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SF Giants pick up option on Alex Cobb, All-Star starter returns for 2024

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:46 GMT

Farhan Zaidi executed his easiest decision of the offseason Monday, picking up the San Francisco Giants’ $10 million player option on Alex Cobb, ensuring the 36-year-old first-time All-Star will be back in 2024.When the Giants brought Cobb on board before the 2022 season, it wasn’t hard to imagine the club option as a potential exit ramp on a deal with a then-34-year-old four years removed from his last 100-inning season. But Cobb has proven that he is firmly in the fast lane, making his rate a bargain, even with the news that he will miss at least the first month of next season recovering from hip surgery.In 56 starts the past two seasons (only three fewer than the 59 he made over the course of his previous four-year, $57 million contract between the Orioles and Angels), Cobb has posted a 3.80 ERA and an even better 3.41 FIP (fielding independent pitching). His reliable presence was all the more important last season, when he and Logan Webb were the only Giants pitchers...

Walnut Creek’s new pizza and beer restaurant is an homage to its owners’ pizza-loving dads

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:46 GMT

Last week, cousins Baldeep and Gurpreet Sangha opened the doors of a pizza and beer restaurant in Walnut Creek named after their fathers: Bill and Bali’s Pizza and Pints.The restaurant’s namesakes are brothers who immigrated to the U.S. from India’s Punjab region, landing first in Yuba City before moving to the Bay Area in the 1980s. Along the way, they discovered pizza, chowing down on pies by Bay Area-founded chains like Straw Hat and Round Table.Bali’s son, Baldeep, and Bill’s son, Gurpreet, grew up in the East Bay and now live in Oakland and Fairfield, respectively. About five years ago, the cousins opened Walnut Creek’s Hops & Scotch, a taproom and whiskey bar with 47 beer taps and some 1,100 whiskeys, one of the biggest whiskey selections in the Bay Area.The Zesty Zucchini pizza from Bill & Bali’s Pizza and Pints in Walnut Creek is made with zucchini, red pepper flakes and ricotta and mozzarella cheeses ($22). (Courtesy Bill &a...

Mountain West power ratings: Fresno State on top after Air Force loss; Hawaii climbs (yes, Hawaii)

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:46 GMT

Last season, the Hotline published weekly ‘Best of the West’ power ratings that considered not only Pac-12 teams but those in the Mountain West and Brigham Young. The exercise was so popular that we’re adding a MW-specific column to our array of offerings this season.(All times Pacific)1. Fresno State (8-1/4-1)Last week: 2Result: beat Boise State 37-30Next up: at San Jose State (7:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network)Comment: A berth in the MW title game hinges on the outcome Saturday night. Are we completely and utterly dismissing the possibility of a loss to New Mexico or San Diego State in the final fortnight? Yes. Yes, we are.2. Air Force (8-1/5-0)Last week: 1Result: lost at Army 23-3Next up: at Hawaii (8 p.m. on Spectrum Sports)Comment: Absolutely shocking result against the Black Knights until you see the surreal turnover tally — Air Force 6, Army 0 — and then the score starts to make sense.3. Boise State (4-5/3-2)Last week: 3Result: lost at Fresno State 37-30Next up: vs....

Review: ‘Alan Wake 2’ is Remedy at it most unsettling and weird

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:46 GMT

Remedy Entertainment is at its best when the developer is unsettling. It’s a peculiar quality that permeates every pixel and line of code of the studio’s work. It’s in the creepy atmosphere of “Max Payne” and the dread players feel walking in the darkness of “Alan Wake.”But it wasn’t until “Control” that Remedy truly harnessed that weirdness and sinister vibe into a project that married its ambitious storytelling and its excellent game design. That breakthrough title established a tone and shape for “Alan Wake 2.” And finally, after 13 years of waiting, fans finally have a sequel and answer to the last line from the original: “It’s not a lake, it’s an ocean.”INTRODUCING A NEW HERO“Alan Wake 2” starts off with a new protagonist, FBI agent Saga Anderson, who takes a case along with her partner, Alex Casey, in Bright Falls, Washington. It’s a small town near Cauldron Lake, ...

Chase Young makes 49ers practice debut after trade from Washington

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:46 GMT

SANTA CLARA — Chase Young, in a freshly appointed No. 92 jersey, made his 49ers’ practice debut Monday, six days after being traded from the Washington Commanders.Young was reunited with Ohio State teammate Nick Bosa and the 49ers are hoping that combination helps kickstart their defense and high-priced pass rush.Young’s Day 1 outfit for the walk-through practice without pads: Red jersey, red leggings under black shorts (cut-off jersey pants), red headband, and red-and-white Jordan cleats.Acquired for a 2024 conditional third-round pick, Young passed a physical Wednesday to formally complete the trade, alleviating some concerns about his right knee injury from two years ago.Young had five sacks in seven games this season with the Commanders, putting him on track for a career-high total. He had 7 1/2 sacks as the 2020 NFL Defensive Rookie of The Year, then a November 2021 knee injury sidelined him until the final three games of last season.The 49ers (5-3) look to sn...

Berkeley officers shoot, kill person during response to alleged car burglary

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:46 GMT

BERKELEY — Berkeley police officers shot and killed a person early Monday morning, the second fatal shooting by police in recent months, department officials confirmed.An unknown number of officers were in the area of 7th and Grayson Streets around 5:25 a.m. investigating a suspected vehicle burglary in progress when they encountered three adult suspects, police said while speaking to reporters Monday.Officers eventually opened fire on the suspects, hitting one person, according to authorities. After life-saving measures were attempted, the person was later pronounced dead at Highland Hospital.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Police release video of fatal September shooting at Toyota service center in Albany Crime and Public Safety | Police fatally shoot woman who they said had BB gun at California bus stop Crime and Public Safety | Leaked video shows Antioch cops fire dozens of shots at man as he runs away Crime and Public Sa...

Los Gatos 'Party Mom' pleads not guilty to slew of new charges

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:46 GMT

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) -- Shannon O'Connor, also known as the Los Gatos "Party Mom," pleaded not guilty through her defense attorney on Monday to a slew of new charges. O'Connor was indicted by a grand jury last week and charged with 20 felony and 43 misdemeanor counts. She was initially charged by the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office with 39 counts in October of 2021. The mother of two is accused of hosting alcohol-fueled sex parties for underage teenagers, including her own teenaged sons. Prosecutors said O'Connor organized secret parties between the summer of 2020 and February 2021 without her husband's knowledge. The alleged victims were 13 male and female Los Gatos High School students.She allegedly lured girls to her parties, served copious amounts of alcohol, and pressured them to have "sexual encounters" with boys.Shannon O'Connor appears in court in 2021. (Pool photo / Anda Chu / Bay Area News Group)O'Connor is now facing even more charges because an ong...

Counterterror Director Used Hamas Attack to Justify Mass Surveillance Program Renewal

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:46 GMT

During a Senate briefing last week, a federal counterterrorism official cited the October 7 Hamas attack while urging Congress to reauthorize a sprawling and controversial surveillance program repeatedly used to spy on U.S. citizens on U.S. soil.“As evidenced by the events of the past month, the terrorist threat landscape is highly dynamic and our country must preserve [counterterrorism] fundamentals to ensure constant vigilance,” said Director of the National Counterterrorism Center Christine Abizaid to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security, after making repeat references to Hamas’s attack on Israel.She pointed to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which enables the U.S. government to gather vast amounts of intelligence — including about U.S. citizens — under the broad category of foreign intelligence information, without first seeking a warrant.Section 702 “provides key indications and warning on terrorist plans and intentions, supports intern...

A battle brewing in Shaw over a popular nightlife area

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:46 GMT

One specific city block in D.C.’s Shaw neighborhood is home to nearly two dozen nightlife establishments — a total of 23 liquor licenses have been issued for the 1900 block of 9th Street Northwest near the U Street corridor.“That’s just too many,” said Leola Smith, who lives just a block away.“My grandson got robbed five blocks from the house,” Smith said. “They put guns in his face. He moved away.”Smith, who has lived in Shaw since 1981, told WTOP that the outsized number of bars and taverns on the block, and the thousands of people who go to those establishments every week, is fueling an uptick in crime.Smith is a member of the Westminster Neighborhood Association. She and two other members spoke with WTOP about the association’s recent petition to D.C.’s Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Board to pause the issuance of new liquor licenses for that stretch of 9th Street NW.The petition points to the high level of property and violent crime in and around the proposed moratorium ...

Toronto exercised Chad Green’s options for 2024 and ’25, guaranteeing $21 million

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:46 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — The Blue Jays exercised a club option on reliever Chad Green on Monday that guarantees the right-hander $21 million for 2024 and 2025.The 32-year-old returned Sept. 1 following Tommy John surgery while with the New York Yankees on June 1, 2022, and went 3-0 with a 5.25 ERA in 12 games. He struck out 16 and walked four in 12 innings.Green pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings in the Blue Jays’ loss to Minnesota in the Wild Card Series opener.After earning $2.25 million this year, Green gets $10.5 million in each of the next two seasons and can earn $1 million annually in performance bonuses: $500,000 each for 60 and 65 games pitched.Since making his debut in 2016, Green is 36-22 with a 3.23 ERA and 11 saves in 284 games.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlbSource