San Francisco, CA
The 2025 NBA All-Star Game in San Francisco: What to know
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Giants Receive Intriguing Pitching Prospect in Rogers Trade
The San Francisco Giants recently made a deal to send one of their relievers, Taylor Rogers, to the Cincinnati Reds, and in return will receive right-handed relief prospect Braxton Roxby.
This deal comes as a likely money-saving move for the Giants, who are able to shed Rogers’ $12 million contract remaining from his initial three-year deal and get a prospect to do so.
Looking at Roxby, he was an undrafted free agent in the 2020 MLB Draft class, and at 25 years old has worked his way up to AA in the four seasons since being selected. He has split time between the High-A and AA levels for most of his minor league career, pitching in 49 games and 81 games, respectively.
The reason for the distinct split between those two feeder teams and having not made AAA yet is due to his significant production drop-off at the AA level. But, 2024 was an improvement for Roxby compared to his prior seasons, as he stuck in AA for the entire season and was able to post a lower ERA than his average there with 5.21.
With High-A Dayton, he had a combined 3.17 ERA, with a 1.202 WHIP, 152 strikeouts to 53 walks, 12 saves, and a 9-6 record in 110.2 innings pitched. Then moving up to Double-AA, those numbers inflated to a 6.41 ERA, 1.559 WHIP, 81 strikeouts to 26 walks, three saves, and an 0-4 record in 59.0 innings pitched.
The most intriguing part about his game is the strikeout totals mentioned, as 233 strikeouts to 79 walks (a 2.95 SO/BB ratio) are impressive coming up through the farm system. The difficulty has been keeping the exit velocity on his pitches down, and avoiding consistent contact in general.
In Double-A he had a whopping 28.8% strikeout rate in 2024, which is a huge positive when it comes to being able to develop him into a reliable reliever.
Fangraphs had Roxby within the Reds’ top 40 prospects entering 2024, ranked at No. 38. A glimpse at their analysis of him notes that he’s a side-arm reliever with a mid-90s fastball and a pair or breaking balls.
“He may not have the command to be a true on-roster middle inning guy, but he has rare arm strength for a pitcher with a slot this low and projects as an up/down specialist type,” per Fangraphs.
A Rogers trade had been somewhat anticipated, considering the financial implications in doing so. When it comes to getting a return prospect in a contract-dumping deal, usually the results are not spectacular. Getting a player back with strong slider motion, a high strikeout rate and some tools to work with for the future is a solid piece to get back for San Francisco.
San Francisco, CA
Final touches being made on floats for San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade
As San Francisco prepares to welcome its annual Chinese New Year Festival and Parade, to celebrate the Year of the Snake, the people who build the floats for the parade are busy with the finishing touches.
“It’s really cool that there is so much hand-built artwork on display,” said Lacey Bryant.
This will be Bryant’s 10th year creating sculptures for the floats in the parade.
“Every animal is going to teach me something new,” she said.
And creating for the Year of the Snake certainly has offered learning opportunities.
“This one was kind of a challenge because it had to float most of its body up in the air,” she said, pointing towards an intricate design. “So, it only touches the float in a couple of spots. It’s kind of a cool sculptural piece really.”
She’ll make around a dozen sculptures for the parade. It’ll take her anywhere from a few days to a week to carve each one. Some are small; some are quite big.
“This particular one is 9 feet this way, 6 feet this way, and 8 feet this way,” she said.
Bryant said she loves getting to work on large-scale projects like the ones in the parade.
“It’s a fun process. It’s like there’s a puzzle that I have to figure out,” she said. “They get to be big and exciting, and I like that.”
San Francisco’s Chinese New Year Parade is the biggest parade celebrating the Lunar New Year outside of Asia.
“The amount of manpower and women power that’s going into the design, the fabrication, the installation, the decoration — It’s a huge, huge effort by a very talented group of people,” said Stephanie Mufson, owner of the Parade Guys, the company that builds the floats. “They’re something that we put so much love and effort into this, just seeing it bring the joy to all the people around is really gratifying and rewarding.”
That is one of the many reasons why Lacey keeps coming back to create.
“It’s wonderful to be a part of it. It’s such an important event for the city and the community here,” she said.
Come parade time, when she sees people smile when they see her creations, it brings a big smile to her face.
“Oh, it’s wonderful. There’s really nothing like it,” she said.
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Chinatown prepares for year of the snake
SAN FRANCISCO – Preparations were underway on Tuesday in San Francisco Chinatown to celebrate the year of the snake.
The sound of fireworks was continuous.
This holiday is the most important in Chinese culture.
The celebration centers around family, food and good fortune.
Families get together for dinner to enjoy traditional dishes, including what’s called “poon choi,” which includes chicken, scallops, and mushrooms.
One key ingredient is “fat choi,” a moss that symbolizes good fortune.
Any seafood dish such as shrimp is presented with the head and tail intact.
“This is salt and pepper prawns in Chinese culture. It’s important to have a beginning and an end to everything: career, school, education,” said Shelby Wu of G & Y Bakery Cafe.
Chinatown merchants said the eve of the Lunar New Year is usually the busiest day of the year.
Shopper May Rong said the celebration is a way for her to educate her children about tradition.
Observances are characterized by symbolism.
“We usually have these tangerines. It means prosperity and wealth,” said Jonathan Sit of BeChinatown.
He points to the stems and leaves left on the fruit to signify longevity.
Fruitful Dreams is a produce store that opened recently just in time for the new year.
Owner Gigi Wu showed off the fruit baskets her shop offers.
Fruits are popular gifts when visiting family and friends during the holiday period.
Good Mong Kok Bakery is a popular take-out spot for dim sum.
It offers sweets made only for this holiday, including a Chinese New Year cake made with brown sugar.
Vanessa Shieh of Oakland visited Lion Trading, a shop that sells decorations for the home.
She bought hangings for her doors in red and gold, popular collars for Chinese celebrations.
The shop also sells “lai see,” red envelopes for people to fill with money.
They are given by married people usually to older folks, children and those who are single.
This is the year of the snake.
People born under this zodiac animal are said to have certain characteristics.
“They are very strategic, very careful when it comes to planning out their next move,” said Lucas Li whose family owns Lion Trading.
At the end of the business day on Chinese New Year’s Eve, some merchants lit firecrackers to chase away evil spirits and usher in good luck.
There are celebrations in Chinatown on Lunar New Year Day, which falls on Wednesday.
Amber Lee is a reporter with KTVU. Email Amber at Amber.Lee@Fox.com or text/leave message at 510-599-3922. Follow her on Facebook @AmberKTVU, Instagram @AmberKTVU or Twitter @AmberKTVU
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