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Stanford coach Troy Taylor brings “platoon” system to football

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:04:19 GMT

STANFORD – As first-year Stanford coach Troy Taylor attempts to rebuild a depleted program, seemingly no starter is safe.Ashton Daniels threw a pass on Stanford’s first play from scrimmage Saturday against Arizona, and then was replaced by Justin Lamson for the rest of the opening drive.Freshman running back Sedrick Irvin made his first start and had 10 carries against the Wildcats, while veterans E.J. Smith and Casey Filkins, who made the first three starts of the season, combined for just one rush.Stanford even rotated punters, with freshman Aidan Flintoft and junior Connor Weselman each kicking twice.“I tell our guys all the time, you don’t have to accept your role, but you’ve got to attack your role,” Taylor said.The tinkering hasn’t led to wins. In what was supposed to be the easiest two-game stretch – home games against FCS-level Sacramento State and Arizona – the Cardinal gave up game-winning fourth-quarter TDs to both opponents and are now 1-3 with No. 10 Oregon ...

White House steps up warnings of shutdown impact as deadline nears

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:04:19 GMT

WASHINGTON — With a potential government shutdown now less than a week away, President Joe Biden and other administration officials this weekend intensified their warnings of the consequences of closing government agencies as they pressed congressional Republicans to find a way out of their spending stalemate.Both the president and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg made public calls for Republicans to resolve their differences before next Sunday, when federal funding is set to lapse. They noted that a shutdown would mean that members of the military would go without paychecks, air travelers could experience disruptions and a variety of programs safeguarding the public would be shuttered. Yet even after a weekend of private haggling at the Capitol, there was no sign that the GOP was moving toward a resolution.“A government shutdown could impact everything from food safety to cancer research to Head Start programs for children,” Biden said at a Saturday dinner for the Congressio...

Flaring at the Martinez refinery Friday night

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:04:19 GMT

Communities around the refinery in Martinez could see and hear flaring on Friday night, which often occurs when a refinery needs to burn off flammable gas due to pressure or other issues.The flaring could be seen from the I-680 Freeway and Marina Vista Avenue.“Flares are an essential part of a refinery’s integrated, engineered safety system. They are designed to safely manage excess combustible gasses by burning them off efficiently and effectively,” Martinez Refining Company spokesperson Brandon Matson said in a statement. “We apologize for impacting some of our neighbors and thank our employees who are safely responding to resolve the equipment issue that is causing the flaring.”Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Gas is rapidly approaching $6 in California Crime and Public Safety | Gas prices hit 2023 highs as oil stays hot Crime and Public Safety | High utility bills? California regulators must do more to protect consumers, audito...

Berti homers twice in 6-1 win as Marlins prevent Brewers from clinching NL Central

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:04:19 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — Jon Berti had his second career multihomer game, and the Miami Marlins beat Milwaukee 6-1 on Sunday, the second straight day they prevented the Brewers from clinching the NL Central.Josh Bell also went deep, Jorge Soler had three hits and Jazz Chisholm Jr. doubled twice for the Marlins, who began the day one game behind the Chicago Cubs for the third NL wild card spot. Milwaukee entered with a seven-game lead over the Cubs.Marlins starter Edward Cabrera (7-7) allowed one run and five hits in five-plus innings with five strikeouts.Xavier Edwards stepped in for injured Miami infielder Luis Arraez and had three hits and two stolen bases. Arraez, the major league batting leader at .353, didn’t play after he aggravated a sprained left ankle Saturday. Arraez rolled his ankle during pre-game infield drills Tuesday then slipped on the dugout steps before the ninth inning Saturday.Berti homered in the second on a slider from Freddy Peralta (12-10), who gave up four runs and nine...

Ajax and Feyenoord’s Eredivisie match abandoned as fans throw fireworks on the field

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:04:19 GMT

AMSTERDAM (AP) — The Eredivisie match between rivals Ajax and Feyenoord was called off Sunday with Feyenoord leading 3-0 after fans threw fireworks onto the field at the Johan Cruyff Arena.After the match was brought to an early end, video posted on social media showed angry Ajax fans attempting to storm the stadium’s main entrance. Police said they used tear gas to quell the unrest around the stadium.Hours later, Ajax fired its director of soccer, Sven Mislintat, who only joined the club in May.“Various attempts to restore broader support have not led to the desired results and this is leading to unrest in and around the club, also due to the disappointing performances,” said interim director Jan van Halst. Before Sunday’s match was finally halted, it already been stopped twice before the break by referee Serdar Gözübüyük because of fans throwing fireworks and a plastic cup onto the field.The three-goal deficit will heap more pressure on Ajax coach Maurice Steijn,...

Dolphins rout Broncos 70-20, scoring the most points by an NFL team in a game since 1966

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:04:19 GMT

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins scored the most points in a game by an NFL team since 1966, overwhelming the Denver Broncos 70-20 on Sunday behind rookie speedster De’Von Achane’s 203 yards rushing and Tua Tagovailoa’s no-look shovel-pass TD.The Dolphins set a franchise record for scoring and finished two points shy of the NFL’s regular-season record — set in 1966 when Washinton scored 72 points against the Giants. They are the fourth team in NFL history to score at least 70 points in a regular-season or playoff game. Many of their starters, including Tagovailoa and star receiver Tyreek Hill, were pulled from the game early in the fourth quarter. Achane caught a 10-yard TD pass from Tagovailoa — the quarterback’s fourth TD — in the fourth, and Jason Sanders converted the extra point that made it 56-13 and broke Miami’s franchise scoring record of 55 set against St. Louis on Nov. 24, 1977.Hill caught a 54-yard touchdown pass on Miami’s opening dr...

Jordan Love rallies Packers to 18-17 win after Saints lose Derek Carr to shoulder injury

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:04:19 GMT

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Jordan Love rallied Green Bay from a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit in his first career home start — a comeback that began after New Orleans lost quarterback Derek Carr to a shoulder injury — and the Packers stunned the Saints 18-17 on Sunday.The Packers (2-1) scored 18 points in the final 11 minutes to win their 11th consecutive home opener, the NFL’s longest active streak. They took the lead on Love’s 8-yard pass to Romeo Doubs in the right corner of the end zone with 2:56 left.Carr’s backup, Jameis Winston, drove the Saints (2-1) into scoring position, but Blake Grupe’s 46-yard field-goal attempt with just over a minute left sailed wide right. It was the first career miss in seven attempts for Grupe, a rookie who played in college at Arkansas State and Notre Dame.New Orleans led 17-0 when Carr left with a shoulder injury in the third quarter after one of Rashan Gary’s career-high three sacks. That set the stage for Love to spark the type of rally tha...

Patriots beat Jets 15-10 to extend their winning streak to 15 straight over New York

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:04:19 GMT

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Mac Jones threw a touchdown pass, Matt Judon had a late safety and the New England Patriots extended their winning streak over the New York Jets to 15 games with an ugly 15-10 victory on a rainy Sunday.Bill Belichick’s bunch avoided its first 0-3 start since the coach’s first season in New England in 2000 while continuing the team’s mastery over its AFC East rivals.Zach Wilson made his second start in place of the injured Aaron Rodgers, but was unable to produce much other than one solid drive in the fourth quarter that got the Jets (1-2) back into the game.Nick Bawden capped a 13-play, 87-yard drive by the Jets with a 1-yard touchdown run up the middle to make it 13-10 with 5:24 left.Wilson was 7 for 10 on the drive and the Jets were helped by a pass interference penalty on Myles Bryant on a throw to Randall Cobb on third-and-goal from the 9 — putting the ball on the 1 and setting up Bawden’s TD.After a defensive stop, the Jets faced t...

Springe’r’s inside-the-park homer, diving catch and throw lead Blue Jays over Rays 9-5

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:04:19 GMT

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — George Springer hit an inside-the-park, three-run homer. made a diving catch and threw out a runner, helping the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Rays 9-5 on Sunday to take two of three in a series of potential playoff opponents.Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered twice, making an impressive bat flip after the second, and Bo Bichette also went deep for the Blue Jays. Toronto began the day leading the second AL wild card by one game over Houston and were 1 1/2 games ahead of Seattle.Isaac Paredes hit his 30th homer for Tampa Bay, which has clinched at the least the AL’s top wild card and started the day 1 1/2 games behind AL East-leading Baltimore, which has the tiebreaker.Rays first baseman Yandy Díaz left in the third with right hamstring tightness. Díaz is second in the AL with .328 batting average.Whit Merrifield had a tying, two-run single before Springer put the Blue Jays up 5-2 in the second on his homer off Taj Bradley (5-8). Center fielder Manuel Ma...

Beck’s rare TD return propels Texans to a 37-17 rout of Jaguars and gives Ryans his first win

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:04:19 GMT

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Fullback Andrew Beck fumbled a kickoff and then broke five tackles during an 85-yard return for a touchdown — one of several special teams gaffes by Jacksonville — and the Houston Texans stunned the Jaguars 37-17 Sunday to give coach DeMeco Ryans his first victory.Rookie C.J. Stroud threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns, including a 68-yarder to Tank Dell that sealed it, and the Texans won their fifth in a row in Jacksonville. Houston (1-2) now has won 16 of the past 19, including 10 of 11, in the series.As lopsided as the AFC South rivalry has been recently, Jacksonville’s performance as 7 1/2-point favorites at home might have been even more staggering.The Jaguars (1-2) were flat from the start and struggled to get anything going. Their first five drives ended in a missed field goal, a punt, a blocked field goal, a punt and a fumble.Trailing 17-0 at halftime, they scored on their first two possessions of the third quarter to get back in the game. But the...