Latest news with #Doolittle
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tigers earn No. 2 spot in ESPN's midseason rankings and chase historic pace
Tigers earn No. 2 spot in ESPN's midseason rankings and chase historic pace originally appeared on Athlon Sports. ESPN Analyst Puts Tigers at No. 2 in Midseason Stock Watch It's the year of the Tiger, according to ESPN. Halfway through the 2025 MLB season, the numbers are starting to reflect what Detroit Tigers fans have started to let themselves believe. Advertisement ESPN's Bradford Doolittle placed the Tigers No. 2 in his latest MLB Stock Watch, ranking them just behind the Dodgers as the most well-positioned team entering the second half. Detroit owns a 99.8% chance of making the playoffs and is on pace for nearly 98 wins, with a 14.4% shot at winning it all. Yes, this is real. Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal faces the Minnesota Twins on June 29, 2025, at Comerica Park.© Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images 'If the season ended today,' Doolittle wrote, 'the Tigers' Pythagorean winning percentage would be one of the five best in franchise history.' That puts this team in rarefied air—trailing only the legendary squads of 1909 (Ty Cobb), 1934–35 (Hank Greenberg), and 1968 (Denny McLain), and ahead of the 1984 Kirk Gibson-led team that actually won it all. Advertisement Detroit has done more than just beat expectations. They've shifted a rebuild that once looked stuck in neutral into high gear. They are charging to the top of the American League standings behind breakout stars and one ace making a historic case of his own. Tarik Skubal, the reigning AL Cy Young winner, has been even better in 2025. He leads the AL in wins, ranks second in strikeouts, and sits fourth in ERA. According to Doolittle's proprietary AXE metric, he's sixth-best in all of MLB and the Tigers' undisputed first-half MVP. If he keeps this up, Skubal could do something only Grover Alexander, Lefty Grove, and Sandy Koufax have done—win the pitching Triple Crown in back-to-back seasons. Advertisement That kind of history usually doesn't happen in Detroit. But right now, the Tigers aren't just making noise—they're making comparisons to legends. And if the second half looks anything like the first, they might end up joining them. Related: Hall of Famer Calls Tigers Ace Tarik Skubal a Bully on the Mound Related: Why the Tigers' Silence on This All Star's Future Is Concerning This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
Malaysian Reserve
01-07-2025
- Health
- Malaysian Reserve
Florida Chamber of Commerce Appoints John Doolittle to Lead Health Council; Florida Chamber Leadership Cabinet Launches Mental Wellness Institute to Improve Behavioral Health for Workforce, Veterans/F
TALLAHASSEE, Fla., June 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The Florida Chamber Leadership Cabinet on Safety, Health, and Sustainability—the Chamber's entity guiding statewide efforts to improve workplace safety, employee health, and environmental outcomes—has appointed John Doolittle as Director of the Florida Chamber Health Council, one of its three core councils. Within the Health Council, Doolittle will also lead the launch of the newly established Mental Wellness Institute, a business-led initiative focused on improving behavioral health outcomes for Florida's workforce, veterans and first responders, and youth. The Florida Chamber Health Council operates under the Leadership Cabinet, alongside the Florida Chamber Safety Council and the Florida Chamber Sustainability Council. Together, these councils advance the goals of the Florida 2030 Blueprint—a comprehensive strategy to grow Florida into the 10th largest global economy while improving quality of life in every community. Doolittle's appointment marks a significant milestone as the Chamber deepens its commitment to advancing behavioral health and making Florida the healthiest state in America. A Veteran Leader in Mental Wellness and Performance John Doolittle, a retired U.S. Navy SEAL, brings more than 25 years of distinguished leadership experience. He is nationally recognized for leading the Department of Defense's Preservation of the Force and Family (POTFF) program, which redefined how behavioral health, performance, and resilience are supported across U.S. Special Operations. He later worked with KAATSU Global, advancing research on traumatic brain injury treatment and recovery protocols for military personnel. Turning Strategy into Action Through the Florida Chamber Mental Wellness Institute In his new role, Doolittle will lead the implementation of the Florida Chamber Leadership Cabinet's Behavioral Health Report—Making Florida the National Leader for Mental Health and Well-Being, the first business-led statewide behavioral health strategy in the nation. Released in 2024, the report was developed to equip Florida's business community with data-driven insights, employer-facing recommendations, and a roadmap for reducing substance abuse, improving access to care, and preventing suicide and workplace violence. The report outlines 25 strategic recommendations designed to improve behavioral health outcomes across Florida's workforce, the veteran and first responder populations, and youth—while helping employers support stronger business performance and build safer, healthier communities. Tackling Workforce Health Challenges with Employer-Led Solutions Under John's leadership, the Florida Chamber Leadership Cabinet is poised to translate strategic vision into measurable impact through the newly launched Mental Wellness Institute, a pivotal collaboration with the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute. The Institute will systematically shape and enact behavioral health policy while concurrently developing, implementing, scaling, and financing evidence-based solutions targeted at improving mental wellness for Florida's workforce, veterans and first responders, and youth. By prioritizing key recommendations from the report's Employer-Facing (EFR), Outcome-Driven (ODR), and Domain-Specific (DSR) categories, the Institute will apply lessons learned in real-time and foster a continuous cycle of improvement. This proactive approach will address urgent challenges—such as widespread provider shortages, barriers to care access, and rising healthcare costs—while equipping Florida businesses with essential tools to build a healthier, more resilient workforce across these essential populations. A Broader Vision for a Healthier Florida 'Similar to the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, our business community has a vital role to play in advancing behavioral health and mental wellness in both the workplace and at home,' said John Doolittle. 'I'm honored to join the Florida Chamber team and lead these efforts to create lasting impact for Florida's workers, families, and communities.' 'John's leadership is exactly what we need at this pivotal moment for workplace health in Florida,' said Katie Yeutter, President of the Florida Chamber Leadership Cabinet on Safety, Health, and Sustainability and COO/CFO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce. 'His experience leading large-scale wellness programs for high-performance teams is unmatched, and his role will be instrumental as we take bold action to improve mental wellness and business outcomes across the state.' To learn more about the Florida Chamber Health Council and its initiatives, visit
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Yankees eyeing third baseman as insider highlights key trade
Yankees eyeing third baseman as insider highlights key trade originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Add Bradford Doolittle of ESPN to the chorus. This week he suggesting what we've been urging for months. It's time the New York Yankees make a play for Arizona third baseman Eugenio Suarez. Advertisement Now, after the news that the Diamondbacks have lost Corbin Burnes for the rest of the season, they will need to be sellers at the deadline. We've already joined the chorus about the Yankees looking to Arizona for a starting pitcher in Zac Gallen, but Suarez has long been on our wish list. A right-handed power hitter who can play third base, Suarez is only under contract through this year. The Diamondbacks already have his replacement in the system, it should not take a lot to get him. Doolittle has his own reasoning. Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio SuárezMatt Kartozian-Imagn Images He rightly points out the Yankees' immediate needs. Pitching remains crucial, something that was obvious after the weekend loss to the Red Sox. However, the glaring need at third base, a consistent source of fan base frustration, demands immediate attention. Advertisement While the Yankees have moved Jazz Chisholm, Jr, to third base for now, they are scouring the market for the best available second or third base option. Acquiring Suarez would allow Chisholm to move back to second, where he is clearly more comfortable. Arizona's unfortunate loss of Burnes has decisively tipped their season towards selling mode, making Suarez a prime trade candidate. With power potential and a reliable glove, Suarez could fill the Yankees' third-base void while injecting significant pop into the lineup. Suarez's slugging profile fits Yankee Stadium's dimensions perfectly, projecting him as an instant upgrade over internal options. Additionally, his veteran presence could stabilize a lineup seeking consistent run production from positions other than Aaron Judge and eventually Giancarlo Stanton. Doolittle's endorsement underscores our repeated stance: Suarez makes sense, and now the circumstances are ideal. With Arizona shifting towards a rebuild, the Yankees must seize this moment. It's not just an opportunity—it's imperative for a legitimate World Series run. Advertisement The Yankees' championship odds might look promising today, but securing Suarez could be the decisive move that transforms a hopeful October into a triumphant one. Related: Yankees Prospects Struggle as Giancarlo Stanton Arrives for Rehab Related: Insider Reveals Yankees' $90 Million Veteran Clock Is Ticking Toward Deadline Looming This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
The Herald Scotland
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
'Scotland's great lost rock star' looks back at his band's debut album
It's always interesting to ask musicians how they feel about their debut albums - albums that, in some cases, might be a few decades old. Goodbye Mr Mackenzie's excellent introduction, Good Deeds and Dirty Rags, is a case in point. Released in April 1989, within weeks of such landmark albums as Pixies' Doolittle and The Cure's Disintegration, it sounds as fresh and captivating today as it did back then. It sprinted into the UK charts at number 26, contained some of the Edinburgh band's strongest material, and led to eventful tours of the UK and Europe. Live, too, they were a formidable proposition, one guaranteed to get the audience up on its feet. One review of a London Marquee gig, in 1989, begins: 'What an extraordinary bunch these Mackenzies are! If they ever become famous enough to have a cartoon series or soap opera written about them, the scriptwriters will have a field day'. Many fans of the group have fond memories of the debut and of such songs as The Rattler, Open Your Arms, Goodwill City, and Face to Face, all of which charted. When, a few months ago, the question was asked on Facebook, what's your favourite Goodbye Mr Mackenzie song?, many opted for them. 'Face to Face', said one. 'First time I heard it, have to admit brought a tear to my eye and ever since'. Wrote another: 'Now We Are Married [from the follow-up album, Hammer and Tongs] was the first song at our wedding, but I need to go with Goodwill City. Don't tell the missus'. Does Martin Metcalfe, the band's charismatic singer, feel that the album has aged really well? 'I don't think I'm the person to ask', he demurred earlier this week. 'There are fans who still love it, so it hasn't dated for them, and that's great, but it's not something I can stand back from and say, that was a timeless piece of work or whatever. Certainly, it has stood the test of time, because it keeps getting played on national radio, so I suppose it must have some kind of timeless element to it'. It was, however, something of a turning-point for the group. In a 2019 interview with Narc magazine, Martin did acknowledge that the album had been a 'defining life moment' for him: 'In those days any musician who managed to have a proper album released felt they'd arrived in one way or another. The fact that it went top 30 was yet another life landmark and I suppose would have cemented the 'arrived' metaphor if we'd managed to keep performing at that level'. Goodbye Mr Mackenzie - Martin, 'Big John' Duncan (formerly of the punk group, The Exploited, on guitar, Fin Wilson on bass, Derek Kelly on drums, and Shirley Manson and Rona Scobie on keyboards and backing vocals - were formed in Bathgate, and emerged into a thriving music scene in the capital. 'For lads coming from Bathgate and immersing ourselves in that [Edinburgh] environment, it was actually great', Martin says. 'It was an era when things were really opening up in Scotland, and Edinburgh anyway. 'I know that Glasgow had the advantage over Edinburgh regarding venues, possibly because of the size of the city. But the great thing about those days was that student unions had funding: in Edinburgh you had gigs at Telford College, Napier College, Teviot Row, and Queen Margaret College in Corstorphine. 'You had gigs in Chambers Street in Edinburgh - a huge building that had three floors, maybe four, and on three of those you could stage gigs. Also, you had Potterrow, which was a real centre of young bands. Ents committees wanted to bring local bands in and had a desire to attach themselves to local musicians. 'That college circuit in the UK, which lasted into the Mackenzie's big period, was a genuine support. They had budgets to pay bands a reasonable amount of money. That is something that hasn't happened for a few decades now. 'On top of all of that you had The Venue, on Carlton Road, where bands like Suede kicked off … then along came La Sorbonne [in the Cowgate], which was a fantastic place for bands'. Read more: The band toured widely. In Glasgow, there were gigs at the famed Barrowland venue, in 1987 (supporting the Blow Monkeys), in 1988 (supporting Aztec Camera) and headlining in 1989). Asked how Goodbye Mr Mackenzie's distinctive sound evolved, Martin responds: 'It really came out of post-punk. When punk came along it was like an adrenaline rush, an explosion, but as Steven Severin [bass guitarist with Siouxsie and the Banshees] said, it wasn't that different in a lot of ways from pub rock and rock'n'roll'. He marvels now that, looking back, the Banshees managed to influenced much of the post-punk movement without having released a record, having won invaluable exposure from John Peel sessions in 1977 and 1978. They and other unsigned, groundbreaking acts broadcast by Peel were picked up by numerous other groups across Britain, who absorbed the sound and altered their own musical style. 'Initially, Goodbye Mr Mackenzie wanted to play this punk music but by the time we were starting to play, and were a little bit older, post-punk had taken over. The bands we were listening to, and loving, were Magazine, the Banshees, the Skids, the Scars and other bands like that. And then Joy Division came along …' Good Deeds and Dirty Rags was released on the Capitol label. Listening to it afresh after 36 years is to release the truth of something that Vic Galloway wrote in 2018 - that they 'blended the feral nature of punk, arty intelligence and effortless pop melodies'. It's a well-crafted album, intelligently written. The Rattler remains, perhaps, their best-known song, a perennial audience favourite. In 1986 they performed it on the TV music show, The Tube. That same night, when they played the Hoochie Coochie in Edinburgh, the venue was rammed because everybody had seen them on The Tube. Speaking to Billy Sloan for the Herald in 2021, Martin discussed the song and some of the influences hat went into it: 'We were completely taken aback when [The Rattler] took on a life of its own. I look at Bowie and wonder why his work was such genius. I think he just sucked in information from so many different sources. In the art world you'd call it research. 'I love Iggy Pop, New Order, The Cocteau Twins and Talking Heads. All had direct input into what we were doing. I'd also seen a documentary about Woody Guthrie where he travelled from town-to-town on trains spreading a socialist message, and got up to no good while he was doing it. 'So that had an effect on the song too. It could have been about a rattlesnake but it could also have been a Freudian symbol for sex … a train going into a tunnel. [Scots poet William] McGonagall wrote a poem called The Rattling Boy From Dublin – which is absolutely hysterical – so it's in there too.' Another song on the album, Face to Face, is a provocative piece about a female hitchhiker who was repeatedly raped in a pub, only to see her attackers being acquitted in court on the grounds that she had been 'asking for it' because of the way she was dressed. Yet another track, Goodwill City, is about the Aids crisis that afflicted Edinburgh in the Eighties. 'I had a couple of friends round about that time who affected by Aids', Martin says. 'That was quite a powerful moment in time, quite a landmark affecting a small part of the Eighties. I've got a friend who is an Aids survivor from that period. He's still alive, which is amazing'. Read more On the Record: About the album as a whole, he is philosophical. 'The thing about artists is, not many of them can ever look back at their own work and think, that was great, that was perfect. The word 'perfect' never comes into it. 'Most bands hate the song that they're weighed down by - their albatross, the song that everyone shouts for, the one that everyone films on their phone and ends up on YouTube a million times. But I like listening to The Rattler. And I think it's a really good record'. Unfortunately, Goodbye Mr Mackenzie would go on to be plagued by record company indecision and internal politics. Though there were three further, very fine, albums - Hammer and Tongs (1991), Five (1994), and The Glory Hole (1996) - the band came to an end, with a final live gig at Glasgow's The Garage in late 1995, after Manson and Duncan had departed. Along the way, band members had created a side-project, Angelfish, whose well-received 1994 album was produced by Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads. As for Martin, his later projects have included the acclaimed Filthy Tongues, alongside his old Goodbye Mr Mackenzie bandmates, Derek Kelly and Fin Wilson. Profiling the Filthy Tongues in 2005, the Herald's David Belcher had this to say: 'Martin Metcalfe may be Scotland's great lost rock star. Blessed with the stature to look lanky Nick Cave straight in the eye, a dark rich baritone and the songs to match, in the 1980s and 1990s it seemed he could only pout it all away. Fate conspired to take matters out of his and Goodbye Mr Mackenzie's hands, thanks to eccentric management, and the emergence of Shirley Manson as one of the pop music icons of recent time'. During that Herald interview Martin looked back on his days as such a distinctive frontman with Goodbye Mr Mackenzie. "All that rock star stuff is just acting', he said, 'as Bowie explained with Ziggy Stardust. I used to think people like John Lydon were more real than that, but I remember reading something one of his friends said about him just pursuing the theatre of rage, just basing his character on Richard III and things like that. But I think I did an okay job of playing a rock star'. And of his old band itself he declared: "We were like a family because there were girls and boys in the band, it wasn't your average lads' band, going off and getting trashed and hanging out with women. On tour we were our own unit, we didn't need anybody else, but included our crew in that because we had a special relationship with them as well. Even though we were all quite dysfunctional people, as a band we were quite a functional unit.' Goodbye Mr Mackenzie has had a legacy. In 2007, when Vic Galloway challenged his radio listeners to name the top 50 Scottish bands of all time, they came in at number 31, ahead of Blue Nile, the Cocteau Twins and the Skids. And The List magazine once observed that they 'left behind the most complex and fascinating footprint of any Scottish band'. In 2019 Goodbye Mr Mackenzie hit the road again, to mark the 30th anniversary of the debut album. As he told the Herald's Barry Didcock at the time: 'It happened by accident. Me, trying to make a crust, had decided to try to do the album in its entirety as a solo gig. But the response I got was so incredible that I thought I can't do this without at least asking if Fin and Kelly want to do it.' In that interview with Narc magazine mentioned above, he declared: 'To be perfectly honest, I wasn't excited about revisiting the whole album as we've moved on from 80's subversive pop/rock and as a creative person it's hard not to be critical of your own work but in the end, we realised that (most of) the songs were really well crafted. 'There aren't many moments live where I think this part of the song doesn't work or that part goes on too long. I think we had a solid grasp of song arrangement back then, so in many ways, I'm proud of how we pulled it together'. He has every right to be proud. And the band are still active, still touring, still looking and sounding great on stage. Their forthcoming gig at Glasgow's Oran Mor on July 11 should be something else.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
SUNY Broome simulates disaster scenarios with local EMS
TOWN OF DICKINSON, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – Controlled chaos on SUNY Broome's campus today, as several programs and local EMS teamed up to create a realistic version of a tragic accident. Over 300 students participated in the mock accident, acting as victims, triage officers, law enforcement, and others. In the fictional scenario, a group of friends were hosting a graduation party when a car drove into a crowd, killing and injuring several people. The mock accident is a chance for students to experience what a real emergency might feel like, everything from the blood to people screaming. One student involved Ayden Doolittle, was playing a Public Information Officer, and we interviewed him amidst the chaos. 'We've got everybody from nurses, to EMS workers, to law enforcement. So, there's a lot of people here that have never seen anything like this. This is a very big situation, and especially with all of the noise that's going around. We've got people screaming, we've got birthing mothers, we've got even news here, trying to talk to us, it's a lot, and it's going to be a lot of pressure on everybody,' Doolittle said. Before the event started, SUNY Broome made several announcements to the surrounding community that the noise and sirens were a planned drill. This is the college's 10th mock disaster. SUNY Broome simulates disaster scenarios with local EMS Binghamton students celebrate Israeli Independence Day American Civic Association's annual All Nation's Parade and Festival Windsor students learn different jobs in medical field Brookside students get their hands dirty in the garden with CCE Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
