Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports' James Hinchcliffe, Marcus Ericsson and Robert Wickens all took turns in the spotlight at Honda Indy Toronto, and each of them had a special memory to take home. David Malsher reports. For , it was about bouncing back from Lap 1 damage to set the fastest lap of the race. Ericsson, in fact, had a torrid Friday, as he sought to learn the intricacies of the track in as short a time as possible. In second practice he smacked the notorious Turn 11 wall with his right-rear tire   as so many rookies and experienced drivers did last weekend and in the past   bounced off the Turn 5 wall and had a near miss with another tire barrier. "It's a very difficult track with all the bumps and patches of concrete in the corners so it takes a bit of time to get your head around it," he commented afterward. The following day, another brush with a wall during qualifying left him an unrepresentative 20 th on the grid. Not only does that leave a driver with a lot of work to do come race day, it also renders him vulnerable to first-lap pile-ups. Marcus Ericsson, Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda, Toronto Photo by: Scott R LePage / LAT Images And sure enough, when slid into him and broke his left-rear suspension. Having limped back to the pits for repairs, the crew somehow had the car fixed in the space of four laps, and with nothing to lose and much to prove, Ericsson rejoined the fray. Impressively, his 58 th lap was faster than anyone turned all day. "Today was probably one of my better races of the year, to be honest, even though the result is obviously very disappointing and not where we want to be… The pace we showed was great; we were the fastest car for nearly the whole race and set the fastest lap. I think that shows the potential we had. "We just need to keep believing in what we're doing, keep working hard, put together a weekend, and we'll be right up there fighting for podiums and wins again." Hinchcliffe chiseled away at his setup through practice and missed by just a couple of hundredths of a second from making it into Q2, but he remained optimistic for Sunday. And with good reason, as it turned out. "Tire strategies across the board were pretty identical, the fuel strategy was pretty identical," he reflected afterward. "There were no yellows to close the gaps and give us a chance on restarts. "So, picking up eight spots to finish sixth is a pretty solid day. The Arrow car was really strong and the guys were good in the pits. Honestly, from where we started, to how the day played out, I think we can be pretty proud of that." James Hinchcliffe, Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda Photo by: Geoffrey M. Miller / LAT Images Wickens wows the crowd Photo by: IndyCar Series Last week, Motorsport.com documented Robert Wickens' return to driving with Arrow's Acura NSX that allows him to use hand controls for the throttle and brake. The project was a resounding success, as anyone who witnessed it would agree. Robert is not overburdened with ego. Like most top racers, he has pride and desire that together form the core of his determination to succeed, but he doesn't feel the need to boast about his achievements. That's not going to stop the rest of the world from boasting on his behalf though. Because what he has accomplished in the 11 months since suffering a spinal cord injury in a crash at Pocono Raceway has required the same amount of bravery, commitment and drive as his 20 years of highly successful racing career. Embed: When Wickens sat in the Arrow-modified Acura NSX to perform a hot lap at Toronto just a couple of days after testing it for the first time at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park ( above ), he could have been forgiven for looking like the cat who got the canary. Not being a gloater but determined to take this further, of course, his demeanor was that of the canary who had beaten up the cat and now has his eyes set on the rottweiler… "It's just been quite the ride, and we're not even one year in of what's going to be a very long recovery," he said. "But hopefully I can keep on driving because I think that's the best therapy I can have, and I'm a little bit concerned by how eager I am to get back in the car… It's kind of like the angel and the devil on each shoulder because once I get back into racing full-time, the rehab is almost going to be sidelined, and then I need to figure out at what point I am OK to start driving again and almost give up on rehabbing. "That's a future problem. Right now we can just focus on this event and how fun it's going to be." He had fun, that's for certain. Trackside and on TV, it was possible to hear the NSX's tires squealing over the noise of its 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6. Fiancee Karli Woods (just about) maintained her composure in the passenger seat, but the local crowd lining the track were much more vocal, especially when Robert slowed on a couple of corners so he and Karli could wave to the grandstands. Throughout his rehab, said Wickens, his fans had offered huge support, and he even described himself as lucky; he appreciated that others with similar spinal cord injuries don't have a vast network of people willing them to leap the next hurdle in the rehab process. "You get to become friends with these patients and you hear their story," he mused, "and then I get back to my place at the end of the day and I kind of think, 'Man, I'm so lucky that I have such great support everywhere.' If I'm having a bad day, all my fans can just come and pick me up where anyone else can easily get into this big spiral and get into some depression." Describing the fan support he'd felt in person, he added: "Everyone is just so supportive of me in my recovery to get back, and the IndyCar fans are some of the best in the business. They're so loyal and they're so passionate. It's them that really kind of picked me up on my down days, and being here, seeing so many hats and shirts, it makes me want to get back. I want those guys to have a reason to wear the shirt, not to make it a pajama shirt or something!" Mike Long, chairman, president and CEO of Arrow Electronics, Robert Wickens, and Ted Klaus, president of Honda Performance Development. Photo by: IndyCar Series Mike Long, chairman, president and CEO of Arrow was also present in Toronto, and stated that the company will carry on working on modified hand control systems to allow Wickens to return to IndyCar. Long said: "[The system] is very adaptable. In fact, what we try to do at Arrow is not come up with complex technology that's not going to be suitable. We're showing off this technology because this technology could be for anybody in the world with Robbie's problem to get back on the road with a car and drive their own way. "So that's really what drives us   trying to do good. We will continue to develop this all the way back to the Indy car for Robert, whatever he may need, and there will be certain pressures that I'm sure will be put on IndyCar to allow it to happen. "It's no different than golf or other sports where you've seen people with certain handicaps being able to compete with people that don't have them, and we think this is nothing different. "So I'm totally convinced we can put Robert back in a car. It will be possible for him to drive, and we won't stop until he gets there." Naturally, Wickens' long-time friend, teammate and rival James Hinchcliffe was asked about witnessing Robert's return to action, and leading the field on the parade lap. "That was obviously really cool," said Hinchcliffe. "I was already strapped in the car. We didn't get to see the TV. I was just kind of watching everybody's reaction. I could tell when he was getting close to a wall [and] Karli's face was lighting up based on how everybody was reacting. You could hear the cheers every corner of the racetrack even from inside the car. "Awesome to see him back on track, awesome to see the support he's had." Given the pressure he's already under performing in front of a home crowd   Hinchcliffe currently is the only Canadian full-time IndyCar driver   and the need to press the flesh with local sponsors and well-wishers, Hinch was asked if the Wickens process had been an additional distraction. Quite the opposite, James replied. Wickens wheels the Arrow-modified Acura NSX down the front straight to Princes' Gate. Photo by: IndyCar Series "Obviously it's not every day that something quite that cool happens right before you get in the racecar," he explained. "We're shaking hands with sponsors, taking pictures with fans up to the minute you put your helmet on. I don't think there's another sport where we're interacting with people outside our program so close to game time. We're really seasoned at being able to flip that switch almost instantly. So this is kind of a good example of that. "Like I said, this particular thing was a little more emotional, a little cooler than what you normally have distracting you before a race. I think, if anything, it certainly lifted me up and I think it lifted up every driver on the grid because we were all so happy to see it happen." He's not wrong: all IndyCar participants truly have come together like a family to support Wickens, although usually under the radar, out of respect for Robert's privacy. But put on the spot at Toronto, both reigning champion , paid tribute. Said Dixon: "The effort the guy is putting in is unbelievable. Six to eight hours a day he's been working. He's definitely giving it everything. He's seeing good gains. "It was impressive to see him back here, him and Karli going around today. Just seeing the crowd's reaction, it definitely put a smile on everybody's faces. Definitely cool to see." Added Rossi: "So proud of him, the fact that he's back here in a car less than a year from his incident, in his hometown of Toronto, at the race he fell in love with as a kid. Amazing to see him be able to do that. "As we were all in the cars waiting for the pace car to roll, we kind of watched   I watched his lap on the screen. To hear the cheers for him through Turns 9, 10, 11 was pretty special. Put a smile on my face. I'm sure he had fun doing it." He did. But like the man himself said, this is just one more step toward the ultimate goal: strapping into an IndyCar once more. About Arrow Electronics Arrow Electronics guides innovation forward for over 200,000 leading technology manufacturers and service providers. With 2018 sales of $30 billion, Arrow develops technology solutions that improve business and daily life. Learn more at fiveyearsout.com . Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Hondas of James Hinchcliffe, Robert Wickens and Marcus Ericsson. Photo by: Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports


Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho has admitted that he did not have a good season in 2018/19, in what was his first full year at Camp Nou following a €160m transfer from Liverpool in January 2018. Coutinho initially enjoyed a strong start to life with Barça in his first few months, but his performances since then have not lived up to expectation, leading to widespread speculation that the reigning La Liga champions could sell the Brazilian just 18 months after he arrived. "I have not had a good season," Coutinho is quoted as saying by Marca as he prepares for the imminent start of the 2019 Copa America on home soil in Brazil. "My performances have been a lot worse than I expected they would. The only way to improve and gain confidence is through hard work, and I have been working hard," he added. To add fuel to the idea that Coutinho is not happy at Barça and could move, international colleague Thiago Silva has declared that the former Liverpool favourite was the 'best player on the pitch' for Brazil's final two Copa America warm-up games. "He is a lot happier again now and he is playing with a smile," the veteran defender said. In recent months, Coutinho has been linked with a return to Liverpool , as well as a shock transfer to Manchester United . Neither seems particularly plausible, but further rumours also suggested Chelsea could target him to replace Real Madrid-bound Eden Hazard. That would, of course, only be possible should the Stamford Bridge club's transfer ban be overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). And it seems unlikely after Barcelona themselves and Atletico Madrid have previously failed with similar appeals. The most plausible transfer link regarding Coutinho has been with Paris Saint-Germain , where he would finally be able to team up with long-time friend Neymar at club level. When that was reported recently it was said that the Copa America will be key in determining his market value.


Kyrie Irving was reportedly upset immediately after the Cavaliers won the 2016 championship. Then-Cavs general manager David Griffin apparently felt similarly. Griffin, via Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated : "Everything we did was so inorganic and unsustainable and, frankly, not fun. I was miserable," Griffin says. "Literally the moment we won the championship I knew I was gonna leave. There was no way I was gonna stay for any amount of money." As champagne popped in the Cavs' locker room, Griffin privately wept in an Oakland broom closet. A one-track mind had removed anything but delivering the city's first championship in 52 years from consciousness. "I didn't watch the league, and I didn't love the game anymore," Griffin says. "I was so fixated on outcome that I just totally lost my joy." "The reason is LeBron is getting all the credit and none of the blame. And that's not fun for people," Griffin says. "They don't like being part of that world." Griffin never truly felt comfortable in his Cleveland skin. "And I knew it. I vibrate at a totally different frequency than that group, from an ownership perspective," he says. Working with LeBron James is unlike anything else. For better or worse. There's pressure and demands and passive-aggressiveness. There's also a clear path to a championship opened by such a great player. Griffin dealt with all the burdens and won a ring. That title will stay with him the rest of his life. It also opens doors, including to his current job of running the Pelicans' front office. Would Griffin have gotten that position without a championship on his resumé? His experience with LeBron provides the privilege of not having to find out. Working for Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert was surely no picnic, either. He can be a pain . But like LeBron, Gilbert also opens doors. Gilbert's willingness to pay big luxury-tax bills made it much easier for Griffin to build a championship roster. As tormented as he was, Griffin stayed another year with Cleveland after the title. He clearly liked aspects of his job enough to stay in it. It seems he would've stayed even longer for the right price . But Griffin is now in New Orleans and appears happier. I highly recommend reading Fischer's full article for more details about that.


YORK COUNTY, Pa. -- Some drivers are not happy about the bumps on a stretch of Interstate 83. Some fear the road is so bad it's now a safety concern. There is a single bump sign along a portion of I-83 North in Fairview Township, and some drivers who've had to grip their wheels and hang on tight don't think one is good enough. "My concern is of moms and kids driving along the road and a fatality happening," said Jeanne Tate of Fairview Township. She's talking about some uneven road near the I-83-Route 581 split that is making for a rough commute. "I was on my way to work, and I hit it, and it sounded like an explosion," explained Tate. Tate drives trucks for a living; she takes Interstate 83 just about every day. "[The other day] I saw five other cars on the side of the road, two of the people checking under with their tires, a police officer, and two tow trucks," said Tate. One viewer sent us photos - his tire blown out in three places all because of the bumps. "There have been two... I call them ditches. They're not potholes. They're actual ditches, and it's been getting increasingly worse," added Tate. Hempt Brothers Inc. a contractor for PennDOT is repairing and resurfacing 1.3 miles of the road there. "I don't understand how someone whose in charge of fixing that can walk away with that issue there, knowing how busy this is, knowing how many accidents we have on this stretch of the road to begin with," said Tate. "It really is a dip, so we have a dip in the roadway," explained Mike Crochunis, a spokesman for PennDOT. "If you have a low profile vehicle, you could bottom out... so just be mindful. Take it slow." If your car is damaged, and you believe the state is at fault, Crochunis says give PennDOT a call or you can file a claim online. The Commonwealth's Bureau of Finance and Risk Management aka FARM decides what claims should be paid, and according to information posted on PennDOT's website, it's not associated with PennDOT. "Any information you could have is great - the location, the time of day, where you were, what was going on around you, was their an incident ahead, and you needed to take evasive action and you hit the guide rail, whatever," said Crochunis when asked about what should be in the report. PennDOT officials say the bumpy stretch on I-83 northbound should have been paved Thursday night; however, the rain stopped crews. They're not sure when it will be fixed now, but say it should be very soon.     ©2019 WPMT-TV, Harrisburg Visit WPMT-TV, Harrisburg at www.fox43.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


The Indianapolis Colts returned to the practice field Wednesday for the fourth of 10 organized team activity sessions as the spring workout program continues to move along. The Colts are right in the middle of the biggest part of the offseason workouts and only have a few more weeks left until the team breaks for summer ahead of training camp. Here are five notes from Colts' OTA practice No. 4on Wednesday: AP Photo/Darron Cummings Andrew Luck still being held out Until he returns to the field in full, Luck's health will be the biggest topic of conversation for the Colts. Fortunately, this isn't a situation like 2018 where every step he takes is going to be put under the microscope. Instead, Luck is dealing with a calf strain, and the Colts want to make sure he's 100% ready to return before rushing him out to the field to participate in a pad-less practice during the month of May. It remains to be seen if Luck will return this week, though there are only two more sessions left in Week 2. There isn't any concern with a long-term issue for the franchise quarterback, but it is noteworthy that he's still being held out. We'll see what the rest of the week holds for the 29-year-old. AP Photo/Michael Conroy Parris Campbell working in with the first team Arguably the most exciting rookie Colts fans are looking forward to, Campbell is expected to eventually hold a heavy role in the passing game. How quickly that will come to fruition remains to be seen, but it appears he's been seeing some time with the first-team offense. Early impression from Colts OTA today: First-team offense working Parris Campbell into the mix. A hint of what we'll see more of come training camp. - Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) May 29, 2019 The Colts wide receiver corps is one that is expected to be under some heated competition. There are a plethora of bodies fighting for a limited amount of spots on the roster. Campbell is locked into have a spot, but the question will be in what type of role. The Ohio State speedster fits what the Colts need on offense to a T. The fact that he's earning some early work with the first team could bode well for his chances to carve out a solid role during the opening weeks of the regular season. AP Photo/Michael Conroy Nyheim Hines continues use out wide Following his rookie season that included 63 receptions, the sixth-most among running backs in 2018, the Colts are likely to continue to look for ways to get Hines involved as a pass catcher. One way the Colts did that during the second half of the season was to split Hines out either in the slot or out wide. This got him out of the backfield lining up likely against a linebacker, which gave Indy the advantage. That trend seemed to continue Wednesday. Nyheim Hines' value to #Colts offense? Split out wide vs EJ Speed. Juked free of Speed at line, ran go route, ran under perfect touch pass from Jacoby Brissett. Another mismatch exploited. - Mike Chappell (@mchappell51) May 29, 2019 E.J. Speed, a sixth-round pick, is known for his athleticism and speed in space. For Hines to be able to work linebackers with success can help him carve out that role again in the passing game. Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports Heated exchanges between Jacoby Brissett, Devin Funchess It might be the spring, but that doesn't mean players aren't out there competing. Both Brissett and Funchess got into some heated exchanges on Wednesday with both sides seemingly making their case. On a play with some apparent miscommunication, Brissett wasn't too happy with Funchess and let him know about it. However, Funchess was also the one showing plenty of emotion on the field. In the heat of spring workouts, the competition and emotion are still running extremely high, especially with the elevated expectations for the team in 2019. Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports Secondary had a day The Colts secondary is going to be a unit to watch during the 2019 season as the group hopes to show improvements. They've come to OTAs hungry for production, and it showed on Wednesday as several players were seen making plays. A number of defensive backs had interceptions, including cornerbacks Chris Milton, Nate Hairston and rookie second-round pick Rock Ya-Sin. Quincy Wilson was also seen making a nice play diving for a pass breakup in the end zone. Rock Ya-Sin picks off Phillip Walker in the end zone. There have been four open practices for the media. Ya-Sin has at least one pick in each. #Colts - George Bremer (@gmbremer) May 29, 2019 Add Nate Hairston to the list of DBs making plays today. WRs who have stood out include Parris Campbell (again), Marcus Johnson and Steve Ishmael. #Colts - George Bremer (@gmbremer) May 29, 2019 A couple of quick observations from a defense-dominated practice - Another pick for Rock Ya-Sin - Devin Funchess vs. Pierre Desir will be fun to watch all summer. Size vs. size. - Quincy Wilson with a diving breakup in the end zone. - A couple of flashes from Nate Hairston - Joel A. Erickson (@JoelAErickson) May 29, 2019 The Colts secondary has plenty of potential to be an extremely strong unit for years to come and any improvement made this season will help the defense out greatly. MORE: Kyle Busch was so frustrated during Coke 600 that he told Joe Gibbs he quit Draymond Green to LeBron James' 14-Year-Old Son: "I'm at Your F--king Neck This Summer" Report: The Celtics are no longer the favorites to sign Kyrie Irving Four potential Khris Middleton landing spots in free agency Richie Incognito signing points to more power football for Raiders


We take a look at the journey of 'the people's car' in America, sold there for the first time in 1949, and showed how a small car could actually be loved there The last Volkswagen Beetle was built today. Ironically perhaps, the news of the demise of the latest 'new' Beetle is in the same year we see the 70th anniversary of the first Beetle being sold in America. Conceived to help put Germany on the road, it would become America's favorite small car and it is now one of the most sought-after classic cars. It was also hugely influential in the market, helping to spawn a new era of compact cars and a new type of ownership type: cars for students and young people, and a car that could be the household's second. Join us as we explore the Beetle's multifaceted history: Porsche's vision From an early age Ferdinand Porsche envisioned a simple, basic car that even factory workers could afford. Adolf Hitler shared Porsche's vision of a small car and gave him the means to design one. German officials ultimately decided to build it in a state-owned factory, later named Wolfsburg. Testing began in 1936 and Porsche built the first pre-production prototypes of what would become the Beetle in 1938. Called type 60 internally, it was very close to the regular-production Beetle in nearly every aspect. 210 Beetles were built before the start of World War 2 ended production; the factory produced a militarised version called the Kübelwagen instead as well as wings for Junkers bombers. Note: early prototype pictured. The postwar years During the war, Allied air forces bombed the Wolfsburg factory repeatedly. When the war ended, British occupiers explored options as to what to do with it, and they appointed a German former GM executive to revive it. Volkswagen built 10,200 Beetles in 1946, and orders were arriving from abroad. The Beetle arrives in America (1949) More than a few members of the American military likely left Germany with a Beetle in tow but these private imports were poorly documented. Dutch businessman Ben Pon became the first person to ship a Beetle to the US in order to sell it. The car disembarked in New York City in January 1949 . Pon had no trouble finding a buyer for the Beetle. He returned to Holland and shipped another one back to America, which he also sold in record time. He later became the first Volkswagen importer. America's first Beetle, by the numbers (1949) In 1949, the Beetle came with a 1.1-liter air-cooled flat-four engine rated at 30 hp . Pricing started at $1280 , a figure which converts to approximately $13,000 today. Volkswagen sold merely two examples of the Beetle in America during 1949. Sales went up to 270 units in 1950. The Beetle goes topless (1949) Stunningly simple, the Beetle was a coachbuilder's dream. Karmann built the first civilian convertible Beetle in 1949 and other companies quickly took turns putting their own spin on Wolfsburg's people's car. The example pictured here wears a body made by Dannenhauer & Stauss of Stuttgart, Germany, and it's equipped with an upgraded engine tuned by Oettinger to make 40 hp . Better equipped than the standard model, the Beetle convertible inevitably proved popular in certain sun-friendly markets like California. The Beetle in the 1950s Beetle sales sky-rocketed during the 1950s as Volkswagen exported it to an increasing number of countries around the world. While the basic shape of the body hardly changed, the company made several small changes to the design including replacing the split rear window with a single oval unit in 1953 and fitting a new, more powerful engine a year later. Volkswagen manufactured the 500,000 th Beetle in July 1953. The one millionth Volkswagen (1955) Volkswagen made its one-millionth car in August 1955. Still owned by the firm today, the milestone Beetle received a gold paint job with diamonds embedded into both bumpers, both running boards, the front headlight bezels and nearly every piece of trim. The seats wore commemorative pink upholstery. The Beetle's glory days (1960s) Beetle sales reached unprecedented levels during the 1960s, especially in America thanks in part to a clever advertising campaign developed by New York agency DDB. Unlike rivals Renault and Fiat , Volkswagen kept large supplies of spare parts close to the American coasts so owners who needed a headlight, for example, could get one in a week instead of waiting a month for it to ship from Europe. Cheap and solid, the Beetle became America's favorite small car by a long shot. Many Americans bought a Beetle as their first car out of college or as a second car for their family. Volkswagen exported 423,008 Beetles to America in 1968 alone. In comparison, Volkswagen of America sold 354,064 cars in 2018. By the 1970s, the Beetle and its various derivatives (including the Bus and the Karmann Ghia) gave Wolfsburg a 5.6-percent share of the new passenger car market in the US. The Beetle's first major update (1967) 1967 brought the Beetle's first major visual update. Volkswagen replaced the sloped headlights the car had worn since the 1930s with upright units and fitted larger rear lights with integrated reverse lights. The changes also included new bumpers on both ends, four-lug steel wheels and a redesigned dashboard . Significantly, Volkswagen added two-speed windshield wipers, a 12-volt electrical system, and an upgraded brake system. A semi-automatic transmission aptly named Automatic Stick Shift joined the list of options a year later, important for America where the stick-shift was in sharp decline. The Super Beetle (1970) The next major change arrived in time for the 1971 model year, when Volkswagen introduced the Super Beetle (known as the 1302 in most global markets). McPherson struts replaced the torsion beam front suspension, allowing engineers to mount the spare tire horizontally and carve out a bigger trunk. All told, Volkswagen boasted it made 89 improvements to the Beetle to make it worthy of the Super prefix. The brand displayed an unusually high level of foresight when it added a diagnostic port in the engine bay. It allowed technicians to monitor the rear lights, the condition of the charging circuit, the engine's compression and the ignition timing. The upgrades came at a slight cost. In 1972, the Super Beetle cost $1985 (about $11,824 today). The standard Beetle cost $1845 (roughly $10,990 today) that same year. The Beetle beats the Model T (1972) Volkswagen built the 15,007,034 th Beetle in February 1972, a number not as random as it might initially seem. It meant the Beetle had passed the Ford Model T to become the best-selling car in history. Volkswagen celebrated the occasion with a special model named Weltmeister , a word that means 'world champion' in German. Based on the 1302 S , it stood out with metallic blue paint and special wheels. The Beetle's final evolution (1972) The 1303 arrived in August of 1972 as a 1973 model. It retained the Super Beetle designation in America. Volkswagen added a curved windshield for safety reasons; it reduced the risk of glass cutting the passengers during a front-end collision. The dashboard inevitably got bigger while the hood shrunk. The Beetle runs out of breath The Beetle's strong resistance to change helped it conquer the world in the 1960s but it backfired during the 1970s. More modern competitors like Honda's formidable Civic and Volkswagen own Golf used less gas, offered more space for both passengers and cargo and often cost less. Volkswagen tried breathing new life into the Beetle by launching an armada of limited-edition models in Europe and in America. Note: Beetle Jeans pictured. The Beetle exits America… (1979) Volkswagen of America stopped selling the Beetle sedan at the end of 1976. The Convertible soldiered on through 1979. It couldn't last much longer because it became increasingly difficult (and expensive) for Volkswagen to make it compliant with safety and emissions regulations in the US. In its final year on the market, it came equipped with a 1.6-liter flat-four that relied on electronic fuel-injection to produce 48 hp . Pricing started at $6800 , which represents $23,300 today. In comparison, a 2018 Beetle Convertible starts at $25,440 . …but lives on elsewhere (1979) Though Wolfsburg no longer built the Beetle, it remained available as the brand's entry-level model in several European markets until 1985. Production continued in several nations including Mexico , Brazil and South Africa . The Brazilian factory notably supplied complete knock-down kits to Nigeria . The Beetle remained immensely popular in Mexico, where decision-makers elected it the official cab of Mexico City in 1972. They correctly argued the Beetle was more affordable to buy than big, V8-powered American cars and appreciably cheaper to operate. However, the writing was on the wall, and production finally ended in Mexico, its last factory, in 2003. It brought to an end a remarkable production run of 65 years , during which 21.5 million examples were built. The original Beetle today No longer a disposable used car, the Beetle has clawed back from the Death Valley of automotive depreciation to become a sought-after classic car. It's more than just a machine to travel from A to B; it's an emblem that has transcended generations with its friendly face and its humble demeanor. Today, Americans can purchase decent examples from around $7000   not too much for this very German flavored slice of American automotive history. But though the Beetle left the US market in 1979, Volkswagen wasn't done with it... The Beetle returns After concept-car auto show previews in 1994 were well received, Volkswagen brought a new Beetle back to US roads in 1998 in the shape of the New Beetle . While its design (led by J Mays ) fairly reflected the original, the engine was more conventionally placed in the front, with front-wheel drive - and the interior reflected the car for what it was: an elegantly reskinned Golf/Rabbit Mk4 . But it was capable enough and about 60 years more refined than the original, as one might hope. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates was among the buyers. A convertible version arrived in 2001. Among others, America got 2-liter four-cylinder engines with either 115 hp or 150 hp, and also a diesel for a time. Starting in 2002 you could also buy a 'Turbo S' variant with a 1.8-liter turbo engine, more usually found in an Audi TT. New Beetle Mk2 While the New Beetle failed to fully capture the quirky charm of the original, nor acquire its cult status, it sold well enough, shifting 1.15 million examples globally during its 12-year life, with the US market accounting for just over half that total alone. Volkswagen returned to battle with a sharper new generation model in 2011 , now just called Beetle , and again based on a Golf, this time the Mk5, a platform also used on a dizzying variety of VW group cars ranging from Audi to Skoda. Once again, despite VW's best efforts, this Beetle proved competent rather than characterful, and this time around had to face the reality of a changing marketplace, especially in America. In 2018, VW sold just 14,411 Beetles in the US, a drop in the ocean compared to the 423,008 sold in 1968 - and the US car market was much smaller then than today. Truth be told, while an earlier youthful generation loved the original car in its '60s heyday, their grandchildren are now usually getting a compact SUV instead. The writing on the wall, in September 2018 VW announced that Beetle production would end by mid-summer 2019; its 'Final Edition' models are pictured here. The final model was built on Wednesday 10 July 2019 . So the Beetle chapter closes once more. Will we ever see another? One thing's for certain: if we do, it'll be electric-powered .


WASHINGTON -- D.C. has the best parks in the country, according to a new study from the non-profit Trust for Public Land released on Wednesday. Don't worry, Virginians, Arlington ranks in the top five for best parks in the country. The non-profit came up with these findings using population, median park size, parkland as percent of adjusted city area, percentage of resident within a 10-minute walk of a park, spending per resident basketball hoops per 10,000 resident, dog parks per 10,000 residents, playgrounds per 10,000 residents and recreation and senior centers per 20,000 residents. Using those variables, the organization gave each city a "ParkScore". D.C.'s score is 83.8 while Arlington's is 81.3. The study also revealed 98 percent of the residents in the District live within a 10 minute walk of a park. Twenty-one percent of the land is used for parks and recreation compared to the national average of 15 percent. According to the report, the District of Columbia has a total of 629 parks. So get out there enjoy the weather and take advantage of your local park. Top 5 cities with the best parks: 1) Washington, D.C. 2) St. Paul, MN 3) Minneapolis, MN 4) Arlington, VA 5) Portland, OR


Phillies GM Matt Klentak discussed the organizational mindset as the trade deadline draws near, as Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports . He largely echoed the recent comments of club president Andy MacPhail in emphasizing a realistic assessment of the team's chances. It seems notable, then, that the outlook is generally becoming sunnier in Philadelphia. The Phils have picked up their play since we examined whether a win-now deadline strategy was advisable for the organization, taking five of their last six games. That doesn't mean they're a strong favorite for the division, but the Wild Card is firmly in play and there would seem to be added impetus for notable deadline acquisitions   particularly if the club takes advantage of a weekend series in Atlanta. Klentak says that the club must "recognize where we are and we have to make moves that are appropriate" to the place in the standings. While the team's "core players" will dictate the outcome through their performance, says Klentak, the front office is "legitimately looking for opportunities" to buttress the existing roster. While these comments convey a sense of sober analysis   a notable change from the club's memorable, unofficial offseason slogan   they surely don't preclude significant moves. "I feel like our organization has enough talent that we can bid on the top names on the market," says Klentak, though he adds that "whether we choose to go down that road or not remains to be seen." Like any team, the Phillies are looking to strike a balance. Like MacPhail, Klentak evinced an aversion to parting with valuable prospect capital. While that's obviously always going to be necessary to some degree for a contending team, Klentak says it's an organizational imperative "to preserve young talent" and avoid the need "to tackle another rebuild at some point"   which, he says, is "not something that our owners or our front office have an appetite for." It very nearly goes without saying that all of this reasoning seems to have the big-budget Phillies pointed toward opportunities to improve by means of the bank vault, rather than the farm. There is, however, a point at which the organization will need to watch its payroll as well. The club is already committed to over $110M next year and more than $90M in the ensuing season, all before accounting for arbitration spending, extensions or new acquisitions. Adding to this year's payroll, which opened at about $140M, is also a possibility, though teams carrying high-cost players have already ponied up most of what's due. Klentak didn't get into areas of need, but as Salisbury notes, there are quite a few. There's clearly room to add multiple hurlers and it's not hard at all to imagine new bats slotting into the infield and/or outfield mix. In some ways, the variety and degree of the places for improvement should help the Phillies find value at the deadline   particularly in the rental market. And it's worth remembering that the team can look to the near future as a means of justifying new acquisitions. Adding a controllable player or two that fits the 2020 roster would not just improve the team now but help account for openings that will ultimately need to be filled somehow, if not by an offseason trade then by a free-agent move that comes with the possibility of long-term salary entanglements.


The United States will withdraw from a landmark Cold War arms-control pact on Friday, six months after the Trump administration declared Russia in material breach of the treaty and said Moscow hadn't made an effort to return to compliance. The death of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty marks a dangerous new era of nuclear threats, analysts and former officials said. But senior administration officials argue the U.S. had no choice but to terminate a deal that only one side was abiding by. (MORE: Putin orders Russia to develop new missiles after leaving treaty, will deploy only if US does) "Russia is solely responsible for the treaty's demise," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement Friday. "The United States will not remain party to a treaty that is deliberately violated by Russia." The secretary of state, currently in Bangkok for a summit between Asian countries, tweeted out comment on the end of the treaty immediately after it ended. Pompeo first put Moscow on notice in December after NATO's foreign ministers issued a joint declaration that a new Russian missile system had violated the pact signed by President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Shortly after the declaration, Pompeo gave Russia a 60-day deadline to return to compliance. In February, the Trump administration officially began the six-month withdrawal process, notifying Moscow of its intent to leave the treaty, but leaving the door open to staying if Russia agreed to comply. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his government have long denied violating the pact, which banned ground-launched cruise missiles with a range between 310 and 3,100 miles -- whether nuclear-armed or conventional. (MORE: US withdrawing from Cold War nuclear arms control treaty with Russia, citing Russian violations) The Obama administration first accused Russia of violating the INF Treaty in 2013, specifically pointing to the development and deployment of the 9M729 missile system. Despite top-level appeals from the U.S. on multiple occasions, Russia denied the system existed, before later saying it didn't violate the treaty's terms. "To date, Russia has produced and fielded multiple battalions of the 9M729 ground-launched cruise missile, throughout Russia, in violation of the INF Treaty, including missiles fielded in western Russia with the ability to strike critical European targets," a senior administration official said Thursday. Despite Pompeo's 60-day ultimatum and the six-month wind-down period, "Russia has made no effort" to come into compliance. Senior administration officials said they did not know if there was a specific time the treaty would expire, but that the U.S. would consider the treaty to have ended on Friday. (MORE: Here's what you need to know about the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty) There were no plans to communicate directly with Russia about the termination after the U.S. sent a diplomatic note to the Russians in February. President Donald Trump and Putin spoke by phone on Wednesday, but Trump told reporters that the two didn't discuss the INF Treaty. "Russia would like to do something on a nuclear treaty, and that's OK with me," the president added on the White House South Lawn Thursday, sounding optimistic about future talks. In particular, U.S. officials seemed to hope Russia will help the U.S. pressure China, itself with a growing arsenal, to join arms-control pacts that the two Cold War-era enemies were party to. The senior official said there have been "regular conversations" with Russia and China regarding trilateral arms control. There are few public signs such negotiations are advancing. An American delegation, led by Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan and Andrea Thompson, undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security, met their Russian counterparts in Geneva on July 17 and "made clear that a commitment to full and verifiable treaty compliance is necessary for effective arms control. The U.S. delegation also underscored concerns about Russia's development and deployment of non-strategic nuclear weapons and lack of transparency with regard to existing obligations," the State Department said. (MORE: Pompeo says US suspending landmark nuclear deal because of Russian violations) Critics also have said the Trump administration, which has struggled to negotiate with North Korea and has been ignored by Iran, hasn't shown a capacity for arms-control negotiation. "This administration simply does not have the personnel or the capability or the process in place to achieve any of that," said Jon Wolfsthal, who served as President Barack Obama's senior director for arms control and nonproliferation at the National Security Council. Until then, arms-control experts warn, the world now faces a dangerously heightened risk from nuclear weapons and a possible new arms race. "Nuclear issues are so consequential that we simply cannot abandon a serious arms control effort," said Laura Kennedy, former U.S. envoy to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. "Engagement alone won't solve these serious issues but without such diplomacy, no sound solution is possible." "Not since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis has the risk of a U.S.-Russian confrontation involving the use of nuclear weapons been as high as it is today," former Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and former Sen. Sam Nunn, co-chairs of the nonprofit Nuclear Threat Initiative, wrote in a forthcoming Foreign Affairs article. "Unlike during the Cold War," they added, "both sides seem willfully blind to the peril."


WASHINGTON   Expedia has agreed to pay more than $325,000 to settle U.S. government allegations that it improperly helped people travel inside Cuba or between the island and places other than the United States. The government said that the online travel company appears to have violated U.S. sanctions against Cuba. The Treasury Department announced the agreement and settlements with two other companies on Thursday. Expedia Group Inc., which is based in Bellevue, Washington, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Last week, the Trump administration announced travel restrictions that effectively banned cruise ships and private plane flights between the U.S. and Cuba, reversing an Obama administration easing of rules in 2016. The Trump administration said it took the step to deny Cuba money it gets from American tourists to force it to stop supporting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whose 2018 election the U.S. regards as fraudulent. The case Expedia settled, however, dates to a period between April 2011 and October 2014. The Treasury Department said that the online travel agency helped 2,221 people   including some Cuban nationals   with travel services that violated U.S. sanctions on the island country. The government said Expedia disclosed the apparent violations. It also credited the company for taking remedial steps to strengthen compliance with U.S. economic sanctions and for cooperating with Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, which handles the Cuba-sanctions regulations. But, the Treasury Department said, despite being a sophisticated international travel company, Expedia "failed to exercise a minimal degree of caution" to avoid violating anti-Cuba sanctions. It said that after acquiring a foreign travel company, Expedia failed for 15 months to tell the company that it was subject to U.S. law. Separately, Treasury said that Hotelbeds USA, a Florida-based subsidiary of Spain's Hotelbeds Group, agreed to a $222,705 settlement for helping 703 people with unauthorized Cuba-related travel services from December 2011 to June 2014. The department also announced a $40,320 settlement with Cubasphere Inc. and an unnamed person for providing travel help to 104 people on four trips to and within Cuba from December 2013 to February 2014.


These two prototypes are very different than the ones we've seen prior. Here's something our spy team wasn't expecting to find, but it's quite a find indeed. Sitting on a transporter were not one, but two BMW iNEXT prototypes, easily identified both by shape and the required Electric Test Vehicle markings. Take a closer look, however, and you'll see these prototypes aren't quite the same as what we've seen previously. In short, these two camo-wrapped electric SUVs could be sporting production-spec bodies. Compare To Previous iNEXT Spy Shots: BMW's Electric SUV Spied Up Close With Interior Showing BMW iNext Production SUV Spied Playing In The Snow The obvious difference is found in the side windows and beltline. These vehicles have different C and D pillars, with the rearmost side windows getting an up-kink similar to the X5 . It's clearly a completely different greenhouse at the rear, but a close look at the front reveals some differences, too. These prototypes have a front fascia that appears completely closed in, and the entire nose has a more pronounced slope. Pointed headlights are clearly defined as well, and it all points to these prototypes being production-based test vehicles as opposed to powertrain mules with near-production skin. Not everything is production-spec. The rear fascia is fitted with lights and reflectors that are simply there for testing purposes, and some added cladding on the rear hatch around the window could obscure the SUV's final shape for its backside. We do get a proper sense of size, however, as one of the prototypes is parked beneath a blue X5 on the trailer. There are some clear similarities in design, but the iNEXT appears just a bit longer overall with a slightly longer wheelbase as well. This all-electric people-mover won't be small. Since these prototypes were stuck on a truck, the photographer swooped in for a look at the interior. Most items are covered, and with generic test controls mounted through the compartment, we're not looking at a production-ready interior. However, that is definitely the iNEXT steering wheel that BMW just teased a couple of days ago, and the dash has the makings for the wraparound display BMW said was coming . We're still a long ways off from seeing this EV on the road, with a launch for the 2021 model year expected. At least we know the iNEXT development process is well on its way to meeting that deadline. Source: CarPix


Another option has come off the board for Michigan basketball. Oakland grad transfer Jaevin Cumberland signed with Cincinnati, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. John Brannen tells me that Oakland grad transfer Jaevin Cumberland --- the cousin of Jarron Cumberland --- has signed with Cincinnati. Averaged 17.2 PPG last season. Immediately eligible.   Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) June 3, 2019 Cumberland reportedly visited U-M earlier this offseason and was considering the Wolverines, among others. As a graduate transfer, he will be eligible to play immediately for the Bearcats. His cousin, Jarron, led Cincinnati in scoring last season and recently returned to school after testing the NBA draft waters . More: Recruiting will have to come quickly for Juwan Howard Cumberland started all 33 games for Oakland last season, emerging as a talented shooter. He averaged 17.2 points and 3.5 assists while shooting 39.9% on 8.3 3-point attempts per game. Cumberland would've projected as a 2-guard for the Wolverines. He joins Justin Pierce, who picked North Carolina in May, as a grad transfer who considered Michigan before picking another school this offseason. U-M still has three open scholarships for the 2019-20 season, with limited options at this stage of the offseason. The Wolverines lost last season's three leading scorers to the NBA draft, and 4-star Jalen Wilson   the program's top signee in the class of 2019   received a release from his letter of intent following former coach John Beilein's departure. Contact Orion Sang at osang@freepress.com . Follow him on Twitter @orion_sang . Read more on the Michigan Wolverines and sign up for our Wolverines newsletter . This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: U-M basketball target Jaevin Cumberland picks Cincinnati


Honest assessment or building a trade market? Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said Tuesday that he's been pleased with the "positive" start to training camp for Josh Jones. The third-year defensive back skipped OTAs and didn't participate during the mandatory minicamp, but he reported to camp on time and is operating as a backup safety for defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. "I think Josh has had a really good beginning of camp," Gutekunst said before Tuesday's practice . "In the four days, he's shown up and made some plays. Obviously, the physical gifts are all there. He's getting a lot of opportunity. There's some really positive signs that he could really help our football team. We got a long way to go, there's a lot of competition on the back end right now, but it's been really positive seeing him do what he's doing." The Packers have been playing Jones behind Adrian Amos and Raven Greene at safety and at inside linebacker in the nickel and dime subpackages. It's unclear how Jones' role will change once rookie Darnell Savage returns. The Packers' first-round pick was a starting safety next to Amos during the offseason workout program but has been out to start camp due to an oral surgery. If Jones remains on the roster for Week 1, he could give the Packers an athletic and versatile player capable of playing an important role as a subpackage linebacker. The Packers could attempt to trade Jones if Gutekunst feels comfortable with the depth at safety and linebacker at the end of the summer. However, it takes two to tango, and there's no guarantee the Packers would find a suitable offer for the former second-round pick. If Jones truly is having a positive start to camp, he'd be much more valuable to the Packers on the roster. MORE: Jayson Tatum and others defend LeBron James for celebrating at Bronny's AAU game Za'Darius Smith, Preston Smith have 'been as advertised' for Packers Day 3 Cowboys Camp: Prescott's deep ball, passing zones impressive Steve Ballmer is Open to Changing Clippers' Name and Logo Malik Jackson on Fletcher Cox being biggest reason he signed with the Eagles


After skipping the first two weeks of the Broncos' organized team activities, cornerback Chris Harris may have a revised contract in time for the start of the final week of OTAs on Wednesday. Harris and Denver are "extremely close" to coming to an agreement and both sides hope a deal will get done today, according to KUSA-TV's Mike Klis . The revised contract is not expected to add any years to Harris' current contract - it will simply be a pay raise for the 2019 season. After signing his revised deal, Harris will still be scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in 2020. If the Broncos don't plan to re-sign Harris next spring, this season will mark the CB's final season in Denver. Before signing a new deal, Harris is set to earn $8.8 million this year. His new salary will likely top $11 million, which is what new defensive back Kareem Jackson averages on his three-year deal with the Broncos. A four-time Pro Bowler, Harris is widely considered one of the best slot CBs in the NFL. Fans in Denver will be happy to see him stick around to play in Vic Fangio's defense, although it is a bit disappointing that the two sides weren't able to work out a multi-year extension. MORE: According to a new report, the Lakers are an even bigger mess than we thought Draymond Green to LeBron James' 14-Year-Old Son: "I'm at Your F--king Neck This Summer" Jimmy Butler would reportedly like playing with LeBron James Ahead of Finals, Stephen Curry defends Kevin Durant against critics NBA Free Agency 2019: The top players


Editor's note: The opinions in this article are the author's, as published by our content partner, and do not necessarily represent the views of MSN or Microsoft. President Trump's Fourth of July Salute to America includes displays of military hardware   tanks, Bradley fighting vehicles, and a combat aircraft flyover. Too much? Many in the liberal media think so, but what do average Americans think? I think they understand. Most Americans do not mind seeing military involvement in Independence Day celebrations. Many turn out to see flyovers by the Navy Blue Angels and Air Force Thunderbirds. Most see a similar display on the Fourth of July as affirming America's resolve to defend freedom. That is not a new sentiment, but one rooted in our past. The Fourth of July is, after all, about defending freedom   and risking life and limb to do so when necessary. 'SALUTE TO AMERICA' CRITICS FUELED BY 'HATE FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP': KAYLEIGH MCENANY Because the Fourth of July celebrates America's determination to be free, rereading the Declaration of Independence is timely. Our founders wrote: "We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America … appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do … solemnly publish and declare, that these United Colonies are, and by right ought to be free and independent states … with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." Our founders were under no illusions. War lay before them. They did not have tanks, but they had muskets and they were prepared. They embraced risks to defend freedom. The undertaking was no parlor game, but life's mission   and some paid dearly. So displays of military resolve in defense of freedom, are hardly new. That is why most Americans will not see the celebration in our nation's capital as war planning, but as a confirmation of national resolve   a declaration that we have always defended freedom against those who would take it. Call it deterrence, pride in who we are, the idea that defending freedom is not dead but alive. The deterrent message   hand in glove with celebrating our freedom   comes after an extended period of national ambivalence toward our military. Our military has suffered from procurement schedules not met, completed assets missing specifications, recruitment numbers down, training and budgets cuts, airframes cannibalized, and allies left wondering whether we are there. An Independence Day marked by fireworks and military hardware is not about waging war, but about celebrating our commitment to freedom   past, present and future. Is the idea subject to misinterpretation? Yes, of course. But think for a moment about who is behind celebrating America's military on the Fourth of July: A president more isolationist than a dozen predecessors and more disinclined to American intervention abroad. President Trump has withdrawn American troops from several countries. He has restored defense spending, but sought (and found) a measure of peace with belligerent North Korea. He is determined to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons. He has opened collegial relations with China and Russia, improved burden-sharing with NATO allies, and is working to achieve peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Yes, the president has reaffirmed U.S. support for Israel and made clear U.S. support for NATO. But he avoided hitting Iran and Russia in Syria, and instead chose a surgical strike. This is a president who could have responded to Iranian mining of oil tankers and shooting down an American drone with force   but did not. He showed patience, held fire and saved 150 lives of Iranians he does not know. Bottom line: The meaning of America's Fourth of July is to remember our nation's origins, national love of freedom, willingness to defend it long ago, and support for those who do now. We do this by remembering sacrifice, freedom and a proud history embodied in the American flag and in other symbols of resolve   some of which are civilian, others military. Our Independence Day is not   and never will be   May Day in North Korea, Cuba or the former Soviet Union. It is not Peoples Liberation Army Day in China. The military displays in those countries are not about celebrating freedom or about defending it, but about illegitimate power, internal oppression and crushing of dissent. That is not America. The Fourth of July celebrates who we are   freedom-loving Americans. It reminds us of the power in an idea and the courage of those who stood up for freedom. It reminds us that we are a free people. Independence Day reminds us that this gift of freedom, passed down from long ago, comes with a responsibility to pass it forward. We do that by putting faith in the idea of freedom, defending it for ourselves and for others. This is why the Fourth of July is worth a celebration   and that celebration can include parades, flyovers, military hardware, fireworks and more.


First baseman Ronald Guzman has been optioned to Triple-A Nashville, the Rangers announced Tuesday. He'll be replaced on the active roster by right-hander Pedro Payano , who'll start tonight's game for Texas. Logan Forsythe is getting the nod at first base for Texas tonight. It's undoubtedly a dejecting outcome not only for Guzman himself but also for the organization, as the team had hoped that Guzman would blossom into an everyday player after getting an extended MLB audition as a 23-year-old in 2018. Last season, Guzman's bat was below average, but he held his own with a .235/.306/.416 batting line and 16 round-trippers in 428 plate appearances. This year, however, Guzman's production has gone backward, as he's batted just .193/.282/.396 in 227 plate appearances. That said, there's also some reason to be optimistic about a rebound. Guzman isn't striking out at a higher clip than he did in '18   though his 28 percent clip is still a bit high   and his walk rate has actually improved from 7.7 percent to 11.0 percent. Statcast indicates that his hard-hit rate has improved a bit, and Guzman has already nearly matched his 2018 total of "barreled" balls in just over half as many plate appearances as he received last year. He's lugging around an ugly .285 weighted on-base average, but based on the quality of the contact he's made, Statcast feels he's been decidedly unlucky (.324 xwOBA). That, to be clear, doesn't indicate that Guzman should be a force at the plate, but perhaps his struggles aren't likely to continue at this great a rate. The Rangers and Guzman will hope that a reset in a lower-pressure setting will restore his confidence and give him a needed mental break. He's currently mired in an awful 2-for-30 slide in the month of July and hasn't had a multi-hit game since June 25. Guzman still has a long way to go before he comes close to living up to the potential that prompted Baseball Prospectus to rank him as the game's No 94 prospect prior to the 2018 season, but he's yet to celebrate his 25th birthday, so there's still plenty of time for him to turn things around. Taking a step back, the Guzman dilemma isn't an entirely unfamiliar problem for the Rangers. They've seen several young hitters   e.g. Rougned Odor , Nomar Mazara , Willie Calhoun   all struggle to varying extents, either immediately upon debuting or sputtering out after some early promise. It's a particularly glaring issue, as one can't help but wonder where the Rangers would be in the standings if that group of players had played up to their abilities thus far. Instead, the quartet of Guzman, Odor, Mazara and Calhoun have performed at sub-replacement level in 2019. And the Rangers, who've now dropped eight games in a row, look more like potential sellers than the likely buyers they appeared to be coming out of the All-Star break.


Brace for sugar: National Doughnut Day is on the way. The event, held this year on June 7, isn't a new tradition. Perhaps surprisingly, it's dipped in patriotic history. National Doughnut Day originated in 1938 to pay tribute to the Salvation Army volunteers who provided doughnuts to Uncle Sam's soldiers during World War I. According to doughnut lore, those "Donut Lassies" were the reason the fried treats caught on in the United States after the troops returned home. Ready to celebrate by finding a fresh doughnut near you? Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top options for doughnuts around Irvine, using both Yelp data and our own methodology to produce a ranked list of the city's best. 1. Primi Donuts Topping the list is Primi Donuts . Located at 17655 Harvard Ave., Unit B, in West Park, the spot to score doughnuts and more is the highest-rated doughnut destination in Irvine, boasting four stars out of 11 reviews on Yelp. 2. Jannys Donuts Next up is Business District's Jannys Donuts , at 92 Corporate Park, Suite G. With 4.5 stars out of 228 reviews on Yelp, the spot to score doughnuts, coffee and tea has proven to be a local favorite. 3. Donut Star Lower Peters Canyon's Donut Star , at 3907 Irvine Blvd., is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the spot to score doughnuts and desserts four stars out of 36 reviews. 4. Mag's Donuts & Bakery Mag's Donuts & Bakery , a bakery that offers doughnuts, coffee and tea in University Park, is another go-to, with four stars out of 407 Yelp reviews. Head over to 18048 Culver Drive to see for yourself. 5. Duck Donuts Over in the Business District, check out Duck Donuts , which has earned 4.5 stars out of 737 reviews on Yelp. You can find the spot to score doughnuts, desserts, ice cream and frozen yogurt at 2222 Michelson Drive. This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


Have you noticed more penalty flags during the NFL post-season? Well, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has surely noticed the flags on some level, and he has his own interpretation as to why referees decide to throw them. Donald Trump says NFL referees throw flags to impress their wives watching at home. "It has become soft, and our country has become soft."   Jenna Johnson (@wpjenna) January 10, 2016 This has been: The Republican presidential front-runner explains the frequency of NFL penalty flags thrown by referees in relation to the softness of our country. - Rohan Nadkarni


Hidalgo, Texas   At the heart of the immigration crisis are images of families held in detention centers . CBS News cameras were allowed exclusively inside the largest migrant processing facility in the country. One woman at the Ursula processing facility, who is there with her young son, explained how she crossed into the U.S. illegally in search of a safer and better life. Angelina Estrada and her 2-year-old son Martin are just one of the 815 families at the facility in McAllen, Texas. She said she's a journalist who was threatened by the Venezuelan government. She knows that as a mother with a child, she would be allowed to enter the U.S. She said they're getting warm food and diapers, but also said they're sleeping on the floor on mats. It's extraordinary to see mothers and their children, sleeping together on the floor in the 77,000 square foot facility. The toughest thing to see are infants, alone, napping mid-morning in a makeshift nursery. They are just some of the nearly 300 unaccompanied children there. Without parents, they are being cared for by members of the Coast Guard. With exclusive access to the facility, there was no one CBS News wasn't allowed to speak with and nowhere we couldn't go. Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan was there, along with Carmen Qualia, the chief Border Patrol agent who runs the facility in the Rio Grande Valley. "I made the decision to take the risk in bringing cameras in to be transparent about what we're facing," McAleenan said. "I think we need a national conversation based on the facts that are actually happening on our border to try to address and solve the problems." A year ago, the country was shocked by photos showing children being held in overcrowded cages. Today, it is cleaner and more well organized, but it is still hard to look at. The conditions for families are much different than at the McAllen Border Patrol station for adults, where Vice President Mike Pence visited last week . When asked why they just got shower units last week, McAleenan pointed to a "lack of funding." "We prioritize children, obviously. We prioritize families, second. And single adults are-- are the third to get that kind of humanitarian support," he said. McAleenan said a lack of funding from Congress has been a "critical issue." He said the solution is a so-called tent city, named Donna, which is expanding. McAleenan said it is far better suited to house new migrants. "It just provided a lot more capacity. The big challenge of the overcrowding is people are uncomfortable 'cause there's too many in small areas. We're gonna be able to reduce that," he said.


WASHINGTON   The Mueller report's narrative of secret meetings between members of Donald Trump's orbit and Russian operatives   contacts that occurred both before and after the 2016 election   portrays a political campaign that left itself open to a covert Russian influence operation, former intelligence officials and other experts say. While finding no criminal conspiracy, the report shows that Trump associates met with Russians after the intelligence community said in October 2016 that Russia was interfering in the presidential election, and even after the Obama administration announced a set of post-election sanctions to punish Russia for that behavior. The 448-page report , written as a prosecutorial document, was not meant to assess, and does not say, whether U.S. national security was put at risk through those contacts. But former FBI and CIA officials and people who study Russian intelligence say the report describes a counterintelligence minefield   senior members of a presidential campaign and transition holding secret talks with a sophisticated foreign adversary, without the benefit of State Department and intelligence community counsel. "The Russians came up against a group of people who were not intelligence savvy and who were predisposed not to listen to the intelligence and counterintelligence community," said Luis Rueda, who spent 27 years as a CIA operations officer. "The Russians made a very bold and aggressive attempt to take advantage of that   to try to compromise people, to try to leverage their access." The FBI, as part of its counterintelligence mission, is continuing to investigate Russian attempts to influence the Trump administration and assess the national security damage from Russia's 2016 effort, current and former U.S. officials tell NBC News.Democratic lawmakers have demanded a briefing on the counterintelligence findings of the Russia investigation and the status of the FBI's counterintelligence investigation into Trump. John Sipher, who served in Moscow and once helped run CIA spying operations against Russia, said, "It's clear that the Russians had a pretty extensive full court press on this administration." The full extent of how successful it was may never be known, he said. "Being able to lock it down and prove in court? That only comes when you catch somebody red-handed, or when you have a source on the inside of your adversary who hands you documents." The Mueller report says the special counsel investigated whether Russia's wooing of Trump officials "constituted a third avenue of attempted Russian interference with or influence on the 2016 presidential election," in addition to Russian hacking of Democratic emails and social media manipulation through false personas. Without explicitly answering that question, the Mueller report explains how Russia sought to secretly influence the incoming Trump administration after helping it get elected, and how Kushner and other senior members of the Trump team embraced those entreaties. The report describes meetings with questionable individuals and a ready use of backchannel communications, despite warnings from U.S. intelligence officials. "The investigation established multiple links between Trump Campaign officials and individuals tied to the Russian government," the report says. "Those links included Russian offers of assistance to the Campaign. In some instances, the Campaign was receptive to the offer , while in other instances the Campaign officials shied away." After the election, the report says, "Russian government officials and prominent Russian businessmen began trying to make inroads into the new administration. The most senior levels of the Russian government encouraged these efforts." Trump officials took those meetings knowing their campaign had benefited from information stolen by the Russian government, the Mueller report says. NBC News reported that the Trump campaign received a counterintelligence briefing in the summer of 2016 warning that it could be the subject of Russian spying and infiltration attempts. The fact that the Trump team did not coordinate their Russia meetings with the U.S. government gave the Russians leverage, Sipher and other experts say. U.S. government officials with security clearances who fail to report contacts with Russian nationals could lose their security clearances or their jobs. Mueller's report did not address how unusual and potentially dangerous it might be for representatives of an incoming American administration to meet secretly with a foreign adversary, without benefit of advice from career CIA and State Department officials. But in a separate court case this week, the Justice Department submitted an affidavit from a former head of counterintelligence for the FBI, who explained his view of the dangers of so-called backchannels. It came in the case of Maria Butina, the Russian former college student who has pleaded guilty to acting as an unregistered agent of Russia. Prosecutors are recommending an 18-month prison sentence. Butina, who is not mentioned in the redacted Mueller report, was seeking to expand Russian influence on Republicans and the National Rifle Association at the direction of a senior Russian central banker, court records show. She did so by cultivating influential Americans who did not know she was working on behalf of the Russian government, the documents say. Her goal, the documents say, was to open unofficial channels of communication between the Russian government and key Americans. "Butina's stated goal of establishing a backchannel of communication, if it had been achieved, would have benefited the Russian government by enabling Russia to bypass formal channels of diplomacy, win concessions, and exert influence within the United States," wrote Robert Anderson, a former head of counterintelligence for the FBI, in the affidavit. "Such benefits to the Russian government would have carried with them commensurate harm to the United States, including harm to the integrity of the United States' political processes and internal government dealings, as well as to U.S. foreign policy interests and national security." Political influence   in addition to recruiting spies and stealing defense secrets   is a main goal of intelligence operations against the U.S. by Russia, Anderson said. The U.S. "is Russia's primary target for malign and intrusive intelligence operations," Anderson said. "Russia works to obtain not only classified material or trade secrets, but also to collect any information that could, by itself or in conjunction with other efforts, assist the Russian government in increasing its geopolitical power or undermining and harming that of the United States." "In my expert opinion, Butina provided the Russian Federation with information that skilled intelligence officers can exploit for years and that may cause significant damage to the United States." Andrew Weiss, a Russia expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, cited Anderson's affidavit this week as evidence that the Mueller report's narrative of Trump-Russia contacts is damning. "Seen against this backdrop, it's clear that the conduct outlined in Volume I of the Mueller Report created enormous damage to US national security," Weiss tweeted. "Anderson is scathing about the impact of back channel amateur hour." In an interview, Weiss said that while the Trump administration has not given Russia the total reset in relations it was hoping for, Trump has consistently followed Putin's lead on a number of matters, such as a plan to create a joint U.S.-Russia cybersecurity agency, or Trump's agreement that he would help Putin repatriate Syrian refugees displaced by civil war. Both ideas were quickly walked back by senior U.S. officials. Trump has repeatedly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin, resisted acknowledging Russian election interference, and denigrated the NATO alliance. In July, after a Trump-Putin summit in Helsinki, Trump seemed to accept Putin's denial that Russia had interfered in the 2016 election, dismissing the findings of American intelligence agencies. "My people came to me. Dan Coats came to me, and some others," Trump said, referring to the director of national intelligence. "They said they think it's Russia," Trump said. "I have President Putin. He just said it's not Russia. I will say this: I don't see any reason why it would be." Russian outreach after the election Many of the interactions between the Trump campaign and Russians outlined in the Mueller report had been previously detailed in news reports, including conversations between Michael Flynn, Jared Kushner and the Russian ambassador   and Kushner's request to use a secure communications channel in the Russian embassy. But the report offered new insights into Russian outreach after the election. According to the report, in December 2016 Putin told Petr Aven, head of Russia's largest commercial bank, Alfa-Bank, that he was concerned about the U.S. imposing sanctions. Putin complained that he wasn't sure who to speak to in the incoming Trump administration, Aven told Mueller's office. "Aven told Putin he would take steps to protect himself and the Alfa-Bank shareholders from potential sanctions, and one of those steps would be to try to reach out to the incoming Administration to establish a line of communication," the report says. Aven enlisted Richard Burt, the former U.S. ambassador to Germany and an Alfa-Bank consultant, to help contact members of the Trump transition team. The report says Burt approached Dimitri Simes, head of a Russian-aligned think tank in Washington, the Center for the National Interest. At the time, Simes was lobbying the Trump transition team, on Burt's behalf, to appoint Burt U.S. ambassador to Russia, the report says. Simes told Burt that a secret channel wasn't a good idea, given the media attention to Trump's dealings with Russia. But another senior Russian official, Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund and a close Putin associate, did succeed in establishing a secret channel to the Trump team, the report says. "We want to start rebuilding the relationship in whatever is a comfortable pace for them," Dmitriev wrote in a message to George Nader, an international consultant who helped broker the outreach. Dmitriev ended up meeting with Erik Prince, a Trump supporter and associate of Steve Bannon, at a resort in the Seychelles. The meeting was a disappointment to Dmitriev, the Mueller report says, because "he believed the Russians needed to be communicating with someone who had more authority within the incoming Administration than Prince had." And "he had hoped to have a discussion of greater substance, such as outlining a strategic roadmap for both countries to follow." Soon enough, Dmitriev found another route, He reached out to a friend of Kushner, Rick Gerson, a hedge fund manager. The two talked about potential joint ventures between the Russian wealth fund and Gerson's fund, the Mueller report says. And together they worked on a proposal for reconciliation between the United States and Russia, which Dmitriev implied he cleared through Putin, the report says. "On January 16, 2017, Dmitriev consolidated the ideas for U.S.-Russia reconciliation that he and Gerson had been discussing into a two-page document that listed five main points: (1) jointly fighting terrorism; (2) jointly engaging in anti-weapons of mass destruction efforts; (3) developing "win-win" economic and investment initiatives; (4) maintaining an honest, open, and continual dialogue regarding issues of disagreement; and (5) ensuring proper communication and trust by 'key people' from each country." Gerson sent the two-page proposal to Kushner before the inauguration, and Kushner later gave copies to Bannon and then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the report says. Gerson and Dmitriev appeared to stop communicating with each other in March 2017, the report says, "when the investment deal they had been working on together showed no signs of progressing." "It's classic foreign intelligence activity on the part of the Russians," said David Gomez, a former FBI agent whose specialties included counterintelligence. "The Russians are trying to develop unwitting assets. If they can entice Eric Prince, if they can entice Jared Kushner, if they can entice Donald Trump into secretly dealing with them, they have essentially opened a back door into the administration and the U.S. government." Tough on Russia Pushing back on criticism about the administration's Russia stance, White House officials say they have been much harder on Russia than President Barack Obama was. "There's never been a president as tough on Russia as I have been," Trump told reporters last year, echoing comments he has made many times. The Trump administration has imposed additional sanctions on Russia and provided lethal assistance to a Ukrainian government that is battling a Russian incursion. Still, Trump's unwillingness to call out Russian election interference makes it easier for Russia to succeed in 2020, former senior intelligence officials tell NBC News. Just this week, son-in-law Kushner dismissed Russian interference as "a few Facebook ads" and said the Mueller probe was more damaging to the U.S. than anything Russia did. Russia's English-language propaganda network, RT, was quick to embrace Kushner's stance. "The Trump White House is like a juicy peach waiting for the Russians to come and pluck it," one former official said, "and Trump is not moving the branches away from them."


The iconic Hudepohl smokestack will face the wrecking ball Friday. The Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority confirmed Tuesday that O'Rourke Wrecking Co. will knock down the signature smokestack, which has been part of the Cincinnati skyline for more than 150 years. Demolition will begin at 7:30 a.m. Friday at the former brewery site at 801 W. Sixth St. in Queensgate, according to The Port. There are no immediate plans for future development at the site. Access to the demolition site will be restricted to news media. Some city leaders had proposed saving the smokestack. A feasibility study determined the smokestack would be too costly and difficult to salvage. MORE: Asbestos cleanup at Hudepohl brewery site The smokestack demolition will occur nearly two years after asbestos cleanup and other remediation began at the site. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati's Iconic Hudepohl smokestack faces wrecking ball Friday


Two top White House officials, Shahira Knight and Johnny DeStefano, announced their long-anticipated departures from the West Wing on Tuesday, leaving huge holes in an already thinly staffed administration. Knight is expected to leave in early June to return to the private sector in Washington D.C., while DeStefano plans to exit the White House this Friday to do consulting work for companies such as Juul, the e-cigarette manufacturer. Unlike a bevy of other top aides, both Knight and DeStefano are leaving on their own terms with their relationships with the president intact. "Shahira has done a wonderful job as my Legislative Affairs Director. She was outstanding for us and for our country and will be a tremendous success in the private sector," President Donald Trump said in a statement. In a tweet on Tuesday, Trump similarly praised DeStefano: "Johnny, we will miss you   you did a great job!" Knight's departure will set off a turf battle among top White House officials as to who gets to fill the slot of the top White House liaison to Capitol Hill, said one former senior administration official. Officials expected to have input into any new hire include acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, Jared Kushner, and Stephen Miller, said a second former administration official. She joined the Trump White House in its early days as a top policy staffer for the White House National Economic Council, for which she played a key role in the passage of the Republicans' 2017 tax bill. Knight was promoted to the deputy director of the council before taking on her current role as legislative affairs director, which had previously been held by Marc Short, the current chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence. DeStefano served as an assistant to the president and oversaw a handful of key offices inside the White House including the Office of Presidential Personnel and Office of Public Liaison. He joined the administration immediately after the inauguration and was charged with hiring hundreds of political appointees to fill key agency jobs. CNN first reported Knight's official departure, while the Washington Post reported DeStefano's. Other White House comings-and-goings are being discussed. Trump is expected to tap former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli for a senior position at the Homeland Security Department, even if the exact title is still under discussion.


With San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy retiring at the end of the 2019 season, his former reliever Sergio Romo reportedly decided to get him a retirement gift. The 36-year-old Romo is now a member of the Miami Marlins, and gave his old manager a bottle of Don Julio 1942 tequila during the Giants-Marlins series earlier this week, according to MLB.com. "I went over there before [Tuesday's] game," Romo told MLB.com on Wednesday. "I went over there and said, 'What's up?' I had a gift for him. I gave him a token of appreciation for the faith and trust that he had in me for all those years. I feel I can count the amount of people that have taken a chance on me in my life on two hands, and he's on that." MORE GIANTS: Giants snap 7-game skid by beating Marlins 3-1 Romo was an instrumental to the Giants winning three titles between 2010-2014. In 2012, he didn't give up an earned run until the middle of May, and pitched the final inning of Game 4 the team's World Series sweep over the Detroit Tigers. The relief pitcher left the team at the end of the 2016 season and had brief stints with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays before joining the Marlins. Bochy was happy to catch up with Romo and fondly recalled the reliever's time in San Francisco. "I talked to him. He came by. I had a nice talk with him," Bochy said. "It was great to see him. Happy he's still doing well. ... I'll never forget what he did for us in the bullpen and the good times we've had." ALSO: Former SF Giants star Angel Pagan reportedly rescued after boating accident Eric Ting is an SFGATE staff writer. Email: eric.ting@sfgate.com | Twitter: @_ericting Start receiving breaking news emails on floods, wildfires, civil emergencies, riots, national breaking news, Amber Alerts, weather emergencies, and other critical events with the SFGATE breaking news email. Click here to make sure you get the news. Related slideshow: 2019 MLB season (provided by imagn)


Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said Tuesday that defensive end Ziggy Ansah will not take part in practice until after the start of training camp. However, he is taking part in team walkthroughs as he continues to rehab his injured shoulder. "He's in the walkthroughs and stuff, today he was, so he's able to get the huddle calls and make the calls and adjustments. He's going to be really good at all that kind of stuff," Carroll said. "He's working really hard and he's doing great in his process coming back. It's just a matter of strength-gaining. His shoulder is healed and all that so it's just making sure that we don't come back too soon and ensure that his recovery is for good." Ansah appeared in just seven games last year for the Detroit Lions due to injury. He still managed four sacks in those seven games and was a frequent disruptor of opposing offenses even when not wrestling a quarterback to the ground. The timeline on his recovery has varied from the middle of training camp until sometime after the start of the season. Carroll said Tuesday that Ansah will not be thrown into the mix for the start of training camp and they'll wait to see how he progresses once they get to that point. "We're going to wait," Carroll said. "These six weeks coming up will be crucial and we have a really specific plan set up for him. He has a little traveling that he has to do to go home (to Ghana) but other than that he'll be working with our guys throughout. And then we'll just see when camp comes. We'll take the camp to get it done, I'm sure. I don't think we'll rush him. There won't be a need to start him up right out of the chutes and we'll see how he goes in the weeks to follow." The Seahawks need Ansah to be a factor for their defense as they are lacking proven pass rush production otherwise. Cassius Marsh 's 5.5 sacks last year with the San Francisco 49ers is the most in a given season of any defensive end currently with the Seahawks.


A loose rubberized noise dampener was the cause of the Blue Line shutdown last week, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority announced Monday. Last Wednesday, the MBTA said in a tweet that there was a "power problem" on the Blue Line at about 8 a.m. near the Government Center station. Service was restored at about 9:30 a.m. During Monday's board meeting, MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak said that a rubberized noise dampener came loose and made contact with the rail, which caused the power issues. About 200 passengers were safely evacuated from that train and escorted through a tunnel by T workers, MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said. Two other trains were on the track at the time. One was at a station and another was moved back to a station so passengers could disembark. A large crowd of people had to vie for limited space on MBTA shuttle buses at Maverick Square in East Boston. "More than half of East Boston residents rely on the MBTA to get to work -- the highest of any neighborhood," tweeted Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. "Today's Blue Line shutdown is just another example of why we need system-wide investments and improvements, and we need it on a faster timeline." Poftak said new maintenance and installation protocols for noise dampeners will be put in place. READ MORE: MBTA explains what caused last week's Blue Line outage CHECK OUT WCVB: Get the latest Boston news, weather and sports online, anytime. Stay in the know with Boston's news leader   WCVB.


Max Homa picked up his first career PGA Tour win on Sunday as the 28-year-old won the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte by three strokes. If you've never heard of Homa, you're probably not alone as he's struggled for much of his career. Which makes Sunday's win all the more inspiring. Homa recently talked about what kept him pushing through a streak of missing 15 of 17 cuts, how he'd shoot a "bazillion" on Thursday and then go to the range and then shoot a "bazillion" on Friday and missed the cut. But he never gave up. He kept grinding every day and now he has his first win and his life is forever changed. Even if it cost him the chance to see Sunday night's Game of Thrones episode as it happened: I just realized I missed Game of Thrones tonight. Plz don't ruin it for me, but if u do I honestly don't care cuz I just won and life couldn't be better #TeamArya - max homa (@maxhoma23) May 6, 2019 Here's the putt that sealed his win: https://twitter.com/NoLayingUp/status/1125179052191514624 Homa, whose Twitter account is very personable and real, also had fun with this after his win: pic.twitter.com/byeYmJ1sJO - max homa (@maxhoma23) May 6, 2019 And here he is talking about battling through his struggles: In case you needed a rooting interest today, here's Max Homa with one of the greatest 4 minutes in our podcast history. Missed 15 of 17 cuts in 2017, but kept saying "today's the day." https://t.co/Rj3wG7Njh6 pic.twitter.com/LPUijqh1Fw - No Laying Up (@NoLayingUp) May 5, 2019 The outpouring of excitement for @maxhoma23 is a strong rebuke to all the Tour stars who use social media only to sell stuff and/or let others put up banal/sterile posts. Max's whole brand on here is sincerity and authenticity (and irreverence) and that's why he's so beloved. https://t.co/iaVravX9fE - Alan Shipnuck (@AlanShipnuck) May 6, 2019 Homa sure is easy to root for. MORE: Seth Curry's 2nd-quarter burst had NBA fans making so many Steph Curry jokes How to tell if a coach is interested in you as a recruit Quarterbacks not a bright spot at Seahawks rookie minicamp Raiders RB Chris Warren up to 260 pounds, Gruden 'anxious' to check his progress NBA Free Agency 2019: The top players


The Sharks took Game 1 of the Western Conference Final after Timo Meier and Logan Couture each scored a brace to guide San Jose to a 6-3 win. Sharks 6, Blues 3 (SJS leads 1-0) Timo Meier scored twice and added an assist. Logan Couture scored twice and added and assist. Martin Jones made 28 saves. The result? A convincing 6-3 win in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final. The Sharks did it all in the game, creating several turnovers that led to goals and taking advantage of other opportunities as they presented themselves. Couture opened the scoring in the first and closed it in the third while Meier scored back-to-back goals in the second period to propel San Jose to a win. [ NBC 2019 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB ] Three stars 1. Timo Meier, San Jose Sharks The play he made once the puck was on his stick off a turnover was sublime. He caught Jay Bouwmeester standing still and froze Jordan Binnington with the old one-handed backhand trick. Meier's night would end with a two-goal, one-assist stat line, his fourth and fifth goals of the playoffs. 2. Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks Couture the Killer scored just 3:31 into the game as Gustav Nyquist dished the puck on an odd-man rush to an open No. 39 for his ninth of the postseason. Couture would add an empty netter in the third end with the same stat line as teammate Meier. Couture has been special in these playoffs, setting the tone for his team, among other things. 3. Martin Jones, San Jose Sharks It's hard to believe there won't be a round (or even a game) where people don't doubt Jones' goaltending abilities. His putrid regular-season numbers justify the uneasy feelings some have   as do the early games in Round 1 against the Vegas Golden Knights. But Jones has been solid since, and he stopped 28 of 31 in Game 1 of the WCF to quell the doubters once again. Jones was tested just seconds into the game when Alex Steen tried to muscle a backhand shot past him. Jones was able to swat out his blocker to make the save and settled in from there. Factoids Brent Burns of the @SanJoseSharks is the seventh different defenseman in NHL history age 34 or older to record 15+ points in a postseason. #NHLStats #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/aXuJLec5KI   NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 12, 2019 Joe Thornton of the @SanJoseSharks recorded the 1,608th point of his NHL career (regular season and playoffs combined) and tied Bryan Trottier for the 16th-highest such total in League history. https://t.co/JbCfUnNWHG #NHLStats #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/77ri2idZgQ   NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 12, 2019 Logan Couture of the @SanJoseSharks is the sixth active NHL player to reach the 10-goal mark in multiple postseasons. #NHLStats #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/G5FyMs8xNL   NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 12, 2019 SUNDAY'S SCHEDULE Game 2: Carolina Hurricanes at Boston Bruins, 3 p.m. ET ( NBC; Live stream ) MORE: • Conference Finals schedule, TV info • PHT Conference Finals predictions • Conference Finals roundtable Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports . Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck


The Miami Dolphins emerged victorious on Thursday night against the Atlanta Falcons, enduring a frustrating performance by the team's offensive line to score 34 points. There were ups, there were downs - and there are still many questions yet to be answered. But if the preseason is going to serve as the Dolphins' answers to their 2019 starting lineup, there are plenty of takeaways to be had and plenty of re-adjusting ahead for the team as they prep for their season opener next month. Here are 10 winners from Thursday night's victory over the Falcons. MORE: Browns mob touchdown scorer who slept outside a gym during tryouts 6 takeaways from Packers' preseason victory over Texans Duke Johnson trade: what they're saying around the NFL Roundup: Bo Bichette is On Fire; Bachelor in Paradise Drama; Joe Biden Steps in It 5 takeaways from Patriots' preseason win over Lions


The Bears waived offensive lineman Tommy Doles earlier this week when they signed tight end Jesper Horsted, but an injury to another player opened the door for Doles to return to the team. The Bears announced on Thursday that they have re-signed Doles. Defensive back Jomon Dotson was waived/injured in the team's other move. Dotson signed with the Bears after going undrafted last month. Dotson closed out his collegiate time at Nevada after transferring from the University of Washington. Doles was also an undrafted free agent signing this offseason. He played his college ball nearby at Northwestern University and was a three-year starter at right guard for the Big Ten team.


The Brooklyn Nets threw some gasoline onto the pile of rumors about Kyrie Irving when they created even more salary cap space with a trade on Thursday. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Nets sent their first round pick from this year and a future first round pick along with Allen Crabbe to the Atlanta Hawks for Taurean Prince and a 2020 second round pick. There have been rumors for weeks about Kyrie Irving's interest in Brooklyn and Woj confirmed that the two have their sights set on each other. Kyrie Irving is serious about the Nets - and the Nets are serious about beating the Knicks - and rest of league - to the biggest free agents in the marketplace, per league sources. - Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 6, 2019 The Lakers have also been rumored to be in pursuit of Irving, as the detente between he and LeBron James has made a reunion a real possibility. However, the Lakers may struggle to contend with the Nets if Brooklyn is able to somehow get in the Anthony Davis sweepstakes or get Kevin Durant to join up. If the Nets renounce restricted free agent D'Angelo Russell, they could sign Irving and Durant. With Brooklyn's willingness to attach two picks to Crabbe in a salary dump seems like the biggest indication yet that they're big game hunting, putting the Lakers and the rest of the NBA on notice. MORE: LeBron says Warriors part owner should be held accountable for shoving Kyle Lowry Marlins and Brewers Get Into Twitter Battle Over Christian Yelich Cowboys News: Michael Gallup leg injury dampens final OTA session These five upcoming NBA free agents helped themselves in the playoffs Desmond Harrison's missed flight to minicamp was final straw for Browns


Evacuations and Shelters.