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Mailbag: UCLA and Arizona as bluebloods(?), SMU’s potential, Colorado State’s future, issues for the WCC and MW and more

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 07:00:24 GMT

The Hotline mailbag is published every Friday. Send questions to [email protected] and include ‘mailbag’ in the subject line — or hit me on Twitter: @WilnerHotline.*** Please note: Several topics related to Pac-12 media rights and expansion will be answered separately, in forthcoming articles.(Some questions have been edited for clarity and brevity.)What is it about Arizona’s one national championship that causes people to mistake them for a powerhouse blueblood program? — @scottyrevThe blueblood debate is tricky, but we’re perfectly willing to dive right in.Many UCLA fans, or folks who simply don’t like Arizona, are quick to mock any reference to the Wildcats as a college basketball blueblood.But there isn’t a firm definition of the term, and the Hotline would argue that UCLA’s status as a blueblood program is questionable.If you’re semi-relevant on the national scene for a half-century, are you actually a blueblood?The Bruins hav...

Is Guinness beer really ‘good for you’?

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 07:00:24 GMT

By Lisa Drayer | CNNGuinness, like other Irish stouts, enjoys a seasonal popularity every St. Patrick’s Day. It has also been touted as being “good for you,” at least by its own advertising posters decades ago.But can this creamy, rich and filling beer really be added to a list of healthy beverages? Or is its reputation just good marketing? We researched the beer’s history and talked to brewing experts and break out the good, the not-so-great and the ingenuity of Guinness.The goodThe original Guinness is a type of ale known as stout. It’s made from a grist (grain) that includes a large amount of roasted barley, which gives it its intense burnt flavor and very dark color. And though you wouldn’t rank it as healthful as a vegetable, the stouts in general, as well as other beers, may be justified in at least some of their nutritional bragging rights.According to Charlie Bamforth, distinguished professor emeritus aof brewing sciences at the University...

Malian music stars Amadou & Mariam bring ‘Eclipse’ tour to Bay Area

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 07:00:24 GMT

At its best, music can ease the barriers for empathic experience, imbuing a room full of individuals with a shared consciousness.For the superstar Malian couple Amadou and Mariam, a catalog of incantatory, relentlessly grooving tunes is fuel enough to turn just about any assembly into a writhing celebration. But a decade ago they were looking for a different kind of communion, and set about to create a concert experience that invited audiences into their world.Guitarist and vocalist Amadou Bagayoko and vocalist Mariam Doumbia return to the Bay Area on a tour marking the release of their new live album, “Eclipse,” a project inspired by the 10th anniversary of the much-discussed Manchester International Festival concert where they performed completely in the dark. They won’t be replicating the black-out conditions during their four-night run at the SFJAZZ Center March 16-19 or at Kuumbwa Jazz’s March 20 Rio Theatre show, at least not for the audience.Bagayoko lost his vision at 16, wh...

After conspiracy conviction, reputed Oakland gang member racked up 18 parole violations in three years, feds say

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 07:00:24 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — An East Bay man was sentenced to 33 months in state prison after pleading guilty to possessing a firearm that police found during a traffic stop last year, court records show.Zayonta Casmire, 31, was sentenced March 9 by U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley. Casmire pleaded guilty in November to being a felon in possession of a firearm, a federal offense that carries up to 15 years in prison. He was indicted in August 2022, two months after San Francisco police say they found a gun in his car during a traffic stop.Casmire was paroled in 2019 from a 15-year state prison term for conspiracy to commit attempted murder. From his release date to the June arrest, he racked up 18 parole violations, prosecutors said in court records.Casmire was part of a major 2013 prosecution targeting an Oakland-based gang, and in 2016 pleaded no contest to the conspiracy charge in exchange for the 15-year prison term. The case was based on a wiretap that allegedly captured pl...

Elizabeth Holmes court updates: Holmes arrives in federal court

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 07:00:24 GMT

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) -- The disgraced Silicon Valley entrepreneur is back in court Friday. A federal judge is slated to make a ruling over how much restitution she must pay her victims. Elizabeth Holmes, 38, of Woodside, defrauded sophisticated investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars through Theranos. Judge to rule on Elizabeth Holmes’ restitution, freedom U.S. District Judge Edward Davila sentenced Holmes to serve 11 years in prison and she is scheduled to report to prison next month. Friday will mark Holmes’ first court appearance as a mother of two. She recently gave birth to her second child. The baby’s father is Holmes’ current boyfriend, millionaire Billy Evans, who accompanies her for every court appearance.In court documents filed recently by her attorneys, Holmes cited her newborn baby as a reason why she should be allowed to delay when she reports to prison. Holmes argues that she deserves to remain free while appealing her conviction, a legal process that co...

Gun discharged in fight aboard BART train

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 07:00:24 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- An argument between two men on an SFO-bound BART train approaching Embarcadero Station on Thursday night resulted in a gun being discharged aboard the train, BART police said. The incident occurred just before 10 p.m. Thursday. Oakland PD warns residents as burglaries involve suspects disguised as Amazon workers During the argument, one man produced a handgun and pistol whipped the other man. It was at that point that the gun went off. The bullet grazed the other man's head.The approaching train was intercepted by officers, but they were unable to locate the suspect of the victim, according to BART police. Surveillance video was pulled to determine what occurred. A man believed to be the victim was located by the San Francisco Police Department at 10:45 p.m. at 16th Street Station. He was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.The suspect has not been located. BART police say the incident is under investigation.

McMahon’s maturity has Buckeyes optimistic in March Madness

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 07:00:24 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Cotie McMahon couldn’t wait to get to Ohio State, so much so that she graduated from high school early so she could acclimate to college life quickly.That precociousness also tested McMahon’s patience. The talented 6-foot forward watched Ohio State’s run to the Sweet 16 on television a year ago.Her viewpoint will be different Saturday when the third-seeded Buckeyes (25-7) face 14th seed James Madison (26-7) in the opening round. Sixth-seeded North Carolina (21-10) takes on 11th-seeded St. John’s (23-8) in the other game at the Schottenstein Center.McMahon is a vital cog on a team that believes two-plus months excelling in arguably the nation’s best conference in the Big Ten has prepared it for what Ohio State hopes is a long stay in the tournament.“This team has got a certain amount of grit to them,” coach Kevin McGruff said. “You know, we’ve been in some tough situations, but we always keep fighting and figure out a way to come ba...

Brun leads in South Africa as 2nd round hit by high winds

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 07:00:24 GMT

ST. FRANCIS BAY, South Africa (AP) — Julien Brun took the lead at the SDC Championship on 8 under par before high winds forced the second round to be suspended on Friday.The Frenchman carded a 5-under 67 on the St. Francis Links course but most of the afternoon’s play was lost because of the weather on South Africa’s notoriously blustery south coast.Brun was ahead by a shot from Jens Dantorp, Albert Venter and Matthew Baldwin, who were also early starters and able to complete their second rounds.Overnight co-leaders David Ravetto and Kristian Krogh Johannessen were three shots off the lead on 5 under but yet to finish their second rounds, which they’ll have to do early Saturday.Sweden’s Dantorp produced the round of the day and the best of the tournament so far with his 63. He collected 10 birdies, five going out and five coming home, in a superb display after bogeying his first hole.The SDC Championship in the vacation town of St. Francis Bay is making its d...

Wolff accepts ‘reality’ that Mercedes F1 car is off the pace

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 07:00:24 GMT

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff accepts the “reality” that their Formula One car is not good enough to challenge their main rivals this season.At least he knows where the W14’s faults lie.“We understand, crystal clear,” Wolff said on Friday at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. “There are no miracles in this sport . . . I don’t think we can beat the teams in front of us, that’s the reality.”Wolff’s comments came a day after seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton said Mercedes was so far off the pace that he would need three teams to fall out of a race just for him to have a chance to win.Red Bull dominated the season-opener in Bahrain two weeks ago with a 1-2 finish from two-time defending world champion Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.Fernando Alonso finished a surprising third for Aston Martin and Carlos Sainz Jr. was fourth for Ferrari.Hamilton was 51 seconds behind Verstappen in fifth, and teammate George Russell was 56 seconds back in seventh. Both placings would...

Seahawks sign former 1st rounder Devin Bush to 1-year deal

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 07:00:24 GMT

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks signed linebacker Devin Bush on Friday, inking the former first-round pick to a one-year deal and potentially filling a major void on Seattle’s defense. Bush, 24, was the No. 10 overall pick in the 2019 draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers and had a standout rookie season where he had a career-high 109 tackles and was third in defensive rookie of the year voting. But Bush suffered a torn ACL during the 2020 season and has struggled to rediscover the form from his rookie season. Last season, Bush appeared in 17 games and started 14. He had 81 tackles and played 62% of the defensive snaps for the Steelers. He’ll immediately be in consideration for a starting role with Seattle. The Seahawks will start next season without starting linebacker Jordyn Brooks after he suffered a torn ACL late last season. Fellow starter Cody Barton signed with Washington at the start of free agency this week. Even with the signing of Bush, additional options at lineback...