Latest news with #Torchia
Fox Sports
01-08-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
2025 World Series Odds: Dodgers 'Mostly Sat On Their Hands' At Deadline
World Series odds got a nice little shaking up after Thursday's MLB trade deadline. That said, the Los Angeles Dodgers remain the strong favorites. However, oddsmakers seemed a little surprised that L.A. didn't do more at the deadline, particularly with their National League rivals being much more aggressive. "What stood out most to me was, with the holes the Dodgers had in their pitching staff, I was very surprised that they didn't make a big splash," Caesars Sports baseball trader Matt Torchia said. "The Mets, Phillies and Padres all made some splashes, and the Dodgers mostly just sat on their hands." Torchia and his boss, Caesars head of baseball trading Eric Biggio, weigh in on 2025 World Series futures odds in the aftermath of the trade deadline. Move Of The Day San Diego is an NL wild card team at the moment, but sits just three games behind Los Angeles in the NL West. The Padres made multiple moves, the biggest of which was filling a hole at closer via a trade with the Oakland Athletics. "Acquisition-wise, Mason Miller to the Padres was the biggest move for me," Biggio said. "The Padres said they're going all in and got a few guys, and the Miller move especially was the biggest deal." Bookmakers and bettors took notice over the past 24 hours or so, with the Padres significantly improving their World Series odds. "We already had liability on the Padres to start with, before the trade deadline. More bettors have since come in, and we moved from +2800 to +1800," Biggio said. That puts San Diego No. 11 in World Series odds. The top five on the board at Caesars are the Dodgers (+250), Tigers (+750), Yankees (+900), Phillies (+900) and Mets (+900). Giant Step Backward Through games of July 11, the San Francisco Giants were 52-43 and in the thick of the playoff race. But San Francisco then went 2-12 over its next 14 games and is now 54-55. That surely changed the Giants' trade-deadline plans — which was just fine with Caesars Sports. "One of our biggest liabilities for the World Series is the San Francisco Giants. So the fact that they were sellers at the deadline put a smile on my face," Biggio said. The Giants dealt closer Camilo Doval to the Yankees and reliever Tyler Rogers to the Mets, among other moves. Mariners Momentum? Ahead of the trade deadline, the Seattle Mariners were +2200 in Caesars' World Series futures. Then the M's made a Thursday deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks to bring third baseman Eugenio Suarez back to Seattle. Suarez, who has 36 home runs this season, was with the Mariners in 2022 and 2023. It was Seattle's second trade in a week with Arizona, following the July 24 acquisition of first baseman Josh Naylor. Now, the Mariners are Caesars' +1600 co-ninth choice to win the Fall Classic. Torchia and Biggio are both fans of Seattle's moves. "The Seattle Mariners have the rotation and a ballpark that bodes well for their pitchers. But they needed more bats, and got them," Torchia said. "They're a sleeper pick for me to win the World Series. They can make a deep run with that roster. Added Biggio: "I think the American League is wide open. With the pitching Seattle has, I'd almost make the Mariners a favorite against the Yankees." Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He's based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on X: @PatrickE_Vegas. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Item 1 of 3 Get more from the Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Family owned central Ohio steakhouse closes Gahanna location
GAHANNA, Ohio (WCMH) — A family owned steakhouse that has operated in central Ohio for nearly 40 years is closing one of its restaurants. The Hickory House announced it is closing the Gahanna location at 550 Officenter Place after 22 years. The Gahanna spot was opened in 2003 by founder Tony Torchia and longtime friend Don Pinnell. Ohio State announces every student will use AI in class The original Reynoldsburg location at 7051 East Main Street is staying open. 'While Gahanna is closing its doors, the original Reynoldsburg location is here to stay and stronger than ever,' owners Chad and Dawn Hunter wrote in a statement. No reason was given for the closure. The restaurant was founded in 1978 in Reynoldsburg by Torchia and Jim Alexander. Torchia's nephew Jimmy served as the general manager of the Gahanna location, and his daughter Dawn is a co-owner of the Reynoldsburg spot with her husband, Chad. Nissan, Walmart dial back Stonewall Columbus sponsorships for Pride 2025 The Hickory House menu boasts choice cut beef along with only center cut filets, ribeyes, and New York strips. They also include a wide selection of soups, chicken, sandwiches, and barbeque. The Hickory House in Reynoldsburg is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; Friday and Saturday operating hours are from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
KPMG's new AI bot has cut interview scheduling time by almost 60% and saved more than 1,000 hours for the talent acquisition team
Good morning! When KPMG's vice chair of talent and culture Sandy Torchia set out to integrate AI into the company's talent strategy, she wanted to solve two major problems: allowing job candidates to ask questions at any time of day, and freeing up time for her team to tackle more strategic questions. Torchia's efforts have culminated in Kai, an AI assistant built by hiring software company Paradox. A little over a year after its launch, she says the bot has already cut the time it takes for hiring managers to schedule interviews with job applicants by roughly 58%, dropping from one hour to just 25 minutes. 'The notion of freeing up time to focus on more strategic initiatives is so important,' Torchia tells Fortune. 'It's not only giving them back hours, but it's increasing job satisfaction because they're able to reduce the time it takes to complete an administrative task that isn't super rewarding and focus on something else.' Kai is designed for candidates to be able to ask questions after hours, and answers basic questions about benefits, hours, or details about the hiring process. In the first year, Kai handled more than 23,000 inquiries from candidates, with 33% of them coming in after 5 p.m. The bot also takes into account the person's location, experience, and interest in roles, to suggest open positions at KPMG. Around 21.5% of those who interact with Kai in this way end up showing interest in the roles it recommends. Adam Godson, founder and CEO of Paradox, says that the KPMG bot is working well because it addresses a narrow issue, and adds companies should be careful about overhauling their entire system. 'It's not about automating as much of the process as you can,' says Godson. 'It's about picking the spots where automation makes sense. You can use AI for everything, but candidates don't want that, and recruiters don't want that, which is why you focus on the places where there [is] inefficiency or slowness, and fix that first.' KPMG still prefers to screen all candidates manually, and chooses who gets an interview through traditional methods. Torchia says some important parts of the job process are best done in person or over Zoom, such as having discussions around company culture. 'It's still super important to have a human in the loop,' she says. 'Because you can learn about our culture by asking questions, but you're not going to experience it until you talk to someone.' Brit This story was originally featured on
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Peoria Heights mayor shares plans for two recently bought buildings
PEORIA HEIGHTS, Ill. (WMBD) — The recent purchase of the Pabst Building by a local developer brings hope that more businesses could make Peoria Heights their home. That's the message from Mayor Mike Phelan who said on Tuesday that people are constantly reaching out to him to find a place to do business. He credits the village's long-term planning but also the 'people on the street.' 'There's a great demand for businesses, all types of businesses, to be in Peoria Heights. And I think that goes back to the walkability of the village, the parks and green space in the village. I'm a firm believer that when you put people on the street, that makes the streets safer.' the mayor said. William Torchia bought the Pabst Building, home to law firms and to the The 33 Room earlier this month for $2.5 million, according to records at the Peoria County Courthouse. The building has long been an icon within the community. It was the administrative offices of the old Pabst Blue Ribbon brewery, which closed in the early 1980s. The 33 Room serves Pabst Blue Ribbon and serves as a historical reminder of the old brewery. The mayor said he was hopeful the building would continue to thrive under new ownership. 'Their use for the Pabst building, I believe, is going to be more geared towards finance and law and professional offices,' Phelan said. 'I believe everything else that's in the building now, like the 33 room, will be staying.' Torchia purchased the building from the KDB Group, which is the development group that was owned by Kim Blickenstaff who bought the building about six years ago. The Pabst building had been previously owned by the KDB Group, which listed the building and several others for sale in 2023. Those others included the Scottish Rite Theatre, Sankoty Lakes in Spring Bay and Betty Jayne Brimmer Center for the Performing Arts in Peoria Heights. Blinkenstaff's KDB Group announced it was 'reevaluating' Peoria-area projects in January 2023. Torchia also purchased the Save A Lot grocery store, which is located two blocks south of the Pabst Building. Phelan said he's heard that plans could include a type of mixed-used development that could include some residential units within the building. 'I believe from what the developers have told me, and that's a better question for them, but it will be mixed use, and they're planning some residential and grocery and retail in Save A Lot,' Phelan said. The goal is to keep Save A Lot there but there are plans for what might happen if the store leaves, the mayor said. 'Both the developers and myself have reached out to Save A Lot, to ask them to stay in some form or fashion in the new building. If they don't stay, you know, we'd be willing to relocate them somewhere else within the village,' he said. Adding to the mix is the proximity to the Rock Island Trail as well as its location on Prospect Road. That makes it an attractive spot for possible residential and the village is considering putting a trail head in the area to highlight the Rock Island Trial. If Save A Lot did move, he said there was some hope they would stay within the village with some help from the Village Hall. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
