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Lionel Messi makes it official. He signs with Inter Miami and Major League Soccer.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:28 GMT

Lionel Messi has finalized his deal to join Major League Soccer, and after years of planning and pursuing, Inter Miami has landed a global icon.Messi’s contract became official Saturday, a little more than five weeks after he declared that he would be coming to Inter Miami. The team will introduce him on Sunday night at its stadium in Fort Lauderdale, and the first home match of the Messi era could be as early as Friday — a Leagues Cup match against Cruz Azul.A formal news conference is scheduled for Monday, and his first training session with his new club is expected on Tuesday. The club previously announced that Messi’s deal will be for 2 1/2 seasons and will pay him between $50 million and $60 million annually — putting the total contract value between $125 million and $150 million in cash alone.“BIENVENIDO 10,” the team posted Saturday on Twitter.Welcome, Messi, indeed.“We are overjoyed that the greatest player in the world chose Inter Miami CF and Major League...

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell wins pole for Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:28 GMT

LOUDON, N.H. (AP) — Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell turned the fastest qualifying lap of 124.781 mph at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and will lead the field to green for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup race.JGR swept the front row in Saturday’s qualifying session with Bell joined by teammate Martin Truex Jr. Truex hit 124.752 mph in his No. 19 Toyota. But it was Ford drivers that took the next three spots with Aric Almirola followed by Team Penske teammates Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney.Bell won his first pole of the season and fifth in 128 career Cup races.Bell has one win this season and is one of 11 drivers with a spot in NASCAR’s playoff field. There are five spots up for grabs with seven races left before the cutoff. Truex posted his eighth top-10 start of 2023 and his 19th in 30 career races at New Hampshire.Bell earned a playoff spot a year ago when he won at New Hampshire. Bell mastered the track where he won Xfinity Series races in 2018, 2019 and 2021 and was s...

Texas Rangers place right-handed pitcher Josh Sborz on 15-day injured list

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:28 GMT

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Texas Rangers placed right-hander Josh Sborz on the 15-day injured list on Saturday with right biceps tendinitis.Sborz is 4-4 with a 4.54 ERA in 29 relief appearances this season. He pitched last Sunday at Washington in the Rangers’ final game before the All-Star break. He allowed three runs, including two home runs, on five hits in two innings in the 7-2 loss to the Nationals.The Rangers recalled left-hander John King from Triple-A Round Rock to fill Sborz’s spot on the active roster.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

Kaulig Companies Championship Tour Scores

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:28 GMT

SaturdayAt Firestone Country Club – South CourseAkron, OhioPurse: $3.5 millionYardage: 7,248; Par: 70Third RoundHarrison Frazar65-68-70—203Steve Stricker65-73-65—203Stewart Cink66-68-70—204K.J. Choi70-66-69—205Ernie Els68-67-70—205Scott Parel70-68-68—206David Toms69-70-68—207Mark Hensby74-66-69—209Jerry Kelly71-68-70—209Bernhard Langer71-68-70—209Jeff Maggert71-70-68—209Rod Pampling72-66-71—209Brett Quigley67-76-66—209Steven Alker73-71-66—210Alex Cejka67-72-71—210Retief Goosen74-67-69—210Y.E. Yang67-74-69—210Darren Clarke72-68-71—211Marco Dawson73-71-67—211Joe Durant71-69-71—211Dicky Pride73-69-69—211Kevin Sutherland73-69-69—211Billy Andrade72-71-70—213Stephen Dodd72-75-66—213Justin Leonard68-71-74—213Scott McCarron74-73-66—213Miguel Angel Jimenez75-68-71—214Rocco Mediate71-73-70—214Wes Short71-73-70—214Arjun Atwal72-72-71—215Woody Austin70-74-71—215Paul Goydos72-71-72—215Jose Maria Olazabal72-73-70—215Corey Pavin71-77-67—215Stephen Ames72-74-70—216Shane Bertsch70-77-69—216Oli...

Kaulig Companies Championship Par Scores

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:28 GMT

SaturdayAt Firestone Country Club – South CourseAkron, OhioPurse: $3.5 millionYardage: 7,248; Par: 70Third RoundHarrison Frazar65-68-70—203-7Steve Stricker65-73-65—203-7Stewart Cink66-68-70—204-6K.J. Choi70-66-69—205-5Ernie Els68-67-70—205-5Scott Parel70-68-68—206-4David Toms69-70-68—207-3Mark Hensby74-66-69—209-1Jerry Kelly71-68-70—209-1Bernhard Langer71-68-70—209-1Jeff Maggert71-70-68—209-1Rod Pampling72-66-71—209-1Brett Quigley67-76-66—209-1Steven Alker73-71-66—210EAlex Cejka67-72-71—210ERetief Goosen74-67-69—210EY.E. Yang67-74-69—210EDarren Clarke72-68-71—211+1Marco Dawson73-71-67—211+1Joe Durant71-69-71—211+1Dicky Pride73-69-69—211+1Kevin Sutherland73-69-69—211+1Billy Andrade72-71-70—213+3Stephen Dodd72-75-66—213+3Justin Leonard68-71-74—213+3Scott McCarron74-73-66—213+3Miguel Angel Jimenez75-68-71—214+4Rocco Mediate71-73-70—214+4Wes Short71-73-70—214+4Arjun Atwal72-72-71—215+5Woody Austin70-74-71—215+5Paul Goydos72-71-72—215+5Jose Maria Olazabal72-73-70—215+5Corey Pavin71...

Rodriguez wins big Alpine stage as Pogacar and Vingegaard lock horns again in Tour stalemate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:28 GMT

MORZINE LES PORTES DU SOLEIL, France (AP) — Could the Tour de France be decided by time bonuses? Even on the toughest battleground, defending champion Jonas Vingegaard and two-time winner Tadej Pogacar could not separate themselves Saturday after a dramatic day in the Alps.Again in a class of their own, Pogacar and Vingegaard finished second and third respectively at the ski station of Morzine after another fierce fight that concluded a day of attrition in the 14th stage.The pair was well ahead of their struggling overall challengers at some point in the final ascent, the daunting Col de Joux Plane, but allowed stage winner Carlos Rodriguez to come back as the duo watched each other like track cyclists in a velodrome, waiting for an opening to get the biggest bonus at the top of the steep ascent. Vingegaard won this duel. Rodriguez, a Tour debutant from Spain riding for Ineos-Grenadiers, then moved away from the pair in the downhill leading to Morzine.Vingegaard kept the yellow jers...

Ben Wallace to step down as UK defense chief: Sunday Times

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:28 GMT

U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace plans to leave the government at the next Cabinet reshuffle and will not stand in the next general election, he told the Sunday Times newspaper.  Wallace informed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of his plans on June 16 but had hoped to make the announcement later in the summer, the newspaper reported late Saturday. A Cabinet reshuffle is expected by September. “I’m not standing next time,” Wallace was quoted as saying. But he ruled out going “prematurely” and forcing another by-election, the newspaper said.  “I went into politics in the Scottish parliament in 1999. That’s 24 years,” Wallace, who has been defense chief since July 2019, told the paper.  The development comes days after Wallace controversially said Ukraine should put more emphasis on showing “gratitude” to “doubting politicians” in the U.S. and other allied countries who might not be completely convinced of the need to maintain military and economic suppo...

Lavender Darcangelo earns golden buzzer on America’s Got Talent

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:28 GMT

LEOMINSTER – Tears of joy streamed down Lavender Darcangelo’s face after America’s Got Talent judge Heidi Klum hit the golden buzzer in response to the talented young woman’s incredibly moving performance.Fitchburg resident Lavender Darcangelo wowed the judges and audience during her performance on the America’s Got Talent auditions episode that aired on July 11, earning a standing ovation from everyone in attendance and a coveted golden buzzer from judge Heidi Klum. Pictured here with one of her two dads, Wil Darcangelo. (COURTESY TRAE PATTON/NBC)All four judges and the entire audience gave Lavender a standing ovation during the auditions episode that aired this past Tuesday after she closed the show by singing “Out Here on My Own” by Irene Cara from the musical “Fame,” a song with uplifting lyrics that match the 27-year-old phenom’s positive attitude. The blind and autistic vocalist and disability advocate is a Fitchburg native who lives in Leominster and said onstage she dr...

Somerville City Council wants police to focus less on cyclists who run red lights

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:28 GMT

Cyclists should be allowed to travel through a red light as long as they yield to pedestrians or vehicles which have the right of way.That’s the position of the Somerville City Council, which is suggesting the city’s police department taper enforcement of cyclists who blow through red lights, without putting pedestrians and motorists at risk.The stance, put forth by Council President Ben Ewen-Campen and Councilor At-Large Jake Wilson last week, is a mere recommendation. Cities and towns don’t have the authority to legalize the practice, as state law requires cyclists and motorists to stop at red lights and stop signs.After research of the so-called ‘Idaho Stop,’ which allows cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs and red lights as stop signs, Ewen-Campen said he believes Somerville would be better off if police prioritize other enforcement, such as texting-and-driving.“When you have complex, and in some cases controversial, questions about what should be our high priority enfor...

Residents who sued Boston won’t challenge new redistricting map

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:28 GMT

A group of residents who sued the Boston City Council over the legality of a prior redistricting map doesn’t plan to challenge the new voting lines, but is asking the city to reimburse it for more than $100,000 in attorneys’ fees.According to a Friday federal court filing, the plaintiffs agreed “not to challenge the redistricting map approved by the Boston City Council on May 24, 2023, and signed into law by the mayor on May 26, 2023, either through a motion to amend their complaint in this case or by filing a new lawsuit.”“The city defendants have fully complied with this court’s preliminary injunction order,” the court filing states. “The issues raised in the plaintiffs’ complaint are now moot and the case is appropriate for dismissal.”In early May, a federal judge threw out the redistricting map the City Council approved last fall, via a 9–4 vote, citing a potential constitutional violation stemming from how race was factored into how city lines were redrawn.The ruling came after...