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With Kyle Teel out of the picture, who is the Red Sox’ catcher of the future? Teel was one of four prospects Boston traded to the White Sox on Wednesday to acquire frontline starter Garrett Crochet. Parting with Teel must have been difficult for chief baseball officer Craig Breslow because the Red Sox have no other top catching prospects at the upper levels of the minors. Teel was expected to begin 2025 at Triple-A Worcester, but his major league ETA is sometime this coming summer. Boston now has no top prospects remotely close to the big leagues at arguably the most important position. It appeared like Connor Wong, who is under team control through 2028, would eventually become Teel’s backup. Now it looks like he could remain the No. 1 catcher long-term. That said, Wong must improve his defense significantly. Johanfran Garcia now is Boston’s top catching prospect but he’s likely a few years away from the big leagues. He also is coming off major knee surgery after tearing ligaments in his knee in May. A National League scout said in summer 2023 that Garcia has a plus arm to all bases and “projects as an above-average skill-position player, supplying a 5-hole bat.” He batted .385 (20-for-52) with a .467 on-base percentage, .596 slugging percentage, 1.063 OPS, two homers and five doubles in 14 games (60 plate appearances) at Low-A Salem in 2024 before his season came to an abrupt end. The Venezuela native turned 20 earlier this month and has appeared in only 29 games at Low A. So a lot of development remains. Brooks Brannon is another interesting 20-year-old catching prospect but he’s also several years away from the majors. He has never played above Low A, where he has appeared in just 60 games and recorded 255 plate appearances. Brannon, who has raw power, was thought of highly coming out of high school. The Red Sox drafted him in the ninth round (No. 279 overall) out of Randleman High in North Carolina in 2022, then signed him to a well-above slot value bonus of $712,500. The second-highest ninth-round bonus that year was $390,000 less. Only one draft pick in rounds 5-9 received a higher bonus than Brannon did. Baseball America wrote before the 2024 season, “Defensively, Brannon faces questions about whether he has the athleticism to stay behind the plate, but he has strong hands, plus arm strength and works relentlessly.” Brannon went 21-for-68 (.309) with a .347 on-base percentage, .456 slugging percentage, two home runs and four doubles in 16 games in the 2024 Arizona Fall League. Boston drafted 22-year-old catcher Hudson White in the ninth round out of Arkansas in July. Baseball America wrote ahead of the draft, “White has been inconsistent as a defender behind the plate and he’ll need to add arm strength and tighten up his release, though he’s a solid receiver and ultimately has a chance to be an average defender.” Nathan Hickey, a 2021 fifth round pick out of Florida, remains in the Red Sox system but he has not developed enough defensively to be considered someone who can help the big league club at the catcher position.Since November 2023, Houthi forces in Yemen have conducted over against commercial ships and warships, creating an unprecedented challenge for the maritime industry. This escalation has not only disrupted vital trade routes but also sent ripples through the global economy, affecting everything from shipping costs to consumer prices. Transit through the Suez Canal, a critical chokepoint connecting the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, has plummeted by over compared to the previous year. This has caused the canal’s revenue to decrease by , painting a stark picture of the crisis’s impact on global commerce. The economic ramifications are equally severe. As ships are forced to reroute around the Cape of Good Hope, journey distances are increased, transit times are lengthened, and fuel consumption is boosted. Specifically, this detour adds approximately to shipping journeys, resulting in longer transit times and additional lead times of up to for shipments between Asia and Europe. While military intervention has been the go-to response for such crises, it’s time we considered a more sustainable, market-driven approach to maritime security. The private sector, with its capacity for innovation and efficiency, could offer solutions that are both more effective and economically viable in the long term. These entities have already proven their worth in combating piracy, having been employed by shipping companies. By creating a competitive market for maritime security services, we could drive innovation in threat detection and deterrence while potentially reducing costs through market efficiencies. Insurance companies could play a pivotal role in this market-driven approach. By offering reduced premiums to vessels that implement enhanced security measures, they could create a financial incentive for ships to invest in their own protection. This approach aligns security interests with economic ones, hopefully leading to a more widespread adoption of security measures. The maritime security market, valued at in 2023, is projected to grow to by 2032. This growth potential could attract significant investment in developing advanced technologies for threat detection and response. The collaboration between BlackSky Technology and Spire Global to create a real-time marine tracking service capable of monitoring over worldwide is a perfect example of the potential for the private sector to find innovative solutions in maritime security. Some critics have argued that a private sector solution to the Red Sea Crisis might lead to a fragmented approach to maritime security. However, this concern can be addressed through proper regulation and international cooperation. This approach is not about completely privatizing maritime security, but rather about using the strengths of both public and private sectors. Government oversight and international cooperation remain crucial, but it needs to be complemented by policies that encourage and facilitate private sector involvement in maritime security. The fallout surrounding the Red Sea crisis has shown that a secure maritime domain is essential for global prosperity, and by harnessing the power of the market, we can work towards achieving this goal. It’s time for policymakers and industry leaders to come together and chart a new course for maritime security which embraces the private sector while maintaining the necessary oversight and coordination of governmental bodies. By SchiffGold.com, via Zerohedge.com
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Orange County scores and player stats for Saturday, Nov. 30The Los Angeles Dodgers haven't had much go wrong for them since Game 3 of the National League Division Series, but free agency could knock them down a peg or two. Last winter, everything the Dodgers touched turned to gold. The headliner was the $700 million deal for Shohei Ohtani, but Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Teoscar Hernández, and Tyler Glasnow were marquee additions that all paid dividends as well. One savvy move they made the previous offseason made an enormous difference, too. The Dodgers had signed relief pitcher Blake Treinen to an $8 million deal with a $1 million club option for 2024. They exercised that option and the rest, as they say, is history. After Treinen served as the de facto closer on the Dodgers' World Series-winning roster, LA now has to decide whether or not to bring Treinen back. And this time, they won't have the option of offering him just $1 million. Competition could be fierce for such a proven veteran reliever on the open market, too. Recently, Zach Pressnell of FanSided named the Chicago Cubs as a team that could threaten the Dodgers' chances of keeping Treinen this winter. "The Cubs have an opportunity to fill the gaping hole at closer with a very reliable veteran coming off one of his best seasons yet. This best season includes a 1.93 ERA, 1.4 WAR, seven wins and a World Series ring with the Los Angeles Dodgers," Pressnell said. "Giving Treinen the clear-cut role as a closer would be a solid selling point, but Chicago can also keep their hands clean with a one- or two-year contract worth a lot less money than players like Tanner Scott or Carlos Estevez are rumored to get." Treinen, 36, is in the twilight of his career, but he's proven he still has something in the tank. He can certainly expect a raise on his 2024 salary, and though the Dodgers are bigger spenders than the Cubs nowadays, one never knows who the highest bidder will be on a one-year contract. Should the Dodgers do everything in their power to keep Treinen out of Chicago's grasp? That's a question for Andrew Friedman and the front office to ponder in the coming weeks. More MLB: Dodgers predicted to lose $69 million fan-favorite to Tigers in free agency surprise
AP Sports SummaryBrief at 5:45 p.m. ESTWhat a difference a day makes. On Tuesday, they were partners. On Wednesday, they were angry divorcees. Albertsons called off its proposed sale to Kroger and sued the rival grocer for billions of dollars the morning after a federal judge in Portland blocked the merger. The deal would have combined the nation’s largest and second-largest traditional grocery chains into a colossus and extended a lifeline to Albertsons. The Boise chain, the smaller of the two, filed breach-of-contract claims in a Delaware chancery court on Wednesday, alleging that Cincinnati-based Kroger failed to exercise “best efforts” and take “any and all actions” to get regulatory approval for the deal, as required in the merger agreement. “Rather than fulfill its contractual obligations to ensure that the merger succeeded, Kroger acted in its own financial self-interest, repeatedly providing insufficient divestiture proposals that ignored regulators’ concerns,” Tom Moriarty, general counsel and chief policy officer for Albertsons, said in a news release. “Kroger’s self-serving conduct, taken at the expense of Albertsons and the agreed transaction, has harmed Albertsons’ shareholders, associates and consumers.” Albertsons said the termination of the merger allows it to pursue other options and entitles it to an immediate $600 million fee that Kroger previously agreed to pay. The company also said it seeks billions of dollars in damages from Kroger to make Albertsons and its shareholders whole for the more than two years and hundreds of millions of dollars that Albertsons devoted to bringing the deal to fruition. The two companies announced the proposed merger in October 2022. Kroger said it looks forward to responding to the accusations in court. “This is clearly an attempt to deflect responsibility following Kroger’s written notification of Albertsons’ multiple breaches of the agreement, and to seek payment of the merger’s break fee, to which they are not entitled,” Kroger said in a statement. “Kroger looks forward to responding to these baseless claims in court. We went to extraordinary lengths to uphold the merger agreement throughout the entirety of the regulatory process, and the facts will make that abundantly clear.” On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Adrienne Nelson granted a preliminary injunction to block the $24.6 billion deal after a three-week hearing. The Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general from several states argued that the merger would substantially lessen competition in the grocery market. A judge in Washington state also ruled shortly after that the merger violates Washington state antitrust law. The breakup is worse news for Albertsons than for Kroger. Albertsons CEO Vivek Sankaran testified in the federal case that without the merger, “I would have to consider” job cuts, closures and abandoning some markets if the supermarket chain cannot find other ways to lower costs, The Associated Press reported. Without Kroger, Albertsons may need to find another buyer within two to three years, Sankaran said, according to The Wall Street Journal. Kroger President and CEO Rodney McMullen told investors on a call Thursday that Kroger will “continue to go on” if the merger falls through, Grocery Dive reported. “We’ve always made sure that we don’t need to do mergers to make our business successful,” McMullen said. McMullen had pledged to cut grocery prices $1 billion if the merger went through, CBS reported. He had said that many of the cuts would be made at Albertsons’ stores to help retain customers, because Albertson’s prices are 10 percent to 12 percent higher than Kroger’s, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported. The two companies said their merger would help them compete more effectively with Walmart, Amazon, Costco and other retailers. But the FTC and attorneys general from multiple states — not including Idaho or Ohio, where the two chains are based — said it would reduce competition, bringing higher prices and fewer choices for customers. The companies promised regulators, employees and the public that no divested stores would close, no “front-line” workers would lose their jobs, all collective-bargaining agreements would be honored, and all divested stores would continue to benefit from investment as a result of the merger. Among brick-and-mortar grocers, Walmart has been gaining market share by dollars spent and now has nearly 24 percent, according to a report by Numerator, a data analytics company, cited in Supermarket News. Kroger’s has fallen to 10 percent and Albertsons’ to just over 6 percent. Combined, Kroger and Albertsons would still be outsold by Walmart. One reason the two companies cited for uniting was to gain more leverage over suppliers to lower costs. Albertsons has said that it must pay more for some products wholesale than Walmart charges at retail. The companies proposed to sell 579 stores under assorted banners to pass antitrust muster. The buyer would have been Keene-based C&S Wholesale Grocers LLC, which has operated primarily as a wholesaler so far. C&S operates two retail grocery chains: Piggly Wiggly in the South, Midwest and Northeast, and Grand Union in New York and Vermont. Albertsons is Idaho’s largest company and a Boise icon. It says it has $79 billion in yearly sales, 285,000 employees nationwide and more than 5,000 employees in Idaho, making it the Gem State’s fourth-largest employer. Started in 1939 with founder Joe Albertson’s first store, Albertsons has more than 2,200 retail food and drug stores under 24 banners in 34 states. The stores include 37 in its native state, all operating under the Albertsons banner. Kroger’s Fred Meyer unit competes directly with Albertsons in multiple markets, including the Boise area. Fred Meyer, which has seven stories in Idaho’s Treasure Valley, says it employs more than 2,000 Idahoans. Kroger employs more than 400,000 people nationwide. Kroger agreed in 2022 to pay $34.10 per share for Albertsons stock, a price that valued Albertsons at $24.6 billion. But Albertsons’ stock price has fallen significantly below the price its shareholders would receive if the deal goes through, a sign that investors lost faith in the merger proposal. Albertsons’ stock closed Tuesday at $18.51.Currency Exchange International, Corp. Announces Exchange Bank of Canada Appeal of FINTRAC’s PenaltyThe bill is traditionally strongly bipartisan, but some Democratic lawmakers opposed the inclusion of a ban on transgender medical treatments for children of military members if such treatment could result in sterilization. The bill passed by a vote of 281-140 and next moves to the Senate, where lawmakers sought a bigger boost in defense spending than the current measure allows. Lawmakers are touting the bill's 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted service members and a 4.5% increase for others as key to improving the quality of life for those serving in the U.S. military. Those serving as junior enlisted personnel are in pay grades that generally track with their first enlistment term. Lawmakers said service member pay failed to remain competitive with the private sector, forcing many military families to rely on food banks and government assistance programs to put food on the table. The bill also provides significant new resources for child care and housing. "No service member should have to live in squalid conditions and no military family should have to rely on food stamps to feed their children, but that's exactly what many of our service members are experiencing, especially the junior enlisted," said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. "This bill goes a long way to fixing that." The bill sets key Pentagon policy that lawmakers will attempt to fund through a follow-up appropriations bill. The overall spending tracks the numbers established in a 2023 agreement that then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., reached with President Joe Biden to increase the nation's borrowing authority and avoid a federal default in exchange for spending restraints. Many senators wanted to increase defense spending about $25 billion above what was called for in that agreement, but those efforts failed. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who is expected to serve as the next chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the overall spending level was a "tremendous loss for our national defense," though he agreed with many provisions in the bill. "We need to make a generational investment to deter the Axis of Aggressors. I will not cease work with my congressional colleagues, the Trump administration, and others until we achieve it," Wicker said. House Republicans don't want to go above the McCarthy-Biden agreement for defense spending and are looking to go way below it for many nondefense programs. They are also focused on cultural issues. The bill prohibits funding for teaching critical race theory in the military and prohibits TRICARE health plans from covering gender dysphoria treatment for children under 18 if that treatment could result in sterilization. Rep. Adam Smith of Washington state, the ranking Democratic member of the House Armed Services Committee, said minors dealing with gender dysphoria is a "very real problem." He said the treatments available, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy, proved effective at helping young people dealing with suicidal thoughts, anxiety and depression. "These treatments changed their lives and in many cases saved their lives," Smith said. "And in this bill, we decided we're going to bar service members' children from having access to that." Smith said the number of minors in service member families receiving transgender medical care extends into the thousands. He could have supported a study asking medical experts to determine whether such treatments are too often used, but a ban on health insurance coverage went too far. He said Speaker Mike Johnson's office insisted on the ban and said the provision "taints an otherwise excellent piece of legislation." Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, called the ban a step in the right direction, saying, "I think these questions need to be pulled out of the debate of defense, so we can get back to the business of defending the United States of America without having to deal with social engineering debates." Smith said he agrees with Roy that lawmakers should be focused on the military and not on cultural conflicts, "and yet, here it is in this bill." Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader, said his team did not tell Democrats how to vote on the bill. "There's a lot of positive things in the National Defense Authorization Act that were negotiated in a bipartisan way, and there are some troubling provisions in a few areas as well," Jeffries said. The defense policy bill also looks to strengthen deterrence against China. It calls for investing $15.6 billion to build military capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region. The Biden administration requested about $10 billion. On Israel, the bill, among other things, includes an expansion of U.S. joint military exercises with Israel and a prohibition on the Pentagon citing casualty data from Hamas. The defense policy bill is one of the final measures that lawmakers view as a must-pass before making way for a new Congress in January.
Canadian Kurtis Rourke leads upstart Hoosiers into U.S. college football playoffsBy MARY CLARE JALONICK and MATT BROWN WASHINGTON (AP) — Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Defense Department, said he had a “wonderful conversation” with Maine Sen. Susan Collins on Wednesday as he pushed to win enough votes for confirmation. He said he will not back down after allegations of excessive drinking and sexual misconduct. Related Articles National Politics | Donald Trump will ring the New York Stock Exchange bell. It’ll be a first for him National Politics | The Trump and Biden teams insist they’re working hand in glove on foreign crises National Politics | ‘You don’t know what’s next.’ International students scramble ahead of Trump inauguration National Politics | Trump is threatening to raise tariffs again. Here’s how China plans to fight back National Politics | Trump won’t be able to save the struggling US beef industry Collins said after the hourlong meeting that she questioned Hegseth about the allegations amid reports of drinking and the revelation that he made a settlement payment after being accused of a sexual assault that he denies. She said she had a “good, substantive” discussion with Hegseth and “covered a wide range of topics,” including sexual assault in the military, Ukraine and NATO. But she said she would wait until a hearing, and notably a background check, to make a decision. “I asked virtually every question under the sun,” Collins told reporters as she left her office after the meeting. “I pressed him both on his position on military issues as well as the allegations against him, so I don’t think there was anything that we did not cover.” The meeting with Collins was closely watched as she is seen as more likely than most of her Republican Senate colleagues to vote against some of Trump’s Cabinet picks. She and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a fellow moderate Republican, did not shy from opposing Trump in his first term when they wanted to do so and sometimes supported President Joe Biden’s nominees for the judicial and executive branches. And Hegseth, an infantry combat veteran and former “Fox & Friends” weekend host, is working to gain as many votes as he can as some senators have expressed concerns about his personal history and lack of management experience. “I’m certainly not going to assume anything about where the senator stands,” Hegseth said as he left Collins’ office. “This is a process that we respect and appreciate. And we hope, in time, overall, when we get through that committee and to the floor that we can earn her support.” Hegseth met with Murkowski on Tuesday. He has also been meeting repeatedly with Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, a military veteran who has said she is a survivor of sexual assault and has spent time in the Senate working on improving how attacks are reported and prosecuted within the ranks. On Monday, Ernst said after a meeting with him that he had committed to selecting a senior official to prioritize those goals. Republicans will have a 53-49 majority next year, meaning Trump cannot lose more than three votes on any of his nominees. It is so far unclear whether Hegseth will have enough support, but Trump has stepped up his pressure on senators in the last week. “Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!” Trump posted on his social media platform last week.The defending champions NZFFI Auckland All Stars showcased their dominance once again, defeating Flick Lautoka FC 2-0 in the first semi-final of the Flick Hygiene Pacific Community Cup at Churchill Park, Lautoka. Right from the kickoff, the Auckland side showed their strength, controlling possession and maintaining relentless pressure on Lautoka. James Hoyt broke the deadlock with a clinical finish in the 43rd minute, silencing the home crowd and putting his side in control. The hosts, despite showing glimpses of brilliance, struggled to keep up with the pace and precision of the defending champions. Lautoka created a few promising opportunities, but their finishing lacked the sharpness needed to trouble the Auckland defense. The second half saw Lautoka attempting to regroup, but the Auckland All Stars continued their aggressive play. Their persistence paid off in the 53rd minute when Mohammad Nabeel found the back of the net, extending their lead to 2-0. The defending champions now await the winner of the second semi-final between the USA All Stars and NZFFI Manukau All Stars to see who they will face in the title clash.