Latest news with #Clemente
Boston Globe
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Boston Comic Arts Foundation challenges ‘junky comics' label with new annual program
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up That's what Peppi and her friends in her school's Art Club do, but they find themselves at odds with the Science Club. The pangs of growing up alongside your peer group are on full display in Advertisement Author Svetlana Chmakova and the cover to her graphic novel "Awkward." Provided 'I joke to my family and friends that I am not a true adult, but essentially a 12-year-old cleverly disguised as one, in the way that I navigate the world (it's hard!! Nothing makes sense!! People don't make sense, still, and I'm forty-five now!!),' wrote Chmakova in an email to the Globe ahead of the event. The award-winning author was born in Russia, moved to Canada at 16, and now keeps a home in Massachusetts. Advertisement Founded six years ago, BCAF engages in 'comics advocacy,' said Zach Clemente, who heads the organization's board of directors. The intent, he said, is to help raise the medium to the level of legitimacy afforded other narrative arts forms such as movies and novels. With resources including the Horn Book, independent children's book publisher 'Boston is already a comics town,' said Clemente, a small press publisher who joined BCAF after several years with the For Boston Reads Comics, BCAF gave away about 100 copies of Chmakova's book and encouraged other children to check it out of their local library. They hope to draw as many as 300 students, parents, and supporters to the Central Library on Saturday. 'As a practice, making comics is very isolating,' Clemente said. 'Conversely, the community tends to be very outgoing.' Gershowitz, who earned her master's degree in children's literature from Simmons University, noted that the graphic novel form has 'really exploded in legitimacy' over the last 20 years or so. Still, she said, it's 'an uphill battle.' Advertisement 'What we're facing now, with book bans and challenges, is people trying to limit children's access to books,' she said. 'That's what people think when they think about graphic novels — that they're just junky comics.' Chmakova finds that to be a frustrating misconception. 'Comics should be in every classroom under the sun,' she wrote in her email. After growing up reading in Russian, she found herself falling behind when she immigrated to Canada, 'because everything was in English. But with comics, the words and images together, I was able to grasp them. I was able to be a reader again through comics.' And she has dedicated her adult life to honoring the art form. 'There are things that are more effectively conveyed with visuals, which is why we take photographs and have art,' she said. 'And there are things that are best conveyed with words, which is why we have language. Combining the two creates a very powerful medium where you could deliver the equivalent of a paragraph's worth of background information in a single image.' BOSTON READS COMICS Featuring Svetlana Chmakova. July 27 at 3 p.m. Boston Public Library, Central Branch, 700 Boylston St. James Sullivan can be reached at .
USA Today
15-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Miami Marlins draft Florida RHP Jake Clemente in Round 7
After waiting six rounds for a Florida baseball player to be called in the 2025 MLB draft, it took just 32 picks for a second Gator to hear his name. The Miami Marlins took right-handed reliever Jake Clemente with the 198th pick in the seventh round. A South Florida native out of Broward County, Clemente is a hometown pick for an organization still trying to find its footing under new front office management. The Marlins also took a former Florida Gator and high school teammate of Clemente, Chris Arroyo, in the round prior. Reuniting the duo that led the core years of the Stoneman Douglas High School dynasty just an hour away from where it all started, was a no-brainer. With that said, Clemente's sixth-round selection isn't just the kicker at the end of a fairytale story. It's the product of years of hard work and resiliency, too. Clemente left the high school ranks on top, alongside Arroyo and Boston Red Sox top prospect Roman Anthony. But in college, he was no longer a big fish in a little pond. Injury took away his true freshman year, accelerating the three-year clock most draft hopefuls start college with. He returned as a second-year college player with no innings under his belt and was thrust into SEC action after just four outings. A 5.34 ERA over 28 2/3 innings left room for improvement, and his 14.8% walk rate was on the fringe of acceptability thanks to a 28.9% strikeout rate. Still, those kinds of numbers during a bounceback campaign and a fastball trending toward the upper-90s make for a good prospect. It all came together last summer for Clemente, who earned an All-Star nod after posting a 3.00 ERA and 29 strikeouts over 27 innings for the Brewster Whitecaps. The slider was working as an out pitch and the fastball was finally back at full strength, all while operating as a starter. Kevin O'Sullivan named Clemente the Sunday starter for Florida to open the year, but an early-season back injury and some rough outings after led him back to the bullpen. That's when Clemente stepped into a long-relief closer role. Good for three innings, but maybe not four, Clemente became the guy no one in the SEC wanted to see walking down from the bullpen. From April forward, Clemente dominated out of the bullpen, allowing just five earned runs over the final 31 innings of his college career. Although Clemente appears destined for a bullpen role, adding a third pitch to the fastball-slider combo could give him life as a starter in the minor leagues. Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
USA Today
16-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Four Florida baseball players invited to 2025 MLB draft combine
Four Florida baseball players invited to 2025 MLB draft combine Florida right-handed pitcher Jake Clemente, left-handed pitcher Pierce Coppola, catcher Brody Donay and shortstop Colby Shelton accepted invites to the 2025 MLB draft combine this week. The fifth annual combine "will take place from June 17-21 at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, for a third consecutive year," according to MLB. "The Combine will feature 322 Draft prospects, including 180 collegiate players and 142 high school athletes, as well as a decorated group of former Major League players and coaches, members of Club baseball operations departments, scouting directors and other Club personnel." Shelton is the scout's favorite of the group. The junior shortstop improved his decision-making at the plate a ton this year, albeit at the expense of his power stroke. Still, scouts are going to be high on him if he flashes the kind of exit velocities they want to see. Donay has the kind of raw power that warrants a closer look, and Coppola has always had the stuff and projectable frame to turn heads. The former has consistency questions after struggling against higher-level arms, and the latter has been injured more than he's been healthy while at Florida. Clemente is perhaps the most interesting prospect of the four. He made a name for himself on the Cape last summer, but the numbers didn't translate as Florida's third starter. A move to the bullpen suited Clemente perfectly, and he became a three-inning guy to close out big games. What makes Clemente so interesting isn't the mid-to-high 90s fastball or wipeout slider; it is the fact that he is a redshirt sophomore and has two years of eligibility left. With plenty of leverage in negotiations, Clemente can find out where teams value him and how to move up if it's not where he wants it. It's the same thing Shelton did last year, and it gives the player a direct line to MLB scouts and front offices. Shelton attended the combine a year ago as a draft-eligible sophomore, alongside right-hander Brandon Neely, who went in the third round. In 2023, the eventual fourth overall pick, outfielder Wyatt Langford, shortstop Josh Rivera and right-hander Brandon Sproat attended. Both Rivera and Sproat heard their names called in the third round. First-rounder Sterlin Thompson was the only Gator at the 2022 event. MLB Draft Combine Schedule The 2025 MLB draft presented by Nike is planned for July 13-14 during All-Star Week in Atlanta. The draft will feature 20 rounds across the two days. The opening night of the draft, which will feature 105 picks in total, will include the first three rounds, compensatory rounds, competitive balance rounds and prospect promotion incentive rounds at the Coca-Cola Roxy in The Battery Atlanta. Players will do on-field workouts from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET on the first day. Some of that action will air on the MLB Network, and the high schoolers will play a non-televised game in the evening. Workouts are from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET on Day 2, and the final day of the combine is strength and conditioning from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET. Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
CBS News
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
McCutchen ties Clemente for third on Pirates' all-time homers list with 240
Andrew McCutchen tied Roberto Clemente for third place on the Pittsburgh Pirates' all-time home run list at 240 with a two-run shot off San Diego's Randy Vásquez in the third inning on Sunday. It was the second homer in two games and fifth of the season for the 38-year-old McCutchen, who's in his 17th big league season and 12th with Pittsburgh over two stints. It gave the Pirates a 2-1 lead. Clemente hit 240 homers from 1955-1972. He was 38 when he was killed on Dec. 31, 1972, in the crash of a plane he chartered to deliver emergency supplies for the survivors of an earthquake in Nicaragua. He was posthumously elected to the Hall of Fame in 1973. Willie Stargell tops the Pirates' list with 475 homers and Ralph Kiner is next with 301. McCutchen has 324 homers in a career in which he's also played for Philadelphia, Milwaukee, San Francisco and the New York Yankees. ___ AP MLB:
USA Today
23-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Clemente, Heyman headline 5 Florida Gators named to All-SEC baseball teams
Clemente, Heyman headline 5 Florida Gators named to All-SEC baseball teams The Southeastern Conference named five Florida Gators to its 2025 All-SEC baseball teams on Monday. Catcher Luke Heyman made the First Team, and closer Jake Clemente made the Second Team, Aidan King and Brendan Lawson made the 2025 Freshman All-SEC Baseball Team and Bobby Boser was an All-Defensive Team member for his work at third, sharing the award with Auburn's Eric Guevara. Heyman slashed .301/.397/.578 over the regular season with 13 home runs and 44 runs batted in. Those numbers improved to .317/.403/.673 in conference play, where 10 of his homers and 28 of his RBI came. He ranked inside the conference top-10 in both categories, finishing sixth in homers. He also served as Florida's primary catcher after splitting time behind the plate in parts of last year with Brody Donay, who is still on the team. Heyman made just one error all year and led the SEC in chances and putouts. He caught 11 runners stealing, good for third in the conference. A broken forearm suffered in the Alabama series ended Heyman's season right before the SEC Tournament, and he's a likely draft departure given the success seen this year. Clemente entered his redshirt sophomore year at Florida with a ton of hype behind him after an All-Star summer in the Cape Cod League. Injuries slowed the process, but Clemente ultimately failed to thrive as a starter in the SEC. The stamina needed might not be there, but he found a role as a multi-inning closer to thrive in. Working through the order just one time allows Clemente to ramp up his fastball and attack with the slider more often. He ended the regular season with a 2-1 record and 3.51 ERA, although that number has dropped from 6.08 since he moved into the closer role. His WHIP is 1.12, 34.1% strikeout rate and 11.5% walk rate all make him a prime candidate for the draft this year. D1Baseball ranked him the eighth-best relief arm in college ball, regardless of draft eligibility. He might be a top-5 relief arm in the class. King and Lawson have both established themselves as the future of the Gators' baseball program. The former is in talks for the title of best arm in the 2027 draft class, and Lawson is hitting third in Florida's lineup as a freshman. Both are going to develop over the next two years, too, meaning they're from their peaks despite being considered elite already. Boser getting the defensive team nod is a nice consolation prize, but he likely would have made a third team if it existed. He led the team in home runs for a good chunk of the season and is just one behind Donay for the team lead at 17. He's flashed all five tools, slashing .330/.433/.598, locking down third base and leading the team in steals with 18. Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
