Daily Archives: June 2, 2021

Chili's (EAT) on Tuesday entered the white hot battlefield of fast food chicken, boasting that it was "ready to put all other chicken sandwiches to shame" with its new menu item.

On Tuesday, the fast casual chain introduced the Chilis Chicken Sandwich, which includes a hand-battered, breaded chicken breast topped with a "secret sauce," nestled between a buttered and toasted brioche bun. The sandwich is topped with a tomato slice, lettuce, and comes with a side of fries.

We didnt want to create just another chicken sandwich. Were all about food perfection and wanted to create the best chicken sandwich and that takes time," Chili's said in a statement.

Like Burger King's recently-released Ch'King, Chili's added that it had tested the new sandwich "over a year to ensure we give our guests the perfect bite," the company added.

Chicken sandwich fanatics, however, will only have a limited window to try the new item, since it will only be available on menus nationwide from Tuesday through June 30th.

Customers can order the latest creation at a Chili's restaurant location, to-go, or through delivery on the app.

As fast food chains ramp up their digital offerings, Chili's is including its reward program in this launch. For My Chilis Rewards members, it costs $10 dollars as part of its 3 for $10 dollar offering that includes a non-alcoholic beverage, an appetizer and an entre.

(Courtesy: Chilis)

Chili's is the lastest company to take a shot at scoring big on the public's seemingly bottomless appetite for poultry, even as competition stiffens in the fast food industry.

Along with Burger King (QSR), Taco Bell (YUM) has released a Naked Chicken Chalupa and a Chicken Sandwich Taco early this year. Separately, McDonald's (MCD) debuted its chicken sandwich with three different versions back in February.

Other fast food chains to introduce a new chicken sandwich creation this year include KFC, Wendy's, Arbys, Jimmy Johns and Shake Shack (SHAK).

Brooke DiPalma is a producer and reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter at @BrookeDiPalma or email her at bdipalma@yahoofinance.com. Check out her latest:

See more here:

Chilis jumps into chicken fray, boasts sandwich that will 'shame' competition - Yahoo Finance

Last week I did a second chance NFBC draft, which has an overall prize. It was the first draft, so zero ADP data was available, making things extra wild. It was interesting to see the difference between drafters valuing whats happened so far versus pre-season expectations. I went extremely pitcher-heavy early just as I did back in March. As expected, given how MLB has played so far in 2021 (and how pitching stats stabilize faster), others shared the same strategy. Here are the draft results, Im team No. 5.

Round-by-round results from a recent NFBC draft.

Lets highlight the biggest risers and fallers compared to Yahoo preseason ADP:

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in Round 1 is something that figures to happen perennially moving forward. Although fantasy managers have to be sad to see the team leave Florida, which had been one of the very best hitters parks this season (and where Vlad posted a 1.418 OPS).

J.D. Martinez went early second and now looks like a bargain in spring with a Yahoo ADP of 78.2 back in March. Hes also recently become OF eligible in most formats.

I was hoping for Tyler Glasnow in Round 2 but settled for Corbin Burnes, who leads MLB starters in CSW.

Weve finally found a league with a bigger Kevin Gausman fan than me. Round 2!

Jesse Winkers power is legit, and a strong batting average helps more than ever, but I cant get on board taking a hitter who doesnt steal bags this high (23rd overall). This is also jumping his spring ADP nearly 200 spots and 17 rounds based on two months.

Joe Musgrove and Zack Wheeler both went in Round 3 and have made the leap into aces, while Shohei Ohtani was another who unsurprisingly saw his draft value skyrocket since spring. Ohtani is currently the No. 3 ranked fantasy hitter in Yahoo leagues, so Round 3 may have been a bargain actually. He leads baseball in Barrel% and max exit velocity both by a mile.

Sixteen of the first 29 picks were starting pitchers. There were just 10 SPs in the top-30 Yahoo ADP before the season.

Story continues

Adolis Garcia and Jared Walsh went from undrafted in most fantasy leagues in March to fourth-round picks here. Its hard to argue against Garcias production, but his K/BB ratio is worrisome. THE BAT X projects a .224 batting average rest of season. Walsh has seen Albert Pujols leave and Anaheim continue to play as arguably baseballs best hitters park for lefties.

With so few elite closers locked into roles (punting any category isnt an option if you want to compete in the overall component), the top tier rightfully flew off the board rounds 4/5.

Christian Yelich has disappointed in the power department, but any injury risk was well worth his upside in Round 5. Hes still walking a ton, and the homers could come in bunches if hes over his back issues.

Trevor Rogers, Carlos Rodon and Alex Reyes made huge ADP leaps, all going in Round 5. While theres almost no chance either starter will match their performance moving forward, the lefties both rank top-20 in CSW and are absolutely the real deal. Reyes continues to walk a tightrope, somehow allowing just two earned runs all season despite 25 walks over 28.0 innings. At least his main competition for saves may soon see a downtick in spin rate.

Kris Bryant is somehow blowing away his previous career-highs both in batting average and wRC+ while approaching age 30.

Francisco Lindor, who was a mid-second round pick in spring drafts, had me briefly veer from my early pitching run. He now calls home to a much bigger pitchers park, but Lindors real trouble with his new team has been on the road (.492 OPS). Its been an extremely ugly two months, but Lindor in Round 6 was an easy call for me.

Anthony Rendon had a top-30 ADP but lasted until the eighth round here. His Statcast numbers dont suggest hes been unlucky, but Rendon remains a good bet to bounce back. Cedric Mullins went undrafted in fantasy leagues and was taken shortly thereafter in Round 9, so things have changed.

Freddy Peralta has lived up to his late spring ADP helium and has even surpassed his lofty expectations. Fastball Freddy ranks top-20 in CSW and couldve easily gone five rounds earlier in the same Rogers/Rodon tier instead of the 10th round. Hopefully the Brewers offense can start providing their star pitchers more run support.

Buster Posey opted out of last season, and the rested version (another year removed from hip surgery) has returned as the best hitting catcher (181 wRC+) in baseball by a wide margin in 2021. His .331 batting average is simply incredible given his position and the fact the current league-wide BA (.236) is the lowest in MLB history. Its also crazy Posey is slugging 50+ points higher than his previous career-high at age 34. In a two-catcher format, he was arguably a gigantic steal in Round 10.

Buster Posey is in the midst of a great season after opting out of the 2020 campaign. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Luis Castillo was the SP12 in Yahoo drafts this spring, but its easy to see why he slipped all the way to Round 11 with a 7.22 ERA and a 1.78 WHIP so far in 2021. His fastball has weirdly been getting pounded this season, but hes almost certainly due for better luck (although the Reds poor defense and extreme hitters park arent going away). Castillo was likely a good gamble on regression here.

We all played a game of chicken with Blake Snell, who was a common early third-round pick during Main Events in March yet lasted all the way to Round 13 here. And that was before he was annihilated in Houston on Sunday. Moving from the AL East to the National League and Petco Park, Snell somehow sports a 5.55 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP. Hes been a disaster and would go even later in drafts today but has too much upside to give up on. Snell has had a really tough schedule but ranks top-25 in CSW and gets an upcoming home start (2.10 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP in San Diego this season).

To say Alek Manoah passed the eye test during his first start would be an understatement. After throwing four straight balls to open his MLB career, the rookie finished with six scoreless innings during a win in Yankee Stadium. Manoah was Torontos 2019 first-round pick and was absolutely dominant during limited work in Triple-A this year, posting a 0.50 ERA with a 0.56 WHIP and a 36.4 K-BB% that would lead MLB right now. Manoah went for $300+ in NFBC leagues this weekend and is a must-add in all fantasy leagues. I made a mistake not taking him in Round 18 here.

Dylan Bundy has been a massive disappointment, not only posting an ugly 6.50 ERA but also failing to record a win this season. But thats come with a 3.19 expected ERA, as Bundy has been incredibly unlucky. He ranks top-15 in CSW, so I was happy to grab him in Round 19, although its hard to tell if I couldve waited longer given his ugly cosmetic stats.

Kenta Maeda in Round 27 felt like a steal, as I wouldnt mind stashing him on my bench for a bit while he fully healed his groin injury. Only problem is weve since learned hes also been dealing with a hidden arm injury all season, so at least I have an easy first drop decision.

Follow Dalton Del Don on Twitter

The rest is here:

Fantasy Baseball's biggest risers and fallers since the start of the season - Yahoo Sports

Tito Ortizs time in public office in Southern California has come to an end.

Ortiz officially resigned from his post on the Huntington Beach City Council and as the mayor pro tem on Tuesday night, according to the OC Registers Susan Golding.

The UFC Hall of Famer cited leaks at City Hall and character assassination by the media as the reasons for his resignation, though its not quite clear what he is referring to.

Ortizs short stint in public office was full of controversy, almost from the very beginning.

Ortiz tried to attend a planning meeting at a Huntington Beach library days after he was elected in November 2020, but wasnt let in because he refused to wear a mask. He then called into the meeting from his car, as his anti-mask stance was part of his campaign.

His anti-mask tirade continued for months both in meetings and around town, and even caused a weird feud with a burger joint.

Ortiz was voted as the mayor pro tem the day he was sworn into office, though other council members tried to vote him out with a vote of no confidence. That fizzled out.

Ortiz also filed for unemployment on Feb. 20, though he was still in office and being paid for that part-time position. Ortiz owns two businesses in town and a $4 million home, per the report. Huntington Beach Mayor Kim Carr believes that Ortiz may have committed fraud with this claim.

Ortiz held a 21-12-1 MMA record in his career, and last fought for the UFC in 2012 the same year the now 46-year-old was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

More from Yahoo Sports:

View post:

Tito Ortiz resigns from Huntington Beach City Council after controversial time in office - Yahoo Sports

One hundred years ago, on May 31, 1921, an angry white mob beat and murdered at least 300 Black residents in a Tulsa, Okla., neighborhood known as Black Wall Street. The incident became known as the Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the worst acts of racial violence in U.S. history.

But two years prior to the carnage in Tulsa, another violent wave of hate, which came to be known as the Red Summer of 1919, took hold in the country.

Just a year after the end of World War I, the U.S. was coming out of a third wave of the Spanish flu epidemic. Many white Americans had returned home from Europe to find more than 500,000 Black Americans had migrated from the South to northern cities and had taken many factory, warehouse and low-level government jobs.

Racial tensions flared as whites began to blame Black migrants for spreading the flu and began to seize on rumors, amplified by local newspapers, that Black men were assaulting white women.

During the summer of 1919, more than two dozen race riots broke out in at least 26 cities across the country, including Washington, D.C., Omaha, Neb., and Knoxville, Tenn., that NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson attributed to an "ever-present white fear of a loss of social status and dominance.

Conflicts between groups of white and Black residents in the summer of 1919 were a frequent occurence in several U.S. cities. (Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)

The worst of the violence took place in Chicago, where 8 days of rioting was sparked on July 27, 1919, after a Black teen, Eugene Williams, floated his raft into a whites-only section of Lake Michigan. A white man threw rocks at the teen and he drowned, according to the Chicago Tribune, touching off several days of unrest after police refused to arrest the man eyewitnesses said caused the teen to drown. By the time the rioting ended on Aug. 3, two dozen Black people and 15 white people had been killed. Another 500 people were injured and more than a thousand Black residents were also left homeless after rioters burned down their homes.

The deadliest riot of that summer took place on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 in and around Elaine, Ark. After a white police officer was killed in a shootout outside a gathering of Black sharecroppers, then-Gov. Charles Brough ordered 500 Army soldiers to retaliate. Nearly 200 people died as a result.

Story continues

From April to November of 1919, about 30 riots broke out along the eastern part of the U.S. alone. Additional accounts of lynchings, church burnings and beatings were also reported as the Ku Klux Klan also saw a resurgence in membership.

Johnson, who coined the term Red Summer to describe the bloodshed and violence during that time, documented what he saw happening in D.C. at the time.

I knew it to be true, but it was almost an impossibility for me to realize as a truth that men and women of my race were being mobbed, chased, dragged from street cars, beaten and killed within the shadow of the dome of the Capitol, at the very front door of the White House, he wrote in the NAACPs Crisis magazine.

National Guardsmen are called out to quell race riots in Chicago, July 1919. (Jun Fujita/Getty Images)

The Red Summer also saw Black populations fight back against white mobs. Instead of pushing Black Americans into submission, the chaos of 1919 spurred them to bond together over a shared sense of identity and purpose, laying the groundwork for the civil rights movement three decades later.

As in Tulsa two years later, Black Americans rebuilt their communities and continued to thrive in spite of steep obstacles and vitriol. But systematic efforts of redlining, economic discrimination and the rise of the KKK all served to suppress Black progress.

For Dr. Gwinyai Muzorewa, chair of the political science, philosophy and religion department at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, the disregard for Black life was as prevalent a hundred years ago as it is today.

The continuous killings of Black people by white police tells us that the problem of race will be with us for a long time, until America turns brown, Muzorewa told Yahoo News. Racism is taught, not genetic. So parents teach their children to hate, despise and kill. On a positive note, because racism is taught, it can also be untaught.

As with Tulsa, news coverage of the Red Summer of 1919 was highly slanted, if the violence directed against African Americans by whites was mentioned at all.

An edition of the Black Dispatch newspaper covers what would become known as the Tulsa Race Massacre, June 1, 1921. (Greenwood Cultural Center/Getty Images)

In 1996, on the 75th anniversary of the massacre, rioters burned down the church in which a memorial service was held earlier that day. Now the world knows about Tulsa, and according to Muzorewa, they ought to know about the Red Summer too.

The Red Summer is not a forgotten issue, Muzorewa said. People in general tend to bury certain terrible experiences hoping never to see it again.

(Cover thumbnail photo: Photo Illustration: Yahoo News; Photos: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images, Chicago Sun-Times/Chicago Daily News collection/Chicago History Museum/Getty Images)

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:

Visit link:

Two years before the Tulsa massacre, the 'Red Summer' saw white mobs murder hundreds of Black Americans - Yahoo News

In May, Bitcoin (BTC) completed its second-worst monthly close in history.

Its currently trading inside a neutral short-term pattern and has reached a confluence of resistance levels.

The month of May was bearish for BTC, recording a loss of 35.59%. This was the second-highest monthly decrease ever recorded, only trailing that of November 2018, when the price decreased by 37%.

Technical indicators provide mixed readings.

In the two previous bull cycles, the RSI made two tops in the overbought territory prior to the end of the bull run. In the current phase, it has only made one top.

However, an RSI cross below 70 marked an end to the bull cycle in both 2013 and 2017 (red icons). Currently, the monthly RSI has just crossed below 70.

Therefore, a look at lower time-frames is required in order to examine the direction of the future trend.

The daily time frame provides a bullish outlook.

The RSI has completed a failure swing bottom. Furthermore, it has generated a triple bullish divergence. The divergence trendline is still intact (blue line). Moreover, the MACD is increasing after giving a bullish reversal signal. Finally, the Stochastic oscillator is very close to making a bullish cross.

Therefore, readings in the daily time-frame are bullish.

The two-hour chart shows that BTC is trading inside a symmetrical triangle. This is normally considered a neutral pattern.

If the movement is part of wave four, then its likely that the price has reached a top near $38,000. This is the 0.618 Fib retracement resistance level, an expected level for wave E (black) to come to an end.

Instead, a breakout from the triangle would go a long way in suggesting that BTC has completed its correction instead of the movement being part of wave four.

For a more detailed look at wave counts, click here.

For BeInCryptos previous bitcoin (BTC) analysis, click here.

Here is the original post:

Bitcoin (BTC) Aims to Rebound After Bearish Monthly Close - Yahoo Finance

LOS ANGELES The Los Angeles Lakers claimed a 2-1 series lead on the Phoenix Suns in the opening-round of these playoffs, and their dominance over the last two games is becoming awfully familiar to the postseason run they displayed in the bubble.

Anthony Davis was the catalyst for the second straight game, producing a game-high 34 points and 11 rebounds to usher a 109-95 win at Staples Center on Thursday night. LeBron James recorded 21 points, six rebounds and nine assists.

Viewed as a vulnerable opponent entering the playoffs due to lengthy injuries to James (ankle) and Davis (calf) and Dennis Schrder enduring a late-season bout in the leagues health and safety protocols, things now appear to be turning to normal on and off the court at the right time for the defending champs.

With the Lakers having reached the 85% COVID-19 vaccine threshold on Monday which allows for lesser restrictions they were finally able to utilize their film room for the first time this season on Wednesday and they didnt have to wear face masks, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

The Lakers reached the 85% vaccine threshold this week, which allowed them to open up the film room and have a team meal on their plane. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Prior to attaining the threshold, film studies were conducted on the practice court with masked-up players and coaches spread out across the facility and doors were left open for ventilation.

Multiple Lakers players told Yahoo Sports that Wednesdays session felt normal again.

You dont realize how important and productive it is to have film sessions in an intimate setting until you lose it, one Lakers player told Yahoo Sports. When guys are together in close proximity, youre much more engaged, and especially when you dont have to wear a mask.

Their first taste of normalcy actually began after the Game 2 win in Phoenix on Tuesday.

On short flights, teams were not allowed to bring food on the plane from outside restaurant vendors if the team hadnt reached the 85% vaccine threshold.

After tying the series, Lakers veteran forward Jared Dudley told Yahoo Sports that the team celebrated on the plane with a winners feast prepared by Flemings Steakhouse.

Story continues

It was by far the best postgame meal of the season, Dudley told Yahoo Sports. It had us all in a good mood.

This series has been compelling and the reintroduction of fans into the arenas has intensified the atmospheres.

Basketball fans fill Staples Center for the Los Angeles Lakers' first home playoff game this season on May 27, 2021. (Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

The Minnesota Timberwolves are using this series as educational experience.

The Timberwolves, who finished 23-49 on the season, brought star guard D'Angelo Russell and Jaylen Nowell to Game 1 of the Lakers-Suns series to show them what its like to play among a hectic playoff domain, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

The plan is to continue sending its players to big playoff games to gain perspective on what it takes to play at this high of a level, sources say.

As for the Lakers, they hope to continue playing at a high level to become only the 11 seventh- or eighth-seed to take down a No. 1 or No. 2 seed since the NBA structured an eight-team-per-conference playoff format in 1984.

Were finding our groove, Davis said during his postgame Zoom session. Were finding it at the right time.

Game 4 is Sunday in Los Angeles.

More from Yahoo Sports:

Read this article:

Sources: How Lakers have operated since reaching vaccine threshold - Yahoo Sports

NEW YORK, N.Y., June 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SCWorx Corp. (Nasdaq: WORX), a provider of data management services to healthcare providers, announced today that it has regained compliance with The Nasdaq Stock Markets (Nasdaq) continued listing requirements regarding annual stockholder meetings and periodic reporting.

In a letter dated May 25, 2021, Nasdaq indicated that SCWorx has regained compliance with its continued listing requirements for periodic reporting as a result of the filing of the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. In addition, the Company received a letter from Nasdaq on May 27, 2021 indicating that it has regained compliance with the annual meeting requirement as a result of having completed its Special Meeting in lieu of the Annual Meeting of Stockholders on May 24, 2021. At this time, all deficiencies of which the Company has been notified have been rectified, and Nasdaq considers these matters closed. As such, SCWorxs common stock continues to be listed and trading on Nasdaq under the symbol WORX.

In addition, the Board of Directors of SCWorx announced that Tim Hannibal, the Companys President and COO, has been promoted to Chief Executive Officer of the Company Mr. Hannibal originally joined the company as Chief Revenue Officer in late 2016. Prior to SCWorx Mr. Hannibal was Founder, President and CEO of a Software-as-a-Service company, VaultLogix, for 13 years.

We are pleased to have regained compliance with the Nasdaqs listing requirements, said Tim Hannibal, President and CEO of SCWorx. With this behind us, we can focus on executing our 2021 growth strategy.

Mr. Hannibal added, Over the last 10-15 years technology within the healthcare industry has evolved both in cost and complexity. Unfortunately, the technology which was implemented within different hospital departments and with disparate objectives has failed to provide the promised advancements. SCWorx delivers a powerful solution which assists hospitals in benefiting from their technology and realizing the originally designated efficiency, accuracy and cost savings. I am excited for the future and look forward to assisting both the company and our customers in achieving their objectives.

Story continues

Tim is clearly the leader for the next evolution of SCWorx and he has the unanimous support of the Board of Directors, said Mark Shefts, SCWorxs Chairman of the Board of Directors. The SCWorx Board of Directors has had a strong focus on bringing in the right person to lead the company and we believe that Tim has demonstrated that he is the best leader for our employees, customers and shareholders. The SCWorx board is confident that the Company has the leadership necessary to drive its success for the next chapter.

About SCWorx Corp.SCWorx has created an advanced attributed virtualized item data warehouse utilizing machine learning and artificial intelligence to offer a suite of software-as-a-service-based solutions for healthcare providers. The value proposition for customers revolves around the full integration of all solution modules with the companys data platform. The solution modules include Virtual Item Master, data cleanse and normalization, contract management and request for pricing (RFP) module, automated rebate management module, data interoperability (EMR, MMIS, finance) module, Automated Item Add Portal, Virtual General Ledger, and the data analytics module. SCWorx creates a single source for information for the healthcare providers data governance and analytics requirements.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties for purposes of the safe harbor provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this press release regarding strategy, future operations, future contract renewals and terminations, future financial position, prospects, plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. You can identify many (but not all) such forward-looking statements by looking for words such as assumes, approximates, believes, expects, anticipates, estimates, projects, seeks, intends, plans, could, would, may or other similar expressions. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on managements current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results and performance could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including, without limitation, , securing future contracts and orders, future product sourcing, supply disruptions, containing costs, the ability to project future cash utilization and reserves needed for contingent future liabilities and business operations, the availability of sufficient resources of the company to meet its business objectives and operational requirements and other important factors that are detailed in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission made from time to time by SCWorx, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K. Matters described in forward-looking statements may also be affected by other known and unknown risks, trends, uncertainties and factors, many of which are beyond the companys ability to control or predict. SCWorx undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Contacts:ir@scworx.com

###

Source: SCWorx Corp.

Released June 1, 2021

Excerpt from:

SCWorx Announces Compliance with Nasdaq Listing Standards and Appointment of Tim Hannibal as CEO - Yahoo Finance

Welcome to The Monday 9, our weekly lineup of Things You Need to Know in baseball. The MLB season is a marathon, so get caught up each Monday morning right here at Yahoo Sports.

(Amber Matsumoto / Yahoo Sports)

We all know why were here, Pirates first baseman Will Craig said to start his Zoom session with reporters last Friday. I have been on a lot of Zooms with baseball players these past 14 months and I have yet to hear another one start so ominously.

(If you somehow dont know why we were all there, here's what he was talking about.)

Heres how Craig described the play that was, unfortunately, his introduction to the broader baseball world: As soon as I released the ball I was like, 'Oh my gosh what am I doing?' Like, I know better than that. It's simple Baseball 101. But I guess, in my mind, when I saw him running back, I just kind of lost my mind for a second. I saw [Michael] Prez looking at me and just released the ball and, yeah, the rest is history.

There wasnt much more he could say to make a mistake seem more explicable in retrospect. He tried to stay off social media that evening, reviewed the play in his mind at least 100 times, heard from friends who knew hed be feeling down, heard from his manager who wanted to make sure he didnt dwell, slept OK all things considered, and was feeling fine if resigned to his future as a fixture of blooper reels by the time he talked to the media almost 24 hours later.

There is an understandable temptation in sports and its media coverage to make sense of every shortcoming as something that can be ironed out. When a team is losing, we search for any explanation other than the fallible nature of human effort and the fact that the other guys are trying too. Craigs boner was a particularly egregious and unsympathetic one he didnt come up just short on an otherwise athletic attempt, he was just kind of stupid for a second there.

The overall effect was an undeniable reminder that imperfection is eminently entertaining.

Story continues

Almost immediately after the play went viral on Twitter came a debate as to whether it was an example of Javier Baezs impressive baseball IQ or a complete defensive failure by the Pittsburgh Pirates, especially Craig, the rookie first baseman. And the point is: It was both! Baezs savviness, the heads up baserunning of Cubs catcher Willson Contreras (who scored from second), and the viewers delight were not in spite of the Pirates historic collective brain freeze. They were because of it.

Getting the better of a mistake is the best kind of baseball to watch, its reactionary which means its narrative. The more moving parts in a particular play, the more possible permutations and the greater chance of seeing something unique. Not to trot out too many buzzwords or anything, but part of what is so boring about modern baseball is that its been optimized to the point of predictability. Or if not predictability per se, at least routine. Ending up on second with a run scored on a routine grounder to third is not better baseball than putting a 99 mph fastball in the seats, for example. But it sure is fun. And a hell of a lot more memorable. Hannah Keyser

I guess we can call this making up for lost time. In 11 games and 50 plate appearances since returning from a COVID-19 IL stint, Padres supernova Fernando Tatis Jr. is batting .447/.520/1.053 with six homers and five steals.

Two of those homers, on consecutive nights this weekend, were the very obvious difference between Padres losses and Padres wins, tying up games with the Astros in the late innings.

First an eighth-inning solo shot that led to an extra-innings victory.

And then a dramatic, demolished, three-run blast in the ninth.

The most immediate results were more chances to gawk at the 22-year-olds off-the-charts cool factor a well-known but still growing legend. As the dust settled and the impact of his heroics coalesced, it became clear Tatis is still a frontrunner in the NL MVP race, IL time be damned. BetMGM has him at +375 right now, on the heels of Braves star Ronald Acua Jr. (+300), and the Padres are tied for the best record in baseball.

After the first two seasons of his career were abbreviated by injury and then the pandemic, there were still prickly concerns about whether Tatis could sustain his thousand-tweets-a-minute pace of jaw-dropping greatness. And though 2021 has already been interrupted by a scary shoulder situation and COVID-19 protocols, Tatis is making incredible performances part of his routine, and making so much positive noise that hes drowning out the doubts. Zach Crizer

At the seasons first natural checkpoint, nothing is decided and very few things are clear, but we can take stock of the contenders using FanGraphs handy playoff odds.

Sitting pretty: New York Mets, Chicago White Sox

Its been far from smooth sailing for the winners of the offseason, but nonetheless they have their divisions under control. These are the only teams with a 75 percent chance or better of capturing division crowns and thus avoiding the wild-card game. In fact, they are the only teams with better than 51 percent division odds entering Monday.

Dueling on top of a mountain: San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers

Look, both of these titans are making the playoffs. The question is who will do so via an automatic pass to the Division Series and who will face that one-game, wild-card challenge. Right now FanGraphs assesses that as a 49.7 percent (Dodgers) to 47.9 percent proposition. Brace yourselves for a high-quality, high-stakes battle.

Dont look down: San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, St. Louis Cardinals

These three teams have resided atop their divisions for much of the season, but are not estimated to have the best chances of winning them or even making the playoffs as more talented teams rise across bigger samples. Still, the Giants in particular are changing opinions of observers and projection systems alike. After a strong weekend against the Dodgers, they are a favorite for a wild-card spot.

In the scrum: New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs

The AL East and NL Central races are in total chaos. There are no real favorites at this point, but the AL East still stands a good chance of stealing both wild-card spots.

Clawing for relevance: Cleveland, Los Angeles Angels, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies

Its getting late early for teams decimated by injury or, uh, lackluster depth. Seriously, have you seen who Cleveland and the Phillies are rolling out, respectively, at first base and center field?

If your team wasnt listed? Well, their chances at October are below the 10 percent line, but its a long summer. Keep dreaming and check back on July 4. Zach Crizer

I dont entirely understand what or why the so-called Nike MLB City Connect Series is, but Im not one to begrudge an opportunity to opine on fashion as it intersects with baseball. So lets talk about the moody, gothic, and essentially universally applauded new White Sox unis.

The inverse black-and-white pinstripe is extremely cool and makes sense as an edgier alternate. Putting Chi on the hat and using the iconic S on the jersey but at the start of Southside instead of Sox is all very clever. The overall vibe fits with the teams aesthetic link to hip-hop culture. Plus, people love em, apparently. Tim Andersons jersey reportedly sold out in two hours and the rest soon followed.

In other words, Im comfortable with the knowledge that my quibbles wont matter, and yet I have them anyway:

South Side is two words. Like New York or San Francisco or Kansas City all of which are presented as two distinct words when they appear on baseball jerseys! Are there no copy editors at Nike?! Are there no pedants on the South Side to make a fuss about this on social media?!

It is the burden of all baseball uniforms to fight against their inherent inclination to look like silky pajama sets. Monochrome makes that all the more difficult, but is often worth it. Pinstripes certainly dont help, but theyre classic. So ultimately its the shininess of the White Sox new uniforms that really make it seem like they should put spikes on smoking slippers and send the guys out there in full loungewear. Hannah Keyser

Stop me if youve heard this one before: A starter strikes out 14, but the team squanders the effort and loses the game. Classic Jacob deGrom outing (April 10 against the Miami Marlins). But Im talking about the one most recently executed by his former teammate, Zack Wheeler, against the Tampa Bay Rays last week.

Wheelers career-high 14 strikeouts are the second-most (tied twice with deGrom, second to deGroms 15) for a pitcher this season. Its not a fluke, either. His most recent start was indicative of his new and improved ability to convert two-strike counts to Ks, which has helped boost his overall K/9 rate to double digits this year.

When the Philadelphia Phillies signed Wheeler to a five-year, $118 million contract ahead of the 2020 season, it was to be a top-of-the-rotation guy. After five full seasons with the Mets that ate up his twenties, he had an even 100 ERA+. In limited samples since then, he has lived up to the potential the Phillies bet on. Since the start of 2020, hes sixth for all pitchers in FanGraphs WAR and third in overall innings pitched.

Wheeler hasnt ever really been part of the ace debate and his 12th place finish last year was the only time hes shown up in the Cy Young voting. But hes quietly become a worthy competitor for those titles. Even if these are all ultimately races to be second to deGrom. Hannah Keyser

Its checkpoint time on the fantasy side too. Dalton Del Don broke down which players have changed minds for better or worse in the first two months.

As baseball confronts the increasingly urgent reality of dwindling offense, most of the conversations still center on big, naked-eye type trends and potential fixes. The shift, for one. This week at Baseball Prospectus, Rob Arthur showed that a more subtle, more gradual sort of shift may be siphoning away hits.

Third basemen and center fielders while still playing in their recognizable places on the field have simply moved back. By having their fielders stand further from the plate, Arthur showed, defenses have whacked a jaw-dropping number of points off of the batting average for balls hit toward those positions.

This is the nuance that has to be factored into tweaks intended to rebalance the game. And weve probably spotted only a fraction of these little changes. Zach Crizer

Its hard to keep up with everything two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani is doing in 2021, so we are rounding up his unprecedented exploits every week. Heres a sample from this weeks edition.

After getting his start pushed to Friday by ... traffic, Shohei Ohtani took the mound to square off with the Oakland A's (he got the night off on offense).

Ohtani looked good early, showing off his signature filth:

Then, something magical occurred. Mark Canha was at bat, and Ohtani fired a pitch that ended up too high. Canha didn't like that.

A story in four parts. First, the pitch and ensuing commotion:

Canha was very upset. Ohtani, on the other hand

Lol. It gets better too look at Ohtani while the benches cleared:

And this is how the at-bat ended (shout out to @PitchingNinja for the hilarious edit):

Yes, Ohtani ultimately took the loss as his trouble with walks hurt him in the seventh and the Angels provided little support en route to a 3-1 defeat, but that entire sequence was just chef's kiss. Mo Castillo

The aforementioned AL East chaos takes center stage at Yankee Stadium this week as the Rays visit for a four-game set before the Red Sox roll in for the weekend.

Meanwhile, the Cubs get a big test against San Diego. After trading Yu Darvish and Victor Caratini to the unabashedly ambitious Padres, the Cubs are still competing in a mediocre NL Central, but will have decisions to make ahead of the trade deadline. How they are against top competition may help clarify that call. Zach Crizer

More from Yahoo Sports:

More here:

The Monday 9: The Pirates' epic flub unleashed the best type of baseball chaos - Yahoo Sports

The Guardian

At least 34 candidates have been murdered since campaigning began in April, with the assassination clear-up rate close to zero Friends and family mourn during the wake of mayoral candidate Alma Barragan.She was killed while campaigning for the mayorship of the city of Moroleon, in violence-plagued Guanajuato state. Photograph: Armando Solis/AP Tuesday started off like any other day on the campaign trail for Jos Alberto Alonso, a union leader running for mayor in the Mexican beach resort of Acapulco: he kissed his family goodbye, boarded his Nissan Extreme SUV and headed off to start knocking on doors. But barely 200m from his home, a motorcycle closed in and the pillion passenger pulled a handgun, peppering the car with bullets. Alonsos bodyguard returned fire, and the attackers fled. The candidate had escaped injury, but was later sent to hospital suffering from stress. When you get into politics, you know there could be repercussions, but never to this degree said Alonso, 36, from his sickbed. The Fuerza por Mexico candidate for mayor of Acapulco, Jose Alberto Alonso Gutierrez, speaks from the hospital where he is recovering from the attack. Photograph: David Guzmn/EPA Mexico has suffered an especially bloody and violent campaign season ahead of midterm elections on 6 June when the country will renew its 500-seat lower house of congress, pick governors in 15 of its 32 states and elect hundreds of mayors and local legislators. At least 34 candidates have been murdered since campaigning started on 6 April, while dozens more have been targeted and attacked. Mexican authorities have logged 398 threats or attacks on candidates. Much of the violence occurs in states like Guerrero, south of Mexico City, where numerous crime factions battle over the opium poppy trade and run extortion rackets and kidnapping rings in Acapulco. Few cases are ever solved, though the federal government has been providing protection to candidates in rough corners of the country. Forensic investigators work at a scene where assailants left a package and a threat message taped to the gate of the house of Leticia Castillo, a candidate of the Social Encounter party (PES) in Ciudad Jurez earlier this month. Photograph: Jos Luis Gonzlez/Reuters Criminal groups have learned their lesson over the past few years that no matter what they do including killing candidates or attacking public institutions there are no consequences, said Falko Ernst, senior Mexico analyst for the International Crisis Group. If we look at the performance of Mexican judicial institutions in actually solving the murders of politicians, its pretty much zero. That creates huge incentives to kill candidates and get away with it. Many of the attacks target candidates for local government as criminal groups seek to increase their territorial control. The point of gaining control over the next mayor is to assure that this mayor guarantees access to two prize resources: public money and the police, said Gema Kloppe-Santamara, a Mexican crime investigator at Loyola University Chicago. Campaigning has been suspended in dozens of municipalities around the country due to violence. The ruling Morena party stopped campaigning in the southern part of the state of Mexico the countrys most populous region, which wraps around Mexico City after an ambush in March killed 13 state and federal police officers. Morenas party president Mario Delgado tweeted on Friday that he and two other politicians were intercepted by gunmen with assault weapons in the state of Tamaulipas, a hotbed of organised crime, but released unharmed. There are some municipalities where you campaign, but cant talk about municipal matters, others where you can bring in a campaign team, but cant hold rallies, said Isaac Monroy, the Morena delegate in state of Mexico. The attacks have been brazen. Earlier in May, a former state prosecutor was gunned down on a street while campaigning for mayor in northern Sonora. On Tuesday, Alma Barragn was killed while holding a rally in the conflict-riven state of Guanajuato. President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador says his government is providing protection for candidates. But he also accused the media of sensationalising the murders to make his government look bad. Criminal groups often offer public servants the choice of silver or lead take their bribes or face death. Theres a lot of blackmail, and those who say no end up like this, said Ramn Bernal Garca, a former detective running with the small Fuerza por Mxico party near Mexico City. Some violence and intimidation is also down to rival political parties, Bernal said. A bodyguard for Institutional Revolutionary Party mayoral candidate Guillermo Valencia takes his assault rifle from the back of the armoured SUV they travel in, during one of Valencias campaign stops in Morelia, Michoacan state. Photograph: Marco Ugarte/AP Alonso never received any threats, although he says in retrospect there were signs of trouble. Campaign signs bearing his boyish face were stolen and vandalised. Some campaign staff received veiled warnings to stop their work. He was still unable to say what motivated the assassination attempt especially as Fuerza por Mxico, the party he helped found, is contesting its first election and polling in the low single digits nationally. But he said he was determined to stay in the race. Ive received a lot of kind messages from people who are fed up with crime, he said. It hit me today because Im a candidate, but Ill be a spokesman for all those suffering violence here in Acapulco.

See the original post:

Mexico's Jalisco cartel is hunting down police at their homes - Yahoo News

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance has convened a special grand jury to decide whether to indict former President Donald Trump or executives at his company, the Washington Post reported Tuesday afternoon. Vance has been investigating Trumps business practices before he was president for more than two years. And the impaneling of a grand jury suggests the wide-ranging probe is entering its final stages and that New York prosecutors believe they have found evidence of a crime. Yahoo News explains what we know about the case so far.

- Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus Vance, has convened a new special grand jury that is reported to be considering evidence of possible criminal activity by former President Donald Trump and his business. This hints that after more than two years of investigation, New York prosecutors believe they have enough evidence to indict. But it's unclear who, if anyone, could be brought up on criminal charges.

This is just the next step in a long process that likely won't be done any time soon. So what exactly is a grand jury? When a grand jury is called, It's not like the standard jury duty where you sit in front of a judge, hear arguments from both sides, and are sequestered from the public until you reach a verdict.

Instead, a grand jury meets in private with prosecutors to review evidence and hear witness testimony in order to determine whether or not there's anything there. One of the reasons they do this in private is so that witnesses can speak freely without potential harm to their reputations if prosecutors don't move forward with an indictment.

Grand juries are usually only called for a set period of time and don't meet every day. In this case, they'll meet three days a week for about six months and are reported to be hearing evidence in other cases as well.

So what does this mean for Trump? The short answer is we don't know. The criminal probe into the former president and his business is believed to be wide ranging, from alleged tax fraud to hush money payments made to women on his behalf. And it's not clear exactly what this grand jury will be focusing on specifically.

Story continues

Fraud cases are especially hard to prosecute because they need to prove direct knowledge and intent. Here's how former federal prosecutor Daniel Goldman put it on CNN.

- It's a difficult case against Trump. Fraud cases are hard. He has what would be perceived as an advice of counsel defense to some of the fraud charges, and he doesn't email. So we know that there isn't going to be a lot of documentary evidence that demonstrates Donald Trump's knowledge of any misrepresentations to insurance companies, to banks to tax authorities.

- One last thing to note here is that Cyrus Vance is leaving office at the end of the year. So if the grand jury does decide that there's enough evidence to indict, it'll be up to the next district attorney to prosecute.

Here is the original post:

What we know about the grand jury in Trump probe: Yahoo News Explains - Yahoo! Voices