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Column: How the Chicago Bears aim to ‘find calmness through the chaos’ as they navigate through the NFL draft frenzy

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:30 GMT

The emotions are already peaking. In buildings across the NFL, the anxiety and anticipation are partying together like college kids on the night final exams wrap up. That much enthusiasm is swirling, that much adrenaline pulsing.Draft weekend has finally arrived.And soon it will be over. In a blink.What happens during a frenzied 47-hour stretch of picking and trading, strategizing and recalculating gives personnel folks across the league that surge of energy.Imagine the eagerness percolating through the second floor of Halas Hall and flooding toward the Chicago Bears’ state-of-the-art draft room, where the proceedings will be monitored this weekend.This is it. Finally. The chance, with a top-10 pick, to take a huge swing at landing a star for the show before moving into Friday and Saturday with a calculated vision of how to fortify the depth chart on both sides of the ball.Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham was asked this week to describe the excitement that comes ...

Dwayne Wade, who has trans daughter, says he left Florida because family ‘would not be accepted’

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:30 GMT

Former NBA star Dwayne Wade has discussed his family’s decision to leave the state of Florida, which he hinted at being due to the current political climate around transgender policies.Wade’s conversation will air Thursday on “Headliners with Rachel Nichols,” Showtime’s new talk show that centers around the reporter’s meetings with top NBA figures.Wade was asked about Florida politicians who stand against LGBTQ policies, and how the situation affects families like his own. In 2020, Wade’s 15-year-old daughter Zaya came out as transgender.“That’s another reason why I don’t live in that state,” Wade told Nichols in a clip shared with People Magazine. “A lot of people don’t know that. I have to make decisions for my family, not just personal, individual decisions.”The former Miami Heat player, 41, said that he does appreciate the tax incentives in the state, as well as the fact that Miami-Dade County wa...

13 players the Chicago Bears could select at No. 9 in the 2023 NFL draft

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:30 GMT

Set your reminders now.On Thursday, likely a few minutes after 8 p.m., the Chicago Bears will go on the clock with their first-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft, looking to scoop up a talented and driven difference maker who can, in the words of general manager Ryan Poles, “move the needle.” Barring a trade, the Bears will use the No. 9 pick to choose the headliner of their draft class.After trading down from No. 1 in March in a headline-grabbing deal that netted the Bears three additional picks over the next three drafts plus standout receiver DJ Moore, Poles remains pleased with the menu he likely will be choosing from when he gets his first big swing Thursday night.So which players might be of the most interest? Here’s our list of 13 prospects who could make sense for the Bears at No. 9.Jalen Carter, Georgia defensive tackleHeight, weight: 6-3, 314.Why the Bears will draft him: Just watch the game video, which can look like a video game. Carter is an absolute for...

As Nelson Velázquez makes a case for an extended shot in the majors, the Chicago Cubs outfielder is embracing each chance

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:30 GMT

Three pitches into the at-bat, Nelson Velázquez found himself in a tough spot against one of the best closers in the majors.Velázquez, behind 1-2 in the count versus San Diego Padres lefty Josh Hader, needed to find a way to keep the Chicago Cubs alive with two outs in the ninth inning Wednesday. The 24-year-old outfielder’s big-league opportunities have been limited this year, but when the Cubs have called on him, Velázquez is finding ways to deliver.He watched two balls sail above the zone, then fouled off three consecutive sinkers from Hader, including two up and in on his hands, to keep the game alive. Velázquez capped the nine-pitch sequence — all sinkers — by shrewdly taking ball four just outside the zone to set up Nico Hoerner with two runners on and a two-run deficit.Hoerner fouled out on the next pitch to end the 5-3 loss on a blustery night at Wrigley Field.“Nelly had a phenomenal at-bat,” manager David Ross said. “B...

Patriots 7-round mock draft: Bill Belichick surprises in 1st round, adds WR and TE late

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:30 GMT

We made it.Draft day has arrived.Here is the Herald’s final seven-round Patriots mock draft:1st roundNo. 14: EDGE Myles Murphy, ClemsonHt/Wt: 6-4, 268It wouldn’t be a Bill Belichick draft without a curveball, right? But stay with us.Murphy is a freak athlete packed within the exact body type the Patriots covet for their edge defenders. He’s explosive, plays with high effort and can anchor versus the run. He recorded 17.5 sacks and six forced fumbles over three years at Clemson, where he played all across the defensive line, another plus in New England.The Patriots interviewed him at the combine, his Pro Day and invited him to Foxboro for a top-30 visit. At minimum, Murphy has met with director of player personnel Matt Groh, director of college scouting Camren Williams, multiple scouts, defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington and, most likely, Belichick.Based on current projections, the Patriots could nab Murphy at 14th or if they trade back. He would immediately am...

Ukraine ask pope’s help in getting children back from Russia

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:30 GMT

ROME (AP) — Ukraine’s prime minister said he asked Pope Francis during a private Vatican audience Thursday to help facilitate the return of Ukrainian children who were forcibly taken to Russia.Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, briefing reporters on his half-hour audience with the pontiff, said he also invited Francis to come to Ukraine.“I asked the Vatican and the Holy Father for help in getting back children taken by force by Russia,” the prime minister said.The Vatican’s brief statement on the audience did not go into particular points of the talks. It noted that Shmyhal met with the Holy See’s secretary of state and foreign minister after his meeting with Francis.During the “cordial discussions, which took place in the Secretariat of State, various matters connected to the war in Ukraine were highlighted, with particular attention to the humanitarian aspects and efforts to restore peace,” the Vatican said.Francis has repeatedly decried the war in Ukraine, which bega...

Leafs fans on edge as team looks to dispel two decades of playoff letdowns

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:30 GMT

Could tonight finally be the night?Fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs have been waiting 19 years to celebrate a playoff series victory — the team has a chance to move on to the second round with a Thursday night win.The Leafs come home with a commanding 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven first round series with the Tampa Bay Lightning after putting together back-to-back thrilling victories on the road.The team completed two epic comebacks to force overtime in games 3 and 4 down in Florida. Morgan Rielly and Alex Kerfoot scored OT winners to give Toronto a two-game cushion over Tampa.You could forgive the fanbase for their apprehension. The Leafs previously held a 3-1 series lead over the Montreal Canadians in the 2020 playoffs. The Leafs lost three straight elimination games to lose the series in seven games. That series with Montreal was played in the Toronto bubble with limited fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The Leafs sport an 0-10 record over the last five years in playoff eli...

Iran urges Lebanese sides to reach agreement over president

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:30 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Iran’s foreign minister said Thursday that Tehran wants Lebanon’s rivals to reach an agreement to elect a new president in the crisis-hit country that has been without a head of state since October. Hossein Amirabdollahian made his comments during his first visit to Lebanon since Iran and Saudi Arabia reached an agreement in China last month to re-establish diplomatic relations and reopen embassies after seven years of tensions that had major repercussions in the tiny Mediterranean country. The agreement negotiated with China lowers the chance of armed conflict between the Mideast rivals — both directly and in proxy conflicts around the region. The effects of the agreement include eased tensions and an exchange of prisoners between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Iran-backed rebels, as well as improved relations between Saudi Arabia and Syrian President Bashar Assad. Lebanese groups are deeply divided between an Iran-backed coalition led by the powerful Hezbollah ...

City-United FA Cup final to be affected by train strike

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:30 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Traveling to the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium in London just got much harder for fans of the two Manchester clubs.The British trade union representing train drivers announced Thursday three days of strike action by its members, including June 3 — the day of the first meeting between Manchester City and Manchester United in an FA Cup final.That will mean severe disruption for Manchester-based supporters of the teams looking to make the journey south to the capital.The match has already been brought forward to 3 p.m. from its recent slot of 5:30 p.m. because London’s Metropolitan Police deems the match to be a high risk.Train drivers are striking amid a long-running dispute over pay.___More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsThe Associated Press

Bombardier reports Q1 profit compared with a loss a year ago, revenue up 17%

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:30 GMT

MONTREAL — Bombardier Inc. reported a profit in its latest quarter compared with a loss a year ago as its revenue gained 17 per cent, helped by higher deliveries and selling prices for its medium and large aircraft as well as increased services revenue.The aircraft maker, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, says it earned US$302 million or US$2.98 per diluted share for the quarter ended March 31 compared with a loss of US$287 million or US$3.09 per diluted share a year ago.Revenue totalled US$1.45 billion, up from US$1.25 billion in the first three months of 2022. The company says it is on track to reach its production guidance for more than 138 aircraft deliveries this year. On an adjusted basis, Bombardier says it earned US$1.06 per diluted share in its latest quarter compared with a loss of 80 cents per share in the same quarter last year.It says it repaid about US$400 million in debt in its first quarter.This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2023.Com...