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San Jose Sharks’ first round pick strengthens case to crack NHL roster out of camp

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:01 GMT

SAN JOSE – William Eklund hasn’t been shy about saying he wants to be on the San Jose Sharks’ roster for the regular season opener, now less than two weeks away.Eklund made a case for himself Saturday night, maybe his best of training camp so far, as he got a chance to kill penalties and be on the power play in what became a 2-1 overtime preseason loss to the Los Angeles Kings at SAP Center.Ekiund had 13:13 of ice time through two periods, third-most among the forward group, and finished with four shots on net. He moved well throughout the night and was perhaps more noticeable than he had been in his one prior exhibition game.“He’s done some good things at camp for sure,” Sharks coach David Quinn said of Eklund before Saturday’s game. “I thought (Friday’s) practice was a good practice for him. … So just continue to improve and play with that pace and tenacity he’s played with, which complements his skill. That’s why I’m so high on him because of the pace and his co...

Newsom rejects bill to give unemployment checks to striking workers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:01 GMT

By ADAM BEAM (Associated Press)SACRAMENTO — California won’t be giving unemployment checks to workers on strike, with Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoing a bill Saturday that had been inspired by high-profile work stoppages in Hollywood and the hotel industry.Newsom, a Democrat, says he supports workers and often benefits from campaign contributions from labor unions. But he said he vetoed this bill because the fund the state uses to pay unemployment benefits will be nearly $20 billion in debt by the end of the year.“Now is not the time to increase costs or incur this sizable debt,” Newsom wrote in a veto message.The fund the state uses to pay unemployment benefits is already more than $18 billion in debt. That’s because the fund ran out of money and had to borrow from the federal government during the pandemic, when Newsom ordered most businesses to close and caused a massive spike in unemployment. The fund was also beset by massive amounts of fraud that cost the state billions of...

Stefan Frei ties MLS lead with 12 shutouts and Sounders play Nashville to scoreless draw

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:01 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Stefan Frei made one save to help tie the MLS lead with 12 shutouts and the Seattle Sounders played Nashville to a scoreless draw on Saturday night.Seattle (12-9-10) is unbeaten in six straight regular-season matches, with four draws, for the first time in over two years. Nashville (12-9-9) had won each of its first two meetings with Seattle, each by a 1-0 scoreline, during the 2022 season. Joe Willis made three saves for his ninth shutout of the season for Nashville.Nashville has lost only one of its last 11 regular-season home matches, with six wins and four draws, dating to the beginning of April. Since joining the MLS in 2020, Nashville has lost just nine home matches.The teams take to the field again Wednesday, with Nashville hosting Orlando City while the Sounders host the LA Galaxy.___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerSource

Shea Langeliers’ 8th-inning homer sends A’s past Angels 7-3 after Joe Boyle’s no-hit bid broken up

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:01 GMT

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Even with a two-run deficit in the eighth inning of the 161st game of a 111-loss season, the Oakland Athletics were still fighting.Their manager loved to see that unceasing fire stay lit in an awfully dark year.Shea Langeliers hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the A’s five-run eighth inning, leading Oakland to a 7-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night.Zack Gelof homered and added two late RBI singles for the A’s, who earned their fourth victory in 16 games on the penultimate day of their franchise’s worst season since 1916.Oakland could have been crushed after Joe Boyle’s no-hit bid ended with LA’s three-run rally in the seventh, but nobody gave up.“These guys have competed, and they’ve gotten better,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “Tonight showed … in Game 161, going behind, the grit, the grind, the fight that’s in that room, the belief. These young players are starting to understand that co...

Verlander leads Astros over D-backs 1-0, and both teams clinch postseason spots

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:01 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks celebrated their return to the postseason with the typical party, a champagne-soaked fun fest in the clubhouse that eventually included a dip in the Chase Field swimming pool behind the right-center field wall.The Houston Astros celebrated their return to the postseason by doing — well, not much of anything.Considering the recent past for the two franchises, it made total sense.Justin Verlander threw five innings, José Abreu hit a run-scoring double and the Astros beat the Diamondbacks 1-0 as both teams clinched spots in the upcoming playoffs.Houston gets a chance to defend its World Series title after fighting through a tight American League wild-card race for the past several weeks. The Astros still have plenty to play for Sunday — they could clinch the AL West and a first-round bye with a win and a Texas loss.Manager Dusty Baker said there was a postgame toast after Saturday’s win and some bright orange playoff t-shirts were passed ou...

DeJean’s fourth-quarter punt-return TD lifts Iowa over Michigan State 26-16

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:01 GMT

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Cooper DeJean’s 70-yard punt return with less than four minutes to play helped give Iowa a 26-16 win over Michigan State on Saturday night.Iowa’s Ethan Hurkett recovered a fumble by Michigan State wide receiver Tre Mosley on the Spartans’ next possession to help clinch the win for the Hawkeyes (4-1, 1-1 Big Ten), who lost starting quarterback Cade McNamara to a left leg injury in the first quarter and trailed 16-10 early in the second half before rallying.“I feel like we learned a lot about our team today,” said linebacker Jay Higgins, who led the Hawkeyes with 12 tackles. “It was our first time being down to an opponent, and then coming back (to win). We did a great job of staying together.”“The bigger story right now is the resilience you saw from all of our players,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “At the end of the day, that can win a lot of football games.”With the score tied at 16, DeJean fielded Ryan Eckley’s punt near the center of the field and immedia...

Baylor stages remarkable comeback, ruins UCF Big 12 Conference home debut, 36-35

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:01 GMT

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Baylor erased a 35-7 third-quarter deficit, scoring 29 unanswered points and taking the lead on a 25-yard field goal from Isaiah Hankins with 1:21 left to play to beat Big 12 newcomer UCF 36-35 in the Knights’ first conference home game Saturday afternoon. The 28-point comeback marked the largest comeback in Baylor history and the largest comeback allowed in UCF history.UCF drove to the Baylor 41-yard line, including a wild fourth-down scramble from quarterback Timmy McClain that saw him backtrack from the 30-yard line to slip a tackle in the end zone before finding R.J. Harvey at the UCF 46-yard line for a 16-yard gain.But Colton Boomer missed a 59-yard field goal as time expired, sealing UCF’s defeat.“We have a bunch of guys on this team who just don’t give up,” Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen said. “The amount of work that we’ve put in, you can’t give up. There is no time to be giving up. We put in too much work to ge...

Guggenheim, Sharkey propel Nicholls to 31-10 victory over McNeese

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:01 GMT

LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) — Running back Collin Guggenheim threw a touchdown pass, Quinton Sharkey returned an interception for a score and Nicholls led start-to-finish in a 31-10 victory over McNeese in a Southland Conference opener for both teams on Saturday night.Guggenheim had a 2-yard touchdown toss to Neno Lemay on second-and-goal to give the Colonels (1-3) a 7-0 lead after one quarter.Pat McQuaide threw a 25-yard scoring strike to David Robinson Jr. early in the second quarter for a 14-0 advantage. Nate Glantz answered with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Jon McCall to pull the Cowboys (0-5) within seven. But Gavin Lasseigne kicked a 25-yard field goal, Sharkey followed with his pick-6 two plays later and Nicholls took a 24-7 lead into halftime.Garrison Smith kicked a 44-yard field goal in the third quarter for McNeese and Jaylon Spears scored on a 2-yard run in the fourth quarter for Nicholls to complete the scoring.McQuaide completed 14 of 24 passes for 120 yards for the Colonels....

Dynamo play FC Dallas to scoreless draw behind Steve Clark’s MLS-leading 12th clean sheet

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:01 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — Steve Clark made three saves for his MLS-leading 12th clean sheet of the season and the Houston Dynamo played FC Dallas to a scoreless draw on Saturday night.Houston (12-11-8) is unbeaten in its last 10 home matches against Dallas, with seven draws, dating to a defeat in August 2016. The home side has not lost any of the 19 meetings between the sides since the start of the 2017 season.Dallas (10-10-11), which has a win and two draws in its last three road matches, has gone three straight away matches unbeaten for the first time since April 2022.Maarten Paes had five saves for his seventh shutout this season for Dallas.The teams take to the pitch again Wednesday, with the Dynamo visiting CF Montreal while Dallas hosts the Colorado Rapids.___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerSource

Suspected DUI crash in Carl's Jr. drive-thru leaves one with major injuries

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:01 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A two-car collision in a drive-thru line at a Kearny Mesa Carl's Jr. on Saturday left one person hospitalized with major injuries, San Diego police said.The crash was reported to authorities around 6:40 p.m. in the 3800 block of Convoy Street. A Toyota Tacoma was traveling northbound on Kearny Mesa Road when the driver struck a curb, went airborne and landed on a Honda sedan that was stopped at one of the drive-thru windows.The driver of the Tacoma, identified as a 23-year-old man, was transported to a nearby hospital for major injuries, according to SDPD. His current condition or identity is not known at this time.The driver of the Honda, a 40-year-old woman, and two elderly passengers sustained minor injuries in the crash, police added.Officers with the SDPD traffic division are investigating the incident and remain on scene as of 9 p.m. Saturday night. At this time, officers believe that the driver of the Tacoma was driving under the influence of alcohol.As of 9:30 p...