoroughly ...

Orioles’ Brandon Hyde ‘without question’ should be AL Manager of the Year. Just ask his players.

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:30:11 GMT

Amid the chaos of the Orioles’ post-playoff clinch celebration Sunday, outfielder Austin Hays reflected on the mayhem that preceded it.Baltimore spent the final three innings of an 11-inning victory against the Tampa Bay Rays with a pitcher in its lineup as manager Brandon Hyde abandoned the designated hitter in pursuit of a key victory. He deployed his bench again in the ninth, with speedster Jorge Mateo pinch-running for Hays and soon dashing home from first to tie the game. After further defensive shuffling, Hyde trusted slugger Ryan O’Hearn to lay down his first career sacrifice bunt, enabling Cedric Mullins to deliver a game-winning sacrifice fly.“He managed his [butt] off,” Hays said as champagne and beer sprayed around him. “For the last four innings, I’m looking up at the board and there’s a pitcher’s name in the lineup, and we’re trying to maneuver everything.“Hyder does an amazing job of just putting everybody in ...

Patriots already have NFL’s next great special teamer in Brenden Schooler

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:30:11 GMT

FOXBORO — By now you’ve seen the play, whether you were watching live on “Sunday Night Football” or caught ESPN’s Pat McAfee breaking it down on Twitter.Patriots special teamer Brenden Schooler — with a golden lion’s mane flowing out of his silver helmet — running along the line of scrimmage and turning upfield at the snap like Tyreek Hill on a wheel motion. But Schooler wasn’t motioning into a route, he was about to fling his 6-foot-1, 205-pound frame at a football traveling 90 MPH off the right leg of Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders to block a field goal.BLOCKED KICK : #MIAvsNE on NBC: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/FhXtx7w3wW pic.twitter.com/Algkk6q1IN— NFL (@NFL) September 18, 2023Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Source: Patriots add third QB Will Grier, place CB Marcus Jones on IR New England Patriots | Patriots-Jets injury report: Pats defensive starter returns Thursday, O-lineman downgraded New England Patriots | Patriots ...