Friday could be D-Day in MLB drug investigation

NEW YORK (AP) ? Friday could be D-day for Major League Baseball's drug investigation.

Deliberations over suspensions in the Biogenesis case could stretch out for the rest of this week and delay announcements, two people familiar with the talks said Tuesday.

It appeared several of the dozen or so targeted players were likely to reach agreements on their penalties and avoid grievance hearings, one of the people said Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity because no statements were authorized.

Both said MLB hopes to announce the penalties for all players involved at the same time.

Three-time MVP Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees and four 2013 All-Stars ? Texas outfielder Nelson Cruz, San Diego shortstop Everth Cabrera, Detroit shortstop Jhonny Peralta and Oakland pitcher Bartolo Colon ? are among the players who have been linked in media reports to Biogenesis. The closed Florida anti-aging clinic was accused by Miami New Times in January of distributing banned performing-enhancing drugs, sparking MLB's investigation.

Others linked in media reports include Toronto outfielder Melky Cabrera, Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli, San Diego catcher Yasmani Grandal and Seattle catcher Jesus Montero.

Melky Cabrera, the 2012 All-Star game MVP while with San Francisco, served a 50-game suspension last year for elevated testosterone, as did Grandal and Colon, the 2005 AL Cy Young Award winner.

Players who don't reach agreements can ask the players' association to file grievances, which would lead to hearings before arbitrator Fredric Horowitz. Discipline for first offenders under the drug agreement usually is not announced until after the penalty is upheld, but there is an exception when the conduct leading to the discipline already has been made public.

In addition, MLB may try to suspend Rodriguez under its collective bargaining agreement instead of its drug rules, which would lead to the suspension starting before the appeal.

Milwaukee outfielder Ryan Braun was the first player to reach an agreement with MLB. The 2011 NL MVP accepted a season-ending 65-game suspension last week. Braun tested positive for elevated testosterone in October 2011 but a 50-game suspension was overturned the following February by an arbitrator who ruled Braun's urine sample was handled improperly.

Rodriguez appears at risk for the harshest penalty. The Yankees are expecting him to be accused of recruiting other athletes for the clinic, attempting to obstruct MLB's investigation, and not being truthful with MLB in the past when he discussed his relationship with Dr. Anthony Galea, who pleaded guilty two years ago to a federal charge of bringing unapproved drugs into the United States from Canada.

"A-Rod was my teammate in New York. I'm glad he was my teammate," retired pitcher Roger Clemens said Tuesday in Boston, where he was at Fenway Park to mark the 25th anniversary of manager Joe Morgan's team that won the 1988 AL East title.

"I did things to make him feel comfortable. I did that for all of my teammates," Clemens said. "I think I was a pretty solid teammate."

The seven-time Cy Young Award winner was acquitted last year of federal charges he lied to Congress when he said he didn't take steroids or human growth hormone.

Clemens would not give his thoughts on MLB's Biogenesis investigation.

"I've got my own feelings on particular people in MLB, you know, how they approached my situation," he said. "I don't know about it, and I don't care about it, to tell you the truth."

___

AP freelance writer Ken Powtak in Boston contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/friday-could-d-day-mlb-drug-investigation-012227607.html

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Five fall focuses for Florida football

In this April 6, 2013 file photo, Florida's Tyler Murphy looks to throw during the Orange and Blue Debut at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville.

GAINESVILLE SUN FILE PHOTO / DOUG FINGER

Published: Wednesday, July 31, 2013 at 7:06 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, July 31, 2013 at 7:06 p.m.

GAINESVILLE - While the rest of campus continues to slumber through the final weeks of summer, it's back to the practice field for the Florida football team, which opens preseason camp Friday.

As is usual with any preseason camp, questions and themes abound for UF with the start of the season now just a month away.

Here are five things the Gators need to get done on the practice field between now and the Aug. 31 opener against Toledo:

1. Groom the No. 2 QB

Before Jeff Driskel ended up on the operating table earlier this week for appendectomy surgery, the No. 1 camp goal at QB probably was to get the No. 2 quarterback (probably junior Tyler Murphy) ready to play just in case he's needed at some point in the season. Now, the goal may be to get the No. 2 guy not just ready to play, but ready to start. Driskel's unexpected surgery could sideline him for the first two weeks of camp, and further illustrates just how fragile (and scary) the situation is at quarterback. Murphy has not thrown a pass in a college game. The other two scholarship players on the roster are a redshirt freshman (Skyler Mornhinweg) and a true freshman (Max Staver). This is going to be a crucial camp at the quarterback position, especially in the first two weeks, when the coaches must get Murphy (or someone else) not just ready to step in, but lead the offense.

2. Settle the situation at linebacker

With starting middle linebacker Antonio Morrison suspended for the first two games of the season, the Gators are going to have to do a little scrambling (and maybe experimenting) at the linebacker positions. The most logical scenario is for Mike Taylor to move from weakside linebacker to the middle, but that could leave a true freshman (Daniel McMillian) to start at the weakside. Another possibility is moving Taylor to the middle, switching Darrin Kitchens from the strongside to the weakside and making Neiron Ball or Ronald Powell the starter on the strongside. The coaches have planned all along to play Powell at the Buck position and outside linebacker. This may be the opportunity to establish Powell as a starter at outside linebacker, which would give the Gators a chance to have Powell and Dante Fowler Jr. on the field at the same time. The bottom line is the coaches are going to have to determine the best combination in camp and go with it.

3. Find a second safety

One of the biggest question marks on defense is at the safety positions, where the Gators must replace last year's starters, Matt Elam and Josh Evans. Cody Riggs, a former starter at cornerback, appears a lock to nail down one of the starting roles. The other appears to be very much up in the air heading into camp. The competition for the other starting job should be fierce between Jabari Gorman, Valdez Showers, Marcus Maye (and maybe even highly rated true freshman Marcell Harris). The leading candidate may be Maye, a redshirt freshman who was a scout-team standout last fall who has received an endorsement from Elam. Maye appears to have some of the same playmaking potential that made Elam a valuable player on defense last season.

4. Define Purifoy's role on ?O?

The coaches clearly want starting cornerback Loucheiz Purifoy to have an impact on offense. That's why Purifoy spent the first half of spring practice working exclusively at wide receiver. Now that they have a pretty good idea what he's capable of doing on offense, Will Muschamp and offensive coordinator Brent Pease need to determine how (and how much) they're going to use Purifoy on offense. He's an explosive athlete who could make plays down the field, but that's not going to change the fact he will remain a starting cornerback, something Muschamp has been adamant about. How much time Purifoy spends on offense may be determined by the growth of UF's young wide receivers. If a few of the young guys show they can consistently make plays, Purifoy's role on offense might be limited. If the Gators come out of camp still searching for playmakers at receiver, Purifoy could play a major role on offense.

5. Name the replacement for Sturgis

It's going to be close to impossible to adequately replace Caleb Sturgis, one of the all-time great place-kickers at UF, but someone is going to have to try and fill the role. It's either going to be senior walk-on Brad Phillips or redshirt freshman Austin Hardin. Phillips has limited experience (he made two-of-three field goal attempts in 2011, including a 43-yarder against Georgia), while Hardin has none. The two were basically dead-even at the end of spring practice and will continue their competition in camp. Muschamp has expressed confidence in both kickers. Phillips may have an edge in consistency, but Hardin has a stronger leg and probably a bigger upside. ESPN rated Hardin the No. 1 kicker in the nation coming out of high school in 2011.

Source: http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20130731/wire/130739919

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Emma Roberts sports bruises after domestic dispute with beau

Emma Roberts stepped out in Beverly Hills sporting bruises on her legs.

Emma Roberts sported scrapes, bruises, and a visible bandage one week after her violent altercation with boyfriend Evan Peters.

The 22-year-old "American Horror Story" actress stepped out in Beverly Hills on Monday wearing short overalls that revealed a constellation of bruises on her thighs and a bandage on her left elbow.

RELATED: EMMA ROBERTS, EVAN PETERS WORKING TO 'MOVE PAST? VIOLENT SPAT

The young starlet, niece of Julia Roberts and daughter of actor Eric Roberts, was booked into a Montreal jail on July 7 after a fight with Peters, 26, turned physical.

Police arrived at a hotel room the couple was sharing after receiving a report of a loud argument in the room.

PHOTOS: BIGGEST CELEBRITY MELTDOWNS

When cops arrived, they found Peters with a bloody nose and a bite mark, TMZ reported.

"Officers on the scene reported light injuries to both people. The female suspect was arrested, but no charges were pressed in court so she was released," a police source confirmed to the Daily News. "it is a closed case at this time."

RELATED: EMMA ROBERTS, EVAN PETERS RELATIONSHIP IS 'EXTREME': FRIEND

"It was an unfortunate incident and misunderstanding," a rep for the couple told Us Weekly. "Ms. Roberts was released after questioning and the couple are working together to move past it."

On Tuesday, when news broke of the incident, Roberts and Peters were spotted hugging outside a studio where "American Horror Story" was filming in New Orleans.

RELATED: EMMA ROBERTS ARRESTED AFTER VIOLENT FIGHT WITH BOYFRIEND

"Their romance is pretty extreme," an insider told Us Weekly. "They just behave in a way that's very passionate."

Source: http://feeds.nydailynews.com/~r/nydnrss/entertainment/~3/XnCv5_ZwQ4A/story01.htm

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Obama wins nominee battle with Senate GOP

The Senate confirmed President Obama?s nominees to head the Labor Department and the Environmental Protection Agency Thursday, clearing the decks of the controversial nominees that had threatened to push the Senate into a parliamentary meltdown just two days ago.

Thomas Perez was confirmed to be Labor Department secretary on a 54-46 party-line vote after having barely survived a GOP filibuster a day earlier. Meanwhile, Gina McCarthy was confirmed to be EPA administrator on a 59-40 vote.

If all Republicans who voted against Mr. Perez had decided to filibuster, they could have blocked his nomination. But thanks to a deal reached on Tuesday, some Republican senators agreed to let the nominees go through in exchange for Democrats agreeing not to use a parliamentary short cut to rewrite the rules and end the chance the minority to filibuster executive branch nominees in the future.

?As we all saw this week, the Senate came together. We talked to each other, we made bipartisan progress, and we were able to reduce the gridlock and approve President Obama?s nominees, and that was a very, very positive step forward for all of us,? said Sen. Patty Murray, Washington Democrat.

Republicans had blocked Ms. McCarthy for months as they sought to force the EPA to agree to more transparency. The agency has been accused of failing to keep electronic records such as emails, and several former officials used private email accounts to conduct agency business.

But while some lawmakers has personal reservations about Ms. McCarthy, a longtime top EPA official, most who voted against her said they were really sending a signal to Mr. Obama to rein in the agency.

?My fight is with President Obama and the EPA, the regulatory agency that has consistently placed unreasonable regulations and unobtainable standards on energy production, rather than focus on efforts to develop a domestic all-of-the-above energy strategy for the future,? said Sen. Joe Manchin III, a Democrat from West Virginia, a coal-producing state where the EPA is often viewed as a hindrance to economic development.

For Republicans, though, Mr. Perez was even more controversial. They accused him of lying, of obstructing a congressional investigation and of putting his ideology ahead of the law in his tenure leading the Justice Department?s civil rights division.

?Based on the evidence, Tom Perez is more than just some left-wing ideologue ? he?s a left-wing ideologue who appears perfectly willing to bend the rules to achieve his ends,? said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Hispanic groups had made the confirmation of Mr. Perez, the son of Dominican immigrants, a top priority, saying he would be a good addition to Mr. Obama?s Cabinet. Now they have turned their attention to the next major opening for the top job at the Homeland Security Department, where Secretary Janet Napolitano is on the way out.

The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials said Mr. Obama should ?act swiftly to ensure his Cabinet is fully representative of the diversity of this great nation by nominating a high-level Latino candidate.?

The Senate has now confirmed four of the seven nominees who Democrats had said must be approved in order to prevent them from using the so-called ?nuclear option,? a parliamentary tactic to change the Senate?s operating rules in mid-session and limit filibusters.

As part of that deal, Mr. Obama has withdrawn two other nominees he made to the National Labor Relations Board, and replaced them with two new NLRB appointments.

The two withdrawn names were controversial because Mr. Obama had used his recess powers to appoint them earlier last year, but federal appeals courts have called those nominees into question, saying the president violated the Constitution in making the appointments.

Source: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jul/18/gina-mccarthy-confirmed-head-epa/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS

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Sqigle's Earl tablet brings Android to the wilderness with e-paper, solar power

Although there's no dearth of rugged tablets, most are still built on the assumption that civilization is close at hand. Sqigle, however, suggests that its upcoming Earl tablet could work even if there's no civilization left. The new, crowdfunded Android 4.1 slate centers on a light-up, 6-inch e-paper screen that both extends the battery life to 20 hours and makes the 5 hours of solar-powered recharging sound reasonable -- theoretically, Earl never needs to see a wall outlet. It's also built to do as much as possible without leaning on either WiFi or a PC. Along with both analog and digital radio, the design should incorporate ANT+ sensor support and preloaded topographical maps. The project isn't ideally timed for outdoorsy types when it's expected to reach backers in the late summer, but the $249 advance price is low enough that it might justify a camping trip in the fall.

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Cosmonauts tackle equipment installation outside space station

By Irene Klotz

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida | Fri Apr 19, 2013 5:56pm EDT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - A pair of Russian cosmonauts wrapped up a 6-1/2 hour spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Friday, the first of up to eight outings this year to install experiments and prepare the orbital outpost for a new module, officials said.

Flight engineers Pavel Vinogradov, 59, a veteran of seven spacewalks and Roman Romanenko, 41, a second-generation cosmonaut on his debut spacewalk, floated outside the station's airlock at 10:03 a.m. EDT/1403 GMT as the station soared 262 miles over the southern Pacific Ocean.

The primary purpose of the 6-1/2 hour excursion was to set up an experiment that monitors plasma waves in Earth's ionosphere, the outer layer of the planet's atmosphere that extends to about 370 miles into space.

Instruments on two boxes attached to handrails on the forward portion of the station's Zvezda module will measure low-frequency electromagnetic radiation, which, among other triggers, has been tied to earthquakes.

At the other end of the Zvezda module, Vinogradov and Romanenko replaced a faulty laser retroreflector that is part of an automated docking system used by the European Space Agency's cargo transports. The next ship is due to launch in June.

Before heading back into the station, the cosmonauts retrieved another experiment designed to study how microbes affect spacecraft structures and whether microbes are affected by solar activity.

The day's only glitch occurred just before the men wrapped up their six-hour, 38-minute spacewalk. Vinogradov lost his grip on a science experiment that was slated to be returned to Earth. It floated away in the gravity-free world of space.

The lost aluminum panel, which measured about 18 inches by 12 inches and weighed about 6.5 pounds (3 kg), had been anchored outside the station to test how various metals wear in the harsh space environment.

It floated off in the direction of the Zvezda module's solar arrays, but engineers determined it did not hit or threaten the station, NASA mission commentator Rob Navias said.

A second panel remains attached to the outside of the station and is slated to be retrieved on a later spacewalk.

"So all is not lost," Navias said. "It was a minor fly in the ointment to what has been a successful spaceflight up that moment."

While his crewmates worked outside, station commander Chris Hadfield, a Canadian astronaut, had the less glamorous task of replacing a pump separator in one of the station's toilets.

Two more spacewalks by Russian cosmonauts are scheduled for June to prepare for the arrival of a Russian laboratory and docking module that is to be launched in December.

The station, which is staffed by rotating crews of six astronauts and cosmonauts, is a $100 billion research outpost owned by the United States and Russia in partnership with Europe, Japan and Canada.

(Editing by Eric Walsh, Kevin Gray and Stacey Joyce)

Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/scienceNews/~3/8z64pQsYsS8/story01.htm

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