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USA Today
12 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Charlie Morton feels 'just regret' for Orioles failings at MLB trade deadline
BALTIMORE – Like many veteran pitchers on expiring contracts, Charlie Morton's name will appear with frequency this week as Major League Baseball's trade deadline lurches toward its July 31 conclusion. Any team acquiring Morton will get a 41-year-old sage, a two-time World Series champion and a master of reinvention who has turned a deceptive fastball and tight curve into an 18-year career. They will also get a player unlike any other, one whose early-season underperformance exacerbated the Baltimore Orioles' disappointing descent into last place, yet whose talent and self-awareness extracted himself from that morass into an asset desired by other teams. Perhaps more than any big leaguer, Morton feels every dip and ascent deeply. And this season was a four-month journey that at times delved into guilt and remorse, doubt and denial - while wondering whether he should continue accepting his $15 million salary while his wife and four kids were home without him. Those emotions won't be far beneath the surface this week if the trade winds propel Morton to yet another destination. 'It wasn't like, 'Is your stuff good enough?' It was a question of, morally and ethically, am I obligated to just shut it down because my performance wasn't good enough? Was that the right thing to do?' Morton tells USA TODAY Sports a day before his July 29 start, which could be his final home outing at Camden Yards. 'You have a team where there's a lot of expectation and you're a big part of the reason why the team's struggling. Once every five or six days I go out there and I stink, then you start thinking, how long is this going to take to work out?' Turns out it was less than a month. 'Is this right or wrong?' While the Orioles would find greater depths, rock bottom for Morton came April 20, an Easter Sunday start in which he gave up seven runs but recorded just seven outs against the Cincinnati Reds, a 24-2 throttling that portended grimmer things for the 9-12 Orioles. Morton's plight was even uglier. After five starts, his ERA was 10.89. Opponents were batting .352 and reaching base at a .442 clip. His fastball still crackled and his curveball snapped, but he was getting pummeled, the details still fresh in his mind. 'I remember taking off my jersey after the Reds start – I think I gave up seven or eight runs in two innings – and that's when I started to think, man, is this right or wrong?' he says. 'Which is crazy to think about. That out of how many hundreds of games I've pitched in my professional career, that after five starts, you still allow yourself to question how good you are. How bad it is. Or how much better it can be. 'It's really irrational. At the same time, it's not. You've only got so much time. You only have so many starts in a season. The team only has so many starts it can give the ball to you before, 'Alright, Charlie…' 'But I think the emotional part of it was more, I'm now paying my time and worth to be here. Instead of at home with my family. I continued to play because there were some personal reasons and personal feelings I had where I felt like I wasn't done yet. 'So when you're sitting here on a 12 ERA after five starts and you're thinking, there's our owner and our general manager, our manager, our pitching coach and my teammates, the fans. All those people are counting on you. Your kids are counting on you at home. 'And so you're paying the price of time to be here. And the team is giving you their time and money to be here. It's a very philosophically conflicting place to be. That's what made it hard.' Thankfully, crawling out of it wasn't as emotionally heavy as falling in. 'The reason you're there is because you stink' Morton has pitched for a half-dozen franchises since his 2008 debut, including two stints with Atlanta, toiling for double-digit pitching coaches. He's lived the modern pitching evolution, debuting two years before the iPad hit the market and persevering long enough to see pitchers rely on it like an infant needs their binkie. To this point, he gives significant credit to Orioles pitching coach Drew French for his emotional bandwidth and possessing, as Morton says, 'a feeling you have, a trust in the best ones I've worked with. 'It's not just, can they talk about executing a pitch at the knees or spinning a breaking ball, or, can you read a Trackman chart. Most of 'em, it's found in the personality and the character of the person. For me, Frenchy was a really big deal for me this year, talking me through some stuff.' Yet some things can only be solved from within. With Morton still averaging better than 94 mph on both his four-seam fastball and sinker, the problems were not with his arm, or his pitch grip or repertoire, nor anything that he said could be found 'on a skeletal model or on video.' Instead, it was buried within the subtle elements that have enabled Morton to win 144 career games and continue hearing his phone ring each winter, with contract offers good enough to lure him from his Connecticut home. Touch and feel. Balance. Timing. Those things can get lost in the early-season blitzkrieg, where bad starts compounded and a trip to the bullpen was truly the only way Morton could slow it down and recalibrate. Morton's ego could handle the demotion, save for what it represented. 'The reason why you're there is because you stink. Because you're not good enough to pitch in the rotation,' he says. 'And someone that literally just signed you two months ago thinks you're not good enough to pitch in the rotation. Or would benefit from pitching out of the bullpen. 'That's a whole different cycle, a whole different process. It's emotional, it's mental, it's physical – a whole new set of challenges. 'I was allowed to go through a process that I could start to really feel what I was doing. And try to find that feeling again – the balance in my lower half. The tempo that I'm used to. And that really kind of makes me who I am.' His resurrection occurred far quicker than could be imagined on his Easter nadir. He still remembers the moment – a bullpen session in Anaheim on May 10, his father's birthday – where the touch and the feel and the balance were there. Morton pitched two perfect innings that day, returned to the rotation two weeks later and has been mostly superb since. In 13 games, including 10 starts, he's struck out 71 batters in 63 ⅔ innings, posted a 3.53 ERA and given up seven home runs – after giving up five in his first 20 innings pitched. He's also pitched just 95 ⅓ innings, offering a relatively fresh arm for a contender with November dreams. 'There's just regret' It's been a decade since Morton's been traded, a December 2015 swap in which Pittsburgh shipped him across the state to Philadelphia. It was then that Morton began a transformation that wouldn't fully take until he signed with the Houston Astros before the 2017 season. And they still call him Charlie Bleeping Morton (complimentary) in Houston. He went 29-10 in two seasons there, most notably pitching the last four innings of World Series Game 7 in 2017, a Fall Classic where he gave up one run in 10 ⅓ innings. Two seasons in Tampa Bay brought a raucous 2019 playoff run and a trip to the COVID bubble World Series in 2020. Morton was still coming down from that emotional six-game loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers when Atlanta GM Alex Anthopoulos called, asking if he wanted to be a Brave. One year later, he started Game 1 of the World Series at Houston, but a Yuli Gurriel line drive struck him in the right leg. Morton steeled himself against the pain, threw 16 pitches and finished the fourth inning, retiring three batters. On a broken fibula. The Braves would win the game and the World Series, and it's not just the extra jewelry Morton would bring to a contender seeking pitching. And yet, there's still the lingering feeling of what could've been in Baltimore, dampening any excitement he might harbor about gaining a few spots in the standings via trade, let alone the uncertainty of getting uprooted. 'Really, the only way I think I can explain it is, how would you feel?' he says. 'Maybe younger guys, there's more excitement in the anticipation. I've gotten to pitch in a few World Series. Got to pitch in a bunch of playoff games. Got to be on a bunch of really good teams. 'For me, having actually contributed to the successes of teams in the past, being here right now, getting to know everybody here, I want them to feel that, too. And that, for me, is sad. Because I know I didn't do my part for that to happen. I finally start to get to know everybody in here, start to feel that connection with everybody in the room, and if that's the direction the team's going, it's too late. 'It's too late on the baseball side. It's not too late on the friendship side. That's more where I am mentally and emotionally. There's just regret.' By week's end, there may be a seventh team added to Morton's career grid, or perhaps a return engagement in Houston or Philly. Either way, come November, he'll converse with his family, 'weigh everything through the lens of a husband and a father,' he says, and decide whether he wants to do this for a 19th season. His children are now 12, 10, 8 and 6, Morton and his wife taking on the impossible task constructing a cost-benefit ratio of another year of a well-paying job versus the pull of home life. 'And then it's like, well, OK, is it the right fit?' says Morton. 'Is it the right place? Is it something we can make work?' Morton almost always seems to pull that part off. The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
The Irish Sun
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Liz Hurley, 60, looks incredible as she strips off to tiny red bikini on holiday in Monaco
LIZ Hurley's "gorgeous" bikini look was praised by fans as the star stripped to a glam red two-piece. The Royals actress, 60, posed for a selfie in her scarlet two-piece featuring gold clasp detail across the chest and high on the hip. 6 Liz Hurley looked sensational as she took a selfie in a bright red bikini Credit: Instagram 6 The Royals actress proved the perfect model for her own swim line Credit: Instagram 6 It comes as the 60-year-old's relationship with Billy Ray Cyrus was revealed Credit: Instagram Liz's striking garment was from her own Elizabeth Hurley Beach collection and she proved the perfect model for her line, striking a sassy look in a mirror selfie taken on a boat. While her garments flashed her washboard abs, the She left her brunette locks in loose beachy waves and kept make-up minimal for her day spent on board. As she posted her image to Instagram, Liz wrote: "Thank you to my wonderful friend @tamaramellon for a few days in paradise." read more liz hurley Her son Damian then posted heart and shell Emoji icons as reality TV star Lisa Rinna wrote: "Body body body body body." A fan then wrote: "In the 90s she was in her prime, in the early 2000s in her prime, 10 years ago in her prime, today in her prime, and in 10 years… still in her prime!!!" Another put: "Aging like fine wine." A third commented: "Looking beautiful," as another put: "Gorgeous lady." Most read in Celebrity Previously, fans Last month, Elizabeth Hurley shares loved-up new video with Billy Ray Cyrus hinting at MARRIAGE after revealing secret romance Liz could be seen perched in a meadow as she posed in order to protect her modesty from being on full display. Alongside the stunning snap, Liz shared her blessings in life as she marked her special day - including a sweet nod to her boyfriend, LOVE LIFE Amid their relationship reveal, Liz is enjoying a happier life chapter. Back in April, the mum of one and country music icon Wearing festive bunny ears, The pair went public on Easter Sunday They have since put on several smitten public appearances together, with Liz's son even seen out with them both. The trio were in London's West End to support 's pop star daughter Miley Cyrus for the launch of her new album and film Something Beautiful . Singer 'At first it's hard, because the little kid in you reacts before the adult in you can go, 'Yes, that's your dad, but that's just another person that deserves to be in his bliss and to be happy'. "My child self has caught up.' 6 She often posts bikini snaps to her page Credit: Instagram 6 Liz appears loved-up with new man Billy Credit: Instagram/Elizabeth Hurley 6 The pair have stepped out with Liz's son Damian Credit: Splash
The Star
22-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Sri Lanka to sack police chief over criminal ties
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's police chief is set to be sacked, the country's speaker of parliament announced Tuesday (July 22) after he was found guilty of heading a criminal network at an impeachment hearing. Inspector-General Deshabandu Tennakoon would become the first head of police in the island's history to be impeached after being deemed unfit to lead its 85,000-strong police force. A three-member committee, appointed by the parliament, unanimously found Tennakoon guilty of the allegations brought against him, said speaker Jagath Wickramaratne. "This marks a historic moment in our constitutional journey, the first time in the history... that such a committee has submitted its findings recommending the removal of an Inspector General of Police". An impeachment vote will be scheduled and is expected to pass in the 225-member parliament, where President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's government holds a two-thirds majority. Tennakoon was appointed police chief in November 2023, despite Sri Lanka's highest court ruling that he had tortured a suspect in custody by rubbing menthol balm on the victim's genitals. He also stands accused of authorising an ill-fated raid in 2023, which triggered a gun battle between rival police units in the coastal resort town of Weligama and led to the death of an officer. Sri Lanka's apex court suspended him in July 2024, pending the outcome of a separate case that questioned the legality of his appointment by former president Ranil Wickremesinghe. A state prosecutor told the court this year that Tennakoon was the "head of a criminal network". This latest move against Tennakoon comes days after the independent National Police Commission sacked the number two officer in the police force, Senior Deputy Inspector General Nilantha Jayawardena. Jayawardena was dismissed for negligence leading to the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 279 people. - AFP
Straits Times
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Sri Lanka to sack police chief over criminal ties
Find out what's new on ST website and app. COLOMBO - Sri Lanka's police chief is set to be sacked, the country's Speaker of Parliament announced on July 22 after he was found guilty of heading a criminal network at an impeachment hearing. Inspector-General Deshabandu Tennakoon would become the first head of police in the island's history to be impeached after being deemed unfit to lead its 85,000-strong police force. A three-member committee, appointed by the Parliament, unanimously found the general guilty of the allegations brought against him, said Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne. 'This marks a historic moment in our constitutional journey, the first time in the history... that such a committee has submitted its findings recommending the removal of an Inspector-General of police'. An impeachment vote will be scheduled and is expected to pass in the 225-member parliament, where President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's government holds a two-thirds majority. Tennakoon was appointed police chief in November 2023, despite Sri Lanka's highest court ruling that he had tortured a suspect in custody by rubbing menthol balm on the victim's genitals. He also stands accused of authorising an ill-fated raid in 2023 , which triggered a gun battle between rival police units in the coastal resort town of Weligama and led to the death of an officer. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Singaporeans aged 21 to 59 can claim $600 SG60 vouchers from July 22 Singapore Miscalculation of MOH subsidies and grants led to $7m in overpayments, $2m in shortfalls Singapore Changi Airport handles 17.5 million passengers in Q2 2025 Singapore 2 charged over alleged involvement in posting of bail for man who subsequently absconded Singapore Teen charged after allegedly selling vaporisers, advertising e-cigarettes on WhatsApp Life Having a workout partner could be the secret to sticking to your fitness goals Singapore 2,500 turtles seized in India and sent back to S'pore, put down humanely after salmonella detected Singapore Ports and planes: The 2 Singapore firms helping to keep the world moving Sri Lanka's apex court suspended him in July 2024, pending the outcome of a separate case that questioned the legality of his appointment by former president Ranil Wickremesinghe. A state prosecutor told the court in 2025 that Tennakoon was the 'head of a criminal network'. This latest move against Tennakoon comes days after the independent National Police Commission sacked the No. 2 officer in the police force, Senior Deputy Inspector General Nilantha Jayawardena. Gen Jayawardena was dismissed for negligence leading to the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 279 people. AFP
Euronews
21-07-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Fact check: Which European country has the most public holidays?
A debate has erupted in France over whether the country's population works hard enough, after Prime Minister François Bayrou suggested getting rid of two public holidays to boost the economy. "The entire nation needs to work more to produce and for the country's overall activity to be more significant throughout the year, so that France's situation improves," Bayrou said at a press conference on 15 July. "Therefore, I propose that two public holidays be removed for the entire country." The prime minister suggested, for example, getting rid of Easter Monday, as it has "no religious significance" compared to Easter Sunday, and 8 May, which celebrates the end of World War II in Europe. The proposal has sparked a discussion in French media and among social media users about how the country compares to its neighbours when it comes to public holidays, whether the French really do work less than other Europeans, and whether getting rid of public holidays would really help France's ailing economy. Bayrou claims that removing two such days would bring in tax revenues generated from economic activity, contributing to around €44 billion in overall savings. The French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies, however, has projected a 0.06% boost to the economy, should the prime minister's plan go ahead. Official numbers from European Employment Services (EURES) reveal how many public holidays people in European Union member states, Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland have. Euroverify also examined information from the UK government. When comparing these figures, Cyprus is the clear winner for the number of public holidays, ranking at the top with 15 days. It is followed by Bulgaria, Croatia, Iceland, Malta and Spain, which compete for second place with 14. At the other end of the spectrum, we see Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands with just nine public holidays. However, when the United Kingdom is split into its constituent countries, England and Wales are at the bottom with eight days. Scotland has nine and Northern Ireland has ten. The comparison means that, with 11 public holidays, France ranks fairly average among European countries as things stand, coming in alongside Greece, Hungary, Luxembourg, Slovenia and Sweden. However, getting rid of two days would rank it among the lowest. Holidays can vary by region and even year Nevertheless, in true European fashion, there are various caveats and exceptions to the number of holidays that certain countries have. For example, many countries contain regions that have different numbers of public holidays compared to the national amount. This is the case in Switzerland, where different cantons have different bank holidays, which can reach as high as 15. The French regions of Alsace and Moselle also get two extra days compared to the rest of the country, and the Portuguese islands of Madeira and the Azores have more days off than the mainland. Sometimes the number of public holidays in European countries can vary by year, and some have half days off for some public holidays. This is the case in Iceland, for example, which counts Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve as public holidays after noon. Additionally, while Euroverify has not counted public holidays that consistently fall on a Sunday, such as Easter Sunday, in its ranking, sometimes the way the weekends fall does affect how many days off a country gets. For example, France and other countries effectively lose a bank holiday if it falls on a weekend, whereas the likes of the UK provide "substitute days" in this case. In practice, it means workers will have the following Monday or Tuesday off if a public holiday happens on Saturday or Sunday. Has anywhere in Europe ever scrapped any bank holidays before? Bayrou's proposal to remove two public holidays isn't without precedent in Europe, and this can yield some insight into whether his plan would pay off. Most recently, Slovakia's government decided in June to stop giving 17 November (Day for the Struggle for Freedom and Democracy) as a day off, as part of a broader fiscal strategy not too dissimilar to the French proposals. The day will still be officially recognised, however. In 2023, Denmark abolished its Great Day of Prayer, celebrated on the fourth Friday after Easter, to try and boost labour output and defence spending. Although estimates from the International Monetary Fund said that it only increased the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 0.01-0.06%. Back in 2012, the Portuguese government announced that it would scrap four public holidays the following year as part of an austerity drive off the back of the financial crisis: All Saints Day on 1 November; Corpus Christi, 60 days after Easter; Republic Day on 5 October; and the Restoration of Independence Day on 1 December, celebrating Portugual's indepence from Spanish rule. The days were supposed to be suspended for five years, with those of religious significance having been negotiated with the Vatican. However, in 2016, the newly elected socialist government reinstated all four holidays early, overturning a deeply unpopular measure. It's not all about public holidays Official public holidays are, of course, only one measure of how much time workers in a European country get off. Europe in Motion reported in March that Andorra, Malta and Albania are the countries offering the most statutory annual leave across the continent, with France landing in the top half too. Bulgaria gives the most maternity leave in Europe, on the other hand, and Bulgarian primary school students get the most school summer holidays — 15 weeks — compared to their neighbours.
