Most people need to work for a living, but that doesn't mean they have to take conventional jobs. Most people need to work for a living, but that doesn't mean they have to take conventional jobs. 24/7 Wall St. reviewed job listing sites, online databases, and occupation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to identify the weirdest job or job opening in every state. In a few states, the strangest job titles are not surprising, but they are extremely rare and concentrated in the state as a result of the presence of a specific industry. For example, Kentucky has a high demand for mine shuttle car operators thanks to its large coal mining industry. In Nevada, due in large part to the casinos in Las Vegas, gaming service workers are many times more common than they are across the United States workforce as a whole. Some of the other jobs on this list only have become unusual in recent history. For example, before the age of automation and outsourcing, telephone operators were much more common in the United States; today, they are quite rare, but a relatively high concentration of them exists in a few states. Those in unusual occupations can benefit from being the only qualified candidates, and so they can have high job security. Often, however, these jobs are rare because they are in low demand, and so they have risky job security. These are the jobs with the best and worst job security . In most cases, the typical American will likely have never heard of these jobs and will be shocked that they exist. Titles like duck master, gum buster, and face feeler seem made up, but they are very much real. For those looking to eschew a traditional career, there might be openings for unconventional work in your state right now. The U.S. economy has a highly diverse set of industries and niche interests. And where there are unusual needs, unusual job openings are available, requiring specific skills that only a tiny fraction of Americans possess. In the case of more common jobs that pay well, a college degree is usually a prerequisite, but this is not always the case. These are the highest paying jobs you can get without a college degree. Alabama > Weirdest job: Bounty hunter As one of the most violent states in the country, professional bounty hunters are sometimes needed in Alabama to apprehend criminals. Alaska > Weirdest job: Commercial diver Alaska's commercial fishing industry is one of the largest in the country, and its many marinas and fishing fleets, as well as offshore oil facilities, are in need of commercial divers to maintain them. ALSO READ: This City is Adding the Most Jobs in Alaska Arizona > Weirdest job: Bingo manager Bingo is big in Arizona, and is deemed legal as a fundraising source for some organizations in the state. In April, Gila River Hotels & Casinos in Phoenix broke two Guinness World Records, hosting a game with the largest bingo balls and the largest bingo card. Arkansas > Weirdest job: Log grader Arkansas has one of the nation's largest logging industries, and the state has one of the highest concentrations of log graders and scalers who estimate the value of harvested timber. ALSO READ: We Determined the Worst City to Live in Arkansas California > Weirdest job: Dog surfing instructor As home to the World Dog Surfing Competition and over 3,000 miles of coastline, California is arguably the only state where it makes sense to have a job teaching dogs how to surf. Colorado > Weirdest job: Hangover helpers party cleaner Hydrologists are engineers that help determine how water management systems such as dams should be constructed. Colorado is home to a number of major dams. ALSO READ: Here is the Most Expensive Place in Colorado Connecticut > Weirdest job: Telephone operator Telephone operators are much rarer than they were a few decades ago, as automation has rendered many jobs obsolete. But there is still need for them to redirect customer calls and assist with billing information for businesses. Delaware > Weirdest job: Materials scientist Materials scientists study the properties of synthetic and natural materials. Delaware hosts the operations of a number of chemicals companies, including DuPont. This is the Most Iconic Job in Delaware Florida > Weirdest job: Scuba diving pizza delivery man Only in Florida... at Jules' Undersea Lounge in Key Largo, visitors can get pizza delivered to their underwater rooms. Georgia > Weirdest job: Chicken sexer Georgia has one of the largest poultry industries in the country. Chicken sexers, or poultry sorters, are needed in the industry to quickly determine whether newborn chicks will be hens or roosters. ALSO READ: Here is how the Economy of Georgia compares among all States Hawaii > Weirdest job: Golf ball diver The Island State of Hawaii has dozens of golf courses, many near the ocean. Golf balls are bad for underwater ecosystems, so people are needed to dive underwater and retrieve the errant balls. Idaho > Weirdest job: Agricultural engineer Idaho needs agricultural engineers to perfect the farm equipment many Idahoans use to harvest their famous potatoes and other crops. ALSO READ: This City is Adding the Most Jobs in Idaho Illinois > Weirdest job: Flavorist Flavorists use chemicals to recreate familiar tastes or totally new ones in food. Indiana > Weirdest job: Airplane repo-man If someone becomes wealthy enough to buy an airplane, but falls into financial arrears, they can expect a visit from an airplane repo-man. Nick Popovich, who appeared on the Discovery Channel show "Airplane Repo", has a facility for repossessed planes in Indiana. ALSO READ: We Determined the Worst City to Live in Indiana Iowa > Weirdest job: Wind turbine service technician Iowa is one of the biggest producers of wind energy in the United States, and technicians are needed to keep those turbines spinning. Kansas > Weirdest job: Dog food taster Since dogs can't tell us what they think of their food, humans are needed to make sure nothing is amiss before pet food is shipped to stores. Kansas is one of the largest producers of pet food in the country. ALSO READ: Here is the Most Expensive Place in Kansas Kentucky > Weirdest job: Mine shuttle car operator As one of the largest coal-producing states left, Kentucky requires a number of workers to operate mine shuttle cars. Louisiana > Weirdest job: Bridge and lock tender As the terminus point of the Mississippi river and the location of the Mississippi River Delta, Louisiana has a substantial river control system, including a number of locks. It has roughly 10 times the concentration of bridge and lock tenders compared to the national workforce. This is the Most Iconic Job in Louisiana Maine > Weirdest job: Shoe machine operator The vast majority of shoe machine operator jobs in America are located in Maine. Shoe companies like New Balance, L.L. Bean, Sperry, and more are all have operated in Maine. Maryland > Weirdest job: Crime scene cleaner Maryland has the 4th highest murder rate among states. When these crimes occur, professionals are needed to come and clean up the scene. ALSO READ: Here is how the Economy of Maryland compares among all States Massachusetts > Weirdest job: Industrial-organizational psychologist Industrial-organizational psychologists help ensure workplaces run smoothly through conflict resolution and maintaining high employee morale. This occupation is highly concentrated in Massachusetts relative to the nation as a whole. Michigan > Weirdest job: Furniture tester Thanks to its access to lumber, Grand Rapids, Michigan was once known as "Furniture City". Still today, La-Z-Boy Furniture is headquartered in Michigan, so the state has many furniture testers who ensure sofas, chairs, couches, and more are comfy. ALSO READ: This City is Adding the Most Jobs in Michigan Minnesota > Weirdest job: Professional sleeper Professional sleepers are often employed by pharmaceutical companies, bed or pillow makers, or sleep researchers. Minnesota has one of the largest health research industries in the country. Mississippi > Weirdest job: Forest fire inspector/prevention specialist The primary responsibilities of forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists is to enforce fire regulations and implement fire control measures. This occupation is far more common in Mississippi than it is nationwide. ALSO READ: We Determined the Worst City to Live in Mississippi Missouri > Weirdest job: Dice quality inspector To ensure that anyone playing a dice game has equal odds of winning, dice are inspected to ensure the cube is equally weighted on all sides before going to casinos or stores. Kearney, Missouri is home to a manufacturer of casino-quality dice. Montana > Weirdest job: Explosives worker Explosives workers lay and detonate explosives typically with the purpose of moving or loosening earth and rock. Explosives workers are highly concentrated in Montana relative to the U.S. as a whole. ALSO READ: Here is the Most Expensive Place in Montana Nebraska > Weirdest job: Dredge operator Dredge operators use machines to remove sediment or other objects from waterways. Nebraska is home to parts of the Platte and Missouri Rivers. It has one dredge operator for every 10,000 jobs -- the highest rate among states and more than double the next closest state, Louisiana. Nevada > Weirdest job: Gaming service worker With a glut of casinos located in Las Vegas, as well as the rest of the state, Nevada needs lots of people to work in the gaming industry. This is the Most Iconic Job in Nevada New Hampshire > Weirdest job: Ash artist New Hampshire is home to studios like Terrapin Glassblowing and Art From Ashes that can take a deceased loved one's ashes and turn it into a memorializing work of art. New Jersey > Weirdest job: Gum buster Stepping in gum is frustrating and gross. Fortunately, GumBusters of New Jersey and New York have the tools and the skills to make sidewalks safe from sticky discarded gum. ALSO READ: Here is how the Economy of New Jersey compares among all States New Mexico > Weirdest job: Ayurveda healer Ayurveda is a holistic healing method from India that dates back thousands of years. The Ayurvedic Institute is located in Albuquerque. New York > Weirdest job: Fortune cookie writer Wonton Food, the world's largest fortune cookie manufacturing center, is located in New York. ALSO READ: This City is Adding the Most Jobs in New York North Carolina > Weirdest job: Face feeler Face feelers are product testers who check personal care items to insure they are everything from razor blades to beauty products. North Dakota > Weirdest job: Gas compressor operator Gas compressor operators work to extract natural gas using compressor engines, pumps and other equipment. Thanks to North Dakota's oil and natural gas boom, these jobs are much more common in that state compared to anywhere else in America. ALSO READ: We Determined the Worst City to Live in North Dakota Ohio > Weirdest job: Odor judge At Hill Top Research in Cincinnati, odor judges rank products like soap, deodorant, shampoo, and more on a 1 to 10 scale to determine if they are ready to be sold to the public. Oklahoma > Weirdest job: Rock splitter The physically demanding job of breaking down rocks from quarries is more common in Oklahoma than in any other state. ALSO READ: Here is the Most Expensive Place in Oklahoma Oregon > Weirdest job: Professional snuggler As people become isolated in the digital era, professional snugglers offer platonic companionship. Cuddle Up To Me, which offers cuddling services, opened in Portland in 2013. Pennsylvania > Weirdest job: Chocolate taster Pennsylvania is home to several Hershey's plants, so there is a need for professional tasters who can ensure that the sweets produce in those plants are sweet enough. This is the Most Iconic Job in Pennsylvania Rhode Island > Weirdest job: Etchers and engraver Rhode Island workers are more likely to have a job as an etcher or engraver than those in any other state. South Carolina > Weirdest job: Nuclear power reactor operator South Carolina is home to four nuclear power facilities, necessitating workers to operate the reactors they contain. ALSO READ: Here is how the Economy of South Carolina compares among all States South Dakota > Weirdest job: Correspondence clerk Correspondence clerks, also known as administrative assistants, are more common in South Dakota than any other state, accounting for 0.52 jobs per thousand. Tennessee > Weirdest job: Duck master The famous Peabody Hotel in Memphis is home to a strange and delightful tradition in which five ducks march into the lobby and into its fountain twice a day. The first duck master led the Peabody Ducks to their destination starting in 1940 and held the job for 50 years. ALSO READ: This City is Adding the Most Jobs in Tennessee Texas > Weirdest job: Marketing unicorn Marketing unicorns, so called because they are rare, can run a company's entire marketing department by themselves. This includes finding a company's target audience, developing the brand, creating content, doing public relations, and more. Utah > Weirdest job: Historian Few states take their history as seriously as Utah. It has a Division of State History, a quarterly history journal, preservations efforts, as well as architecture and archaeology programs. ALSO READ: We Determined the Worst City to Live in Utah Vermont > Weirdest job: Solar photovoltaic installer Vermont gets 99.6% of its electricity from renewable sources, by far the highest share in the nation. Solar photovoltaic installer put up the solar panels that help make this possible. Virginia > Weirdest job: Beer taster It may seem like the perfect job, but tasting beer professionally is serious business. These suds sommeliers ensure that each beer poured is of high quality. ALSO READ: Here is the Most Expensive Place in Virginia Washington > Weirdest job: Horticultural therapist Horticultural therapy can help people feel better mentally, physically, and emotionally by having them tend to a garden. The American Horticultural Therapy Association is located in Seattle. West Virginia > Weirdest job: Mining roof bolter West Virginia is known as a mining state, and mining roof bolters are needed to ensure that roofs are properly attached to prevent collapses. This is the Most Iconic Job in West Virginia Wisconsin > Weirdest job: Floor sander Floor sanders ensure that wooden floors are smooth and finished in new homes or buff up existing floors. Wyoming > Weirdest job: Roof-snow clearer Wyoming is prone to major blizzards and heavy snowfalls can put tremendous strain on roofs, even causing some to collapse. Roof-snow clearers make sure this does not happen. ALSO READ: Here is how the Economy of Wyoming compares among all States


Kevin Durant has not yet decided whether he'll actually take face-to-face meetings with teams when he becomes a free agent on Sunday, according to David Aldridge of The Athletic ( via Twitter ). But if he does line up meetings with suitors, those discussions will take place in New York, a source tells Aldridge. That's where Durant underwent his Achilles surgery earlier this month. The Knicks, long considered one of Durant's prime suitors, are hoping to get an audience with Durant in New York early in free agency, writes Steve Popper of Newsday . The Knicks' plan would be to subsequently head west to Los Angeles to meet with Kawhi Leonard . However, neither meeting is set in stone yet. Here's more on Durant: Despite increased rumblings that the Nets are in the lead for Durant, Ian Begley of SNY.tv says that's not the case. Sources tell Begley that the Nets aren't the front-runners or favorites for Durant at the moment. Only Durant and those close to him know if he favors one team over the others at this point, according to Begley, who notes that the Warriors, Knicks, and Clippers are all still believed to be in contention. The Warriors, who have stayed in contact with KD and business partner Rich Kleiman since the season ended, are prepared to offer Durant a five-year maximum-salary contract worth a projected $221M, per Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com . But if Durant says he wants to go elsewhere, Golden State is hoping he'll work with the team on a sign-and-trade deal. When Windhorst first mentioned the sign-and-trade possibility earlier this week, I wrote that such an arrangement would make little sense for Durant's new team, since the Nets, Knicks and Clippers all have enough cap room to sign him outright. In his latest report for ESPN.com , Windhorst acknowledges that the Warriors might have to include an asset like a first-round pick to incentivize KD's new team to work with them. That's a scenario the Dubs have prepared for, according to Windhorst, since creating a massive trade exception via a Durant sign-and-trade would open up Golden State's roster options significantly.


You know what they say: One man's trash is another man's . . . footwear? The team at adidas Golf has created a limited-edition version of its TOUR360 XT, and the company is calling it the most environmentally-minded shoe they've ever made. The upper of the Tour360 XT Parley is made of thread that is actually plastic waste. The recycled materials used to make the upper were gathered from beaches and coastal communities. Adidas worked with Parley for the Oceans a group working to preserve and protect the oceans to facilitate the creation of this shoe. The TOUR360 XT Parley is available for purchase ($200) now at adidas.com , and you can purchase them at Pebble Beach during the U.S. Open. It will be at select retail stores on Wednesday. And Dustin Johnson will be wearing a pair this week for the U.S. Open. Creating an eco-friendly shoe is a step in the direction of a bigger goal for adidas. The goal: To use only recycled polyester for its footwear and apparel by 2024. "Our company is extremely focused on sustainability, and we wanted to incorporate that mission into our sport," said Masun Denison, global footwear director of adidas Golf, in the company's press release. "This is the first golf shoe we've ever made that incorporates upcycled materials and this is just the beginning." Besides the upper, the shoe is technologically the same as the rest of the TOUR360 XT line. The outsole has eight spikes for all the traction you'll need, and stability is improved with the X-shaped support you can see on the outsole. At the midsole, there's a layer of adidas' Boost Foam to add comfort. The upper is waterproof. Related: Golf Digest Shoe Guide Golf Digest Schools Since 1950, Golf Digest's mission has been to publish the best in golf instruction. With Golf Digest Schools, that mission has expanded to include an all-access video experience covering every aspect of game improvement, produced in the highest quality, shot at some of the finest courses in America and, as always, taught by the very best instructors in the game. Become a part of the new Golf Digest. Father's Day Sale! Save 40% off an annual subscription with promo code DAD40. Hurry offer ends 6/30


The John Deere Z740R ZTrak zero-turn mower has a lot going for it: a mowing deck up to 60 inches, a 10 mph top speed and a 23.5-horsepower V-twin engine. That bad boy's got a four-year, thousand-hour warranty that would be bumper-to-bumper, if it had bumpers. What it doesn't have is air in the tires. Nor does it need any, because the Z740R rolls on the sickest of low-pros: Michelin Tweels, which combine a "shear beam" (think: the skinniest of sidewalls) with flexible poly-resin spokes connected to a hub. It's a tire and wheel in one, hence the name. Now, when presented with an airless tire, you might think the first thing you'd do is try running over a nail. Wrong: you try running over two handfuls of nails, in the driveway of a friend's farm. This had no effect whatsoever, so I lined up a trio of nails in my own mini spike strip to see what would happen. The Z740R rolled over the nails, which lodged harmlessly in the tread and impeded the mower not at all. Feeling cocky, I placed a brick in the driveway and drove over that, the Tweel deforming around the masonry and then springing promptly back into shape. It's simultaneously like a zero-profile performance tire, a run-flat, and an off-road balloon tire aired down to 10 psi. Satisfied with my Tweel experiments, I roared off to mow approximately half a football field in five minutes, which is possible when you're hacking a five-foot swath at 10 mph. One Tweel downside is that on high-and-tight lawns and zero-degree turns, the relatively sharp edge of the sidewall can leave marks on the grass. That wasn't an issue in my gnarly test bramble, which is usually mowed by a tractor the size of a Victorian manor. On the Z740R ZTrak , Tweels are a $580 option. That's a good deal, given that this size Tweel costs $599 each from Michelin. (And yes, they'll fit some other mowers, if you want to retrofit.) Michelin is now also making off-road Tweels for UTVs , small turf-friendly models for golf carts, and even skid-steer Tweels. While the up-front price is certainly more than you'd pay for a pneumatic tire, Michelin says that the tread on a Tweel should last two to three times longer than a conventional tire-and it can be retreaded. OK, so where's my automotive Tweel? I want my car to look like a Mars rover as soon as possible. Right now the max speed rating for a Tweel is 50 mph, but I hold out hope for car-sized Tweels. Because I'm not sure I found all those nails I dropped in the driveway. Follow MSN Autos on Facebook and Twitter


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has decided to stop accepting any additional Turkish pilots who planned to come to the United States to train on F-35 fighter jets, U.S. officials say, in a clear sign of the escalating dispute over Ankara's plans to purchase Russian air defenses. The two NATO allies have sparred publicly for months over Turkey's order for Russia's S-400 air defense system, which Washington says poses a threat to the Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 stealthy fighters, which Turkey also plans to buy. The United States says Turkey cannot have both, but has avoided taking steps until now to curtail or halt planned training of Turkish pilots in the program, a reprisal that could be seen as an embarrassment in Turkey. The two U.S. officials, who spoke to Reuters this week on condition of anonymity, left open the possibility the decision could be reversed, perhaps if Turkey altered its plans. They said the decision so far only applied to upcoming rounds of Turkish pilots and maintenance crews who would have normally come to the United States. There has not yet been a formal decision to halt the training of the Turkish pilots and maintenance crews now at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, the sources said. Still, Reuters reported last week that the step was being seriously considered. Four Turkish pilots are currently training at Luke. Two additional Turkish pilots are at the U.S. base working as instructors. Beyond those six Turkish officers, there are an additional 20 Turkish aircraft maintainers at the base undergoing training as well, the U.S. military says. Turkey has expressed an interest in buying 100 of the fighters, which would have a total value of $9 billion at current prices. STRAINED RELATIONSHIP If Turkey were removed from the F-35 program, it would be one of the most significant ruptures in recent history in the relationship between the two allies, experts said. But strains in ties between Washington and Ankara already extend beyond the F-35 to include conflicting strategy in Syria, Iran sanctions and the detention of U.S. consular staff in Turkey. The disclosure of the decision on the pilots follows signs that Turkey is moving ahead with the S-400 purchase. Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on May 22 that Turkish military personnel were receiving training in Russia to use the S-400, and that Russian personnel may come to Turkey. President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday it was "out of the question" for Turkey to back away from its deal with Moscow. Kathryn Wheelbarger, one of the Pentagon's most senior policy officials, said last week that Turkey's completion of the transaction with Russia would be "devastating," dealing heavy blows to the F-35 program and to Turkish interoperability within the NATO alliance. "The S-400 is a Russian system designed to shoot down an aircraft like the F-35," said Wheelbarger, an acting assistant secretary of defense. "And it is inconceivable to imagine Russia not taking advantage of that (intelligence) collection opportunity." The Pentagon declined comment on whether it would accept new Turkish pilots. But it has stressed discussions are taking place with Ankara on potentially selling Turkey Patriot missile defenses, which are made by Raytheon Co. Erdogan said on Tuesday, however, that the United States had not "given us an offer as good as the S-400s." (Reporting by Phil Stewart; Additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk, Dominic Evans and Mike Stone; Editing by Mary Milliken and Peter Cooney)


As it has done with several of its products , Google is aiming for greater transparency about a core aspect of its services: news . It opened a website to detail its objectives, principles and approaches to managing news experiences across its various platforms. The website is a subsection of the Google News Initiative , the company's program for supporting journalists. It offers details on some aspects of how Google handles news , including some of the hundreds of signals its ranking algorithms take into account to identify and organize stories in a way that elevates "diverse, trustworthy information." Since Google News arrived in 2002, news features have been added to Search, YouTube , Google Assistant , Discover and other products. It says it doesn't make editorial decisions on which articles to display in Google News, save for certain events such as the Oscars or the World Cup, for which it might set up dedicated topics. Google says it delivers news across its platforms and services in three ways. Top News showcases headlines in Google News and breaking news on YouTube. That shows the key stories at a given time and isn't tailored to you specifically. You'll find more personalized news in Discover, Google News' For You section and the Latest tab on YouTube. The third method is by offering "deep context and diverse perspectives, featuring unpersonalized news from a broad range of sources within Top Stories in Search, Top News search results on YouTube or Full Coverage in Google News." Given that Google and other tech companies like Facebook , Apple and Twitter are by and large the conduits for the news most of us see in a given day, it's important that we understand how and why they handle the flow of information. Measures such as the How News Works site are a positive step towards that. Google


A number of players had great first halves, but a select few are beginning to separate themselves from the pack in the race for MLB's most prestigious awards. While the American League MVP and NL Rookie of the Year Awards have clear front-runners, little separates Los Angeles Dodgers star Cody Bellinger and his Milwaukee Brewers counterpart, Christian Yelich, in the NL MVP race. With less than half of the MLB season left to be played, these are the current leaders in the races for the league's top awards. AL Comeback Player of the Year: Jake Odorizzi, starting pitcher, Minnesota Twins After seemingly breaking out in 2015 and 2016, Odorizzi struggled in 2017 and 2018 . He posted a 4.33 ERA and 1.297 WHIP over the last two seasons. This year has been different though. Odorizzi sports a 3.15 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and a 9.7 K/9 rate. He's been one of the AL's top pitchers, and should garner significant attention in the Comeback Player of the Year race if he continues to pitch as he has to date. NL Comeback Player of the Year: Josh Donaldson, third baseman, Atlanta Braves Due to injuries, Donaldson played in only 165 games combined over the 2017 and 2018 seasons, but 2019 has been a different story. He's hitting .250/.361/.494 with 18 home runs for the first-place Atlanta Braves. It wasn t unreasonable to wonder how much the third baseman had left in the tank after struggling to stay on the field in recent years, but Donalson seemed fairly confident he had a big year left in him. He was right. AL Reliever of the Year: Brad Hand, closer, Cleveland Indians The first half ride has not been a smooth one for the Indians, but they're sill in playoff contention at the break. Their closer has been a big reason why. Hand s 23 saves are second to Aroldis Chapman's 24 in the American League. Hand has only blown save though while Chapman has blown three. If you add it all up (2.17 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 55 strikeouts in 37.1 innings), it s safe to say that Hand has been the AL s top reliever through the first half. NL Reliever of the Year: Kirby Yates, closer, San Diego Padres Yates leads all of Major League Baseball with 30 saves. He's had ample opportunities to close out games, but has also been very efficient. He's blown only a single save on the year. Yates has a 1.15 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 60 strikeouts in 39 innings pitched. Kenley Jansen, Will Smith, Felipe Vazquez and Josh Hader have all all had great years themselves, but Kirby Yates has been the most dominant closer in the National League this year. AL Manager of the Year: Aaron Boone, New York Yankees If you had told us at the beginning of the year that the Twins would be within 1.5 games of the Yankees at the break, we would have told you the the Manager of the Year front-runner would be Rocco Baldelli. This year hasn t unfolded as we expected, though. New York has dealt with significant injuries to Giancarlo Stanton , Aaron Judge , Miguel Andujar , Gary Sanchez and Luis Severino . The Yankees have thrived regardless and hold the AL s top record at the break. Baldelli has done an incredible job, but Boone has done a better one. NL Manager of the Year: Dave Martinez, Washington Nationals The Nats were one of MLB s worst teams two months into the season. Martinez was very much on the hot seat at that point. It has been a very different story for Washington since the final week of May though. The Nationals aren t simply in playoff contention, but they occupy the NL s top wild-card spot at the break. If Martinez deserved the blame when things were going poorly, it's only fair to give him the credit now that the train is back on the tracks. AL Rookie of the Year: Brandon Lowe, second baseman, Tampa Bay Rays While Lowe didn t enter his rookie season with the fanfare of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or Eloy Jimenez, he s been incredibly valuable to the Rays. He s hitting .276/.339/.523. The .276 average leads all qualified rookies in the AL. Lowe also has 16 home runs, which ties Jimenez for the AL Rookie lead. The fact that he s on a team currently in playoff contention only helps Lowe s standing. Vlad Jr. and Eloy will give him competition for the ROY in the second half, but Lowe has been the better player to date. NL Rookie of the Year: Pete Alonso, first baseman, New York Mets Rookies Fernando Tatis Jr., Austin Riley, Mike Soroka and Chris Paddack (just to name a few) are all having great seasons, but as good as they have been, this award is clearly Alonso s to lose. He s hitting .280/.372/.634 and his 30 home runs puts the rookie home run records of Cody Bellinger (National League) and Aaron Judge (MLB) well within his sights. Alonso isn t just this season s top rookie, but he s also having one of the greatest rookie seasons ever. AL Cy Young: Gerrit Cole, starting pitcher, Houston Astros Cole s 3.09 ERA is fifth in the AL, while his 1.02 WHIP is fourth, but he leads the AL in strikeouts (170), quality starts (15) and quality start percentage (79 percent). What could potentially hurt Cole s chances to win the AL Cy Young is that his primary competition for the award will likely be Justin Verlander. Teammates have a knack for splitting votes. That doesn t change the fact that at the break Cole has been the best pitcher in the American League. NL Cy Young: Max Scherzer, starting pitcher, Washington Nationals Scherzer has a 2.30 ERA and 0.98 WHIP. Both numbers rank third in the NL, while Dodgers ace Hyun-Jun Ryu leads both categories. While Ryu is a worthy candidate himself, Scherzer has two advantages: He leads the NL in quality starts with 16 (Ryu has 14) and has a big edge in strikeouts. Ryu has 99. Scherzer has 181, leading the NL by a considerable margin (Stephen Strasburg and Jacob deGrom are tied for second at 138). Only a historic year from Jacob deGrom kept Scherzer from winning his third straight NL Cy Young Award in 2018. Don't expect him to lose out again. AL MVP: Mike Trout, center fielder, Los Angeles Angels For anyone who thinks that playing for a losing team will doom Trout s chances, know that the Halos look to be better than they were in 2016 (74-88) when he won the MVP. More importantly, there isn t an AL player whose overall offensive stats are close to Trout s (.301/.453/.646). That doesn t even factor in what he does in the field . Fair or not, playing for a team that doesn t look to be a playoff contender will hurt Trout s MVP chances. His first-half performance has been more than strong enough to overcome it. NL MVP: Cody Bellinger, right fielder, Los Angeles Dodgers With respect to Alonso and Josh Bell , this is really a race between Bellinger (.336/.432/.692, 30 home runs) and Yelich (.329/.433/.707 31 home runs). There is little separating the two. Being on a better team certainly doesn't hurt Bellinger. While Yelich's Brewers are in contention, the Dodgers are hands down the best team in the NL. Additionally, while both are top-tier defenders, Bellinger has played great defense in both the outfield and at first base this year. Either man could distance himself from the other in the second half. At the break, though, Bellinger is the NL MVP .


Ducati's sporting director Paolo Ciabatti says Danilo Petrucci's podium finish in Le Mans was "very important", as the Italian manufacturer approaches decision time for its 2020 MotoGP line-up. Unlike teammate Andrea Dovizioso, Petrucci has a contract that runs out at the end of the year, and has Pramac's Jack Miller vying for his ride. The Italian was in danger of being overshadowed by fellow GP19 rider Miller over the first rounds of the season, but bounced back in Le Mans to pick up his first podium as a works Ducati rider, finishing a close third behind Dovizioso. "Danilo's podium was very important," Ciabatti told Motorsport.com. "He did exactly what Ducati is asking of him, which is to run in front without doing anything crazy. "Everybody got nervous after the first three races, but now he's showing his progress. "Danilo is under the same pressure as Miller because both have a one-year contract and are competing for the same goal. "One wants a promotion, the second wants a renewal. We'll have to see how the next two rounds go [in Mugello and Barcelona], then we'll discuss the situation and take a decision." Dovizioso, who has emerged as the Italian firm's benchmark rider in the last few years, had a fractious relationship with his previous teammate Jorge Lorenzo   but the current line-up is presenting no such issues. "We want to have a balanced team in which the teammate is not the main rival," Ciabatti said. "We are pleased with our two MotoGP riders and, besides that, we really like the relationship and the synergy existing between Andrea and Danilo. All these things help to have a very positive atmosphere." Contributing to this harmony is the fact Petrucci relocated close to Dovizioso's hometown Forli in the off-season, and has been working closely with his teammate. "For sure I have a lot of respect for Andrea, especially because as many know I moved my house in his hometown, he help me a lot but not only in the training, in every part of life," Petrucci explained to MotoGP.com at Le Mans. "For example we had dinner together because I was alone and I don't know no one in Forli, he helped me a lot and this result [third place] is in part also for him." Petrucci also said that he benefitted from Dovizioso's advice amid the middling start to his 2019 season. "Since 2017 people give me pressure because of the situation [of] two years ago with Lorenzo, last year the same, I have always a lot of pressure and I've won nothing at the moment. "I don't imagine if I win something one day, but always people like a lot to criticise me. I just don't listen, I don't care, for this part I have to say a big thanks to Andrea. "After [the third race in] Austin he talked to me and said to not care, to push on your weak point, to find the way to enjoy what you are doing, and this after Austin helped me a lot." Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team, Danilo Petrucci, Ducati Team Photo by: Gold and Goose / LAT Images


LOS ANGELES   Bob Bowlsby's scheduling idea is gaining steam in his old stomping grounds. The Big 12 commissioner noted at his league's media days last week that he would be in favor of requiring teams to play at least 10 Power Five opponents each season in order to be under consideration to make the College Football Playoff. The thought process would be that it could help smooth the inequity of some leagues (like the SEC and ACC) playing eight conference games and others playing nine (like the Big 12, Pac-12 and Big Ten). "If it were left entirely up to me, I wouldn't make any stipulations about how many games you have to play to decide your conference championship, I would advocate for a policy that says everybody plays ten autonomy game and you can play eight conference games or seven or nine, whatever you want to do," said Bowlsby, a prior AD at places like Iowa and Stanford. "But everybody has to play ten autonomy games and that way the portfolio looks relatively the same. We all know there is a fair amount of variance from the top to the bottom of even the FBS, even that's not ideal. But that's what I would advocate for." When that concept was relayed by NBC Sports at his media day on Wednesday, Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott seemed to show noticeable excitement over the potential for something along those lines even if he doubts there could be something done formally to require it for either schools or the Selection Committee. "I like that idea. I think that would be a step in the right direction," Scott said. "I haven't heard anyone making it a formal requirement because I think no one feels that goes to the commitment that he had when we started the playoff." That conversation dovetailed from a much more prominent one about the playoff expanding to eight teams, a hot topic around the league given that a Pac-12 team hasn't made the final four in the last two seasons. Some in the conference already believe that expansion is a certainty at some point soon but Scott cautioned that the talk isn't quite as advanced as some would like it to be at an official level. "We definitely have had a lot of conversation about it nationally and some conversation about it within the conference. It's very early and there's really not much concrete," remarked Scott. "I would expect to have a much more robust conversation about it within our conference after it's clearer whether there's a bias for some change from what we have. And if so, what it might look like and on what time frame. We're not there yet for those questions. "There hasn't been enough to sink your teeth into yet."


Although LeBron James and Anthony Davis are skipping this summer's FIBA World Cup like most of the NBA's biggest stars, one Laker will have more of an opportunity to join the team that will represent the United States later this summer in China. Kuzma, who played only 10 minutes in last night's Red, White and Blue scrimmage in Las Vegas, survived the first round of cuts that whittled the roster down to 17 players. Only 12 players will make the team that go to China as USA Basketball embarks on a trip to California next week before they play against Spain's national team on Friday. Bam Adebayo and Thaddeus Young were the first cuts for Team USA while Derrick White and Marvin Bagley were both promoted to the current 17-man roster from the Select Team, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst . Kuzma has been saying all the right things about embracing whatever role is asked of him with the Lakers and he may have the chance to practice that under Popovich, should he make the final roster. MORE: Four potential Carmelo Anthony landing spots in free agency Yankees' Brett Gardner gets ejected while sitting quietly, erupts on umpire Packers training camp practice roundup: August 10 Cris Carter: Daniel Jones' first TD pass was ugly, should have been intercepted Studs and duds from Saints preseason opener vs. Vikings


Curious just how far your dollar goes in Cleveland? We've rounded up the latest rental offerings via rental sites Zumper and Apartment Guide to get a sense of what to expect when it comes to locating a rental in Cleveland with a budget of $900/month. Read on for the listings. (Note: prices and availability are subject to change.) Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. 526 Superior Ave. (Downtown) Listed at $817/month, this 450-square-foot studio apartment is located at 526 Superior Ave. The unit offers carpeted floors, a dishwasher, in-unit laundry and a walk-in closet. Pet owners, take heed: Cats and dogs are welcome. Per Walk Score ratings, the surrounding area is a "walker's paradise," is bikeable and boasts excellent transit options. (See the complete listing here .) 3307 Scranton Road (Brooklyn Centre) Next, there's this two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment located at 3307 Scranton Road. It's listed for $850/month. When it comes to building amenities, anticipate an elevator, on-site laundry and outdoor space. You can also expect to find central air conditioning in the unit. Pet lovers are in luck: Cats and dogs are welcome. According to Walk Score, this location is quite walkable, is relatively bikeable and has some transit options. (Take a gander at the complete listing here .) 12929 Shaker Blvd. (Buckeye Shaker) Here's a 900-square-foot two-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bathroom apartment at 12929 Shaker Blvd. that's going for $869/month. The apartment features a mix of hardwood floors and carpeting and a dishwasher. Building amenities include a fitness center and on-site laundry. Attention, cat owners: Your kitty is allowed here. Expect a $250 security deposit. Walk Score indicates that this location is very walkable, has some bike infrastructure and has good transit options. (See the full listing here .) 2063 E. Fourth St. (Downtown) Next, check out this 450-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom unit that's located at 2063 E. Fourth St. It's listed for $875/month. On-site laundry is listed as a building amenity. In the unit, you'll find air conditioning, a dishwasher and in-unit laundry. When it comes to pets, both meows and barks are permitted. Per Walk Score ratings, this location has excellent walkability, is fairly bikeable and is a haven for transit riders. (Check out the complete listing here .) 12701/12600 Shaker Blvd. (Buckeye Shaker) Located at 12701/12600 Shaker Blvd., here's a three-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment that's listed for $900/month. Expect to see central heating and air conditioning and hardwood flooring in the apartment. When it comes to building amenities, anticipate on-site laundry. For those with furry friends in tow, know that cats and dogs are allowed on this property. Be prepared for a $300 non-refundable pet fee. According to Walk Score, the area around this address is friendly for those on foot, is relatively bikeable and has good transit options. (Take a gander at the complete listing here .) Working with a tight budget? Here are the cheapest rentals recently listed in Cleveland . This story was created automatically using local real estate data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


The New England Patriots are signing receiver Dontrelle Inman on Friday, according to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport. Inman had four offers on the table when he picked the Patriots during a visit with the team. Inman has had a journeyman career with time on four NFL teams since signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He had a stint in the Canadian League, and won the Grey Cup, the Canadian equivalent of the Super Bowl, during a season with the Toronto Argonauts. Inman then returned to the NFL. His most productive season was in 2016 when he started 16 games for the Chargers with 58 receptions for 810 yards and four touchdowns. In 2018, Inman playing in nine games and started four games with 28 receptions for 304 yards and three touchdowns with the Colts. That was fast: The #Patriots are signing WR Dontrelle Inman to a 1-year deal, source said. An intriguing option in the room for the player who had 4 offers. - Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 10, 2019 Inman, a 6-foot-3, 200 pound receiver, will join Patriots wideouts Julian Edelman, Phillip Dorsett, Josh Gordon, Demaryius Thomas and N'Keal Harry, among others. MORE: The full story from the guy who got Danica Patrick a drink at the Bucks-Celtics game NBA Free Agency 2019: The top players 3 Raiders players who could have breakout seasons in 2019 Richard Sherman: 'The secondary wasn't the issue last year' Colts LBs set to face unprecedented competition


Gov. Larry Hogan announced Wednesday he would not release $245 million for programs the legislature "fenced off" in the state budget for various projects   including school construction, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and summer jobs for Baltimore youth. Citing a looming $961 million deficit, Hogan said the state could not afford to fund the legislature's priorities in key areas, including $127 million for school construction and hundreds of thousands for community colleges in Hagerstown and Prince George's County. "We pledged to bring fiscal restraint to Annapolis and we have," said Hogan, a Republican. "We must remain vigilant and fiscally prudent and be prepared for volatility in the national economy." Even so, Hogan said he is instructing his agencies to find ways to fund programs for public safety and health by finding savings in the budget   and without using the money set aside by the legislature. The governor said his agencies would look for ways to fund $7 million technology upgrades for the Baltimore Police Department and $3.5 million for testing rape kits as requested by the legislature. "We will not allow critical public safety and health needs to go unmet," Hogan said. Hogan said he would resubmit his plan to fund school construction   with revenue from casinos in Maryland   in the next legislative session in January. The General Assembly did not pass that measure this year. The governor blamed the legislature for cutting $90 million from the state's so-called "rainy day fund" and $50 million from the pension fund. Treasurer Nancy Kopp, a Democrat, expressed disappointment with Hogan's decision. Kopp suggested Hogan simply didn't like Democrats making changes to his budget   even though the legislature's spending proposal is slightly smaller than Hogan's. "Governors never like legislatures putting their imprimatur on the budget," Kopp said. "It's not the governor's budget. It's not the legislature's budget. It's the state budget." Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, a Calvert County Democrat, said he would urge Hogan to change his mind. "I am extremely disappointed that the governor is not choosing to fund many worthy projects, including some that were originally in his proposed budget, and some that were added based off testimony from many Marylanders to the legislature," Miller said in a statement. Miller met with Hogan last week, asking him to release the money. "Based on my conversation with the governor, I was under the impression that he intended to review the list closely and that deserving projects would proceed with funding," Miller said. "The bipartisan budget passed by the legislature was balanced, and did not alter the structural deficit any differently than in the governor's originally proposed budget." "While the governor has made his announcement today, he is certainly allowed to change his mind ... I urge him to do so and decide that priorities including school construction, rape kit testing, youth jobs, funds to our HBCUs, and other projects are worth funding," Miller said. Del. Shelly Hettleman, a Baltimore County Democrat who sponsored legislation to provide more money to test rape kits, said the money is needed to ensure kits don't go untested or get thrown out. "It's really disappointing," Hettleman said. "We had $3.5 million in the budget. We're asking law enforcement to expand the number of kits they test. We hope the governor will be able to find the resources in the budget." During this year's 90-day General Assembly session, the Democrat-controlled legislature amended Hogan's proposed $46 billion operating budget for the year that began Monday. Legislators made close to $300 million in changes to the budget Hogan introduced, deleting items he favored and replacing them with items they preferred. But under state law, Hogan didn't have to release the money the legislature "fenced off"   or restricted   for various programs. Hogan agreed earlier this year to release money "fenced off" for school operating costs   which will help implement recommendations from the so-called Kirwan commission. He waited until Wednesday to announce his decision on the other items the legislature sought to fund. The last time Hogan refused to release money fenced off by the legislature was in 2016, when the governor said he would not spend $80 million the General Assembly authorized to reduce violence, renovate older schools and fund other programs. At the time, the legislature's chief budget analyst estimated revenue to be $150 million short of projections, and Hogan's budget secretary David R. Brinkley said it would be "shortsighted" to spend money that should go into the state's savings account.


The Vikings made more selections (12) than any other team in the 2019 NFL draft, but they're nearly done signing their entire rookie class. Only first-round center Garrett Bradbury and seventh-round long-snapper Austin Cutting remain unsigned after Minnesota announced the following first-year players have inked their rookie deals: 3-102: Alexander Mattison , RB (Boise State) 4-114: Dru Samia , G (Oklahoma) 6-191: Marcus Epps , DB (Wyoming) 7-239: Dillon Mitchell , WR (Oregon) 7-247: Olabisi Johnson , WR (Colorado State) Mattison was considered something of an over-draft at the end of the third round, but he could see a path to playing time during his rookie season. He will compete with Mike Boone , Ameer Abdullah , and Roc Thomas for work behind starting running back Dalvin Cook . Mattison, who is 5-foot-11 and 211 pounds, surpassed 1,000 rushing yards in each of the past two seasons, scoring a combined 29 touchdowns on the ground. His four-year contract should be worth $3.342M and come with a signing bonus of $822K. Samia was one of four Oklahoma offensive linemen selected this year. The four-year starter was named the Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2018, and earned first-team All-Big 12 and second-team All-American nods. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com calls Samia a "very able zone blocker," which could help him adjust to the NFL as the Vikings implement new offensive consultant Gary Kubiak's zone-based scheme. Samia probably isn't in line for starting work immediately, as Pat Elflein , Bradbury, and Josh Kline will handle Minnesota's interior, but he's likely penciled in as the club's top guard/center reserve. First-round contracts often take a bit longer to work out, so it's perhaps no surprise that Bradbury is still unsigned. But Cutting's situations is tied to his status as an alum of the Air Force Academy. He hasn't signed his rookie deal as he waits for the Air Force to decide if he'll first need to fulfill his service requirement before playing in the NFL. President Trump is reportedly considering a waiver to allow service academy prospects to immediately play professional sports and delay their military obligations.


Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) endorsed Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) for president on Friday, giving the Florida lawmaker his third endorsement from a Capitol Hill lawmaker this week. In a statement first obtained by The Hill, Mullin lauded Rubio's "strong understanding" of foreign policy and argued that he's best equipped to keep the nation safe from the threat of terror groups. "I have always been clear that the person I will support for president must be a true leader   someone who can unite our country and move our nation forward," Mullin said. "I believe Marco Rubio is that person." "One of the most important jobs of our next president will be keeping this country safe," he continued. "Senator Rubio has the knowledge and understanding of the serious threats facing this country." Rubio also landed endorsements this week from Reps. Mia Love (R-Utah) and Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.), both of whom cited his strength on national defense as reasons for supporting him. Jeb Bush still boasts the most supporters on Capitol Hill but Rubio is inching closer to him. Bush has the support of 25 members of the House and three U.S. senators, according to the FiveThirtyEight endorsements tracker. Rubio is in second place in the endorsements primary, and now counts 13 House members and three senators in his corner. However, most of Bush's endorsements came early in the cycle, while Rubio has doubled his lawmaker support over the last few weeks.


Once among college football's powerhouses, the Nebraska Cornhuskers haven't won a conference championship since the turn of the century. With no 10-win seasons since 2012, it has been a tough rebuilding effort for second-year head coach Scott Frost to inherit, but the team is showing promise. Given a big jump in quality, the Huskers could have an outside shot at returning to national glory. The 2018 story: Nebraska was one of the worst teams in all of college football to begin the year, as its 0-6 start was the worst in program history. It wasn't all down to the Huskers' poor play, though, as they had the 26th-hardest schedule in the nation. Killer penalties: Nebraska played undisciplined football all year long and finished No. 116 in the country in penalty yards per game. Ball security: Nebraska may have ended the season with a turnover differential of just minus-2, but the Huskers had six turnovers in their first two games and had many near-fumbles as well. Turning it around: Despite the awful start, Nebraska's final six games offered hope. The team went 4-2, with the only defeats coming narrowly to Ohio State (36-31) and Iowa (31-28) on the road. The strengths: Led by an explosive quarterback, Nebraska's offense is ready to take a jump in year two of Frost's offense. But a few key position groups are strong on defense as well. Quarterback: Sophomore Adrian Martinez's natural dual-threat ability was on display throughout the 2018 season, but it was only near the end that he began to master the offense and display better reads. A total of 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns aren't out of the question, and those numbers could vault him into Heisman contention. Wide receiver: Junior JD Spielman, the son of Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman, is already one of the best wideouts in school history and is only getting better. He averaged 81.8 yards and almost a touchdown per game last season, and he lines up all over the field to confuse opposing defenses. Defensive line: Nebraska's defensive line isn't led by one star. Instead, it is led by a group of experienced pass-rushers ready to make an impact. Ben Stille topped the team with five sacks last year and is joined by two pairs of brothers   Khalil and Carlos Davis, both seniors, who combined for four sacks last year. Oklahoma State graduate transfer Darrion Daniels will start immediately and link up with his brother Damion. The question marks: Departures of experienced players along the offensive line and at running back will need to be addressed or the Huskers may struggle to begin the year. Running back: Devine Ozigbo ran for over 1,000 yards last season but is onto the NFL now. Sophomore Maurice Washington showed big-play ability, but his future is uncertain as he deals with a legal case. The assumed starter would be Dedrick Mills, a junior college transfer who previously played at Georgia Tech. But clearly the Husker backfield is up for grabs right now. Offensive line: With three starters graduating from Nebraska's 2018 line and uncertainty at running back, the team's run game could be a point of concern. The Huskers are likely to start a freshman former tight end at center and a walk-on at guard, and the unit will need time to come together in an absence of veteran leadership. The big games : The Huskers have a number of big matchups, which could lead them to glory. Early road test: After an opening-week tuneup against South Alabama, the Huskers will hit the road to take on Colorado, which beat Nebraska in Lincoln last year . The Buffs may have a first-year head coach, but the Huskers were 0-5 on the road last season and haven't won a road game since October 2017. Potential "College GameDay": " College Gameday" hasn't come to Lincoln since a 2007 matchup against No. 1 USC, but if the Huskers can start the year 4-0, a Week 5 matchup against Ohio State looms. Divisional clashes: Nebraska has the added benefit of playing its key divisional games at home this season. Three of the favorites in the Big Ten West   Northwestern, Wisconsin and Iowa   all play on the road at Nebraska. Putting it all together: Does Nebraska really have the potential for a playoff run? Martinez magic: In lieu of an established running game, the Huskers will need Martinez to carry the offense and put up a Heisman-caliber campaign. Beat the Buckeyes: It's hard to make the playoff if you can't beat the hardest team on your schedule, and that means Nebraska needs to emerge victorious over Ohio State. A potential Big Ten Championship Game rematch could loom even if that is the case as well. No bad losses: Over the last 10 years, Nebraska has consistently dropped one or two games to clearly inferior opponents, and those contributed to keeping the program down. Games against the likes of Illinois, Indiana and Maryland are expected wins, but Nebraska can't take them lightly or it could miss out on postseason glory as a result. Related slideshow: Early Top 25 college football teams for 2019 (Provided by USA Today Sports)


Curious just how far your dollar goes in Orlando? We've rounded up the latest places for rent via rental sites Zumper and Apartment Guide to get a sense of what to expect when it comes to finding apartment rentals in Orlando if you've got $2,300/month earmarked for your rent. Read on for the listings. (Note: Prices and availability are subject to change.) Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. 7800 Jubilee Park Blvd. (Airport North) Check out this 1,501-square-foot three-bedroom, two-bathroom residence that's located at 7800 Jubilee Park Blvd. It's listed for $2,235/month. The apartment has hardwood floors, in-unit laundry and a walk-in closet. For those with furry friends in tow, know that cats and dogs are permitted on this property. According to Walk Score's assessment, this location is car-dependent, is relatively bikeable and offers limited transit options. (Take a look at the complete listing here .) 10207 Dwell Court Located at 10207 Dwell Court, here's a 1,692-square-foot three-bedroom, three-bathroom residence that's listed for $2,245/month. In the apartment, the listing promises a balcony, a walk-in closet and hardwood floors. Pets are permitted. According to Walk Score, the area around this address is car-dependent and is somewhat bikeable. (Take a gander at the complete listing here .) 777 N. Orange Ave. (Central Business District) Finally, there's this apartment located at 777 N. Orange Ave. It's listed for $2,249/month for its 1,192 square feet. The residence features hardwood floors and a walk-in closet. Pet lovers are in luck: Cats and dogs are permitted. The rental doesn't require a leasing fee. Per Walk Score ratings, this location is somewhat walkable, is quite bikeable and has excellent transit. (See the complete listing here .) Working with a tight budget? Here are the cheapest rentals recently listed in Orlando . This story was created automatically using local real estate data from Zumper and Apartment Guide , then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


Gary Woodland won the 119th U.S. Open by three shots on Sunday at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Here are the golf clubs he used to win: DRIVER: Ping G410 (7 degrees), with Accra RPG 472 M5+ shaft FAIRWAY WOOD: Ping G410 LST (13.5 degrees), with Accra Tour ZX 4100 M5 shaft IRONS: Wilson Staff Model Blades (3-PW), with KBS Tour C-Taper 130 X shafts WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design SM7 (53 degrees, 58 degrees), TaylorMade Milled Grind Hi-Toe (64 degrees), with KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 125 X shafts PUTTER: Scotty Cameron Newport prototype BALL: Titleist Pro V1


Video by CNN TEHRAN, Iran (AP)   Iran's Revolutionary Guard shot down a U.S. drone on Thursday amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over its collapsing nuclear deal with world powers, American and Iranian officials said, though they disputed the circumstances of the incident. The Guard said it shot down the drone over Iranian airspace, while two U.S. officials told The Associated Press that the downing happened over international airspace in the Strait of Hormuz. The different accounts could not be immediately reconciled. Previously, the U.S. military alleged that Iran had fired a missile at another drone last week that was responding to the attack on two oil tankers near the Gulf of Oman. The U.S. blames Iran for the attack on the ships; Tehran denies it was involved. The attacks come against the backdrop of heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran following President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from Tehran's nuclear deal a year ago. Separately, Saudi Arabia said on Thursday that Yemen's Iranian-allied Houthi rebels launched a rocket targeting a desalination plant in the kingdom the previous night. The White House said Trump was briefed about that attack. Iran has quadrupled its production of low-enriched uranium and threatened to boost its enrichment closer to weapons-grade levels, trying to pressure Europe for new terms to the 2015 nuclear deal. In recent weeks, the U.S. has sped an aircraft carrier to the Mideast and deployed additional troops alongside the tens of thousands already in the region. From Yemen, the Houthis have launched bomb-laden drones into neighboring Saudi Arabia. All this has raised fears that a miscalculation or further rise in tensions could push the U.S. and Iran into an open conflict, some 40 years after Tehran's Islamic Revolution. Thursday's drone incident marks the first direct Iranian-claimed attack on the U.S. amid the crisis. "We do not have any intention for war with any country, but we are fully ready for war," Revolutionary Guard commander Gen. Hossein Salami said in a televised address. Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which answers only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said it shot down the drone on Thursday morning when it entered Iranian airspace near the Kouhmobarak district in southern Iran's Hormozgan province. Kouhmobarak is some 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) southeast of Tehran and close to the Strait of Hormuz. The Guard said it shot down the drone at 4:05 a.m. after it collected data from Iranian territory, including the southern port of Chahbahar near Iran's border with Pakistan. Iran used its air defense system known as Third of Khordad to shoot down the drone   a truck-based missile system that can fire up to 18 miles (30 kilometers) into the sky, the semi-official Fars news agency reported. Iran's state-run IRNA news agency, citing the Guard, identified the drone as an RQ-4 Global Hawk. However, the U.S. Navy also flies a variant that looks similar, called the MQ-4C Triton. The drones cost over $100 million apiece and can fly higher than 10 miles in altitude and stay in the air for over 24 hours at a time. They have a distinguishable hump-shaped front and an engine atop. Their wingspan is bigger than a Boeing 737 passenger jet. The U.S. officials told the AP the Iranians fired a surface-to-air missile striking the American drone over the Strait of Hormuz, in international airspace. The strait is the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all global oil moves. The officials spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity as the information had yet to be cleared for release to the public. They did not elaborate on the type of drone shot down, nor the mission it was conducting. However, the U.S. has been worried about international shipping through the Strait of Hormuz since the limpet mine attacks in May and June. Salami, speaking to a crowd in the western city of Sanandaj, described the American drone as "violating our national security border." "Borders are our red line," Salami said. "Any enemy that violates the borders will be annihilated." Iran's Foreign Ministry separately protested the drone, saying it entered Iranian territory. Slideshow by photo services Iran has claimed to have shot down American drones in the past. In the most-famous incident, in December 2011, Iran seized an RQ-170 Sentinel flown by the CIA to monitor Iranian nuclear sites after it entered Iranian airspace from neighboring Afghanistan. The Iranians later reverse-engineered the drone to create their own variants. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia said Yemen's Houthi rebels fired a rocket a desalination plant in al-Shuqaiq, a city in the kingdom's Jizan province. The state-run Saudi Press Agency quoted military spokesman Col. Turki al-Maliki as saying the attack caused no damage and wounded no one. The Yemeni rebel Al-Masirah satellite news channel earlier said the Houthis targeted a power plant in Jizan, near the kingdom's border with Yemen, with a cruise missile. White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Trump had been "briefed on the reports of a missile strike in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia." "We are closely monitoring the situation and continuing to consult with our partners and allies," Sanders said. It wasn't immediately clear why Trump would be briefed about an attack that caused no damage or casualties. A Saudi-led coalition has been battling the Houthis since March 2015 in Yemen, the Arab world's poorest nation now pushed to the brink of famine by the conflict. In recent weeks, the Houthis have launched a new campaign sending missiles and bomb-laden drones into Saudi Arabia. ___ Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.


Ellen Tailor is at the newly opened K-Banana shop with more on the hype.


His attorney called him a "Miller-Lite kind of guy" and compared him to the captain of the ill-fated Titanic. Prosecutors, however, offer a vastly different take on Norwood Jewell, the highest-ranking former UAW official caught up in the wide-ranging training center scandal. They paint him as a "big shot and a fat cat" who on one occasion spent two months living in a Palm Springs, California, villa using thousands of dollars in training center money supplied by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles during conferences. "Instead of seizing the opportunity to zealously and honorably represent the interests of the union's members and their families, Jewell chose to serve his own interests and to live the life of a big shot and fat cat," according to a sentencing memo filed Tuesday by prosecutors. "Jewell took cigars, big steaks, first-class airfare, rounds of golf, villas, lavish entertainment and personalized bottles of wine because he lost sight of the true reason the UAW members were paying him a salary and compensation amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars." Jewell, who faces sentencing in Detroit next month, took tens of thousands of dollars for his own benefit from FCA, according to the memo. His actions, they said "eroded public confidence in our collective bargaining system and sullied the reputations of honest" UAW members. The prosecutor's memo follows a similar document with a dramatically different conclusion filed earlier this week by Jewell's attorney. In addition to goodies for himself, prosecutors said, Jewell, a former elected union vice president, also tried to impress the UAW leadership by hosting parties at the UAW/Chrysler National Training Center. 'Miami Vice' party At two "over-the-top" parties in 2014 and 2015, UAW brass were "wined and dined on Fiat Chrysler's dime," prosecutors said. One party at the National Training Center cost more than $25,000, and attendees received a wine bottle with a special label   "Made especially for you by UAW Vice President Norwood Jewell in the USA." The other party, with a "Miami Vice" theme and provocatively dressed women lighting the cigars of UAW bosses, cost $31,166, according to the memo. In his plea agreement, the memo noted, both sides agree Jewell is responsible for $40,000 to $95,000 in prohibited payments. The memo pushes back against the defense portrait of a selfless man who made mistakes and deserves leniency. Prosecutors want Jewell to get a 15-month sentence rather than the home confinement suggested by his attorney. He is the last of the eight people charged to date to face sentencing in the case. FCA has also been involved in negotiations with the government related to its role. A former FCA vice president involved with labor negotiations, Alphons Iacobelli, was the highest-ranking former company official to be nabbed to date and also satisfied a taste for the high life through the scheme in the form of expensive pens, a Ferrari and home improvements. Both the company and union have denied the issues demonstrate a culture of corruption. Not as bad as Holiefield Prosecutors do acknowledge that Jewell came late to the party, saying he was "not directly connected to the culture of corruption that had long been in place in the UAW's Chrysler Department under Vice President (the late General) Holiefield. Jewell's involvement in the conspiracy and his acceptance of prohibited payments from Fiat Chrysler were not to the level of Holiefield's graft and misappropriation." More: Former UAW VP compared to captain of Titanic in plea for leniency More: How much legal trouble could Fiat Chrysler, UAW face in scandal? More: GM, FCA formally launch UAW contract talks But Jewell, who took over the union's FCA department in June 2014, "made the conscious and criminal decision to participate in the conspiracy and to bask in the culture of corruption." Among the lavish transgressions, in addition to almost $10,000 spent on pool-equipped Palm Springs villas, cited by prosecutors: First-class airfare to Palm Springs in 2014 and 2015   $5,125 Multiple rounds of golf and other entertainment at Indian Canyons Golf Resort   $6,681 Receipt of luggage ($1,259) and an Italian-made Beretta shotgun ($2,182) as a birthday present in 2014 and 2015. He paid money to the National Training Center for the luggage and gun after he learned of the federal investigation. $469 spent at Wild Bill's Tobacco store Directed co-defendant Virdell King to buy $2,130 in Walt Disney World tickets as well as Universal Studios passes ($217 each) for Jewell's friends Thousands of additional dollars spent for lavish meals Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @_ericdlawrence. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Prosecutors: Ex-UAW VP Norwood Jewell lived like fat cat


Huawei's plans to become the world's biggest smartphone brand will have to be put on hold, a senior company executive said, as the company faces increasing pressure from the United States. Speaking at the CES Asia conference in Shanghai on Tuesday, Shao Yang, the chief strategy officer of Huawei's consumer business, said its smartphone unit had recently become "the second-largest company in terms of sales" and "could have been number one" by the end of this year. "But now, we have to wait a little bit longer to achieve that," he added, without elaborating further. Huawei has repeatedly stated its objective to overtake Samsung as the world's biggest seller of smartphones after leapfrogging Apple in shipments last year. But the Chinese tech giant has for months been on the defensive from a US-led campaign to block its 5G equipment around the world and cut it off from American software and components. US authorities have warned that Beijing could use Huawei gear to spy on other nations. Last month, the Trump administration added Huawei to an export blacklist that prevents US companies from supplying to the Chinese firm without a license. Huawei has repeatedly denied that any of its products pose a national security risk. That US export ban has already prompted some wireless carriers to postpone the launch of some of Huawei's latest smartphones, and forced some Silicon Valley partners to restrict their ties with the company. On Friday, Facebook said it would suspend sending its software for the pre-installation of apps such as WhatsApp and Instagram on Huawei smartphones, just weeks after Google said it may also have to pull back on providing the full scope of its Android operating system to Huawei. Huawei has said it is building its own operating system as a backup, but "would like to be able to continue operating in the Microsoft and Google ecosystems" if it can. For now, Google can continue to provide updates to existing Huawei smartphones, thanks to a temporary reprieve last month from the US Commerce Department. Yang addressed Huawei's relationship with Google on Tuesday, calling it "a very complex issue" and pointing out that Huawei had contributed to Android's open-source platform. In his hour-long speech to tech executives, Yang acknowledged the company's setbacks but sought to project strength and a clear vision for the company's consumer business, including plans to improve connectivity in vehicles and inside the home. "I believe this is a historic juncture of our times," he said. "People see 5G, but we see beyond that...what we will do is find our direction in the new round of competition."


Panthers safety Eric Reid has never been shy about sharing his thoughts on controversial issues. That includes the subject of student athlete compensation, apparently. This morning on Twitter, Reid shared a post saying that the locker rooms he had at LSU seven years ago were better than the ones Carolina has now. Reid suggested the idea that there's no money to pay the players is wrong. The locker room when I was at LSU 7 years ago was better than the current one in Carolina. But there's no money to compensate these young men for the revenue they bring to the school #JustSaying https://t.co/hlQtMy8dwd - Eric Reid (@E_Reid35) July 22, 2019 Last year LSU made a reported $86.2 million in football-related revenue, according to Forbes . Reid is one of four former LSU players on Carolina's roster. The others are cornerback Donte Jackson, guard Trai Turner and offensive tackle Dillon Gordon. MORE: Lakers' Quinn Cook Q&A: 'It feels like this team has been together a while' Brooks Koepka explained what's the most frustrating part of J.B. Holmes' slow play Brooks Koepka Calls Out J.B. Holmes Following Disastrous Final Round at The Open Phil Simms: 'Multiple' teams were set to take Daniel Jones before No. 17 14 biggest questions for the Packers entering training camp


Gonzaga has found their point guard after whiffing on Derryck Thornton. Ryan Woolridge, a grad transfer from North Texas, announced over the weekend that he will play his final season of eligibility for Mark Few and the Zags. He picked Gonzaga over Minnesota, Oklahoma State and Arkansas. "I just had a list of checkmarks and I wanted to see which school would fill the most checkmarks," Wooridge told the Spokesman Review . "Gonzaga was the best fit for me in all those categories. I'm so comfortable with the coaches and players. It felt like the right move for me." Woolridge, who is 6-foot-3 and 175 pounds, had surgery after this past season to repair a stress fracture in his patella, but he still managed to put up 11.7 points, 5.9 boards and 4.8 assists as a junior for UNT. This will be a solid addition for the Zags. Woolridge is a heady play, the kind of point guard willing to make the right pass and find the open guy. He rebounds, he's a good defender and he has high-end speed. He's not going to be a replacement for Josh Perkins   for all the stick I gave Perkins last season, he was a really, really good playmaker and a monster in pick-and-rolls   but he will give the Zags a guy that can initiate offense, set the tone defensively and allow Admon Gilder to play off the ball. The bottom line is that the Zags needed backcourt depth. The only other point guard on their roster is freshman Brock Ravet. Woolridge isn't going to be the reason that Gonzaga is a top ten team, but he is a piece that they really needed to add.


From bee-friendly plants to a bee house, if you're wondering how to help bees we've got 21 ways to make your garden an oasis for pollinators... What's the buzz? How to make your garden bee-friendly Vital to our planet, we owe a lot to these honey-making heroes   they're one of the most important pollinators of our food crops, so it's about time we started looking out for them. By introducing the right plants into your garden, you can offer a year-round pollen feast for our buzzing friends and, in turn, watch your foliage thrive. If you're wondering how to help bees, follow these smart garden ideas to create an oasis for them... Embrace variety Create a cottage garden-style space that will lure pollinating insects in again and again by planting flowers of different sizes, shapes and colors. There are around 250 species of bee in the UK and over 4,000 in the US, each with varying pollen preferences, so the more variety in your garden, the better. Plant plenty of purple If you want to plant an enticing garden, there are some foolproof shades you should stick to. Nobel Prize-winning scientist Karl von Frisch discovered bees could see color, with their base hues consisting of ultraviolet light (invisible to humans), blue and green. So when you're next in the garden center, keep these tones in mind to attract pollinators. Find native foliage Native plants are those that are domestic to a certain area and ecosystem. Because bees from particular regions evolve alongside local flowers, it makes sense that they would have a preference for native species. British national plants such as forget-me-nots more or less span the whole country due to the small landmass, however, US native plants have a more localized presence. Check out The Native Plant Finder for a list of state-specific varieties. Become a beekeeper More and more of us are becoming residential beekeepers. The British Beekeepers Association recommends enthusiasts take a course with a local organization who can provide a good grounding in caring for bees. In the long term, beekeeping can help advance conservation efforts, increase local pollination and even earn you a bit of money on the side   you could even set up a honey stall at your local farmers' market. Create plenty of shade Bees need shade just like we do. Create plenty of ground-level cover with floor-hugging leafy shrubs like hostas and coleus, or establish a beautiful natural canopy that you can enjoy, too, by installing a wooden pergola and growing natural climbers such as honeysuckle, passion flower or wisteria   all of which have aromatic blooms packed with pollen and nectar. Need an outdoor dining space? Check out these patio and decking ideas to create your own summer terrace Set up watering spots As well as drinking nectar, bees also need water. Create hydration spots for them by adding large pebbles to the basin of a bird table for the bees to perch on. If you're short on space, a shallow saucer of water popped in a shady spot will do just as well. Arrange flowers in clumps Have you ever watched a bee hovering from one flower to the next? As they work, they prefer to feast rather than snack, and those little pollen saddlebags on their legs can account for 30% of their body weight so they don't like to fly far between stops. Flowers clustered into groups according to species will attract more bees than individual plants scattered around the garden. Select single-petal flowers Flowers with layered petals like peonies, double dahlias and tight roses take extra effort to clamber into, making them less appealing to bees if there are easy single-petal flowers with a large open stigma to perch on nearby. Go for variations of single dahlias, anemones and coneflowers if you want to make bees a regular in your flower patch. Introduce tubular plants Equally as appealing are open tubular-shaped flowers such as foxgloves, honeysuckle, penstemons and snapdragons, where long-tongued bee species can feed sheltered and undisturbed inside the floral bells. Pledge to go pesticide-free Bees hate chemical pesticides as they can be weakened and even killed by them either by simply walking over the sprayed petals or ingesting contaminated pollen and nectar. Aim to have a pesticide-free garden by using natural alternatives and by encouraging pest eaters such as ladybirds and spiders into your garden. Make your own mini meadow According to Blooms for Bees , we've lost 98% of the UK's wildflower meadows since the early 20th century, causing a decline in bee numbers. To help redress the balance, why not turn a corner of your garden into a meadow with long grass and wildflowers? Emma Pearce, a horticultural scientist at the Eden Project says: "It's tempting to cut back perennial plants such as grasses as the summer season comes to an end, but those hollow stems and undergrowth are the ideal habitat for bees and other pollinating insects to nest and larvae to overwinter." Let herbs bolt When herbs have seen better days, don't pull them out, instead let them bolt. Bolting is when plants grow quickly and set seeds. Bees are particularly attracted to herb foliage thanks to their aromatic scents and vibrant colors. Chives, lavender and oregano (to name a few) all produce bee-friendly pink and purple flowers   some are edible for humans too. Buy ready-mixed seed packets Even novice gardeners who don't know their rose from their ranunculus can create pretty pots and full flower beds that bees will enjoy. Mixed seed bags especially selected for pollinators are available from garden centers and online retailers. Whether you want to be organized and grow perfect patches of the same species or go freestyle with a seed bomb explosion of wildflowers, there's a box of seeds to suit every type of garden. Create a continuously flowering garden Some bees hibernate or die off altogether during the winter but others, like the honeybee, work all year long. They survive mainly on honey stores, but with milder winters and seasonally flowering gardens and parks, winter pollinators are no longer an unusual sight. Stagger your planting for year-round blooms. As well as the usual summer flowers, grow daffodils, hyacinths and bluebells in spring and choose snowdrops, crocuses and winter primroses for colder months. Grow flowering fruits and vegetables If your garden has a fruit and vegetable patch, consider flowering types such as tomatoes, runner beans, strawberries and raspberry bushes. The bee's pollination will provide a bumper crop, and the pollen and nectar are said to be sweeter for our buzzing friends too. Want your own allotment? Check out these grow-your-own tips for small spaces Feature fabulous nesting spots You don't necessarily need a large garden with long grass and woodpiles to create somewhere for bees to nest. This birdcage has been filled with pebbles and wrapped in ivy. It's shady, dark and cool with plenty of little nooks to crawl into. Plus it looks as beautiful to us as it does to the bees   win-win! Add secret hiding places A contemporary bee block will provide a safe and unobtrusive little nest for bees. Unlike wooden insect hotels, this design won't rot as it's made from white cast concrete, plus it'll look the part in landscaped and urban gardens. It can even be incorporated into a wall or fence. Hang a bee log For a more natural alternative, a bee log makes a beautiful nesting place. It's specially designed to attract the Red Mason bee and the Megachile bee, neither of which sting, making it safe for gardens with children and pets. The tubes are made from drilled canes and provide ideal cavities for bees to lay their eggs, while the bark surround acts as organic insolation throughout the winter. Leave off the lawnmower Good news for some   research by the USDA Forest Service has concluded that mowing the lawn less frequently can significantly improve the habitats of bees. Mowing every three weeks resulted in as much as 2.5 times more lawn flowers such as dandelions and clover and attracted a greater diversity of bee species. Dandelions are a superb pollen source for bees during winter months when there are fewer flowers available   so leave those weeds alone for as long as you can stand it. Buy a bee-friendly hanging basket Courtyards, terraces or even balconies can attract bees too. Position pots or hanging baskets in both sunny and shady spots, fill them up with a pollinator's favorite flowers such as lavender and dianthus and listen out for the familiar buzz as bees stop by. Download a pollinator app Bee enthusiasts can now use technology to plant the perfect garden that bees, butterflies and other pollinators will love. There are several apps, including BeeSmart Pollinator Gardener, that can help you select specific native plants from a vast database. Or, for American gardeners, install Bumble Bee Watch to learn about and track the bees around you. Enjoyed this? Check out these easy gardening hacks to take the graft out of growing


No one was hurt after a fire broke out at 12:10 p.m. July 19 in a two-story home at 2254 N. 73rd St. in Wauwatosa. Fire crews found light smoke coming from a bedroom on the second floor. The fire was extinguished within minutes of the crew's arrival, according to a fire department press release. The cause of the fire is undetermined, but the fire appears to have started in the northwest corner of the upstairs bedroom. The fire does not appear to be suspicious, and the investigation has been closed by the Wauwatosa fire marshal. The initial damage to the property is estimated to be approximately $50,000, the release said. The Wauwatosa Fire Department was assisted at the scene by the Milwaukee and West Allis fire departments. According to online tax records, the home is owned by Nathaniel K. Lynn. Contact Karen Pilarski at karen.pilarski@jrn.com . Follow her on Twitter at @KarenPilarski . Our subscribers make this coverage possible. Subscribe to the Journal Sentinel today and get a special offer at jsonline.com/deal. Top Headlines Around the Community: Here are 7 ice cream shops in the Milwaukee suburbs you should try this summer A Milwaukee man has been sentenced to life in prison for killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend The short-staffed Menomonee Falls Fire Department has implemented changes to 'give the community protection' (Subscriber exclusive) FOLLOW JS COMMUNITIES: Newsletter | Twitter | Instagram This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: House fire causes $50,000 in damages in Wauwatosa


Aurora will see a return of last week's warm weather over the next few days, according to drone-powered weather forecasting service Saildrone . Temperatures will reach 82 degrees today and 83 on Tuesday. The immediate forecast also includes rain. Today's forecast predicts 0.04 inches of rain, while the chance of rain will remain below 23 percent throughout the rest of the week. Skies will partly clear up on Tuesday, remaining partly cloudy through Thursday. Winds will remain fairly calm over the course of the week, with the highest speeds on Friday at just 12 mph. This story was created automatically using Saildrone's local weather forecast data, then reviewed by an editor. We also incorporate historic weather data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


It's only April and yet ... The Phillies' $350 million marriage with Bryce Harper is off to a rocky start. As of Friday, Harper was leading the majors with 34 strikeouts as opposed to just 23 hits and definitely did not endear himself to his new teammates when he got himself thrown out of the game against the Mets at Citi Field last Monday for arguing balls and strikes from the dugout. Phillies pitcher Jake Arrieta, who did not rush to defend Harper when he then charged out of the dugout at home plate umpire Mark Carlson, didn't mince words about being upset over the ejection. "He's got to understand, we need him in right field," Arrieta said of Harper. "I don't care how bad the umpire is. He wasn't great for either side. I'm out there trying to make pitches, he misses some calls. So what? We need (Harper) out there." For the record, Harper, who is the first Phillie to be ejected from a game since 2015, wasn't the most popular guy in the Nationals' clubhouse either. ...You have to wonder if Mike Trout should have re-thought making that lifetime commitment to the Angels, who are a bad team and will likely remain a bad team for the foreseeable future. After three straight losing seasons, the Angels finally parted ways last year with old school Mike Scioscia (though he was still regarded as one of the best managers in the game) and replaced him with the analytically inclined Brad Ausmus. He had been pretty much a failure and highly unpopular in his previous managerial stint with the Tigers. So no one is particularly surprised the Angels, under Ausmus, are off to a bad start or that Trout's dream of playing in a World Series continues to look like an impossible dream. One of the few bright spots on the Angels has been Westwood, N.J.'s Tommy La Stella, whose team-leading seven homers are already a career high. ...Someone needs to send a memo to Rays manager Kevin Cash that he's got only three legitimate starting pitchers and, despite the early season woes by the Yankees and Red Sox, he's not going to win anything this year unless he allows them to pitch deeper into games. He needs to cease going on the constant search for the one guy who doesn't have it when Blake Snell, Charlie Morton and Tyler Glasnow approach crunch time. Cash's quick hooks with his stellar starters cost the AL East-leading Rays twice already. On April 13, he lifted Snell, who was pitching a one-hit, 1-0 shutout, after just 82 pitches, only to watch the bullpen immediately cough up two runs in losing to the Blue Jays. Then on April 21, Glasnow was beating the Red Sox, 2-1, when Cash pulled him after giving up a one-out single to Mookie Betts   on his 76th pitch   in the sixth inning. On that one, too, the bullpen immediately gave up two runs, and the Rays lost. Related to this, despite the success of the Rays' implementation of the "Opener" last year, scouts cautioned the effects the over-use of the bullpen would have the second year around. We're already seeing that with the demotion of Ryan Yarbrough, a key "Opener" operative as the multi-inning man last year who was largely ineffective (8.10 ERA, 18 hits and 3 HR in 16.2 IP) in April. Other primary Rays' "Opener" relievers, Chaz Roe and Adam Kolarek, have also struggled. ...Don Mattingly has to know his days are numbered in Miami. Derek Jeter's firing of Mike Pagliarulo as Marlins hitting coach was right out of the George Steinbrenner "How to Fire a Manager" handbook. Whenever Steinbrenner was getting ready to fire a manager he almost always first fired one of his manager's closest confidant coaches (with Billy Martin it was pitching coach Art Fowler). Pagliarulo, who's been the Marlins hitting coach since 2017, is one of Mattingly's best friends. His replacements, Jeff Livesey and Eric Duncan, are both closely aligned to Jeter's right-hand man from the Yankees, Marlins' VP of Player Development Gary Denbo. Before the season, Jeter said he expects the Marlins to show improvement this year, but they are off to another bad start and, despite all the fan-friendly amenities instituted in Marlins Park over the winter, their average 9,951 attendance is by far the worst in baseball. It's not Mattingly's fault the Marlins so far have nothing to show for the Christian Yelich and J.T. Realmuto trades. Someone is going to have to pay the price for the lack of improvement and all the empty seats. ...The Indians should be having serious regrets letting Michael Brantley, their clubhouse leader, leave as a free agent last winter. Brantley's two-year/$32M deal with the Astros was one of the best signings of the winter. Going into the weekend he was hitting .323 with more homers (5) and RBI (18) than any Indian. IT'S A MADD, MADD WORLD It's looking more and more as if Dustin Pedroia , who went back on the injured list last week with more knee issues, is at the end of the line of a great career that will now fall just short (he's nearly 200 hits shy of 2,000) of a Hall-of-Fame career. But perhaps he might have a future as a pitching coach. According to Red Sox's lefty starter Eduardo Rodriguez , it was Pedroia, in an off-hand dugout conversation, who taught him a new grip on his slider, which has suddenly become his most effective pitch. And then there is this about Pedroia's effect on his teammates despite his injury. Last Tuesday, his second base replacement, Michael Chavis , hit his first major league home run, a towering shot over the Fenway Park Green Monster out onto Landsdowne Street. The ball was retrieved by a father and son, who offered to return it to Chavis, if only for a souvenir of some sort in return. The souvenir they got, it turned out, was far more than a token: A signed ball from Pedroia ... It was quite a week for one-time Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright . In one of his best outings in a while, Wainwight allowed just one run in six innings against the Brewers last Wednesday to notch his 150th career win. The next morning he was informed that all had been approved for him and his wife to adopt a baby boy, a process that had taken nearly a year while he sat out most of last season recovering from elbow surgery ... No surprise the Brewers took a flier on Gio Gonzalez after the Yankees released him from his minor league contract. The collective 5.84 ERA by the Milwaukee starters is easily the worst in the National League, and even though it's only April, they don't appear to have near enough quality pitching   in either the rotation or the bullpen   to make a return trip to the postseason. Related slideshow: 2019 MLB season (Provided by imagn)


Who is the tallest player in US Women's National Team history? No, it's not Abby Wambach   although you'd be forgiven for thinking that. Wambach used her height and her head to help score 184 international goals for the red white & blue, but she's not the tallest player in the national team's history. That title goes to Sam Mewis. Mewis is a 6'0 midfielder, who can help drop back and command the defence or bolster the attack with her height and speed. She isn't your average tall player, not all over the place with her movements. She's swift and, despite her height, can sneak through defenders. She's not the first person that a defense will mark when playing the United States, with the opposition instead focused on superstar players like Julie Ertz, Alex Morgan and Tobin Heath. That helps make Mewis the United States' not-so-secret weapon. Why Doesn't Mewis Start More Often? Mewis is in a peculiar situation. In the year of 2019, she's been great in the matches she's played; scoring six of her 14 international goals in the last six months. In the United States' walloping of Thailand, Mewis scored two goals   but the 26-year-old midfielder used her feet for the goals. She also scored this year against Belgium, South Africa and New Zealand   and is on red-hot form, with three goals against the latter two teams in World Cup warmup games. For the Red, White and Blue ✊ Coming at you from Reims, your #USWNT Starting XI. Lineup Notes: https://t.co/9EdebfMDwU #OneNationOneTeam pic.twitter.com/2sJm5gnz02   U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) June 24, 2019 Mewis had struggled to find herself in Jill Ellis' starting XI, but earned the nod for the US' quarter-final clash with Spain on Monday afternoon as part of a three-player midfield. Prior to her start against Spain, Mewis had been primarily used as a like-for-like substitute for Ertz. There's no way that the latter comes off the pitch   which means the former doesn't start on a regular basis. If Ellis used a diamond midfield in a 4-4-2, she could pair the two, Mewis would likely take the bottom of the midfield with Ertz and Horan as the nominal width   and Lavelle, Megan Rapinoe or Tobin Heath at the top. The 'Too Much Depth' Problem It strikes again, this time for Sam Mewis. Tierna Davidson is experiencing this too . While Crystal Dunn is naturally a forward and midfielder for any club team that she's ever played for, she is put at left-back for the national team. Davidson, a natural left-back, rose to the occasion against Chile, notching two assists and having a solid defensive game. The United States' problem   and as problems go, it's not the worst   is having too many good players at each position. Players like Davidson and Mewis don't get to shine in their natural position, because someone is ahead of them. #USWNT news conference happening now. Jill Ellis says Alex Morgan and Julie Ertz are both "fine." #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/fbDhF7OfgG   Alicia Rose DelGallo (@OSAliciaD) June 23, 2019 With Mewis finally getting the start against Spain, now's her chance to show Ellis - and the world - what she's capable of.


NEW YORK (CBSNewYork)   Police have arrested the man accused of starting a fire in Brooklyn that hurt more than a dozen people , including a baby. Forty-one-year-old Matthew Karelefsky, of Pennsylvania, is now in central booking. The NYPD says he was spotted on surveillance video moments before flames engulfed a home on East 17th Street in Midwood around 4 a.m. Thursday. The fire spread to two other homes. More than 170 firefighters and medics helped battle the blaze and tend to the victims. Karelefsky is being charged with two counts of attempted murder and one count of arson.