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Mike Preston’s Ravens observations on the offense’s poor day, missing Odell Beckham Jr. and more | COMMENTARY

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:43 GMT

Maybe the Ravens should have had a free bobblehead giveaway Thursday.Team officials invited current and potential ticket holders to open practice in Owings Mills, but they probably didn’t sell many tickets afterward. The Ravens’ offense was pretty poor, especially the quarterback play.Which quarterback was the worst?Go ahead, pick one. It got so bad that midway through practice, the Ravens completed a roughly 15-yard pass and the crowd started to applaud.True story.Starting quarterback Lamar Jackson, he of the sidearm delivery fame, had three passes knocked down and one interception late in which he threw to Andy Isabella when the wide receiver had two safeties draped all over him. There were times when Jackson stopped the play because something went wrong, either with the snap count, the formation or players in motion.It’s apparent that a lot of patience will be needed to run this new offense.Backup quarterback Tyler Huntley was just as bad, overthrowing receivers...

Giants GM Joe Schoen hires friend, ex-Titans exec Ryan Cowden as advisor

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:43 GMT

Ryan Cowden’s new title won’t fit easily on his business card, but he’s on board to help his friend, Giants GM Joe Schoen, try to build a winner in New York.Cowden, 44, formerly of the Tennessee Titans, has joined the Giants as special advisor to the general manager, the team announced Thursday.He and Schoen worked together as scouting assistants and area scouts for the Carolina Panthers from 2000-07.They both interviewed for the Giants GM vacancy last year. The job went to Schoen, Brandon Beane’s assistant GM in Buffalo, and not Cowden, who was entering his fifth season as VP of player personnel under then-Titans GM Jon Robinson.The Giants then beat Cowden’s Titans in Nashville in Week 1 in Schoen’s first regular season game as an NFL GM on Sept. 11, 2022.The dramatic 21-20 comeback victory was led by Saquon Barkley, who is currently declining to sign his franchise tag tender due to his desire for a longer-term and more lucrative deal.Cowden work...

Biden tumbles

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:43 GMT

President Biden took a bad tumble in Colorado Springs, Colo., Thursday sending social media into a frenzy.“He’s fine. There was a sandbag on stage while he was shaking hands,” Ben LaBolt, the White House communications director, tweeted as videos of the incident circulated online, ABC reported.Yet it wasn’t a good look for the 80-year-old commander-in-chief. It happened as he was passing out diplomas at the Air Force Academy. His press secretary later said “he’s fine.”

Ron DeSantis promises to complete the wall that Trump couldn’t, close the border

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:43 GMT

The Sunshine State’s governor vowed to complete the border wall with Mexico that his rival for the Republican nomination promised ahead of 2016 but never delivered, Ron DeSantis told a packed crowd in New Hampshire.Republican candidate for president Ron Desantis signs autographs after speaking during a campaign stop in Salem Staff Photo by Nancy Lane/Boston Herald (Thursday,June 1, 2023). on the Boston Common on Thursday, in Salem, MA. (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald) June 1, 2023Republican candidate for president Ron Desantis greets people after speaking during a campaign stop in Salem Staff Photo by Nancy Lane/Boston Herald (Thursday,June 1, 2023). on the Boston Common on Thursday, in Salem, MA. (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald) June 1, 2023People listen as Republican candidate for president Ron Desantis speaks during a campaign stop in Salem Staff Photo by Nancy Lane/Boston Herald (Thursday,June 1, 2023). on the Boston Common on Thursday, in Salem, MA. (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald) June 1, 20...

MIAA state softball tournament preview and picks

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:43 GMT

As the MIAA state softball tournament kicks into full swing, a familiar name finds itself once again back in the fold.Courtesy of Louisville-bound outfielder Ara Venturelli and Texas Tech commit Sam Lincoln, No. 3 Taunton finds itself as a premier contender for the Division 1 crown. The Tigers, however, will have plenty of competition.Top-seeded Central Catholic and No. 2 King Philip both have the pieces to bring home the crown. Peabody is a serious contender behind Northeastern Conference most valuable player Abby Bettencourt.The Middlesex League has a host of teams that may upset the apple cart with No. 11 Woburn, No. 16 Arlington and No. 17 Reading all serving as sleepers. A great-first round matchup between the Rockets and Spy Ponders is sure to draw plenty of attention.Division 2 figures to be a battle royale between a bevy of teams who have experience playing deep into June. Defending champion Westfield is the top seed while Merrimack Valley Conference counterparts No. 2 Bille...

Michael Malone, long before coaching the Nuggets in the NBA Finals, was a fiery point guard at Loyola Maryland

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:43 GMT

They cannot help but laugh when they watch Michael Malone prowl the Denver Nuggets’ sideline, grinning wryly as he exhorts his players to defend or shouting himself hoarse as he demands justice from officials.Peel away 30 years, and that sharp-witted, sharp-tongued bulldog is the same guy who used to design plays on the fly during practices at Reitz Arena. Former Loyola Maryland teammates knew Malone’s intense focus and rare basketball IQ long before most of the world caught on. So when they glimpse their old point guard coaching the best players in the world in the NBA Finals, they figure that’s just about right.“We had a couple of kids of coaches on our team, but his basketball IQ was just through the roof,” recalled John Boney, who played with Malone for two years as a forward on those Loyola teams. “To where you would see some of the coaches on our team asking for Mike’s opinion, even as a freshman.”Malone worked as a college and N...

Postcards sent to voters ahead of District 4 special election

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:43 GMT

SAN DIEGO — The County of San Diego has sent out nearly 400,000 postcards to registered voters in the Fourth Supervisorial District listing their options for the Aug. 15 special election.The election will be to fill the vacant seat for the remainder of the current term, which ends in Jan. 2027.The seat was vacated by former supervisor Nathan Fletcher, who officially resigned from the board on May 15 after allegations surfaced in March accusing Fletcher of sexual assault.You can follow along with the timeline of how the Fletcher scandal unfolded here.The election is open only to registered voters in District 4. You can check to see whether you live in the district here.According to the County, voters will receive an election ballot packet in the mail on the week of July 16. The packet will include their ballot, an "I Voted" sticker, voting instructions and other important election information. 3 candidates in running to replace Fletcher in District 4 seat Early voting will begin Mo...

Comedian Brett Goldstein to perform in San Diego

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:43 GMT

SAN DIEGO — Fresh off the heels of the highly-anticipated series finale of "Ted Lasso," Brett Goldstein is headed to San Diego for a standup comedy show.The award-winning actor and comedian, who plays Roy Kent in the wholesome Apple TV series, will perform at the San Diego Civic Theatre on Saturday, June 10.The event is only for guests ages 15 and up, because in typical Roy Kent fashion, there will be a good amount of swearing during the show.General sale tickets go on sale Friday, June 2 at 10 a.m. and can be purchased here. Presale tickets went live Thursday at 10 a.m. with the code "DISCO."According to the Civic Theatre's website, tickets will start at $69.50 for the San Diego show, which includes a $3.50 facility restoration fee.You can find a full list of upcoming performances at the Civic Theatre here.Goldstein, who won two Primetime Emmy Awards for his portrayal of the angry, aging football star Roy Kent, has seen his star rise since "Ted Lasso" began.He created and wrote the...

Conservative trustees choose ‘Mighty Banyans’ for Florida college mascot

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:43 GMT

The New College of Florida trustees dominated by conservatives appointed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis chose a new mascot Thursday for the Sarasota school: The Mighty Banyans.The tree mascot will replace one that has been in use since 1997, which is the mathematical formulation of the Null Set. That’s usually expressed as “( )” and was viewed by many students, faculty and alumni as perfectly suited to the quirky, historically progressive college that doesn’t use traditional grades.This new mascot features a brown, fierce-looking banyan tree with “arm” branches raised in a muscular flex pose. It does retain the Null Set brackets as eyebrows and sports a leafy hairdo. New College is adorned with banyan trees big enough for a person to climb inside on its bayside campus.“It needed to be something uniquely New College,” said interim President Richard Corcoran.Among many changes under the new trustees, New College is upgrading its sports teams to include b...

32 Mississippi school districts still under federal desegregation orders

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:43 GMT

LEXINGTON, Miss. (AP) — There are 32 school districts in Mississippi still under federal desegregation orders, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division’s assistant attorney general said Thursday. Enforcing the open desegregation orders fit into a broader body of civil rights work launched in Mississippi that is examining jails, police departments and hate crimes in the state, according to Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. Referring to the U.S. Supreme Court decision that outlawed segregation of public schools across the country, she said the Justice Department is ensuring school districts provide Black students in Mississippi with equal access to education programs.“In our ongoing efforts to fulfill the promise of Brown vs. Board of Education, we currently have 32 open cases with school districts here in Mississippi,” Clarke said. “And in each of those cases, we are working to ensure t...