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rich9. ph Robert Kraft needs to take a long, hard look at his football team

CLEVELAND, Ohio — There hasn’t been a whole lot of movement on the free agent market as teams continue to court outfielder Juan Soto, who helped end the Guardians season as a member of the Yankees. Soto has reportedly met with the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, Red Sox and Blue Jays to discuss what is expected to be a record-setting contract for a position player. There is speculation that Soto could sign before or at the winter meetings which begin Dec. 8 in Dallas. More Guardians coverage Will Guardians find another diamond in the rough this winter? Hey, Hoynsie! After 41 years covering baseball, Paul Hoynes is knocking on the Hall of Fame’s door – Terry Pluto Guardians announce promotions, hirings in player development department for 2025 Who are The 40 Most Influential People in Cleveland Sports when it comes to fan happiness? See our list and how we ranked them. What movement has taken place so far has involved some big-ticket left-handers in Blake Snell and Yusei Kikuchi. Snell (5-3, 3.12, 25 starts) has agreed to terms with the Dodgers on a five-year $182 million deal. Kikuchi (9-10, 4.05, 32 starts) has come to terms with the Angels on a three-year $63 million deal. Last season Snell signed with the Giants in late March and had to re-do spring training, which led to an erratic year. He was not going to make the same mistake this year. Kikuchi started the year with Toronto before being traded to Houston, where he pumped some life into what remained of his season. There are four other free agent left-handers who are drawing considerable interest — Max Fried, Tanner Scott, Sean Manaea and Matthew Boyd. Fried (11-10, 3.25, 29 starts, 174 1/3 innings), Manaea (12-6, 3.47, 32 starts, 181 2/3 innings) and Boyd (2-2, 2.72, eight starts, 39 2/3 innings) are starters. Fried has spent his whole career with Atlanta. Manaea is coming off a career year with the Mets. Boyd, recovering from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, didn’t sign with the Guardians until June 29. He pitched well after five rehab appearances and carried that into the postseason where he allowed one run in 11 2/3 innings over in three starts. Scott is the only reliever among the four. He started the year as Miami’s closer before being traded to San Diego. In 72 appearances, he went 9-6 with a 1.75 ERA and 22 saves. The Guardians have three free agent starters in Boyd, Alex Cobb and Shane Bieber. Manager Stephen Vogt, in the team’s end-of-the-season press conference, said they talked to all three about returning. He said they all expressed an interest in doing so. Bieber is coming off Tommy John surgery and will probably still be rehabbing in the early part of the 2025 season. Cobb is 37 and was hounded by an array of injuries during the year. Boyd, of the three, seemed to be in the best spot to help the Guardians’ shaky rotation in 2025. Boyd is 33 and has been through his share of injuries. The question facing the Guardians is how hard do they push to bring him back? Boyd is said to be drawing plenty of interest on the open market. Plus he’s not positioned to put dent a team’s payroll like Fried or Manaea because his innings were limited because of his injury. The Guardians won the AL Central this year despite fielding one of their weakest rotations in years. They need stablility and outside of Tanner Bibee and durable Ben Lively, it’s hard to see where they’re going to get it with so many questions surrounding the health of Triston McKenzie and Gavin Williams, the inexperience of Joey Cantillo and Logan Allen’s ability to be effective for 30 starts. There is still plenty of time to address the issue, but it’s something that needs attention. Names to remember Right-hander Connor Gillispie , recently non-tendered by the Guardians, has signed a one-year big-league deal with the Braves. Gillispie made his big league debut last season with Cleveland. He posted a 2.25 ERA in eight innings with the Guards. At Class AAA Columbus, he struck out 119 and walked 48 in 113 1/3 innings. Deyvision De Los Santos , who went to spring training with the Guardians as a Rule 5 pick, has been added to Miami’s 40-man roster after hitting .294 (158 for 538) with 40 homers and 120 RBI at three different levels last year for Arizona and Miami. The Guards returned De Los Santos to Arizona at the end of spring training. Oscar Gonzalez, hero of the Guardians’ 2022 postseason , has signed a minor league deal with San Diego. Gonzalez, dropped by the Guardians, spent last season at Triple-A with the Yankees. He hit .294 (84 for 286) with eight homers and 45 for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Lefty Thomas Pannone, a 2013 Cleveland draft pick, has signed a minor league deal with Milwaukee and been invited to big league camp. Pannone, who has appeared in 50 games in the big leagues, was traded to Toronto by Cleveland in 2017 for Joe Smith. The Guardians have assigned Alfonsin Rosario, acquired from the Cubs for Eli Morgan , to Class A Lynchburg. Right-hander Cody Morris, Cleveland’s seventh round pick in 2018, was recently released by the Yankees. He was 6-0 with a 4.03 ERA in 26 games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last season. The Guardians traded him to the Yankee last December for outfielder Estevan Florial, who filed for free agency after the 2024 season.(Bloomberg) — Some hedge fund managers are sounding the alarm on overvalued nuclear power stocks and scaling back exposure after a stunning rally this year. Sydney-based Tribeca Investment Partners and Segra Capital Management in Palm Beach, Florida, are among funds that have recently trimmed bets on nuclear technology developers and utilities. “The concern I have is some of this stuff has rallied hard,” said Guy Keller, a portfolio manager at Tribeca who oversees its long/short Nuclear Energy Opportunities Strategy. As a result, it makes sense to “bring my risk down.” Still, “I would never” build a short position “because you’re one data-center announcement away from blowing yourself up,” Keller said in an interview. Investing in nuclear power emerged as one of the hottest energy themes of the year. The rise of artificial intelligence and the huge data centers required to power it mean the future of nuclear is now firmly tied to the seemingly unstoppable rise of Big Tech. At the same time, more green-oriented investors have started to embrace nuclear as a necessary part of the low-carbon energy transition. Stocks swept up in the wave of enthusiasm include Constellation Energy Corp., which has almost doubled this year amid the revival of its shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear plant, and NuScale Power Corp., whose shares soared more than 800% until hitting a peak in late November. Lisa Audet, founder and chief investment officer of Greenwich, Connecticut-based Tall Trees Capital Management, said she remains “cautious” on small modular reactor developers like Oklo Inc. and NuScale, even after watching the share prices come down. Short interest as a percentage of shares outstanding currently stands at about 17% for Oklo and almost 15% for NuScale, according to IHS Markit data, compared with less than 1% for Constellation Energy. Small modular reactors are intended to be faster and cheaper to bring into service than large-scale plants, though the technology remains in development and the first commercial projects aren’t likely until the 2030s, according to the International Energy Agency. The rest of Wall Street is also turning more wary. A team of JPMorgan Chase & Co. analysts published a 63-page report in October warning of the risk of hype surrounding nuclear stocks, even coining a specific term for the moment: “NucleHype.” Led by Jean-Xavier Hecker, head of ESG and sustainability for EMEA equity research, the report highlighted “inherent challenges” in the sector, including uranium supply-chain constraints and the amount of time it takes to develop nuclear power. Some hedge fund managers are seeing opportunities in other parts of the value chain. A “fragile and fragmented” supply chain for uranium “should lead to positive price pressures for the commodity in 2025,” said Arthur Hyde, a portfolio manager at Segra Capital, which manages $600 million of assets mainly in the nuclear and uranium space. Uranium prices have fallen about a third from their February peak, paring gains for the basket of producers and project developers in the $3.4 billion Global X Uranium ETF to 1.4% this year from almost 38% in 2023. Some mining companies are now oversold, Hyde said. However, nuclear-tech valuations are still “relatively lofty” and “you’re going to need a lot of good news to support those valuations into the new year,” he said. That led Segra Capital to scale back its holdings of US utilities and technology companies in the fourth quarter, and add to its exposure of producers and developers in the US, Canada and Australia. Tribeca’s Keller said most of his fund is tilted toward uranium assets, based partly on a bet that Big Tech will eventually expand its investments into the supply chains needed to power nuclear plants. “It’s not going to be long before they realize that they need to secure the upstream supply as well,” he said. “And again, it’s just going to take one deal and then all of the others will pile in.” Segra Capital and Tribeca, which has more than A$200 million ($127 million) in the nuclear and uranium sector, are constructive about the incoming Donald Trump administration’s stance on nuclear. “I’m fairly confident that the Trump administration will be—and is—pro-nuclear,” Keller said. —With assistance from Will Wade and John Cheng.NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans police arrested on Friday a man accused of killing two people during a large parade where two separate shootings within an hour left two dead and at least 10 wounded. Curtis Gray, 19, faces two counts of second-degree murder tied to the Nov. 17 shootings along a crowded parade route, according to a news release from the New Orleans Police Department. Gray allegedly fatally shot Rasean Carter, 21, and Malachi Jackson, 19, at the Almonaster Avenue Bridge, authorities say. Carter, an aspiring photographer who lived in Marrero just across the Mississippi River from New Orleans, had planned to document the Nine Times Social Aid & Pleasure Club's annual outing and was accompanied by Jackson, his friend and uncle, Nola.com reported. The parade was part of New Orleans' long-running tradition of “second-lines” where revelers follow brass bands marching through the streets and has deep ties to the city's Black culture. The deaths of Carter and Jackson were among a series of recent lethal shootings in New Orleans. While most violence has been on the decline in the city since mid-2023 , there were three people killed and eight wounded in six shootings over the past weekend according to Nola.com . On Thursday, New Orleans police arrested two men, Darrell Fairley Jr., 18, and Cornelius G. Tillman, 19, in connection with a Nov. 30 double homicide in New Orleans East.

New Orleans Police Arrest Man Accused of Killing Paradegoers During Multiple Mass ShootingsSEOUL, South Korea — South Korean lawmakers impeached acting president Han Duck-soo on Friday, sinking the country even deeper into political crisis two weeks after his predecessor was suspended over a martial law declaration that shocked the world. Han, a career bureaucrat who was serving as prime minister, took over from President Yoon Suk Yeol on December 14 after parliament voted to impeach him on allegations of insurrection. Opposition MPs have now also stripped Han of his duties, arguing that he refused demands to complete Yoon’s impeachment process and to bring him to justice. “I announce that Prime Minister Han Duck-soo’s impeachment motion has passed. Out of the 192 lawmakers who voted, 192 voted to impeach,” said National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik. READ MORE: Democracies across the globe are at a crossroads South Korea’s opposition move to impeach President Yoon What we know about South Korea’s martial law Lawmakers from the ruling People’s Power Party (PPP) loudly protested in parliament after the speaker said only a simple majority was required for impeachment to pass, instead of the two-thirds required to remove Yoon. PPP lawmakers began chanting angrily, with many rushing towards Woo, demanding that he resign. They did not take part in the vote. In addition to being the second impeachment of a head of state in just two weeks, Friday’s vote was also South Korea’s first impeachment of an acting president. PPP leader Kweon Seong-dong said after the vote that Han “must continue to lead state affairs without yielding to the opposition’s passage of the impeachment motion”. However, Han said in a statement that he “respects the parliament’s decision” and would wait for the Constitutional Court’s subsequent decision on whether to uphold it. Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, who is now stepping into the roles of both acting president and prime minister, pledged to do all he can to end the political upheaval gripping his country. “Minimising governmental turmoil is of utmost importance at this moment,” Choi said in an address shortly after his appointment as acting leader, adding that “the government will also dedicate all its efforts to overcoming this period of turmoil.” Amid the ongoing crisis, South Korea’s won touched a 16-year low against the US dollar on Friday, faring worse than in the immediate aftermath of Yoon’s martial law declaration, which sent the currency sliding to a two-year low against the greenback. Seoul’s stocks also tumbled, with the KOSPI Index closing down by 1.02 percent on Friday. At the heart of the backlash against Han was his refusal to appoint additional judges to the Constitutional Court, which will decide whether to uphold parliament’s decision to impeach Yoon, and now Han as well. The court is currently short of three judges. While it can go ahead with its six members on the bench, a single dissenting vote would reinstate Yoon. The opposition wanted Han to approve three more nominees to fill the nine-member bench, which he had refused to do, leaving both sides in deadlock. Han’s refusal to formally appoint more judges “revealed his true colours”, said Democratic Party lawmaker Jo Seoung-lae. The refusal “is a direct challenge to the Constitution and the law”, said Jo. The opposition said in its impeachment motion that Han was “intentionally avoiding the special investigation to probe those involved in the insurrection and has clearly stated his intention to reject the appointments of three Constitutional Court judges”. Such actions, it said, were “in violation of a public official’s duty to uphold the law... and serve the public”. Han had said he wanted his PPP and the opposition to reach a compromise on the nominees. “The consistent principle embedded in our constitution and laws is to refrain from exercising significant exclusive presidential powers, including the appointment of constitutional institutions,” Han argued. “A consensus between the ruling and opposition parties in the National Assembly, representing the people, must first be reached,” the 75-year-old said. The Constitutional Court held its first preliminary hearing on the validity of Yoon’s impeachment on Friday despite the latest controversy, with the suspended president’s legal team attending. Separately, police said they had begun a raid on a presidential safe house and were collecting footage from nearby security cameras as part of the martial law probe.

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Former National MP Nikki Kaye dies

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has cooled injury fears around Bukayo Saka and Riccardo Calafiori , but admitted he was forced to take Gabriel off against West Ham. Gabriel, who opened the scoring in Arsenal’s eventful 5-2 win over at the Hammers on Saturday evening, was substituted at half-time at the London Stadium as Jakub Kiwior came on in his place. It was the second game in a row in which the defender was forced off, having also been substituted late on in the 5-1 Champions League win at Sporting CP on Tuesday night. Arteta confirmed it was the same issue that meant Gabriel - who also won Arsenal’s second penalty before half-time on Saturday after being fouled by West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski - had to be withdrawn again, but Arsenal will hope it is nothing serious as they prepare to host Manchester United next in the Premier League on Wednesday night. “It was related to the previous injury he had in Lisbon,” said Arteta. “He did great to be a part of that. With that result and the state he is feeling, we decided to take him off.” Calafiori and Saka also both came off during Arsenal’s thumping win at West Ham, likewise Martin Odegaard who stayed down briefly after an earlier challenge from Max Kilman. Saka was substituted with 16 minutes to go having earlier needed treatment after being hurt during a collision with Emerson following a shot, but Arteta said afterwards: “He’s fine.” There was more concern over Calafiori, who was forced to come off before the hour mark in east London. The Italian has battled with injuries this season, most recently a knee problem picked up in October, and Arteta hinted this latest move was a precaution. “Well, he’s been dealing with little niggles in the last few weeks. Obviously, he’s had a very serious knee injury and he’s doing really well, but we have to manage his minutes,” said Arteta. “Today we have to do the same.” Arsenal were without midfielders Thomas Partey (muscle) and Mikel Merino (knee) against West Ham due to new injuries, while Arteta revealed that youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly also sustained an issue on Friday, with fellow defenders Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu already out. “We had an issue with Gabby and then an issue with Ricci as well,” Arteta said. “Obviously yesterday we lost Thomas and Mikel and Myles, which was very bad news but what I am really happy about is Jakub has to come in, he does really well. Alex [Zinchenko] the same, Jorginho I think he was exceptional. “That’s the level. Every three days we’re going to need everyone at their best and it’s a good sign the team can do that.” The Gunners were in fine form against West Ham, scoring five goals for the second match in a row this week. The win moves them up to second in the Premier League table, six points off leaders Liverpool - who host Manchester City on Sunday. “We are in a great moment right now, but in football be on your toes and prepare the best possible way for tomorrow,” said Arteta. “Because it is so competitive this league, the opposition that we’re playing every three days, that’s the only thing that you can do. We can analyse a lot of things to improve today, again tomorrow. “We’ve got some momentum. I think we have some flow back, a real determination. Winning consecutive matches against three opponents is great and we’re going to enjoy tonight and watch a beautiful game of football tomorrow.”

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has cooled injury fears around Bukayo Saka and Riccardo Calafiori , but admitted he was forced to take Gabriel off against West Ham. Gabriel, who opened the scoring in Arsenal’s eventful 5-2 win over at the Hammers on Saturday evening, was substituted at half-time at the London Stadium as Jakub Kiwior came on in his place. It was the second game in a row in which the defender was forced off, having also been substituted late on in the 5-1 Champions League win at Sporting CP on Tuesday night. Arteta confirmed it was the same issue that meant Gabriel - who also won Arsenal’s second penalty before half-time on Saturday after being fouled by West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski - had to be withdrawn again, but Arsenal will hope it is nothing serious as they prepare to host Manchester United next in the Premier League on Wednesday night. “It was related to the previous injury he had in Lisbon,” said Arteta. “He did great to be a part of that. With that result and the state he is feeling, we decided to take him off.” Calafiori and Saka also both came off during Arsenal’s thumping win at West Ham, likewise Martin Odegaard who stayed down briefly after an earlier challenge from Max Kilman. Saka was substituted with 16 minutes to go having earlier needed treatment after being hurt during a collision with Emerson following a shot, but Arteta said afterwards: “He’s fine.” There was more concern over Calafiori, who was forced to come off before the hour mark in east London. The Italian has battled with injuries this season, most recently a knee problem picked up in October, and Arteta hinted this latest move was a precaution. “Well, he’s been dealing with little niggles in the last few weeks. Obviously, he’s had a very serious knee injury and he’s doing really well, but we have to manage his minutes,” said Arteta. “Today we have to do the same.” Arsenal were without midfielders Thomas Partey (muscle) and Mikel Merino (knee) against West Ham due to new injuries, while Arteta revealed that youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly also sustained an issue on Friday, with fellow defenders Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu already out. “We had an issue with Gabby and then an issue with Ricci as well,” Arteta said. “Obviously yesterday we lost Thomas and Mikel and Myles, which was very bad news but what I am really happy about is Jakub has to come in, he does really well. Alex [Zinchenko] the same, Jorginho I think he was exceptional. “That’s the level. Every three days we’re going to need everyone at their best and it’s a good sign the team can do that.” The Gunners were in fine form against West Ham, scoring five goals for the second match in a row this week. The win moves them up to second in the Premier League table, six points off leaders Liverpool - who host Manchester City on Sunday. “We are in a great moment right now, but in football be on your toes and prepare the best possible way for tomorrow,” said Arteta. “Because it is so competitive this league, the opposition that we’re playing every three days, that’s the only thing that you can do. We can analyse a lot of things to improve today, again tomorrow. “We’ve got some momentum. I think we have some flow back, a real determination. Winning consecutive matches against three opponents is great and we’re going to enjoy tonight and watch a beautiful game of football tomorrow.”