Keeler: Cale Makar is primed for Colorado Avs’ Stanley Cup run? Then you can kiss plucky Kraken goodbye.

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:37:17 GMT

Keeler: Cale Makar is primed for Colorado Avs’ Stanley Cup run? Then you can kiss plucky Kraken goodbye. Cale Makar owns the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs the way Laurence Olivier owned the stage. He owns it the way Hank Williams owned the Grand Ole Opry, the way Flamma owned the Colosseum in Rome.King Cale’s appeared in 16 opening-round games since 2019. He’s won 15 of them. He’s put up 21 points in those games, or 1.31 per tilt. He’s got a plus/minus rating of plus-12.Whether it’s a pass that defies logic or a screamer of a goal that ends a game in overtime, this round is his canvas, his dais. His moment.“I’d say I’m as close (to 100%) as I can be right now,” Makar, Colorado’s all-world defender, told the media scrum Monday at Ball Arena, on the eve of Colorado-Kraken Game 1. “So I’m feeling good. I feel good (Monday). It’s just going to be getting back into the physicality aspect and making sure I’m ready at puck drop.”Looking for a first-round upset, you bloodthirsty NHL rubber-neckers? Best look elsewhere.Oh, sure, th...

Santa Monica area hospital hoping to identify critically ill patient

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:37:17 GMT

Santa Monica area hospital hoping to identify critically ill patient Officials at a Los Angeles area hospital are asking for the public's help to identify a patient who is considered to be critically ill.The patient has been receiving treatment at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica since Sunday after he was found in a car and taken to the hospital by ambulance.The unidentified patient is a man, possibly in his 50s, who is about 6 feet tall and weighs about 340 pounds. (Providence Saint John's Health Center)The unidentified patient is a man, possibly in his 50s, who is about 6 feet tall and weighs about 340 pounds. He has gray hair and brown eyes and no notable markings, including tattoos or scars.Hospital staff say he is currently "unable to participate in his care."Due to disclosure laws, the hospital has not said anything regarding his condition or his diagnosis, other than he is considered to be "critically ill."The hospital has been unsuccessful in locating anyone who could identify the man. Now it's asking for the public's hel...

Latest Athletics’ bad news: All-Star Paul Blackburn has rehab delayed with blister

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:37:17 GMT

Latest Athletics’ bad news: All-Star Paul Blackburn has rehab delayed with blister OAKLAND — At 10 games under .500 with the hope of avoiding their sixth straight losing series, it’s not as if the Athletics show up to the park expecting good things to happen.So perhaps it wasn’t all that surprising Monday night when it was learned right-handed pitcher Paul Blackburn, the A’s lone participant in the 2022 All-Star Game, had a setback in his rehab because of a blister incurred while pitching for Triple-A Las Vegas.“Well, we have another finger issue to talk about,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said before the A’s began a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs at the Coliseum. “He’s got a blister on his middle finger and we’re treating it and hopefully it’s only a few days. But it does put his next start in question.”Of course, that’s the best-case scenario. And “best case” isn’t a scenario that has been seen often with the A’s at 3-13 and having lost each of the...

Pacifica: Suspect sought in indecent exposure incident

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:37:17 GMT

Pacifica: Suspect sought in indecent exposure incident The Pacifica Police Department on Monday, April 17, 2023, released this sketch of a man wanted in connection with an indecent exposure incident on April 7, 2023, in the 1600 block of Oceana Boulevard. PACIFICA – Authorities are searching for a man who allegedly exposed himself earlier this month in Pacifica.The incident occurred around 5:40 p.m. on April 7 in the 1600 block of Oceana Boulevard, near Eureka Drive, the Pacifica Police Department said in a statement Monday.The victim told police she was sitting in her vehicle in a parking lot when the suspect, who was parked next to her, opened his driver’s side door and exposed himself to her.The victim immediately left the area and reported the incident to police 10 minutes later.The suspect was described as a Latino man in his 20s with a slender build, medium complexion, dark-colored hair and dark-colored eyes. He was driving a black, older model four-door sedan.Anyone with information related to the case can contact the police...

Andrew Wiggins to return to starting lineup in Game 2

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:37:17 GMT

Andrew Wiggins to return to starting lineup in Game 2 SACRAMENTO — Andrew Wiggins will return to the starting lineup Monday night for Game 2 of the Warriors’ first-round series against the Kings after coming off the bench in Game 1.For the first time since Feb. 4, Wiggins will start alongside Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney. The five-man unit is one of the best in the league, with the Warriors outscoring opponents by a total of 145 points in the 331 minutes they’ve shared the court this season. Golden State has won eight out of its last 11 games that group has started together. Wiggins came off the bench for the first time in his entire nine-year NBA career for Game 1 on Saturday and played under a minutes restriction as he tested the waters after missing nearly two months of action for a family matter. He played 28 minutes in Saturday’s loss, tallying 17 points, four blocks and three rebounds. His outside shot was shaky — he went 1-for-8 from downtown and missed a go-ahead 3 ...

NBA playoffs live updates: Can Warriors bounce back vs. Kings and avoid 0-2 hole?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:37:17 GMT

NBA playoffs live updates: Can Warriors bounce back vs. Kings and avoid 0-2 hole? To view the live updates on your mobile device click here.GAME 2: Warriors at Kings at Golden1 Center, at 7 p.m. (PT). TV: TNT. Announcers: Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Jim Jackson (color commentary), Jared Greenberg (sideline reporting).ODDS: Warriors -2. OVER/UNDER: 239.5. (Both from Caesar’s Sportsbook.)CURRENT SERIES: Kings lead 1-0. SEASON SERIES: Warriors went 3-1 against the Kings in the regular season. PRIOR PLAYOFF HISTORY: None.In the first-ever all NorCal playoff showdown, the Kings came from behind to beat the Warriors — and now, the dynastic core could face something they’ve never dealt with before.In the eight prior trips to the playoffs that Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson (and Andre Iguodala, too, though he’s currently out) have had for the Warriors, they have never lost the first two games of the series. Yes, that even includes the series that they fell behind 3-1 through four games (Oklahoma City in 2016, Toronto in 2019).The Warriors...

Logan Webb drops 4th straight start as SF Giants let lead slip away vs. Marlins

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:37:17 GMT

Logan Webb drops 4th straight start as SF Giants let lead slip away vs. Marlins MIAMI — Haunted by left-handers all season, the Giants finally got to one Monday. They opened an early lead against the Marlins and Jesus Luzardo, and they had their ace, Logan Webb, on the mound to protect the lead. In a tough-luck seventh inning, it crumbled away.Unlike their two blown leads against the Tigers, this one can be purely pinned on Webb, who held his glove up to his mouth, in all likelihood to obscure obscenities, as a fly ball from pinch-hitter Jorge Soler soared over the center field wall and gave the Marlins what proved to be a decisive 4-3 advantage, sending San Francisco to its fourth straight loss.In his first four starts, Webb is 0-4 with a 4.94 ERA. It is the first time in his career he has lost four consecutive decisions.It appeared that Webb had skirted the worst of a tough-luck situation in the seventh, likely only adding to his frustration.The first two batters of the inning reached base on an infield single and another dribbler that left the bat at 57 mph ...

SF Film Festival highlights Bay Area voices

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:37:17 GMT

SF Film Festival highlights Bay Area voices SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- The San Francisco Film Festival has officially kicked off.From shorts and animation to documentaries on prominent Bay Area figures, organizers said there is something for everyone this year. More than 90 films are featured over the course of 11 days.“This is our 66th year and in that entire history, this is the first time we've done opening night in Oakland and its appropriate for the film we have,” said Anne Lai, SF Film Festival executive director."Stephen Curry: Underrated" premiered at Grand Lake Theatre. The documentary chronicles the basketball star's road to the Golden State Warriors. “It's one of those films where when you walk out of it, you feel 10 feet tall. We want people to feel like they can accomplish their dreams after watching this film,” said Ryan Coogler, producer. More racist Antioch police text messages released by District Attorney “We're known for our international selection but one of the things we've been growing a lot over the past...

Kuwait prince dissolves parliament after court decision

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:37:17 GMT

Kuwait prince dissolves parliament after court decision DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Kuwait’s crown prince has ordered its parliament again dissolved and new elections for the country after a court decision reinstated lawmakers from 2020. Sheikh Meshal Al Ahmed Al Jaber made the announcement Monday in an address to the nation as the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan draws to an end this week. He called the decision the will of the Kuwaiti people, according to the state-run KUNA news agency. Elections were scheduled within the next two months. In March, Kuwait’s Constitutional Court threw out a 2022 election for parliament, citing “discrepancies” in the decree dissolving the 2020 parliament for its ruling. That briefly reinstated the former lawmakers. Kuwait has the freest and most active assembly among the Gulf Arab states, but political power is still largely concentrated in the hands of the ruling Al Sabah family, which appoints the prime minister and Cabinet, and can dissolve the assembly at any time. Meanwhile, p...

Elon Musk says he’ll create ‘TruthGPT’ to counter AI ‘bias’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:37:17 GMT

Elon Musk says he’ll create ‘TruthGPT’ to counter AI ‘bias’ Billionaire Twitter owner Elon Musk is again sounding warning bells on the dangers of artificial intelligence to humanity — and claiming that a popular chatbot has a liberal bias that he plans to counter with his own AI creation.Musk told Fox News host Tucker Carlson in a segment aired Monday night that he plans to create an alternative to the popular AI chatbot ChatGPT that he is calling “TruthGPT,” which will be a “maximum truth-seeking AI that tries to understand the nature of the universe.”The idea, Musk said, is that an AI that wants to understand humanity is less likely to destroy it.Musk also said he’s worried that ChatGPT “is being trained to be politically correct.” In the first of a two-part interview with Carlson, Musk also advocated for the regulation of artificial intelligence, saying he’s a “big fan.” He called AI “more dangerous” than cars or rockets and said it has the potential to destroy humanity. Separately, Musk has incorporated a new business c...