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Lucas: Frank Bellotti could show today’s pols how it’s done

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:11 GMT

Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll ought to convene a council of former lieutenant governors.And she could do no better than by honoring legendary Frank Bellotti as the chairman.The former three-term attorney general—and onetime lieutenant governor—will be 100 years old May 3.Driscoll could not only capitalize on the experiences of Bellotti and other former lieutenant governors, but be guided on how she should conduct the office in the future.It is a tricky office, as those who have held it know.  Officially its duties consist of presiding over the Governor’s Council when the governor does not, and becoming acting governor when the governor is out of state or vacates the office.Often you are at the mercy of the governor who, hopefully, gives you something to do.And while Bellotti’s perseverance to reach the century mark is remarkable, his perseverance to survive and excel in politics was remarkable as well.  He would not go away and wore everybody down until they had to say yes. Today’s politici...

Mets closer Edwin Diaz carried off field after suffering knee injury celebrating World Baseball Classic win

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:11 GMT

This could be a nightmare for the Mets.Mets closer Edwin Diaz suffered a knee injury on the field immediately after Team Puerto Rico upset Dominican Republic, 5-2, in the World Baseball Classic on Wednesday night.Diaz, who struck out the side to help his team advance to the quarterfinals, was swarmed by teammates ready to celebrate the upset victory over a loaded Dominican Republic squad.The celebration quickly ended as the Puerto Rican team frantically waved for assistance, with Diaz sitting on the field with his right leg extended.Players on both teams looked on as the closer shed tears and waited for assistance. Mets teammate and Puerto Rico shortstop Francisco Lindor stood nearby with his hands on his head.Alexis Diaz, Edwin’s brother and teammate, was seen shedding tears as the closer was taken off the field in a wheelchair.The 28-year-old All-Star signed a five-year, $102 million contract with the Mets in November, making him the richest reliever in baseball history.This...

Music, dance & more on tap for St. Patrick’s Day in Boston

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:11 GMT

Fiddles! Jigs! Songs about losing wooden legs!St. Patrick’s Day comes with loads of music. And – outside of Ireland – there’s no better place to hear that music than in Boston this weekend. Traditional to unhinged, intimate to awesomely overwhelming, the sonic scene will be bursting with Irish or Irish-adjacent acts of all stripes and colors. Sorry, make that all stripes and one color: green.A St. Patrick’s Day Celtic SojournNow through March 19, various locations and onlineGBH’s Brian O’Donovan is facing cancer but, with luck and good medicine, will hopefully be able to play host for some of his annual St. Patrick’s Day Celtic Sojourn run. And what a run it will be. Celebrating Celtic artistic traditions from music to dance, these shows will feature singer and flute player Nuala Kennedy, Uilleann piper Joey Abarta, guitarist and vocalist Eamon O’Leary, Irish fiddler champ Kevin Burke, Boston native and fiddler Katie McNally, and more. Celticsojournlive.comDropkick MurphysMarch 16 &...

Editorial: Romney is right – GOP is not out to cut Social Security

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:11 GMT

When it comes to the political narrative, Democrats control the ball.With an able assist from mainstream media allies, the Biden Administration is presented as solidly on track to better the lives of American families and ensure a bright, carbon-free future for the country. Spending trillions is great for the economy, and the ensuing inflation was Putin’s fault, really.Those who disagree or question the script are wrong, revisionist and greedy capitalists. In Democratic shorthand: Republicans.Every narrative needs a villain, and the progressives in charge trot out the GOP whenever they need to cast some deflective blame.Now the focus is on Social Security, and while the Congressional panel addressing the fund’s fiscal viability going forward is bipartisan, Democrats have framed the issue as “Republicans want to cut Social Security.”Never mind that profligate spending has spiked the national debt, a financial albatross around the neck of future government fund...

Cornerback Nik Needham returning to Dolphins as he rehabs torn Achilles

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:11 GMT

The journey for Nik Needham, which started as an undrafted rookie that made the Dolphins’ roster in 2019, will continue in Miami.The Dolphins agreed to terms with Needham on a one-year contract worth just under $2 million, according to NFL Network late Wednesday night.Needham, who is rehabbing a torn Achilles that cut his 2022 season short, remains with the team where he has made his mark over four NFL seasons. He has six career interceptions — two each in his first three seasons and one for a touchdown on “Monday Night Football” in New Orleans in 2021 — 192 tackles, three sacks and 25 pass deflections.Needham, since going undrafted out of Texas-El Paso and making the team in ex-coach Brian Flores’ first season at the helm, has been a valued member of the secondary who can play cornerback in the slot or on the boundary.His Achilles tear cut his season short in the Oct. 16 loss to the Minnesota Vikings last year.“Nik Needham is in good spirit...

Family of former NFL player Stanley Wilson Jr. files lawsuit alleging he died from excessive force

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:11 GMT

The family of Stanley Wilson Jr. claims in a new lawsuit there is evidence the former Detroit Lions cornerback may have died from excessive force.The lawsuit comes over a month after Wilson collapsed and died while being transferred from a Los Angeles jail to a mental hospital.Photos of Wilson’s body show “fresh wounds to his forehead, which appear to have been caused by a shoe,” People quoted family attorney John Carpenter as saying at a Tuesday press conference.Pictures of the athlete’s wrists showed he may have also been in handcuffs when he collapsed at Twin Towers Correctional Facility on Feb. 1, the lawyer said.Wilson had been held at the correctional facility since an arrest in August 2022 for allegedly breaking into $30 million Hollywood Hills mansion for the second time and causing upwards of $5,000 in damage, according to TMZ.Carpenter claims the event may have been a result of Wilson suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a degene...

Get your Bruins fan game on in these Boston hotspots

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:11 GMT

Boston has long been a city of sports champions. Pick any year, and at least one of our teams is in contention. Right now, all eyes are on the Boston Bruins, who started the season with questions (Caesar’s Sportsbook gave them 25-1 odds to win the Stanley Cup), only to close in on what could be an historic season that has already broken long-standing records. They just have to get over their Midwest slump.While you can score tickets to games now and into the post season, you can also find other ways to revel in fandom. Consider these fun activities to soak in the excitement of the hometown team.Revisit history: The Boston Bruins celebrate 100 years of competitive hockey next year, and dominated for decades since the team’s start (they won the first Stanley Cup to feature two American teams in 1929). From those early years to the storied 1970’s Bobby Orr era and more, you can get close up to it all at The Sports Museum at TD Garden.You don’t have to be attending the game ...

King: A day to celebrate Irish exceptionalism

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:11 GMT

The Irish punch above their weight. That is why worldwide, on March 17, people who don’t have a platelet of Irish blood and who have never thought of visiting the island of Ireland joyously celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.That day may or may not have been when St. Patrick, Ireland’s patron saint, died in the 5th century.The fact is, very little is known about St. Patrick. The broad outline is that he was born in Roman Britain, kidnapped by pirates as a child and taken to Ireland as a slave. He escaped, returned to Ireland as a Christian missionary and became a bishop.To be sure, in the Emerald Isle truth can be augmented with folklore, mysticism, and the great love of a good story.Hence devout Ireland can also believe in fairies and leprechauns, or little people, to this day. Both are quite real to some in Ireland, although, unlike the festival of St. Patrick, they don’t seem to have crossed the Atlantic, or even the Irish Sea, except in movies.When horseback riding with my wife on an a...

Ravens trade starting safety Chuck Clark to New York Jets in cap-clearing move

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:11 GMT

The Ravens made their first move to clear salary cap space, agreeing to trade durable safety Chuck Clark to the New York Jets for an undisclosed draft pick, the team announced Wednesday.The move, which ESPN and NFL Network reported is for a 2024 seventh-round selection, saves the Ravens about $4.1 million on their 2023 salary cap. Baltimore needed to clear about $9 million by Wednesday to comply with the cap, and Clark, 27, was entering the last year of his deal.The 2017 sixth-round pick out of Virginia Tech became a starter in 2019 and played almost every defensive snap each of the past three seasons. He made 101 tackles, defended four passes and forced a fumble for a pass defense that ranked 11th in Football Outsiders’ DVOA in 2022.Clark was unhappy when the Ravens signed Marcus Williams in free agency last offseason then used a first-round draft pick on Kyle Hamilton. But coaches praised his professionalism in the wake of those moves, and he ultimately started beside Willia...

Chicago Bulls face a rough final stretch — 15 matchups in 26 days — to earn a postseason spot: ‘Every game is important’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:11 GMT

For the last week, the Chicago Bulls have posted the Eastern Conference standings on the board in their locker room. It’s a prominent focal point for a team that barely controls its destiny.The Bulls are teetering on the edge of contention for the last spot in the play-in tournament, sitting 11th in the Eastern Conference after spending recent weeks bobbing between the 10th and 12th slots. The final brutal stretch of the season — 15 games in 26 days entering Wednesday — will be decided by the ninth-hardest schedule in the league as the Bulls face teams with an average winning percentage of .518.And unless the Bulls win all 15 games, their playoff hopes would at least be partially decided by the teams surrounding them in the standings.“They know exactly where we’re at, what’s going on,” coach Billy Donovan said. “But we can’t be a group of guys that sits there and looks at the scoreboard all the time, wanting help from somebody el...