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Giants’ announcer Jon Miller remembers Vida Blue in his A’s heyday

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 15:55:44 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — In 1981, there was “Fernandomania” as Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Fernando Valenzuela captured the imagination of baseball fans everywhere and drew crowds both at home and on the road.The year 1976 belonged to Mark “The Bird” Fidrych, of the Detroit Tigers, who like Valenzuela came out of nowhere to become a national phenomenon.Before both of them was Vida Blue, who in 1971 became a national celebrity at age 21 for the Athletics.Blue passed away Saturday night at age 73.Giants play-by-play broadcaster Jon Miller had a unique vantage point, seeing Blue in the stands as a teenager growing up in Hayward and later as a fledgling announcer. In 1974, Miller was on the A’s broadcast team. Blue was 17-15, coming off a 20-win season.“The A’s got bigger crowds at the Coliseum when he pitched and they sold out the ballpark all over the league,” Miller said Sunday before the Giants closed out a three-game series against t...

Kurtenbach: There’s more than a playoff series on the line — Warriors vs. Lakers is about bragging rights

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 15:55:44 GMT

The Golden State Warriors have many rivals. That’s the price of greatness on the court.But off the court, Warriors fans have two arch-nemeses, and in recent years, they have ganged up to form a juggernaut of insufferableness.I’m speaking, of course, about Lakers fans and LeBron James fans.And now that LeBron and the Lakers are up 2-1 in the teams’ Western Conference Semifinals series, it’s time for the Warriors players to help out the Warriors in the stands and pull this series even.Because if the Warriors were to lose this series, it could very well mean the end of the Dubs Dynasty and the ushering in of a new era in San Francisco.But more importantly: if the Warriors lose, the fans of the blue and gold — and I don’t think I’m exaggerating — would never hear the end of it.We can’t have that. The Bay has taken enough hits lately.Related ArticlesGolden State Warriors | Kurtenbach: After an embarrassing Game 3 loss to the Lakers, it...

From MLB pitcher to shuttle-bus driver: El Cerrito’s Les Cain has a story to tell

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 15:55:44 GMT

The driver of the shuttle van at the Honda dealership is Les Cain, El Cerrito’s Les Cain, the guy who was said to throw a fastball harder than anybody for the Detroit Tigers back in 1968, before shoulder problems ended his career at age 24 with 3-1/2 seasons of service time, a half-season short of qualifying for a full pension at retirement.So here he sits, a steering wheel in hand — 51 years since throwing his last pitch in the big leagues, 26 years after his wife, Vera, died of lung cancer, and 16 years after his daughter, Leslie, died of liver cancer — taking his morning commute across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to a job that pays him a modest wage and keeps him busy.Cain had a tough road as one of MLB’s pioneering Black players. But at age 75, he has few regrets and a story to tell.“I wanted to end up having a good ending to my story,” he said. “The fact is, it’s been a good ending from the beginning.”(Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) A four...

An end to pandemic restrictions could bring thousands to the border

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 15:55:44 GMT

By Miriam Jordan and Michael D. Shear | New York TimesEL PASO, Texas — The Biden administration is preparing to lift an emergency health rule that has been used to prevent hundreds of thousands of migrants from entering the United States, setting the stage for what could be a new immigration surge that inflames political tensions and strains resources across the southern border.Barring a last-minute legal challenge, the Trump-era policy known as Title 42 will expire at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Thursday. It was put in place three years ago under the premise of preventing the spread of COVID-19.Border agents, state and local officials and even President Joe Biden’s top aides in Washington are all bracing for the arrival of tens of thousands of migrants in the coming days. Already, people have begun crossing into U.S. border towns, anticipating the end of Title 42, which since 2020 has allowed the government to swiftly expel citizens of several countries back to Mexico.Three cities in Texas ...

Photos: San Francisco Bay Area Baseball legend Vida Blue through the years

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 15:55:44 GMT

Armed with a flashy name, an electric personality and an iconic delivery he used to unleash a blazing fastball, Vida Blue was as distinctive as a baseball player could be.Blue, who died at age 73 late Saturday evening, was a beloved member of both the A’s and Giants during a 17-year career that included winning three consecutive World Series titles during Oakland’s dynasty in the early 1970s.Blue’s death was confirmed by the A’s on Sunday morning. No cause of death was announced, although friends said he had been battling an undisclosed type of cancer.“There are few players with a more decorated career than Vida Blue,” the A’s said in a statement. “He was a three-time champion, an MVP, a six-time All-Star, a Cy Young Award winner, and an Oakland A’s Hall of Famer. Vida will always be a franchise legend and a friend. We send our deepest condolences to his family and friends during this arduous time.”Jon Becker contributed to this report.Oakland Athletics’ Vida Blue winds up for...

Man robs bank in Walnut Creek, flees with cash

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 15:55:44 GMT

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. (KRON) – The Walnut Creek Police Department is investigating a bank robbery that occurred on Saturday where a man fled with an undetermined amount of cash. At 11:39 a.m., officers responded to PNC Bank on California Boulevard for a reported hold-up alarm. Upon arriving, officers determined the suspect passed a note in which he demanded money and said he had gun, WCPD said. Former Oakland A’s pitcher, Vida Blue, dies at 73 Police searched the area for the suspect but were unable to locate him. The suspect is described as a white male wearing a black knitted cap, white face mask, sunglasses, black jacket, light colored pants and white and blue shoes, police said. KRON On is streaming news live now.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }He is approximately...

Alcaraz beats lucky loser Struff to retain Madrid Open title

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 15:55:44 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz successfully defended his Madrid Open title with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over lucky loser Jan-Lennard Struff on Sunday, moving closer to recovering his world No. 1 rankingThe 20-year-old Spaniard will be back at the top of the rankings going into the French Open if he plays at least one match at the upcoming Italian Open.He converted on his first match point after a hard-fought battle against Struff to secure his fourth title of the year and 10th of his impressive young career. He had also successfully defended his title in Barcelona two weeks ago.It was Alcaraz’s 29th win of the season, and 21st straight in Spain going back to a loss to Rafael Nadal in Madrid on his 18th birthday two years ago.Alcaraz’s other titles this year came in Buenos Aires and Indian Wells. He is the first player to win two Masters 1000 trophies this season.The big-serving Struff was the first lucky loser to reach an ATP Masters 1000 final, having earned an unexpected spot in the mai...

UFC’s Tony Ferguson arrested following Hollywood crash

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 15:55:44 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — UFC veteran Tony Ferguson was arrested early Sunday morning in Hollywood for suspicion of drunken driving after he allegedly crashed into parked cars and flipped his truck, police said. Los Angeles police arrested Ferguson at around 2 a.m. Police said Ferguson’s truck hit at least two parked vehicles and flipped over near Sunset Boulevard. No one was reported injured, a police spokesperson said. Ferguson, a 2017 interim UFC lightweight champion, allegedly refused to take a breathalyzer test at the scene and was later arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, police said. He was booked into the Los Angeles County Jail, according to jail records. Ferguson debuted as a professional mixed martial arts fighter in 2008.Source

Kirilloff breaks up Guardians’ Quantrill’s no-hit bid

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 15:55:44 GMT

CLEVELAND (AP) — Minnesota’s Alex Kirilloff broke up a no-hit bid by Cleveland’s Cal Quantrill with a two-out single in the seventh inning.Kirilloff hit a 1-0 changeup over second baseman Andrés Giménez, who attempted to make a leaping catch. The ball was picked up by right fielder Will Brennan. Cleveland leads 2-0.Quantrill is a 28-year-old right-hander and a son of former major league pitcher Paul Quantrill. Quantrill worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the second. He hit Byron Buxton to start the inning and loaded the bases with walks to Alex Kirilloff and Joey Gallo.José Miranda popped up to shortstop Gabriel Arias in shallow left field and Alex Gordon bounced into a double play. Quantrill pumped his fist as he walked off the mound. ___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

Law enforcement official: Gunman who killed 8 at Texas mall identified as 33-year-old who was staying at nearby motel

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 15:55:44 GMT

ALLEN, Texas (AP) — Law enforcement official: Gunman who killed 8 at Texas mall identified as 33-year-old who was staying at nearby motel.Source