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There are only two days left in the first round of All-Star voting and two Astros – second baseman Jose Altuve and designated hitter Yordan Alvarez – are starting to look like locks to advance to phase two of the process, which begins next Tuesday and runs for three days. After the first round of voting, which ends at 1 p.m. Thursday, the top two vote-getters at each position - and top six outfielders - will advance to the second phase with fans choosing among the finalists at each position. Voting, which selects the starting position players in the All-Star Game, is ongoing at MLB.com . Altuve and Alvarez are the leading vote-getters at their positions. Alvarez has 1.37 million votes, which puts him more than 400,000 votes ahead of the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani and more than 850,000 votes ahead of the Blue Jays’ Danny Jansen, making Alvarez all but certain to advance to the next phase of voting. Altuve, who has 1.25 million votes, doesn’t have quite as safe of a lead. He’s more … [Read more...] about Astros’ Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez still on track to be All-Star voting finalists

The made in India Maruti Suzuki S-Presso has been crash tested by Global NCAP under its Safer Cars for Africa programme. The Suzuki S-Presso is exported from India to African markets, and is the one tested. It has scored three stars for adult occupant protection and two stars for child occupant protection. The Maruti Suzuki S-Presso had previously been crash tested by Global NCAP in November 2020. That was also a made-in-India car - but one that was on sale in India. At the time the car had scored zero stars for adult occupant protection and the same for child safety. The S-Presso back then adhered to then Indian legal requirements of just a driver-side airbag. The lack of basic passive safety equipment, as well as an unstable structure had led to its poor showing. Also Read: India-spec Maruti Suzuki S-Presso Gets Zero Stars In Global NCAP Crash Test The S-Presso crash tested by Global NCAP gets dual front airbag and seatbelts with pretensioners as standard across all … [Read more...] about Made-In-India Maruti Suzuki S-Presso Scores Three Stars In Global NCAP Test

After a year of sitting on the bench, John Wall is finally going to get back to playing basketball. The five-time All-Star guard reached an agreement with the Rockets on a buyout of the final year of his contract, and reportedly will sign a deal to join the Los Angeles Clippers. Wall was set to make $47.4 million from the Rockets, but reportedly agreed to accept about $40.9 million instead. Wall will make up that money by signing a deal with the Clippers for about $6.5 million, according to multiple reports . The Rockets acquired Wall and a first-round pick from the Washington Wizards in a trade for Russell Westbrook, who had a similarly overpriced contract, in 2020. Wall had a good first season in Houston, averaging 20.6 points and 6.9 assists in 40 games. However, the team and Wall agreed that it was best for him to sit out last season as the team developed its young guards Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr., and explored trade scenarios involving Wall. Alas, Wall's … [Read more...] about John Wall accepts buyout from Rockets, will sign with Clippers

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 8 STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - Kelsie Whitmore always wanted to play in the major leagues. She did not always want to admit it. "Are you sure?" people would respond, after they asked what she wanted to do. Even at an early age, she knew what they really meant: "You know you can't do that, right?" They would, and still do, tell her how hard she would have to work, as if a girl who played baseball with the boys from the moment she started Little League didn't know that already. She knew they thought she probably couldn't do it. In fairness, they had never seen anyone try. Whitmore was never afraid that that skepticism would make her question whether she belonged. As the first woman to start a game in the Atlantic League, an independent circuit, she had never exactly blended in. But she has stood in the same outfield as former major leaguers, tracking and … [Read more...] about Kelsie Whitmore is the first woman to play in the Atlantic League, and she knows what is possible and what isn’t

Unconventional food pairings are divisive—we all remember the infamous mac and cheese ice cream —but some can pleasantly surprise you by how weirdly they work together. For July 4th weekend, the good folks at Pizaro's Pizza Napoletana are trying to convince Houston diners to try pizza ... with Pop Rocks sprinkled on top. The novelty item is an Independence Day special called the Star Spangled Pizza, whose toppings include mozzarella and ricotta shaped like stars, chorizo and jalapeños. The Pop Rocks are optional, presented on the side in their packet, but as they say: Go big or go home. Pizaro's owner, Nicole Bean, came up with the oddball combination, a first-time offering for the restaurant, which has locations in Montrose and Memorial. "I wanted to create something unique for the Fourth of July," Bean said. "The first things that come to mind: sparklers, fireworks and those old-school poppers you throw on the ground." Bean says the Pizaro's team is always testing the … [Read more...] about This Houston restaurant wants you to try pizza with Pop Rocks for July 4th

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 In "Lost Illusions," an aspiring writer wends his way through a gantlet of sex workers en route to meet a second-rate publisher keeping shop in the red light district of the big city. But this isn't the story of some pulp novelist trying to get his foot in the door of 1970s Times Square. This is 19th-century Paris, as seen in this lively period piece based on Honoré de Balzac's serialized novel of 1837-1843. French director Xavier Giannoli ("Marguerite") honors the spirit of Balzac and the era but makes it clear that, if the 21st century seems like a cesspool of journalistic deceit, plus ça change, as they say in France. The more things change, the more they stay the same. The titular illusions belong to 20-year-old Lucien (Benjamin Voisin), a dashing yet naive poet who's having an affair with a married high-society woman (Cécile de France). Lucien hopes his writing talent will earn … [Read more...] about ‘Lost Illusions’ is Balzac for the 21st century

Listen to this article Norisring is easily the most prestigious round on the DTM calendar, attracting tens of thousands of fans every year for some of the best action in all of German motorsport. At 2.3km, it is also the shortest track of the year, with the pole time expected to be well under the 50s bracket. It is because of the nature of the track that the DTM has elected to split the qualifying into two parts, ensuring all 27 drivers can have a reasonable chance of setting a clean lap. Drivers will be divided into two batches based on championship standings, with those in odd positions going out first on Saturday in Group A followed by the remaining drivers in Group B. Both sessions will last 20 minutes, separated by a five-minute break, and the two groups will remain the same from Saturday to Sunday even if drivers move up and down the championship order. However, in Sunday's qualifying, the drivers in Group B will venture out on track before those in Group A. … [Read more...] about 2022 DTM Norisring: Start time, how to watch and more

If the appeal of the Minions - those banana-yellow, gibberish-spouting rascals first seen in 2010's "Despicable Me" - is wearing thin, give "Minions: The Rise of Gru" credit: After the over-the-top 2015 prequel "Minions," their second spinoff seems to recognize that less is more. Having appeared in four movies, numerous short films and a Universal Studios ride, among myriad other media, the subservient scamps return to playing second fiddle in "The Rise of Gru." By shifting the spotlight to the antihero Gru, who was the focus of the three "Despicable Me" films, this installment at least attempts to combat Minions oversaturation. Packing their shtick into a speedy 87 minutes, returning director Kyle Balda delivers a perfectly painless romp that should enthrall kids, entertain adults and keep Minion cosplayers employed for many a birthday party to come. After the endearingly innocent henchmen spent the first spinoff as nomads in search of a suitable supervillain to serve, we catch … [Read more...] about Minions happily take a back seat in the ’70s-inspired ‘Rise of Gru’

UPDATE: 4:05 P.M. CT At a Tuesday press conference Precinct 1 Bexar County Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores raised the death toll of Monday's immigrant trailer-tractor tragedy to 51, according to a CNN report. As many as 34 of the 51 victims have potentially been identified, Clay-Flores told reporters. Due to the number of casualties the county medical examiner's office has requested help from offices in neighboring counties to aid in processing the deceased. In a Tuesday phone interview with CNN, Homeland Security Investigations San Antonio agent Craig Larrabee described Monday's deaths as "the worst human-smuggling event in the United States." "This sheds light on how dangerous human smuggling is," Larrabee told CNN. --- END OF UPDATE --- As many as 50 migrants were found dead or dying Monday evening near Lackland Air Force Base in southwest San Antonio after law enforcement received calls about a trailer-tractor parked on a stretch of road in the area. … [Read more...] about Officials raise death toll of San Antonio immigrant tractor-trailer tragedy to 51