Latest news with #Bird
The Guardian
11 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Former UK Middle East minister accused of breaching transparency rules in Bahrain advisory role
A former UK Middle East minister has been accused of breaching transparency rules over a paid advisory role with an influential Bahraini centre that has links to the Gulf state's government. The Conservative peer Lord Tariq Ahmad, who denies wrongdoing, was cleared by a watchdog to take up his role as a paid adviser to the King Hamad Global Center for Peaceful Coexistence (KHC). The centre is supervised by Bahrain's ministry of foreign affairs, but the UK's Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) said Ahmad was free to undertake the role – for which the salary has not been disclosed – because he said he 'did not have official dealings/contact with the KHC during [his] time in office.' Documents unearthed by human rights activists appear to show that Ahmad, who served between 2017 and 2025, had official contact with the centre while in office, visiting it at least twice and holding meetings on official trips in 2022 and 2023. The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (Bird) said that Acoba should now review its advice and it has submitted a formal complaint. It also criticised the former minister, who also held the human rights brief, for taking up the role with such a close association to a repressive government. According to the most recent reports from Human Rights Watch, the Bahraini government has in effect silenced political opposition, banned independent media and subjected internal opponents to brutal treatment including torture. In a letter to Ahmad from April, Acoba advised that the risk in Ahmad taking up the role was low. It said: 'You said that you had no involvement in policy development, contractual and/or commercial decisions specific to the KHC. You also said that you did not have official dealings/ contact with the KHC during your time in office. 'You did not have any involvement in decisions specific to the KHC during your time in office. The committee therefore considered the risk this appointment could reasonably be perceived as a reward for decisions made, or actions taken in office, is low.' However, in the complaint submitted to Acoba and seen by the Guardian, Ahmad was photographed at the centre in February 2022 alongside the British ambassador, in his role as the prime minister's special envoy for preventing sexual violence. Two days later, the Bahraini news agency filed a report saying that Ahmad 'praises the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence's programmes in combating hate speech and extremism' and was pictured receiving a trophy box from the deputy chair of the centre. Documents released under a Freedom of Information request confirm that the KHC was on Ahmad's itinerary for an official government visit. In February 2023, Bahraini media reported Ahmad meeting Betsy Mathieson, the vice-chair of the KHC, where he is quoted as saying: 'Our cooperation with the Kingdom of Bahrain and the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence will continue in every possible area.' Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, Bird's advocacy director, who filed the complaint, said: 'It is impossible to conclude that the risk of benefiting from his former role is low, given that he concealed his involvement with the centre while occupying a ministerial position. This decision must be urgently reviewed in light of the ample evidence of those contacts.' Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Alwadaei said it was 'morally indefensible' to accept the role. 'Lord Ahmad must now step aside from this role and explain how he failed to declare his official visits to the centre, given the high-profile meetings he held with senior officials at the centre that dominated Bahrain's headlines less than two years ago,' he said. In a statement, Ahmad said: 'I have acted in accordance with the requirements and processes of the Acoba process, and my appointment as is declared in my register of interests.' Bird also called for Ahmad to disclose who paid for two further visits to Bahrain in January and May this year – saying it should be revealed under House of Lords rules if it was paid by the Bahraini government. Ahmad did not respond to the request by the Guardian to disclose this. It is understood Ahmad believes the Acoba process was thorough and that the Foreign Office was fully consulted about his role. He is also understood to have met Bird during his time as Middle East minister. An Acoba spokesperson said: 'Acoba does not endorse any role; its function is to provide independent advice under the government's business appointment rules to protect the integrity of government. The committee seeks information from the applicant and a former minister's department before formulating its advice. Acoba publishes its advice letters – including the information provided and consideration – on its website when a role is taken up. If there are allegations of non-compliance with the government's rules or Acoba's advice, these will be investigated. Findings of any breaches are published online and reported to government.'
Dublin Live
a day ago
- Dublin Live
Nurse admits professional misconduct over €6,300 petty cash discrepancies
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A senior nurse has admitted professional misconduct over discrepancies totalling €6,300 in a petty cash book of a charity that provides services to people with intellectual disabilities. Heide Coloso, a clinical nurse manager with St Michael's House, made admissions to an allegation of professional misconduct while acting as the Person-in-Charge at one of the charity's community houses in Grangemore Rise, Donaghmede. Ms Coloso (52), a married woman and native of the Philippines, admitted she had failed to adequately discharge her responsibility in relation to the management of the house's petty cash book on repeated occasions over a two-year period when she appeared before a fitness to practise hearing of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland on Monday. The nurse's solicitor, Michael Lanigan, said she also accepted her actions amounted to a serious falling short of the standards of conduct expected of a registered nurse as well as representing breaches of the NMBI's Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics. The inquiry heard she had failed to record 32 transactions with a total value of €6,300 in the petty cash book between January 10, 2015 and December 17, 2016. Ms Coloso also acknowledged that she had signed petty cash dockets in relation to such transactions when she knew or ought to have known that the amounts were not spent on expenses for the community house after an ATM card had been used to withdraw petty cash. The inquiry heard the nurse had submitted receipts which she knew were not recorded in the petty cash book while she was preparing financial returns for the charity's accounts department. Two other allegations relating to the improper use of a Visa purchasing card and the related recording of such transactions were withdrawn by the NMBI. Counsel for the NMBI, Neasa Bird, BL said the inquiry arose following a complaint made to the regulatory authority by St Michael's House in August 2018. Ms Bird said the charity had received a series of anonymous phone calls in early 2016 about financial irregularities at the community house in Donaghmede which was a residence for seven people with intellectual disabilities. The caller claimed cash was being withdrawn with an ATM card for petty cash but which was not being entered in the petty cash book. She noted that Ms Coloso as the Person-in-Charge was responsible for the unit's governance, operational management and administration which included overseeing its monthly budget. The inquiry heard that the ongoing day-to-day living expenses of the house in Donaghmede was funded by the HSE to the sum of €70 per resident per week. Ms Bird said an initial inquiry into the matter was satisfied that the returns submitted were balanced, although she noted that the exercise did not involve an examination of receipts. However, a more detailed audit was conducted by St Michael's House after it received another anonymous complaint in March 2017. Ms Bird said a full investigation was carried out and Ms Coloso was placed on leave after the audit discovered that a sum of €1,500 that had been withdrawn with an ATM card was unaccounted for. Ms Bird explained that the clinical nurse manager was providing monthly returns which were balanced in relation to credit card statements but was not detailing actual expenditure in the unit's petty cash book. She told the NMBI's fitness-to-practise committee that the 32 transactions were either not recorded at all or with a lesser amount. Ms Bird stressed that the audit found no discrepancies in relation to the money of residents of the house. Mr Lanigan said there was "a complete difference" between what Ms Coloso believed she was signing off for in relation to petty cash and what the charity understood. While Ms Coloso had told investigators that she was doing petty cash "to the best I can without guidelines, policies or procedures to support me," she believed she would be notified by accounts if there was any problem with her returns. However, Mr Lanigan said she now accepted that when she signed her initials on such records it was to indicate that she had "approved" them. On the issue of sanction, Ms Bird said it was recommending that Ms Coloso should be censured and that certain conditions should be imposed on her registration as a nurse. She pointed out that her actions were not a once-off but involved a very substantial amount of money over a prolonged period when Ms Coloso was the first line for ensuring that any discrepancies were identified. The NMBI has recommended that the nurse be required to notify any current or prospective employer about any findings against her and that she not be involved in any role relating to finances for a period of 24 months. Ms Bird proposed that Ms Coloso should also be required to complete a number of courses in relation on the legal and ethical aspects of nursing and financial management at her own expense. Mr Lanigan said his client had found the ending of her job with St Michael's House after 16 years to be "traumatic." However, he said she had been working as a lead nurse for the past six years and had shown insight by choosing not to have anything to do with finances "of her own volition" in her new role. He said Ms Coloso also accepted her need to complete a number of courses was "most appropriate." The chairperson of the inquiry, Muireann Ní Shiúlleabháin, said the FTP committee was satisfied that the allegation of professional misconduct was proven primarily based on the admissions of the nurse and a decision on sanction would be notified to her in due course.
Irish Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Nurse admits professional misconduct at intellectual disabilities charity
A senior nurse has admitted professional misconduct over discrepancies totalling €6,300 in a petty cash book of a charity that provides services to people with intellectual disabilities. Heide Coloso, a clinical nurse manager with St Michael's House, made admissions to an allegation of professional misconduct while acting as the Person-in-Charge at one of the charity's community houses in Grangemore Rise, Donaghmede. Ms Coloso (52), a married woman and native of the Philippines, admitted she had failed to adequately discharge her responsibility in relation to the management of the house's petty cash book on repeated occasions over a two-year period when she appeared before a fitness to practise hearing of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland on Monday. The nurse's solicitor, Michael Lanigan, said she also accepted her actions amounted to a serious falling short of the standards of conduct expected of a registered nurse as well as representing breaches of the NMBI's Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics. The inquiry heard she had failed to record 32 transactions with a total value of €6,300 in the petty cash book between January 10, 2015 and December 17, 2016. Ms Coloso also acknowledged that she had signed petty cash dockets in relation to such transactions when she knew or ought to have known that the amounts were not spent on expenses for the community house after an ATM card had been used to withdraw petty cash. The inquiry heard the nurse had submitted receipts which she knew were not recorded in the petty cash book while she was preparing financial returns for the charity's accounts department. Two other allegations relating to the improper use of a Visa purchasing card and the related recording of such transactions were withdrawn by the NMBI. Counsel for the NMBI, Neasa Bird, BL said the inquiry arose following a complaint made to the regulatory authority by St Michael's House in August 2018. Ms Bird said the charity had received a series of anonymous phone calls in early 2016 about financial irregularities at the community house in Donaghmede which was a residence for seven people with intellectual disabilities. The caller claimed cash was being withdrawn with an ATM card for petty cash but which was not being entered in the petty cash book. She noted that Ms Coloso as the Person-in-Charge was responsible for the unit's governance, operational management and administration which included overseeing its monthly budget. The inquiry heard that the ongoing day-to-day living expenses of the house in Donaghmede was funded by the HSE to the sum of €70 per resident per week. Ms Bird said an initial inquiry into the matter was satisfied that the returns submitted were balanced, although she noted that the exercise did not involve an examination of receipts. However, a more detailed audit was conducted by St Michael's House after it received another anonymous complaint in March 2017. Ms Bird said a full investigation was carried out and Ms Coloso was placed on leave after the audit discovered that a sum of €1,500 that had been withdrawn with an ATM card was unaccounted for. Ms Bird explained that the clinical nurse manager was providing monthly returns which were balanced in relation to credit card statements but was not detailing actual expenditure in the unit's petty cash book. She told the NMBI's fitness-to-practise committee that the 32 transactions were either not recorded at all or with a lesser amount. Ms Bird stressed that the audit found no discrepancies in relation to the money of residents of the house. Mr Lanigan said there was 'a complete difference' between what Ms Coloso believed she was signing off for in relation to petty cash and what the charity understood. While Ms Coloso had told investigators that she was doing petty cash 'to the best I can without guidelines, policies or procedures to support me,' she believed she would be notified by accounts if there was any problem with her returns. However, Mr Lanigan said she now accepted that when she signed her initials on such records it was to indicate that she had 'approved' them. On the issue of sanction, Ms Bird said it was recommending that Ms Coloso should be censured and that certain conditions should be imposed on her registration as a nurse. She pointed out that her actions were not a once-off but involved a very substantial amount of money over a prolonged period when Ms Coloso was the first line for ensuring that any discrepancies were identified. The NMBI has recommended that the nurse be required to notify any current or prospective employer about any findings against her and that she not be involved in any role relating to finances for a period of 24 months. Ms Bird proposed that Ms Coloso should also be required to complete a number of courses in relation on the legal and ethical aspects of nursing and financial management at her own expense. Mr Lanigan said his client had found the ending of her job with St Michael's House after 16 years to be 'traumatic.' However, he said she had been working as a lead nurse for the past six years and had shown insight by choosing not to have anything to do with finances 'of her own volition' in her new role. He said Ms Coloso also accepted her need to complete a number of courses was 'most appropriate.' The chairperson of the inquiry, Muireann Ní Shiúlleabháin, said the FTP committee was satisfied that the allegation of professional misconduct was proven primarily based on the admissions of the nurse and a decision on sanction would be notified to her in due course.
Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
The true Caitlin Clark effect? She shoots from so far away, she's forcing the rest of the WNBA to adjust.
Clark had an obvious card in her back pocket. 'Why are you shooting so close to the line?' she asked. 'You've got to scoot back further.' Advertisement Bird took a couple bounces, then stepped a couple feet inside the line 'Because back in my day,' Bird said. 'The line was around here.' Indeed. When Bird came into the W in 2002, the 3-point line was 19 feet, 9 inches from the basket, and the average 3-point attempt was from 21 feet. Clark was just a kid then, begging her father to dig up their lawn and pour cement in the driveway so she could extend her 3-point range, but the WNBA — and basketball as a whole — already was shifting. Range was increasingly important, and shooters were increasingly comfortable and capable of pulling from distances that would've been hard to fathom when the league was born in 1997. In 2004, the league pushed the line back to 20 feet, 6.25 inches, with the average shot following. In the 13 seasons since it adopted the international standard 22-foot, 1.75-inch line in 2013, it's continued moving out, to an average of 24.4 feet away this season. Advertisement Clark's range remains in a class of its own. As a rookie, she took 355 3-pointers from an average of 26.7 feet from the basket. Injuries have interrupted her sophomore season, but in 10 games this year, she's taken 83 threes from an average of 27 feet. As a whole, though, shooters are inching closer to the half-court logo no matter the league. Connecticut's sharpshooter Marina Mabrey, Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers, and the Los Angeles Sparks's Julie Vanloo all pull threes from an average of 25.6 feet. New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu, who 'Obviously, year after year, you continue to see more talent in this league,' said Burton, who's making a run at Most Improved Player in a breakout season for the Golden State Valkyries. 'I think it's a testament to the talent in this league.' Chicago Sky guard Ariel Atkins has never been shy about getting shots up, averaging 24.2 feet on 126 threes as a rookie in 2018. Eight seasons later, she's pulled 77 from 25.1. 'When those two feet hit,' teammate Angel Reese said, 'I know it's going up.' As audacious as the shots seem, they serve a practical purpose. Advertisement 'The way that I'm being guarded, if I can just have more space and be able to knock that down, it gives our drivers more opportunities to attack and it gives more people more space to get into the lane,' Atkins said. 'If I'm there and my feet are set, honestly, it's going up. I don't get a lot of open shots. You don't see a lot of people helping off of me. So I try to keep the spacing. I don't necessarily know where my feet are at all the time, but if it's open, it's got to go up.' Burton agreed. 'It provides better spacing when I'm deeper outside,' she said. 'Sometimes [defenses] push us out of the paint, they push us outside the 3-point line, so being able to knock those down is something I work on pretty consistently.' Golden State's Veronica Burton is one of nine WNBA players whose 3-point attempts come from an average of at least 25 feet. Scott Strazzante/Associated Press For Vanloo, moving farther away almost was a necessity. Her long-range shooting was no secret in the Turkish Women's Basketball Super League, where she had four games with seven made 3-pointers. When she arrived in the W last year and knocked down 72 of 220 long-range attempts, teams took notice, and catching around the 3-point line wasn't always an option. 'People know that I like to shoot and I'm a shooter,' Vanloo said. 'And I think that as the game just evolves, people just guard me as a shooter. That's how you know you've got to expand the range.' She sees it as a part of the modern game. 'Watching the NBA, you watch guys like Stephen Curry play, you see how far they shoot the ball and you just kind of want to play the same way,' she said. 'You just practice it and it's kind of effortless, so why not? Advertisement 'I think that's why it's so important that these young girls, when they start playing basketball, they work on their shooting. Because if you can shoot, it just makes the game easier.' For what it's worth, Sue Bird had range in her day. She came into the league shooting about 2 feet beyond the 19-9 3-point line, and was firing from 24.3 on average when she left in 2022. Vanloo took a deep breath at the thought, almost unable to fathom shooting a three from inside 20 feet. 'I'd just make sure I'm behind the line,' she said. 'That's something you're never going to have with me, is a 2-pointer with my foot on the line.' Julian Benbow can be reached at
Boston Globe
4 days ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Rockies have bottomed out, and they have to gauge their climb beyond the standings
This is his 50th year in professional baseball going back to when he was a first-round pick of the Royals in 1975. 'I've done hard and I did it here 20 years ago,' Hurdle said. 'You have to work through it and do it together. It can get done.' But what the Rockies are experiencing now makes that 2005 season look like a minor inconvenience. Colorado went into the weekend on pace to lose 125 games and allow 1,008 runs. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Only the 1899 Cleveland Spiders have been to such depths. They were 20-134 and gave up 1,252. Advertisement The National League had the good sense to contract the Spiders after that season. The Rockies won't be extended that courtesy. A visit to the Rockies clubhouse during their recent trip to Fenway Park found that there is little interest in the worst team in baseball. Outside of a Boston-based reporter representing and the team's radio and television announcers, no media was covering the Rockies. Newspapers and other outlets in Colorado have attended only home games this season. Third baseman Ryan McMahon played for the Rockies in 2018 when they won 91 games and made the playoffs. They drew 3.01 million fans to Coors Field. Advertisement It's been a series of lost seasons since. 'It sucks, to be honest with you,' McMahon said. 'Knowing what's possible here makes you want to get back. The city was crazy about the team.' These Rockies have to find ways to gauge their progress beyond the standings. 'We've played better the last few weeks, more competitive,' McMahon said. 'A lot of good steps. But there are a lot of things we need to clean up.' Righthanded reliever Jake Bird is one of the few Rockies having a good season. He has a 3.70 ERA in 39 appearances and is averaging 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings. Clint Hurdle is unexpectedly back in uniform. Geneva Heffernan/Associated Press The Rockies lost 27 of those games. 'You can't let it bring you down,' said Bird, 29. 'You have to do your best and then let it go at the end of the day and come back and contribute the best you can. 'We weren't very competitive at the beginning of the season but lately it's been better. You have to hope that will turn into some more wins over time.' Bird played for Falmouth in the Cape Cod League in 2016 and visited Fenway Park for the first time that season. This year was his second time back as a major leaguer. 'The first time I saw Fenway was in a video game and now I've been able to pitch here,' he said. 'You try to find positives like that.' The Rockies Warren Schaeffer , who is 40 and managed in the team's minor league system from 2015-22. Advertisement For Schaeffer, it's a day-to-day process. There's no point in dwelling on what put the Rockies in this position. That falls on ownership to fix. 'For me, you can't measure where we are right now on stacking a ton of wins together,' Schaeffer said. 'You have to stack games that you're playing well together and increase how the team is unifying together. 'We're playing more close games; we're playing the right way; we're trying to be aggressive. We're trying to instill things in the culture that we haven't necessarily done before. Just playing with less fear out there. 'For a team with a lot of young guys, that's a big deal. I see progress there.' Catcher Hunter Goodman , 25, is a player the Rockies can built around. Left fielder Jordan Beck , 24, has been an above-average hitter. Ezequiel Tovar , a 23-year-old shortstop, had 45 doubles last season. He's been out since June 3 with an oblique strain but also has promise. 'I see a lot of young players that can be something over time,' Schaeffer said. 'There's a core developing here.' Hurdle has been a sounding board for Schaeffer, offering advice when needed. 'I see young players playing the game with freedom,' he said. 'The older guys are showing them the way. Nobody wants to be where we are but we have to find a way out of this. 'I do believe we'll be better this season and win more games. We're learning that skill.' Several of the Rockies players had their families with them in Boston and a group of kids were on the field before the game on Wednesday, taking the opportunity to pose for photos or throw a few pitches off the mound. Everybody was smiling. Advertisement 'It's not easy, but we're trying to make the best of it,' McMahon said. 'It has to get better at some point.' Career change Gonzalez has become invaluable to Red Sox Romy Gonzalez has been crucial for the Red Sox. Barry Chin/Globe Staff Romy Gonzalez hit .222 with a .600 OPS over 86 games for the White Sox from 2021-23. To nobody's surprise, he was designated for assignment before the 2024 season. The Red Sox claimed Gonzalez off waivers, opening a spot on the 40-man roster by dropping righthanded reliever Zack Weiss . Weiss has not been in the majors since and Gonzalez has been worth 2.3 bWAR over 132 games. 'I attribute it to health. That's No. 1,' Gonzalez said. 'Just being healthy and my body being able to do what I want it to do. 'That and the hitting staff has been great. Rob [ Refsnyder ] has been a huge help, too. Just everyone here, it's a great environment. We constantly bounce ideas off each other and we're always talking ball.' Gonzalez, 28, gives the Red Sox another righthanded bat. Over the last two seasons, he started games at all four infield positions and center field, plus has come off the bench to play a few innings in right field and left field. Alex Cora's best teams have had players like that, from Brock Holt in 2018 to Kiké Hernández in 2021. 'AC has done a great job of giving me a day when I need it,' Gonzalez said. 'The training staff as a whole has been excellent. I love it here. 'People ask all the time about what happened between Chicago and Boston. I think it was just being able to stay on the field. It has been great to contribute to this team.' Advertisement A few other observations on the Red Sox: ▪ The Sox were 13-9 with a .797 OPS and averaged 5.82 runs in their first 22 games after trading Rafael Devers . The Giants were 10-12 with a .657 OPS and averaged 3.59 runs. Devers played all 22 of those games, posting a .706 OPS and going 2 for 14 with runners in scoring position with eight strikeouts. He also has been limited to DH because of groin and back issues. The Giants still plan on him playing first base this season. ▪ The Sox did a fun thing for Cora on Wednesday. It was Puerto Rico heritage night at Fenway Park and the team arranged for his 7-year-old twin sons, Isander and Xander , to throw out first pitches. Unbeknownst to her father, Camila Cora took her brothers to the park and snuck them on the field. Cora didn't realize his sons were there until just before the first pitch. He caught one of the pitches and Mike Lowell handled the other. Alex Cora's family surprised him on the field on Wednesday. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff ▪ The first three rounds of the amateur draft are Sunday night in Atlanta. The Sox pick 15th, 33rd, 75th, and 87th on the first day. The Sox have not taken a pitcher in the first round since Tanner Houck (24th) in 2017. In the years since, their highest selection for a pitcher came last year when they took Payton Tolle with the 50th pick. Now that they have a solid pitching infrastructure, might the Sox take a pitcher in the first round? ▪ Ceddanne Rafaela will play for the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic. He made his commitment to manager Andruw Jones in May when they met in Atlanta. Advertisement 'I'm excited about it,' said Rafaela, who is from Curacao. 'When [Jones] asked me, of course I wanted to.' Xander Bogaerts also has signed on with the Dutch. ▪ Lucas Giolito turns 31 on Monday and will celebrate with his family in Boston. He'll stay in town to catch the Indiana Fever-Connecticut Sun WNBA game at the Garden on Tuesday. Like everybody else, he wants to see Caitlin Clark play. ▪ Per the Hall of Fame, Wade Boggs , Dennis Eckersley , Carlton Fisk , Pedro Martinez , and Jim Rice are among the former Sox players who will return to Cooperstown for induction weekend. David Ortiz had a scheduling conflict. ▪ Bobby Jenks , who Jenks opened the season as a set-up man for Jonathan Papelbon , but pitched his final game of the season on July 7 because of a back injury. He never played again in the majors. Jenks had unsuccessful back surgery in December and then reached an agreement with the team to terminate his contract in 2012. He later sued Massachusetts General Hospital and Jenks was a quiet guy who seemed to embrace a new team, but like many things that season for the Sox, it went awry. Etc. DeBartolo inherits a big challenge Mike DeBartolo has a lot to work to do as interim president of baseball operations of the Nationals. Matt York/Associated Press Mike DeBartolo grew up in Bedford a Red Sox fan and graduated from Tufts. He joined the Nationals in 2011 as an intern and is now interim president of baseball operations following The team also sacked manager Dave Martinez . Think you have a lot to do at work? The Nationals have the first pick in the amateur draft, and DeBartolo will have to navigate the trade deadline for the first time as the chief decision-maker. He also needs to find a new manager. ( Miguel Cairo has the job on an interim basis.) DeBartolo, 41, will run baseball operations at least through the end of the season. He's the leading candidate to replace Rizzo, a good friend and his professional mentor. But ownership will at least consider other possibilities. The Nationals haven't had a winning season since 'The fans are right to be frustrated. We're all frustrated,' DeBartolo said. 'We have a lot of interesting, exciting, young pieces to build on. We have a lot more we need to build. Simply stepping up our game is not enough. We need real change. 'I'm excited to bring a fresh approach, a fresh voice to this role, and integrate more data, more technology, more innovation into our decision-making across the organization at all levels, and hopefully improve the performance of our players as well.' Rizzo came from a scouting background. DeBartolo is grounded in analytics. His hope is to successfully blend those disciplines. Unless the Nationals improve their revenue, returning to the postseason will be a tough task. Their payroll is in the lower third of the league despite playing in one of the largest metropolitan areas of the country. Yet they don't have a stadium naming deal and didn't have a uniform advertising patch sponsor until AARP came aboard. Yes, 22-year-old All-Star James Wood plays with an AARP patch on his sleeve. 'Every conversation I've had with ownership is they want to build a winner, and they want to build a winner as soon as they can, and they're motivated,' DeBartolo said. 'They have a lot of questions about the best way to do it, and they've been asking a lot of good questions, and I can sense a desire from them to get us back to [being] a championship-caliber club, and it's of great importance to me.' As DeBartolo takes on a big task, Rizzo announced Thursday he would pick up the tab for Nationals fans watching the Home Run Derby at two Washington sports bars on Monday 'as a way to say thank you for 19 amazing years.' Extra bases The All-Star Game will use Dan Iassogna , a UConn graduate, will be the crew chief for the All-Star Game. He has worked three World Series and 15 other postseason series … When Jordan Montgomery in 2017 … How did Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki have 77 RBIs through 89 games and not be an All-Star? … Paul Skenes is the first Pirate to make the All-Star team in his first two major league seasons. Roberto Clemente , you ask? He wasn't an All-Star until his sixth season. It took Barry Bonds until his fifth … The walkoff, inside-the-park home run by San Francisco's Patrick Bailey against the Phillies on Tuesday was the first for a catcher since Bennie Tate of the Senators in 1926. Tate had only four homers over 10 years in the majors, his last two for the Red Sox in 1932 at Fenway Park … The Yankees chowed down on roughly $22 million when they designated DJ LeMahieu for assignment on Wednesday. He had a .665 OPS over 248 games since 2023 … Happy birthday to Pat Rapp , who is 58. The righthander played parts of 10 seasons in the majors from 1992-2001, going 70-91 with a 4.68 earned run average for six teams. That included 37 games for the Red Sox in 1999. Rapp was signed as a free agent for $1.65 million and opened the season in the rotation. He had 26 starts in all and finished 6-7 with a 4.12 ERA. In the only postseason game of his career, Rapp pitched a scoreless ninth inning of Game 3 of the ALCS against the Yankees. Rapp finished third on the team in strikeouts that season with 90 — only 223 fewer than Pedro Martinez . Peter Abraham can be reached at
