The Atlanta Dream claimed the WNBA’s last playoff spot on Thursday evening to finish the league’s postseason subject.

Eighth-seeded Atlanta will face the top-seeded New York Liberty within the best-of-three first-round sequence, which begins Sunday in New York.

The three different matchups additionally will start Sunday. The second-seeded Minnesota Lynx drew the seventh-seeded Phoenix Mercury, the third-seeded Connecticut Solar face the sixth-seeded Indiana Fever and the fourth-seeded Las Vegas Aces battle the fifth-seeded Seattle Storm.

The upper-seeded group hosts Video games 1 and a couple of. The decrease seed would host Sport 3, if mandatory.

Two-time defending champion Las Vegas was within the working for the No. 3 seed on Thursday earlier than Connecticut clinched the spot with an 87-54 rout of the Chicago Sky.

Las Vegas is seeking to develop into the primary group to win three straight titles for the reason that Houston Comets gained 4 in a row (1997-2000).

Atlanta secured the ultimate spot with a 78-67 upset of the Liberty. The Dream edged out the Washington Mystics, who posted a 92-91 dwelling win over the Indiana Fever.

“This yr is particular. This has positively been the hardest yr for us with every part that has gone on,” Dream coach Tanisha Wright stated afterward. “I’m actually pleased with our athletes for persevering with to struggle and by no means giving in as a result of I believe it’s straightforward to present in after the season that we’ve had.”

Sunday’s recreation between the Caitlin Clark-led Fever and Solar might be aired on ABC. The three different video games that day might be televised on ESPN.

Video games 2 and three of the Atlanta-New York and Seattle-Las Vegas sequence are slated for Tuesday and Thursday, pending whether or not a Sport 3 is critical. The Indiana-Connecticut and Phoenix-Minnesota sequence are scheduled for Wednesday and Friday video games, once more relying on whether or not Sport 3 is required.

The very best-of-five semifinals are slated to start Sept. 29.

The WNBA Finals, additionally a five-game sequence, will start Oct. 10. A Sport 5 can be held Oct. 20, if mandatory.

–Subject Stage Media

A star reporter who lined Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential marketing campaign has been positioned on go away after admitting a relationship with a former reporting topic.

New York Journal mentioned in an announcement Thursday, first reported by Standing, that its Washington correspondent, Olivia Nuzzi, had didn’t disclose a “private relationship” with an unnamed marketing campaign topic whereas she was reporting on the 2024 election.

This was a violation of the outlet’s requirements on journalists declaring private pursuits that could possibly be seen to affect their protection, it mentioned.

“Had the journal been conscious of this relationship, she wouldn’t have continued to cowl the presidential marketing campaign,” the assertion mentioned. The journal mentioned that it reviewed her work, nevertheless, and located “no inaccuracies nor proof of bias.”

“She is at the moment on go away from the journal, and the journal is conducting a extra thorough third-party assessment. We remorse this violation of our readers’ belief,” it added.

Whereas neither Nuzzi or New York Journal named the reporting topic, Standing in addition to CNN and the New York Instances have reported that it was Kennedy.

Nuzzi mentioned in an announcement to The New York Instances on Thursday, with out elaborating on the precise nature of their relationship, that “some communication between myself and a former reporting topic turned private” earlier this 12 months.

She mentioned that regardless of having lined the topic beforehand she didn’t report on him straight throughout this time.

“The connection was by no means bodily however ought to have been disclosed to stop the looks of a battle. I deeply remorse not doing so instantly and apologize to these I’ve disenchanted, particularly my colleagues at New York,” she mentioned.

NBC Information reached out to Nuzzi in a single day for remark.

Stefanie Spear, spokesperson for Kennedy, mentioned in a brief assertion to NBC Information that “Mr. Kennedy solely met Olivia Nuzzi as soon as in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a success piece.”

Nuzzi wrote a prolonged article about Kennedy in Nov. 2023, headlined: “The Thoughts-Bending Politics of RFK Jr.’s Spoiler Marketing campaign.” Its subheading learn: “He’s a conservative. He’s a liberal. And he may flip the presidential race the other way up.”

A current article by Nuzzi, an interview with Trump, was revealed on Sept. 9. The web model has been up to date with a “word to readers” which hyperlinks to New York Journal’s assertion.

Kennedy, who gained prominence as an environmental lawyer after which as a number one anti-vaccine advocate, dropped out of the race final month and introduced he would help Trump.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Already an NBA MVP and an Olympic gold medalist, All-Star middle Joel Embiid now has till the tip of the last decade to attempt to win his first NBA championship with the Philadelphia 76ers.

With one other most contract secured, Embiid needs to chase that title in Philly — and stay a Sixer for the remainder of his profession.

“Philadelphia is dwelling,” Embiid wrote on Instagram.

A seven-time NBA All-Star, Embiid and the 76ers agreed to a $193 million extension with a participant choice for the 2028-29 season, an individual accustomed to the deal stated. The particular person spoke to The Related Press on situation of anonymity as a result of the phrases haven’t but been introduced.

The 30-year-old Embiid, who graduated from a Florida highschool and performed a season in school at Kansas, broke his personal information early Friday morning when he posted a photograph on Instagram of him signing a contract alongside staff proprietor Josh Harris.

“I wish to be right here the remainder of my profession. I like this group and all the things you’ve given me and my household,” Embiid wrote. “There’s much more work to do. You guys deserve a championship and I believe we’re simply getting began.”

Embiid, who dropped a franchise-record 70 factors final season towards San Antonio, signed off with the acquainted 76ers hashtag, “#trusttheprocess.”

Embiid — nonetheless within the second yr of a $196 million extension he signed forward of the 2021 season — turned the third cornerstone participant this offseason to signal an enormous contract with the 76ers. The staff hasn’t received an NBA title since 1983.

The 76ers enticed Paul George to go away the Los Angeles Clippers and signal a four-year, $212 million contract. The NBA’s Most Improved Participant final season, Tyrese Maxey, was rewarded with a five-year, $204 million extension. The 76ers dedicated greater than $400 million in wage to 2 gamers they consider place them as the highest contender to dethrone the NBA champion Boston Celtics.

George and Maxey each congratulated Embiid on the extension on Instagram.

Throw in Embiid’s deal and the Sixers are relying on a Massive Three that may contend for the lifetime of their contracts. Embiid, although, has a historical past of accidents and has but to result in the franchise out of the second spherical of the Jap Convention playoffs. Embiid has by no means performed greater than 68 video games in a season and averaged 34.7 factors in simply 39 video games final season.

Initially chosen by the 76ers with the No. 3 general choose within the 2014 NBA draft, Embiid was named NBA MVP within the 2022-23 season and he received a gold medal with Workforce USA at this yr’s Paris Olympics.

He has 5 All-NBA Workforce honors, seven consecutive All-Star choices from 2017-24, three All-Defensive Workforce nods, and twice has been the NBA scoring champion.

“Joel has cemented himself as one of many best Sixers of all time and is nicely on his option to being the most effective gamers to ever play the sport. We’re ecstatic that this extension retains him and his household in Philadelphia for years to return,” Harris stated. “Joel is a superb household man, chief, and particular person. He’s an elite two-way participant with a mixture of dimension, power, and athleticism that this league has hardly ever – if ever – seen. He’s integral to this franchise’s quest for one more NBA Championship, and we’re honored that he continues to decide on this group as his NBA dwelling.”

In 433 video games (all begins) with the franchise, Embiid has averaged 27.9 factors on 50.4% capturing, 11.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.7 blocked photographs throughout 31.9 minutes per contest. He ranks first in franchise historical past in scoring common (27.9 factors per sport), fifth in blocked photographs (720), tied for sixth in triple-doubles (seven), and seventh in whole factors scored (12,071). Embiid additionally ranks third on the franchise listing with eight 50-point video games.

“I had no thought after I was drafted as a 20-year-old child from Cameroon how fortunate I used to be to be in Philadelphia,” Embiid stated in a staff assertion. “By all of the ups and downs, this metropolis and the followers have been all the things, and I’m so grateful for a way they’ve embraced me.”

A youth soccer participant, Embiid didn’t choose up a basketball till he was a teen in Africa, when a buddy knowledgeable him that only a few 7-footers achieve soccer.

A couple of months later, Embiid was lured to a basketball camp within the capital of Yaounde run by NBA veteran Luc Mbah a Moute, considered one of simply two gamers from Cameroon to have performed within the NBA. Mbah a Moute persuaded Embiid’s mother and father to let him transfer 6,000 miles to Florida, and helped enroll him at Montverde Academy, the most effective highschool applications within the nation. He performed simply 28 video games in his lone season at Kansas earlier than leaving for the NBA.

Embiid missed his first two full seasons with accidents earlier than settling in as one of many prime huge males — and richest gamers — of his technology.

___

AP NBA:

A star New York Journal political reporter has been positioned on go away after admitting a private relationship with a topic, whom stories have recognized as Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The journal stated in a press release Thursday that Washington correspondent Olivia Nuzzi had violated its requirements round conflicts of curiosity and disclosures by participating in a relationship with a “former topic related to the 2024 marketing campaign” whereas reporting on the election.

“Had the journal been conscious of this relationship, she wouldn’t have continued to cowl the presidential marketing campaign,” it wrote.

New York Journal editor in chief David Haskell stated in a be aware to employees Friday morning that editors discovered of the connection “just a few days in the past” and instantly “took her off the 2024 marketing campaign.”

He stated an inside evaluation of Nuzzi’s printed work since December discovered “no inaccuracies nor proof of bias” that require corrections. The journal is participating an unnamed unbiased third occasion to extra completely evaluation her 2024 tales, which Haskell stated will “affect our last disciplinary determination.”

“As I made clear to Olivia, she had created on the very least the looks of a battle, and, by selecting to not disclose this to her editors, had violated our insurance policies and probably broken our readers’ belief,” Haskell wrote.

Nuzzi, 31, has profiled political figures and chronicled presidential campaigns since becoming a member of the journal’s employees in 2017.

She is understood for her deeply reported options, by which she herself has at instances grow to be a part of the story — like a 2019 story about texting with Rudy Giuliani and a 2018 incident by which she entered the workplace of former Trump marketing campaign supervisor Corey Lewandowski with out permission.

Her latest tales embody a July piece a couple of Democratic “conspiracy of silence to guard” then-candidate President Biden and a dialog with former President Donald Trump that was one of many journal’s cowl tales final week. These have now been up to date with a hyperlink to the journal’s Thursday be aware on the prime of the web page.

Nuzzi additionally wrote a prolonged profile of Kennedy in November 2023 — when he was working for president as an Unbiased — by which she recounts accompanying him on a hike together with his canine, driving collectively together with his canine in a beat-up minivan (“the loss of life machine smells so dangerous I assumed I’d go out after about 15 seconds driving shotgun”).

Oliver Darcy’s media publication Standing, which first reported the Nuzzi information on Thursday, cites an unnamed supply as saying the alleged relationship didn’t start till after that profile was printed. Nuzzi informed the journal that the connection started in December 2023 — “after we had printed her November profile” — and ended towards the tip of August, Haskell wrote in his inside e mail.

Nuzzi stated in a press release shared with a number of shops, together with CNN and the New York Occasions, that “earlier this 12 months, the character of some communication between myself and a former reporting topic turned private.”

She stated she didn’t immediately report on the topic or use them as a supply throughout that point.

“The connection was by no means bodily however ought to have been disclosed to forestall the looks of a battle,” Nuzzi added. “I deeply remorse not doing so instantly and apologize to these I’ve disenchanted, particularly my colleagues at New York.”

She didn’t establish the supply, however a number of shops, together with Standing, named Kennedy.

Kennedy, 70, has not commented immediately on the stories. However a spokesperson for the politician, who’s married to actor Cheryl Hines, informed CNN and NBC Information that he “solely met Olivia Nuzzi as soon as in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a success piece.”

Kennedy dropped out of the presidential race and threw his help behind Trump in August. Shortly afterward, Trump named Kennedy to his presidential transition group.

Kennedy, who rose to prominence as an environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist, ran a third-party marketing campaign dominated by a collection of beautiful private revelations: A worm ate a part of his mind; he was the one that dumped a lifeless bear in Central Park 10 years in the past; he didn’t eat a canine as stories urged, however quite a goat.

Most lately, Kennedy stated onstage whereas campaigning for Trump in Arizona final week {that a} federal legislation enforcement company is investigating him for allegedly taking dwelling the top of a lifeless whale 20 years in the past. Kennedy’s daughter Kick recounted the incident in a 2012 City & Nation interview that resurfaced in latest weeks.

The AP stories that Kennedy declined to elaborate when reporters on the occasion requested in regards to the investigation, saying the mainstream media solely needs to speak to him about “gossipy nonsense.”

SeafoodSource is intently following seafood processing and gear innovation by compiling an everyday round-up of updates from the sector.

– Fosnavåg, Norway-based seafood-processing, -handling, and -cooling gear supplier MMC First Course of has signed a cope with Nova Sea on a land-based holding pen resolution for fish.

MMC First Course of will design and ship a holding tank system to permit Nova Sea to carry its fish on land slightly than within the sea, permitting Nova Sea to maintain its salmon in optimum water high quality, temperature, and oxygen circumstances.

“Our programs make stress-free unloading of the tanks doable and that’s the key to reaching the prime quality that our prospects demand,” MMC First Course of CSO Dealing with Frank Edvard Vike mentioned. “We’ve been working with Nova Sea for a while on a tailored system, which is predicated on their necessities and environmental issues. One of these collaboration additionally contributes to our personal additional improvement as a provider of such programs.”

The mission consists of six holding tanks, which is able to every have a capability of two,600 cubic meters of water. MMC First Course of mentioned the system may have a complete biomass capability of two,050 metric tons of salmon.

“From our viewpoint, this can be a large funding in new know-how and with MMC First Course of’s expertise of comparable options we’re in secure arms,” Nova Sea Mission Supervisor Espen Gleinsvåg mentioned.

– AZTI, a science and know-how middle, has developed a brand new AI mannequin that it mentioned will determine fish faculties to a excessive diploma of accuracy.

AZTI mentioned its group has constructed an computerized classification mannequin that may determine the principle pelagic species within the Bay of Biscay – corresponding to anchovies, sardines, and Atlantic mackerel – based mostly on their education conduct. Utilizing acoustic echosounders and an AI mannequin, the know-how can determine the totally different species, which it mentioned will assist fishers goal the right species at sea and likewise improve surveys carried out by scientists.

“Automating species identification not solely reduces information processing instances for scientific surveys but in addition supplies new alternatives to review the education behaviour and develop new applied sciences for growing the effectivity and sustainability of the fishing trade,” Aitor Lekanda, a marine scientist doing his doctorate with AZTI.

– Garware Technical Fibers mentioned its passive sea lice prevention resolution has been adopted by eight salmon manufacturing facilities in Chile.

Garware developed a “skirt” surrounding fish pens that permits water to enter however prevents sea lice from penetrating the barrier. Corporations have been trialling the know-how, and in line with Garware, its know-how is seeing wider adoption in Chile.

“In Chile there are two facilities working with our Skirt in Cermaq, 5 in Mowi and one in Salmones Austral, backed by the optimistic outcomes obtained nationally and internationally, corresponding to in Cermaq Canada, for instance, the place they’ve facilities outfitted with this know-how,” Garware Technical Fibres Americas Supervisor Gopakumar Menon mentioned.

Their operational outcomes will likely be out there inside six months to a 12 months, which Garware mentioned will assist it confirm how efficient its skirts are in decreasing sea lice and serving to corporations keep away from different costlier options. 

“The usage of skirts is a non-pharmacological software, a part of an built-in well being technique to cut back sea lice infestations, decreasing the necessity for chemical remedies, which is a contribution that probably delays the era of resistance, by serving to to cut back its frequency,” Garware Techical Fibers Chile Enterprise Affiliate Marcos Jofré mentioned. 

In line with Jofré, the Garware skirt has roughly the identical price as a single bathtub therapy, however lasts for 2 full rising cycles. 

– Meals Animal Initiative (FAI), an aquaculture welfare analysis and improvement firm, has partnered with HydroNeo to combine the 2 firm’s shrimp welfare applied sciences.

Bangkok, Tailand-based HydroNeo has created a digital farm administration software for cell phones that can be utilized to observe water high quality on shrimp farms in real-time. Its Web of Issues-backed system additionally supplies its shrimp-farming shoppers with entry to third-party merchandise with the aim of accelerating their productiveness and profitability. 

FAI, in the meantime, has created a shrimp welfare evaluation framework, which it mentioned may help enhance the efficiency of shrimp farms.

“HydroNeo’s cellular farm administration software was developed to assist shrimp farmers, particularly small-scale operators in Asia, to observe essential manufacturing elements corresponding to water high quality extra simply,” HyrdoNeo Founder and CEO Fabian Reusch mentioned. “Including FAI’s shrimp welfare know-how to our present free Sensible Farm administration app was a logical subsequent step. By enhancing shrimp welfare on farms, we’re not solely serving to farmers develop happier animals, however they’ll be more healthy and carry out higher too. In addition to assembly the evolving expectations of shoppers concerning welfare practices when rearing shrimp, we’re additionally enhancing total farm efficiency.”

– New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S.A.-based Crimson’s Greatest is increasing its presence in New Bedford.

SouthCoastTODAY reported the corporate acquired a seafood processing plant on 11 Hassey Road in New Bedford for USD 2.5 million (EUR 2.2 million) and has since been refitting the power with USD 300,000 (EUR 268,000) in renovations.

The transfer will add to its present processing capability. Crimson’s Greatest was based in 2008, and has since expanded to 4 totally different processing amenities which course of, pack, and ship merchandise nationwide.

–  Aquabyte has launched a brand new biomass measurement and welfare scoring know-how for smolt manufacturing. 

In line with the Laksevåg, Norway-headquartered firm, its new camera-based system can measure and rating the welfare of smolt as small as 50 grams. The cameras accumulate pictures and use machine studying and newly developed algorithms to investigate every smolt. 

Monitoring smolt introduced a brand new problem for the corporate, in line with Aquabyte Senior Knowledge Scientist Mochi Liu.

“Monitoring smolt is totally different from monitoring fish in pens. The fish are smaller, the fish density within the tank is greater, and the behaviour of the fish is totally different,” Liu mentioned. “The algorithms used for weight measurement and welfare scoring have to be particularly developed for these circumstances.”

In line with Liu, Aquabyte’s system has a self-cleaning know-how to reduce upkeep, and has been tailored to make use of in smolt amenities to allow farmers to investigate smolt well being while not having to deal with the fish.

“It’s implausible that prospects can now monitor fish from the beginning of the smolt part. For farmers, it’s essential to know the scale and high quality of the fish they obtain to allow them to make the correct selections on the pen from day one, Aquabyte Perception Supervisor Kristin Aase mentioned.  

New York journal says that its extremely regarded Washington correspondent, Olivia Nuzzi, is on depart after disclosing that she had a private relationship with a former reporting topic, violating the publication’s requirements.

The e-newsletter Standing, which broke the story, and The New York Occasions each cite unnamed sources in figuring out Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the opposite individual concerned with Nuzzi. New York journal and Nuzzi haven’t confirmed Kennedy’s involvement, and Kennedy stated in an announcement that he had solely met her as soon as.

It’s an explosive improvement for the journal and Nuzzi, whose piece that includes an interview with Donald Trump, “Peering into Donald Trump’s Ear, and Soul,” was featured on its most up-to-date cowl.

In a observe to readers revealed late Thursday, New York stated that if it had been conscious of the connection, Nuzzi wouldn’t have been permitted to cowl the presidential marketing campaign.

New York stated an inside assessment of her work has discovered no inaccuracies or proof of bias, however that Nuzzi is on depart whereas a extra thorough third-party assessment is undertaken.

“We remorse this violation of our readers’ belief,” the journal stated, and a spokeswoman had no additional remark. A spokesperson for Kennedy, who’s married to the actress Cheryl Hines, didn’t instantly return a message from The Related Press.

Nuzzi stated in an announcement to Standing that in early 2024, the character of some communication between herself and a former reporting topic turned private.

“Throughout that point, I didn’t straight report on the topic nor use them as a supply,” she stated. “The connection was by no means bodily however ought to have been disclosed to stop the looks of a battle. I deeply remorse not doing so instantly and apologize to these I’ve disillusioned, particularly my colleagues at New York.”

It was not instantly clear how and when Nuzzi’s bosses on the journal grew to become conscious of the connection.

Nuzzi wrote a narrative about Kennedy’s marketing campaign that was revealed final November, “The Thoughts-Bending Politics of RFK Jr.’s Spoiler Marketing campaign,” the place she described a harrowing automobile trip and transient hike with Kennedy and his canines whereas interviewing him.

His title got here up in a March 2024 piece in The New York Occasions the place Nuzzi, Frank Bruni and Joe Klein mentioned the state of the marketing campaign on the time. “We’re forgetting or purposefully ignoring one thing moderately essential about this election: It’s not a two-man race. It’s a three-man race,” Nuzzi stated, noting that on the time Kennedy was “polling competitively.”

Standing quoted a consultant for Kennedy saying, “Mr. Kennedy solely met Olivia Nuzzi as soon as in her life for an interview she requested, which yielded a success piece.”

___

David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Comply with him at http://x.com/dbauder.

MONACO (AP) — Barcelona’s excellent begin to the season ended with a 2-1 loss at Monaco within the revamped Champions League on Thursday, a defeat which occurred after defender Eric Garcia was despatched off after 11 minutes.

Garcia pulled again Takumi Minamino when the Japan ahead intercepted a panicky cross out from Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen.

Barca gained its first 5 league video games within the Spanish league underneath new coach Hansi Flick however noticed Monaco take the lead within the sixteenth by midfielder Maghnes Akliouche.

Akliouche, who represented France on the Paris Olympics, scored from the suitable facet of the penalty space with nationwide staff coach Didier Deschamps watching.

Deschamps was not the one well-known face within the crowd at Stade Louis II. Basketball nice Michael Jordan was there, too.

Jordan watched teenage famous person Lamine Yamal equalize for Barca within the twenty eighth with a fantastic left-footed strike from the sting of the penalty space.

It was his fourth objective of the season however the first of the European Championship-winning Spain ahead’s profession within the Champions League.

In response to UEFA, Yamal grew to become the second-youngest scorer in Champions League historical past at 17 years and 68 days — simply 28 days older than teammate Ansu Fati when he netted towards Inter Milan in December 2019.

In July, Yamal grew to become the youngest participant ever to attain at a Euro when he netted a surprising objective in Spain’s semifinal victory over France.

George Ilenikhena confirmed equally good composure to revive Monaco’s lead within the 71st. The 18-year-old ahead latched onto a cross excessive and confidently beat Ter Stegen with Prince Albert of Monaco among the many celebrating followers.

It was his first objective for Monaco and his second within the Champions League, with the opposite additionally coming towards Barca final season when he performed for Antwerp.

“I’m completely happy, we performed rather well collectively and we deserved the victory,” Ilenikhena mentioned. “If we play like this we are able to go far.”

Fati, in the meantime, recovered from a foot damage and got here on in its place within the 88th minute.

The 21-year-old ahead, who returned from a mortgage to English Premier League membership Brighton, had not performed for Barca since 2023. ___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

MIAMI — Shohei Ohtani remained stoic as he rounded the bases in Thursday’s ninth inning, after one other prodigious residence run that merely piled on to what had already been one of the vital memorable performances in baseball historical past. However he cracked moments later whereas making his manner by the standard parade of dugout high-fives. He smiled sheepishly, gritted his tooth and rhythmically shrugged his shoulders, as if to convey amazement — embarrassment, even — by his unrelenting dominance.

That residence run, off a place participant inserted right into a recreation that was totally out of hand, was his third of the evening and 51st of the season. It drove in his tenth run, a Los Angeles Dodgers file. And it offered an emphatic conclusion to a recreation that noticed Ohtani develop into the primary participant with 50 residence runs and 50 steals in a season in baseball historical past whereas clinching his first journey to Main League Baseball’s postseason.

“To be trustworthy, I am the one most likely most shocked,” Ohtani mentioned by an interpreter in a tv interview. “I do not know the place this got here from, however I am glad that I carried out nicely at the moment.”

Twenty-seven days in the past, Ohtani reached the 40/40 membership with a walk-off grand slam. He then set a brand new benchmark, whereas on his solution to doubtlessly changing into the primary full-time designated hitter to win an MVP award, with a six-hit, three-homer, two-steal efficiency within the Dodgers’ 20-4 rout of the Miami Marlins.

A Dodgers staff that has spent a complete summer season praising Ohtani’s exploits is operating out of how to elucidate them.

“I virtually cried, to be trustworthy with you,” veteran shortstop Miguel Rojas mentioned. “It was a variety of emotion, due to every thing that occurs behind the scenes that we get to witness each single day. It is a fairly cool second. Everyone knows what he is able to doing, however for him to succeed in that mark — it is fairly wonderful.”

Ohtani started the Dodgers’ seven-game journey three residence runs and two stolen bases away from 50/50 then added just one homer and one steal over the primary six. When the collection finale at LoanDepot Park arrived Thursday, it appeared a protected wager that Ohtani’s milestone would wait till the Dodgers returned residence. However Ohtani opened with a line-drive double off the wall in right-center area then picked up his fiftieth steal by sneaking his foot beneath a tag by Marlins third baseman Connor Norby.

A second-inning single was adopted by stolen base No. 51. Ohtani added a two-run double within the third earlier than being thrown out making an attempt to stretch it to a triple and adopted with a 438-foot residence run into the second deck within the sixth for his forty ninth residence run.

When he got here to bat once more within the seventh, the Dodgers had runners on second and third with two outs. First base was open, and Dodgers gamers started to look into the opposing dugout to see if the Marlins would deliberately stroll Ohtani.

“F— that,” a tv digicam confirmed Marlins supervisor Skip Schumaker saying in his dugout. “I’ve received an excessive amount of respect for this man for that s— to occur.”

Ohtani took a few mighty hacks, however then he locked again in. The depend was 1-2 when Marlins right-hander Mike Baumann went to his knuckle-curve for the second straight time, leaving it close to the center of the strike zone. Ohtani stayed again and dumped the providing into the Recess Sports activities Lounge situated simply past the left-center-field fence, 391 ft away, for residence run No. 50, setting a profession excessive and a Dodgers file.

“For him, understanding that he is proper there on the sting of historical past,” Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy mentioned, “and to one way or the other keep inside a pitch and hit it on a line to left-center and never attempt to get too large — you recognize he is occupied with hitting a house run, and he hits it 111 mph on a line the opposite manner. It is simply unimaginable.”

The fan who secured the baseball left the ballpark with it in hand, denying Ohtani a well-earned piece of memorabilia however not of the enjoyment it introduced him. Ohtani roared as he left the batter’s field, emphatically slapping arms with first-base coach Clayton McCullough as he made the flip. Afterward, Ohtani mentioned he was “comfortable” and “relieved” to lastly attain the 50/50 milestone.

“I feel he was simply feeling good, feeling horny and simply knew, like, ‘I am about to do that at the moment,'” fellow Dodgers famous person Mookie Betts mentioned. “I imply, he might’ve had 4 homers at the moment. I am puzzled.”

A crowd of 15,548 was readily available to witness Ohtani’s historic feat and serenaded him with a standing ovation, prompting him to spill out of the dugout for a curtain name. Ohtani acknowledged the followers, the pitcher who served up the house run and the Marlins’ dugout — together with Schumaker, who did not wish to get in the way in which of historical past.

“I feel that is a nasty transfer — baseball-wise, karma-wise, baseball-gods-wise,” Schumaker mentioned of deliberately strolling Ohtani. “You go after him and see if you may get him out. I feel out of respect for the sport we have been going to go after him. He hit the house run. That is simply a part of the deal. He is hit 50 of them. He is essentially the most proficient participant I’ve ever seen. He’s doing issues I’ve by no means seen executed within the recreation earlier than, and if he has one other couple extra of those peak years, he is likely to be one of the best ever to play the sport.”

Shortly after the sport, the Dodgers boarded a flight residence to arrange for a weekend collection towards the Colorado Rockies. Their postgame celebration was confined to a champagne toast. Supervisor Dave Roberts acknowledged they’d clinched a playoff spot however reminded them the aim was to as soon as once more take the Nationwide League West — the place they maintain a four-game lead on the San Diego Padres — and finally win the World Collection.

He additionally praised Ohtani, each for making it to his first postseason — he has performed in 866 profession regular-season video games with out reaching the playoffs, essentially the most amongst lively gamers — and for doing what no participant had ever executed. Lots of these within the room wore black, commemorative 50/50 T-shirts that had been printed upfront.

“If I am being trustworthy,” Ohtani mentioned, “it was one thing I needed to recover from [with] as quickly as attainable as a result of the balls have been being exchanged each time I used to be as much as bat.”

Ohtani grew to become the primary participant with three residence runs and two stolen bases in the identical recreation, in accordance with ESPN Analysis. He’s the second participant since at the very least 1901 with six hits in a recreation, together with 5 for additional bases — becoming a member of one other Dodger, Shawn Inexperienced, who homered 4 occasions in 2002. Ohtani can also be the primary participant since RBIs grew to become official in 1920 with 10 RBIs and 5 extra-base hits in the identical recreation and solely the seventh to amass 17 complete bases.

“That must be the best baseball recreation of all time,” Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux mentioned. “It must be. There is not any manner. It is ridiculous. I’ve by no means seen anyone try this even in little leagues, so it is loopy that he is doing that on the highest stage.”

It was solidified within the prime of the ninth, with the Dodgers already main by 11 runs. The Marlins summoned Vidal Brujan, a 26-year-old super-utility participant, and watched him lob 70 mph pitches in an effort to get them to the top of the sport. As Ohtani got here to bat once more, one among his greatest mates on the staff, Teoscar Hernandez, implored him to hit the ball into the right-center-field hole to safe a cycle.

“He mentioned to hit a triple,” Ohtani, talking in English, clarified from the neighboring locker.

“As an alternative he hit it higher deck,” Hernandez mentioned of a ball that finally traveled 440 ft at 114 mph. “That is why we’re not mates anymore.”

A Republican candidate for governor in North Carolina has insisted he is not going to exit the race after it was reported that he made controversial feedback on a porn web site greater than a decade in the past.

Mark Robinson characterised the CNN report, which alleged that he had referred to himself as a “black Nazi” on an grownup discussion board, as “salacious tabloid lies”.

He has been underneath strain from state Republicans and members of Donald Trump’s marketing campaign group to stop the race within the swing state, in keeping with nameless sources quoted by the Carolina Journal newspaper.

Trump himself didn’t seek advice from the report throughout his feedback at a Thursday night time occasion in Washington about antisemitism.

Robinson, 56, is a former furnishings producer who was elected to be the state’s first black lieutenant governor in 2020.

He received the nomination to run for governor in March after receiving an endorsement from Trump, who known as him “Martin Luther King on steroids”.

Robinson’s race is in a probably pivotal swing state which Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is hoping to wrest from the Republicans.

In line with the CNN report revealed on Thursday, Robinson used to go to a porn web site from 2008-12 known as Nude Africa, with the username “minisoldr”.

In line with CNN, minisoldr posted about having fun with watching “tranny” porn, including: “Yeah I’m a ‘perv’ too!”

The BBC has not verified the CNN report.

In 2021, Robinson refused to apologise after he was criticised for saying that kids in faculties shouldn’t be studying about “transgenderism, homosexuality, any of that filth”.

In a video posted to X, previously Twitter, on Thursday, because the CNN story was being revealed, he denied wrongdoing.

“Let me reassure you, the issues you will note in that story, these will not be the phrases of Mark Robinson,” he mentioned.

“We’re staying on this race. We’re in it to win it.”

He mentioned he was the sufferer of a “high-tech lynching” by his white Democratic opponent, Josh Stein.

Stein’s marketing campaign mentioned in an announcement that “North Carolinians already know Mark Robinson is totally unfit to be governor”.

Opinion polls already counsel Stein, a Harvard-educated lawyer who’s at present North Carolina’s lawyer common, has a agency lead within the race.

The North Carolina Republican Social gathering defended Robinson in an announcement, saying “the Left” was “attempting to demonise him through private assaults”.

Trump himself didn’t deal with the controversy throughout Thursday night time’s feedback to the Israeli-American Council Nationwide Summit, through which he vowed to “cease the poisonous poison of antisemitism from spreading throughout America and all around the world”.

He bemoaned the dearth of assist he mentioned he was receiving from Jewish voters, saying if he did not win the election, “the Jewish individuals would actually have loads to do with that”.

The Harris marketing campaign posted a video on social media reminding voters of Trump’s previous reward for Robinson.

The deadline for withdrawing from the governor contest was on Thursday night, as postal ballots go into the mail on Friday. Early voting within the state begins in lower than a month.

Latest polling in North Carolina reveals Harris and Trump successfully tied amongst probably voters.

The Tar Heel State has been a Republican stronghold, with just one Democratic presidential nominee successful there within the final 20-plus years.

Trump narrowly beat Joe Biden in North Carolina 4 years in the past by lower than 2%.

Democrats have campaigned closely within the state this election season.

Aaron Rodgers zipped passes between defenders. Aaron Rodgers exploited matchups and prolonged performs along with his legs and made everybody on his offense higher. Aaron Rodgers lastly regarded like Aaron Freakin’ Rodgers, the four-time MVP and future Corridor of Fame quarterback worthy of the choice at hand his the keys to the Jets franchise.

He didn’t appear to be that participant final season, in fact, throughout the 4 snaps earlier than he tore his Achilles tendon. However he additionally didn’t appear to be that participant because the Jets break up their first two video games in his second try because the franchise savoir.

Oh, positive, he regarded … high quality. The Jets didn’t go all-in on Rodgers for a merely good quarterback. They didn’t deliver him right here in that April 2023 commerce with the Inexperienced Bay Packers within the hopes that they’d get an improve over Zach Wilson. A JUGS machine could be higher than the turnover-prone former No. 2 general decide who was like an anchor on this workforce’s hopes.

“I count on greatness each time I step on the sphere,” Rodgers had mentioned earlier than this season, and perhaps that was an excessive amount of to count on for a 40-year-old quarterback given the wear and tear and tear of 20 NFL seasons on his proper arm.

However approaching greatness?

That’s what the Jets acquired from their quarterback on Thursday evening in a 24-3 victory over the New England Patriots. Rodgers accomplished 27 of 35 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns, and if you wish to add the qualifier that the Patriots are a foul soccer workforce, go proper forward. Jets diehards will word what number of instances this offense has made unhealthy defenses appear to be the ‘85 Bears.

No one with a inexperienced jersey hanging of their closet with names like Sanchez or Tebow or Nagle or any of the failed quarterbacks ought to overthink this one. They need to merely get pleasure from it. That is what good quarterback play appears to be like like, Jets followers. This was the lacking ingredient for an in any other case top-notch workforce. Fear about whether or not it can final one other day.

That it got here in opposition to the Patriots made it much more particular. For many of this century, New England had the participant who outlined quarterback greatness, and whereas Tom Brady packed his luggage for Tampa after which the TV sales space a very long time in the past, the recollections linger. The Patriots had received 39 of the final 47 video games on this sequence, in any case, and eight straight on this constructing.

The mystique of the Patriots Approach is a distant reminiscence now that Invoice Belichick has his personal TV gig hanging out with Eli Manning. Few rosters within the NFL have as little top-line expertise because the Patriots, who began a quarterback in Jacoby Brissett who a placeholder for the No. 3 general draft decide, Drake Maye, ready within the wings.

The Jets need to beat groups like this to have any likelihood at a particular season. For Rodgers, although, this was extra than simply certainly one of 17 video games on the schedule. This was his first time stepping onto the MetLife Stadium discipline since that disastrous opening evening 373 days in the past. He wanted a efficiency to erase the reminiscence of that second, and perhaps show one thing to this fan base.

He acquired it. He discovered previous pal Allen Lazard for a 10-yard landing cross within the first quarter because the Jets used an up-tempo assault to maintain New England off steadiness. He zipped a 22-yard cross down a seam within the protection to tight finish Tyler Conklin to arrange a second landing drive as he accomplished 13 of his first 15 passes.

His greatest throw of the evening went for simply 2 yards within the field rating. He left his ft as he whipped a cross to the objective line for Garrett Wilson, placing the ball simply over the outstretched hand of the cornerback for the Jets third landing. It was the primary time Rodgers had ever thrown a landing cross to a receiver drafted within the first-round, and the Jets can solely hope it’s the starting of a productive Rodgers-Wilson partnership.

Then once more, it’s clear Rodgers won’t be enjoying favorites. He accomplished at the very least two passes to eight totally different targets, and in case you’re nitpicking, most of these had been brief throws. Rodgers tried to stretch the sphere a pair instances and failed, together with as soon as when Wilson had a step on his defender. Hey, the man isn’t good.

He’s, nonetheless, higher than any quarterback that the Jets have had in years. Aaron Rodgers was, in the end, Aaron Freakin’ Rodgers on Thursday evening. The followers at MetLife Stadium can solely hope this model sticks round for some time.