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The great home run mystery of 2015-17 has been solved. Maybe. Yesterday, former FiveThirtyEight writer Ben Lindbergh and prominent sabermetrician Mitchel Lichtman published a piece at the Ringer with evidence showing that alterations to the ball might partially explain the spike in home runs over the past two seasons. By physically testing the balls, they found that in addition to changes that make the ball come off the bat faster,…

Ivanka Trump, preppy in sunglasses and all-white dress, posed for selfies with lawmakers in the Republican dugout. The O’Jays’ “Love Train” ( “People all over the world, join hands . . . start a love train”) blared through the ballpark speakers. And Greg Rudder of Harrisburg, Pa., who was leading a group of teenagers on a visit to the District, sported a purple, glittered ribbon — a color that evoked Louisiana State University and…

x Embed x Share CLOSE Lawmakers will continue their congressional baseball game tradition despite the shooting that wounded 5 people, including House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, during the Republican team’s practice. Security will be especially tight. USA TODAY A view of the baseball field where Republicans were practicing Wednesday morning when a shooting took place.(Photo: Brendan Smialowski, AFP/Getty Images) Our nation is not easily shocked anymore, inured to repeated reports…

Find “Cars 3” times in your area by clicking here. Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series rookie Daniel Suarez breaks into a wide smile when talking about his work with the Disney-Pixar movie “Cars 3,” which debuts nationwide this weekend. “I saw the movie already and it was a very good experience to be a part of this new project in my life,’” said Suarez, whose character in the movie is…

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The revelation came as the current chairman of British Cycling, Jonathan Browning, and the president of the International Cycling Union, Brian Cookson – who was president of the national federation until 2013 – both faced calls to stand down from influential Damian Collins MP, who is standing for re-election as chairman of the Culture, Media and Sport select committee. Lawyers for Jess Varnish, the track sprinter whose allegations of bullying…

If the 2016 summer games in Rio de Janeiro were any indication of what to expect in 2020, city officials in Tokyo have their hands full preparing for the upcoming Olympic games. Some 500,000 foreigners traveled to Rio, purchasing the 7.5 million tickets. Accommodating this massive surge of attendees and providing transportation throughout the city proved no easy task. Preparing a city for the Olympic games often requires updating existing…

Only a rookie in the NASCAR Cup Series, Daniel Suárez is focused on the future – in terms of his career, his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing team and the sport overall. So when it comes to NASCAR’s fans – with fluctuating TV ratings and declining race attendance over the years – Suárez remains focused on recruiting kids to the sport. Whether he’ll influence them to pursue a career behind…

Andy Gonzalo always knows when the Nationals are playing. Even if he didn’t have a schedule pinned in his office, the number of visitors to his parish on particular days is always a giveaway. Located less than a mile away from Nationals Park, St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church typically enjoys its busiest audience when the home team is scheduled to play.  For the past week, Gonzalo had been reflecting…

The shooting at the Republican baseball team practice Wednesday morning left Washington lawmakers stunned and saddened. But they decided it won’t stop Thursday night’s Congressional Baseball Game, an annual bipartisan charity event at Nationals Park. At a news conference Wednesday afternoon, Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), the Republican team manager who was at the morning practice with his 10-year-old son (he hid under an SUV during the gunfire), said, “We’re united…

Law enforcement officials worked Thursday to piece together the final nomadic months of the shooter whose anger toward President Trump apparently erupted in a rage of gunfire that left House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and four others wounded at an Alexandria baseball field. The FBI announced Thursday that the gunman, James T. Hodgkinson, purchased the two firearms he used in Wednesday’s assault from licensed gun dealers. The weapons, a…

Buy Photo PRP’s Noah McDonald (2) was greeted by teammate Reed Blaszczyk (11) after McDonald scored against Franklin-Simpson during the KHSAA State Baseball Tournament. June 9, 2017(Photo: Sam Upshaw Jr./C-J)Buy Photo WHITAKER BANK/KHSAA STATE BASEBALL TOURNAMENT Where: Whitaker Bank Ballpark; Lexington, Kentucky. Tickets: $14 in home-plate area, $10 general admission.  Parking: $3. Friday’s semifinals: Simon Kenton (26-15) vs. Marion County (28-6), 11 a.m.; McCracken County (34-5) vs. Pleasure Ridge Park…

x Embed x Share CLOSE Lawmakers will continue their congressional baseball game tradition despite the shooting that wounded 5 people, including House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, during the Republican team’s practice. Security will be especially tight. USA TODAY Former Los Angeles Dodgers Steve Garvey leading Republican members of Congress for a moment of reflection before the start of the June 15 Congressional Baseball game.(Photo: Jack Gruber, USA TODAY) WASHINGTON — Republicans…

The card game bridge is hardly the most physically strenuous of activities. But according to a judgment by one of the European court of justice’s most senior lawyers, the game should be considered a sport – for tax purposes at least. The recommendation is the latest salvo in a longrunning legal case brought by the English Bridge Union (EBU), which argues that entry fees for its tournaments should be exempt…

Find “Cars 3” times in your area by clicking here. Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series rookie Daniel Suarez breaks into a wide smile when talking about his work with the Disney-Pixar movie “Cars 3,” which debuts nationwide this weekend. “I saw the movie already and it was a very good experience to be a part of this new project in my life,’” said Suarez, whose character in the movie is…

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Professional hockey will return to Portland for the 2018-19 season. Comcast Spectacor, the parent company of the Philadelphia Flyers, announced Thursday the purchase of an ECHL franchise in Alaska that will be relocated to Cross Insurance Arena. Comcast Spectacor is also the parent company of Spectra, the management firm contracted to run the arena, which has been without a major tenant since the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League…

Rep. Steve Scalise underwent surgery this morning, his third procedure since suffering severe injuries Wednesday when a gunman opened fire on Republicans practicing for a congressional baseball game, sources told ABC News. The House majority whip and Louisiana Republican was rushed to a Washington trauma center Wednesday with fractured bones and internal organ damage, according to hospital officials, and was listed in critical condition. Three others, including a Capitol Police…

<!– Reps. Joe L. Barton of Texas, left, and Patrick Meehan of Pennsylvania make their way to a meeting in the Capitol after the shooting at the Republicans’ baseball practice in Alexandria, Va., on Wednesday. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call) –> Updated 1:36 p.m. | Tickets to Thursday’s 56th annual Congressional Baseball Game were selling at a rate of 500 per hour, the morning after a gunman opened fire at the Republican…