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Baku’s bleak outlook The Baku climate conference appears to have delivered a deadly blow to international efforts in limiting global warming. At a time when the developing nations are already struggling to emerge out of the economic slowdown triggered by the ongoing wars in Europe and West Asia, it would be an impossible task for them to mobilise the necessary finances for adaptation and climate mitigation. In addition, the political change in the United States will bring its own set of challenges in the journey of global climate actions. With developed countries reneging on their responsibility to help the developing nations fight climate change, the outlook for global climate mitigation efforts appears bleak. As such, the Global South needs to find innovative ways to find the resources to fight climate change on its own. Kosaraju Chandramouli, Hyderabad Manipur burning It is saddening that the State of Manipur has been burning for months and there appears to be wanton and wilful inaction on the part of both the State and Centre in not taking any meaningful steps to curb the incendiarism. The cauldron of enmity and vengeance may boil over at any time. Time waits for none. It includes the ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party too. Mani Nataraajan, Chennai In Jeddah While cricket is undeniably a beloved sport in our country and the Indian Premier League provides a platform for exceptional talent, the astronomical figures involved in player auctions leave many common citizens bewildered and disheartened (‘Sport’ page, “Super Sunday for Pant, Shreyas and Venkatesh”, November 25). At a time when millions in our country are struggling with scant basic necessities, the idea of spending crores on individual players seems both extravagant and misplaced. Such immense financial outlays not only widen the disparity between the privileged and the underprivileged but also set a precedent where sportsmanship takes a back seat to commercialisation. Could not a fraction of this amount be directed toward the grassroots development of cricket, nurturing rural talent, or supporting other sports that struggle for recognition and resources? C.M. Samuel, Thazhathangadi, Kerala Rishab Pant’s journey from a harrowing car accident to becoming the most expensive player in IPL history is a testament to his resilience, determination, and a little bit of destiny. R. Sivakumar, Chennai Published - November 26, 2024 12:24 am IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit lettersNone
Snow Lovers Flock to New York and Michigan as Lake-Effect Storm Transforms Scenic DestinationsI love content creator Jon Gruden. I'd just like to open with that. He's an electric factory. His TikTok brand is unbelievable. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, do yourself a favor and look it up. He is an incredible follow these days. Nobody is doing it on the internet like Jon Gruden is doing it, truly. That being said, he fired off a take this week that is... well, not the sharpest. And it got a lot of run, so lets break where he went wrong, and what substantive lesson we can learn from it. Coach Gruden decided he wanted to show some love to three of the league's best running backs toting the rock this season: Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, and Josh Jacobs. And seeing as all three were free agents this past spring and are now thriving with their new teams, Jon fell into a textbook causation-correlation trap: The top three free agent running backs last year were Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, and Josh Jacobs. They all switched teams and their new teams are 25-9. The teams they left are 7-26. Running backs matter. pic.twitter.com/YoXq3QXlgo It's true, the Titans, Raiders, and Giants are a combined 7-26 this year. That's a 0.212 win percentage. Not good! Meanwhile the Eagles, Ravens, and Packers are 25-9 (0.736). Much, much better. But, obviously, the idea that the transfer of these running backs has been the difference is completely absurd. That should be obvious without having to look anything up, frankly. These are players who went from bad teams to good teams! But let's put some numbers on it anyways. Last season, these three backs still played for the bad teams in question. They are bad this year without those players, and newsflash: they were bad last year with them too. 20-31 (0.392) was the combined record of the Titans, Raiders, and Giants when Henry, Jacobs, and Barkley still played for them. The teams they now play for, the Eagles, Ravens, and Packers, were a combined 33-18 (0.647) without them in 2023. All three made the playoffs! What does this tell us? It's not that running backs don't matter at all , because they clearly do. The Eagles, Ravens, and Packers all have the ability to really lean on their opponents in the second halves of games and snuff them out. When you're a good team who plays from ahead regularly, that's a very valuable ability to possess! But that's the key: being a good team . An elite, volume running back is a finishing piece. They're a flourish. They're a guy you add when you're at or near the apex of your team-building cycle. And perhaps more importantly, they're a guy you resist paying when you're at or near the bottom of the cycle. That's precisely what went on here. The teams that let their volume backs walk are better off for it because of where they are as a team. And the teams who signed up for the expensive volume backs are better for it because of where they are as a team. This is roster management 101. This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.
The Los Angeles Dodgers didn’t need to sign left-hander . The fact they went out and got him anyways is another indication of how broken Major League Baseball’s competitive balance landscape has become. Baseball has been a sport of haves and have nots for decades but the gulf between the two continues to grow with each passing year. Only a handful of owners feel compelled to spend, while others are more concerned with profits. The Dodgers understand the situation better than anyone as one of MLB’s top-spending teams. They used seemingly endless resources to lock up Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman and now have two World Series in five years to show for it. If the Dodgers had a weakness during their recent run, it could be found in the rotation. Injuries eroded their depth, and by the time the playoffs rolled around, there were just three healthy starters left. Based on the offensive contributions of Freeman, , that was all they needed. Next year was already shaping up to be different. Ohtani, a former Cy Young candidate, . Tyler Glasnow, , will be back too. Then there’s Yoshinobu Yamamoto to go along with depth options Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May. Only a perfectionist would have looked at the roster and decided it wasn’t enough. Top-ranking executive Andrew Friedman qualifies because he wasn’t content with adding depth. He wanted another star and got one by offering up a five-year deal worth $182 million (U.S.). Snell was considered by some experts to be the top starter available in free agency. After returning from the injured list on July 14, the 31-year-old posted an MLB-best 1.31 ERA. During that time he struck out 111 batters across 75 1/3 innings and opponents hit .111 off his curveball. The rich got richer. The scary thing is that the Dodgers aren’t done. They remain the betting favourites to land , and if the club opts to go with a six-man staff, there’s the and use their remaining options as trade bait. Assuming everyone’s healthy, it projects to become MLB’s top starting group. Post-season baseball is unpredictable. The best team doesn’t always win — instead, it’s the one that gets on a roll at the right time. The Dodgers high expenses don’t guarantee another title, but they do make the path to the post-season much easier to navigate and that’s more than half the battle. It gives them a huge advantage. While splashy moves are being made, too many teams aren’t even pretending to care. , the Dodgers had the third-highest 2024 payroll in MLB at $290 million. There were 14 teams that spent less than half that, including eight that didn’t even crack $100 million. Most of the talk about the lack of competitive balance centres around the need for a salary cap, but what MLB requires even more is a salary floor. The current system boosts the revenues of small-market clubs, but instead of spending that money on players, too many are tucking it away as profit. Just look at the Oakland A’s. In 2024, they spent $64.4 million on player salaries — the lowest of any team — and cried so poor they relocated to Sacramento. Next season’s payroll projects to $33 million, which is $19 million less than what Snell received as a signing bonus. What A’s billionaire owner John Fisher wants people to overlook is that his team receives approximately $60 million each year from the league’s central fund, which includes national television deals, streaming rights and merchandise sales. And that’s just one piece of the pie. The A’s averaged $53 million annually on their last local television deal, plus there are ticket sales and sponsorship deals. while spending just $90 million on player salaries. Meanwhile, a team bought for $180 million in 2005, is now worth an estimated $1.2 billion. Clubs like the A’s and Tampa Bay Rays could afford to spend more. They just choose not to. That’s why former Rays standouts Snell and Glasnow eventually landed in Hollywood or how even a mid-tier option like former A’s starter Chris Bassitt ended up in Toronto. Players can stick around while they’re cheap. Once they start getting paid, it’s time to go. That’s great for the Dodgers, who can swoop in and haven’t missed the playoffs in more than 10 years as a result. It’s also great for other top-10 payroll teams like the who use their resources to gain an advantage. It’s far less beneficial to the fanbases of the clubs who at most hope for fleeting moments of success. Hate the Dodgers and their Dream Team roster all you want, all they’re trying to do is win. MLB would be a much better product if there were more than a handful of teams who could claim the same.
Central Europe’s Response to Russian AggressionNone