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Presto’s Picks: Conference championship edition

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:52 GMT

College football, despite consistently delivering one of the best regular seasons in sports, never fails to let us down when it comes to the postseason process. And even though the playoff that yields four spots from five major conferences will expand next season, we get one more December Sunday of arguments and anguish.There are easily eight schools that could make their case for inclusion at this point, and that doesn’t include non-Power Five teams with gaudy records. Next year, they’ll triple the field to a dozen (I thought eight would be enough, but when four extra games of $$$ can be added why not?) and I hope the small conferences get some representation as opposed to a three-loss club that stuffed its schedule with FCS and non-Power Fives.Meanwhile, the coaching carousel has claimed James Madison’s Curt Cignetti. Good luck at Indiana, who even in the post-divisional world still faces a slew of programs who care a lot more about football than the Hoosiers eve...

Italy and Croatia are tough options as lower-seeded teams in Euro 2024 tournament draw

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:52 GMT

Defending champion Italy and World Cup semifinalist Croatia are among the lower-seeded teams in Saturday’s draw for next year’s European Championship, a quirk created by the way UEFA decides the seedings for the tournament. While FIFA relies on its world rankings to help ensure no powerhouse team comes out of the lowest-ranked pot 4 in its World Cup draws, UEFA is basing its seedings for Euro 2024 solely on the teams’ results and points earned in qualifying for the tournament.So Italy — which finished second in its qualifying group and dropped plenty of points along the way — is in pot 4 alongside three playoff winners yet to be determined. Croatia and the Netherlands are both in pot 3 together with teams like Scotland and Slovenia, who rarely reach major tournaments. Host Germany and group winners are in pot 1 for the 24-team draw in Hamburg, which is held in a ceremony that starts at 6 p.m. local time (1700 GMT) on Saturday.The draw will have placeholders in pot ...

Warplanes hit targets in Gaza as Israel resumes its offensive and warns of attacks to come in south

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:52 GMT

Palestinians line up for food in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023, during a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali)(AP/Hatem Ali) Palestinians line up for food in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023, during a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali)(AP/Hatem Ali) DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli fighter jets hit targets in the Gaza Strip minutes after a weeklong truce expired on Friday, as the war with Hamas resumed in full force. Black smoke billowed from the besieged territory, and Israel dropped leaflets over parts of southern Gaza urging people to leave their homes, suggesting it was preparing to widen its offensive.In Israel, sirens...

Could the mighty SEC possibly miss the College Football Playoff for the first time?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:52 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — The Southeastern Conference is the only league to claim a spot — sometimes two spots — in every College Football Playoff. And the SEC hasn’t just participated. It has dominated.But some are wondering if the conference that has captured six of nine national titles under the current four-team format might get shut out of the postseason if No. 8 Alabama knocks off No. 1 Georgia in the SEC championship game Saturday.Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said Thursday “it would be a disrespect to the SEC” to be left out of the playoff — no matter who wins the conference title.He wasted no time making a case that his team would certainly be playoff worthy with a victory in Atlanta over the two-time defending national champions.“I think that the SEC is one of the best conferences in the country. I think Georgia is one of the best teams in the country. I think they’re one of the best four teams in the country,” Saban said. “I think if we beat them, we’d be one of the best four ...

Analysis: Aaron Rodgers’ remarkable recovery sets standard for players who tear an Achilles tendon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:52 GMT

On Football analyzes the biggest topics in the NFL from week to week. For more On Football analysis, head here.___Aaron Rodgers defied conventional medicine by returning to practice just 77 days after surgery for a torn Achilles tendon.How he did it should be the No. 1 question instead of questioning his motivation.Even if Rodgers doesn’t play again for the New York Jets (4-7) this season because it wouldn’t make sense if they’re eliminated from the playoff race, his remarkable recovery sets a standard. Every player who tears an Achilles tendon should call Rodgers and ask him about his surgical procedure, how he rehabilitated, what he ate and drank. No question is a stupid one.Rodgers had a “speed bridge” procedure that’s designed to expedite the recovery process. He said Thursday that he attributes his progress to working hard in rehab and a strict diet: “High levels of curcumin, high levels of collagen and drinking freakin’ bone broth every single day.”The soon-to-be 40-year-old R...

Shane Pinto’s half-season suspension from the NHL shines a light on gambling education in hockey

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:52 GMT

Glenn Healy still remembers longtime NHL director of security Frank Torpey walking into a locker room in the 1980s to warn players about the pitfalls of illegal sports wagering.Back then, a warning like that conjured images of shady bookies asking for injury information and taking cash. Now, gambling is legal across the U.S. and Canada and with that reality comes a different kind of danger.Ottawa Senators player Shane Pinto was suspended earlier this season for 41 games for violating the league’s gambling policy. No details were released, though the investigation found no evidence Pinto bet on NHL games. The situation prompted calls for better education on the subject.“The education has always been there: I guess it has to be put onto speed dial and be more enforced today because gambling is more prevalent than it was in the ’80s with the guy on the corner in a trench coat,” said Healy, a retired goaltender who is now executive director of the NHL Alumni Association. “The leag...

Baking Connections: Unconventional paths to local fame for DC-area Asian-inspired pastry shops

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:52 GMT

Customers pick out pastries at one of the Toi Moi stands at a farmers' market in Northern Virginia. (Courtesy Shurou Pu) Customers pick out pastries at one of the Toi Moi stands at a farmers' market in Northern Virginia. (Courtesy Shurou Pu) This is part two of “Baking Connections,” a series on three local bakers and the incredibly popular baked goods with Asian flavors they are bringing to the D.C. region. Three local bakers have been feeding the D.C. area’s appetite for pastries with an Asian flair, mirroring a nationwide hunger for innovative baked goods that range from strawberry lychee rose doughnuts to black sesame croissants.Despite drawing similar culinary inspirations from Far East flavors mixed wit...

It’s time to change lead pipes, EPA says — How DC’s water crisis spurred this move 20 years ago

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:52 GMT

Lead pipes must be removed by 2037 under new regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency aimed at preventing health crises like the one in D.C. more than 20 years ago. The local water authority is offering help to residents looking to check the quality of their home’s drinking water.Many older homes in the District were built with lead service lines — the pipe that connects water mains in the street to homes. After years of efforts to replace those lines, the EPA announced Thursday it’s cracking down on lead pipes with hopes of improving IQ scores in children and reduce high blood pressure and heart disease in adults.D.C. Water offers test kits that determine if there’s a significant amount of lead in a home or business’ plumbing. Those interested in getting a test kit can request one online.The water authority also has an interactive map that marks areas with a suspected or confirmed presence of lead.D.C. Water released a plan this year that stated ...

Denver weather: Chilly with mountain snow and a metro flurry

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:52 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Snow showers continue to impact the higher elevations through Friday with a possible flurry in the metro. High temperatures will be cooler in the Denver weather forecast. Weather today: Mountain snow showersCloudy skies will continue across most of the state Friday with below-average highs in the Front Range. Denver leaders seek to change threshold for warming shelters on cold nights Snow showers will continue in the higher elevations with winter weather advisories issued for areas south of Interstate 70 until 11 p.m. Friday. Pinpoint Weather: Winter weather advisories on Dec. 1 Denver will only see highs near the 40-degree mark on Friday, with the chance to see some flurries south of the city this afternoon.Pinpoint Weather: Daily forecast on Dec. 1 Weather tonight: Cool, cloudy, and snow continuesLight snow showers stick around the mountains overnight Friday with cloudy skies. Lows in Denver dip to the lower 20s with cloudy skies.Pinpoint Weather: Overnight lows...

Warm & Humid Weekend Ahead

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:52 GMT

The direction the wind is flowing from makes all the difference and we’ve seen a drastic change in temperatures as a result.An ocean breeze has helped temperatures climb to above average values to start off December and it looks like some records will be in jeopardy. Overnight lows will be in the 70’s and highs in the mid to upper 80’s this weekend.Overall quiet weather is set to persist through the first half of the weekend. By Sunday, high pressure in the Atlantic will continue to push further away opening up the avenue for a series of fronts to move in.The first one will be weak, but manage to bring temperatures back to normal on Monday. However, models are insisting on a stronger cold front moving in by Wednesday bringing a few spotty showers ahead and then cooler air to close out the week… Just how will the temperatures go? If models are right, overnight lows will be in the 50’s once again.Have a wonderful weekend South Florida and make it a safe one! Vi...