Washington

Kyle Finnegan, a surprise all-star, owes his daughter a theme park trip

Published

2 hours ago

July 16, 2024

Kyle Finnegan, a surprise all-star, owes his daughter a theme park trip

ARLINGTON, Tex. — At least Kyle Finnegan had time for a nap. He was grateful for that.

The 24 hours leading up to the moment he stood in the visiting clubhouse at Globe Life Field on Tuesday were some of the more chaotic hours of his life. They began in line for a ride at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pa. They included a late-night drive back to Washington and an early flight down to Dallas.

And at the end of it all, the Washington Nationals’ closer was an all-star for the first time, named to the National League roster as a replacement for St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley, who opted not to pitch in the game for health reasons.

“I owe our daughter a trip to an amusement park,” Finnegan said. “We’ll see what we can drum up.”

Finnegan’s three kids were able to make the trip with him. His family, based in Houston, was able to make it for the game, too. The 32-year-old had compiled a 2024 campaign worthy of all-star consideration with his 25 saves and 2.45 ERA. But when the all-star rosters were named last week, shortstop CJ Abrams got the call to represent the Nationals instead.

But Monday in Hershey, Finnegan’s phone rang. And after years of sturdy work for the Nationals, he was officially one of the game’s best, even though he didn’t appear in Tuesday’s game.

“Seeing how amazing this whole production has been, the whole area around the ballpark and hotel, I have a 12-year-old daughter — she’s just awestruck,” Finnegan said.

The Nationals begin the second half at home Friday against the Cincinnati Reds. And after the wild way he ended up spending his week, Finnegan has firmer plans for how he plans to use the time between now and then.

“Definitely one day of rest,” he said. “I need to catch up on some sleep.”

Abrams made his All-Star Game debut in fitting fashion: He replaced former Nationals shortstop Trea Turner in the sixth inning. He took one at-bat, with the NL trailing in the eighth, and struck out on three pitches.

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Washington

Photos from Day 2 of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee

Published

9 hours ago

July 16, 2024

Press Room

Photos from Day 2 of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee

Election 2024

Follow live updates from Day 2 of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Catch up on the top takeaways from the first night, where Donald Trump made an appearance.

Trump VP pick: Trump has chosen Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio as his running mate, selecting a rising star in the party and previously outspoken Trump critic who in recent years has closely aligned himself with the former president.

Presidential election polls: Check out The Post’s presidential polling averages of the seven battleground states most likely to determine the outcome of the election.

Key dates and events: Voters in all states and U.S. territories have been choosing their party’s nominee for president ahead of the summer conventions. Here are key dates and events on the 2024 election calendar.

Abortion and the election: Voters in about a dozen states could decide the fate of abortion rights with constitutional amendments on the ballot in a pivotal election year. Biden supports legal access to abortion, and he has encouraged Congress to pass a law that would codify abortion rights nationwide. After months of mixed signals about his position, Trump said the issue should be left to states. Here’s how Biden’s and Trump’s abortion stances have shifted over the years.

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Washington

Washington State, Oregon State Reportedly In Serious Trouble As Future Plans In Doubt

Published

17 hours ago

July 16, 2024

Press Room

Washington State, Oregon State Reportedly In Serious Trouble As Future Plans In Doubt

PublishedJuly 16, 2024 7:56 AM EDT|UpdatedJuly 16, 2024 7:56 AM EDT

Washington State and Oregon State might not be bound for the Mountain West in the near future.

The Cougars and Beavers are the last two remaining PAC-12 programs following the conference imploding. The rest of the once-powerful conference split for the Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC.

WSU and OSU were left dangling in the wind, and eventually reached a scheduling agreement with the MWC. The belief has been that there would be some kind of merger.

A popular theory has been that the MWC will be folded under the PAC-12 banner (I have a Las Vegas dinner riding on a bet that this won’t actually happen), or that the Beavers and Cougars could join the MWC.

Will Oregon State and Washington State join the MWC? (Photo by Brian Murphy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Washington State, Oregon State face uncertain future.

It might be time to tap the brakes on those theories, according to a new report from CBS Sports. The interest might not be there as originally thought, but not from the side you’d think. The MWC reportedly has cooled on the idea of some kind of merger.

CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd reported the following, in part, on the situation Oregon State and Washington State are in:

“On the surface, it makes sense for the best Group of Five conference to take in the last two Power Five schools remaining from the realignment chaos.

But after a week of speaking to industry sources during various media days, there seems to be momentum toward the Mountain West cooling on inclusion of Oregon State and Washington State. Such a move has been portrayed as expansion, a merger or a reverse-merger. (Although, it’s hard to envision who reverse-merges with whom.)

The Mountain West has a scheduling agreement with both teams for the 2024 season with a mutual option to continue the partnership in 2025. Might as well make that a Mountain West option because it’s becoming clear the conference doesn’t necessarily need or even want the Beavers and Cougars on a full-time membership basis.”

To be clear, there’s still plenty of time for something to happen and as Dodd pointed out himself, a merger is certainly possible. However, if the MWC has cooled on the idea of adding the final two PAC-12 teams, then they’re both in pretty big trouble.

What other options are out there? The answer is there really aren’t any. Perhaps they could try to poach other small schools from around the country, but that’s a plan that seems destined to fail.

The main reason why is TV money. If MWC schools stay where they are, then the duo would have to go hunting in regions of the country that aren’t close at all. That makes travel expensive, and the conference still wouldn’t have any real TV value.

What will happen to Washington State and Oregon State? (Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

It’s been a “MWC or bust” mentality seemingly since the PAC-12 imploded, and if the Mountain West isn’t returning the feeling, then it might be time for fans to start getting very nervous. Let me know what you think at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.

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Washington

Advice | Carolyn Hax: 20-year-old listens to racist rapper. Should his parent speak up?

Published

24 hours ago

July 16, 2024

Press Room

Advice | Carolyn Hax: 20-year-old listens to racist rapper. Should his parent speak up?

Adapted from an online discussion.

Dear Carolyn: What do you say (if anything) when your 20-year-old likes a certain rapper who advocates for the death and destruction of your/his race? Said 20-year-old does not agree with said rapper’s comments but still follows him on social media and still likes his music.

I know my son is no longer a child. I also know, “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.” I’m trying to respect boundaries. I’m also extremely disheartened. Thank you.

Do I Say Anything?: Ugh. I hate this question. I hate the circumstances that make it so relevant. I hate the messiness that makes it so hard to answer.

I hate that just before this chat, I was enjoying a video by my kid’s team manager — great kid, talented, works hard — set to music by a notoriously Nazi-curious performer.

Here’s all I’ve got: It is a parent’s job to raise children to find their way to sound moral reasoning. It is not a parent’s job to do the moral reasoning for their children, or to get them to the point of perfect soundness today/by tomorrow/immediately upon adulthood. Or to keep trying to rear them when they’re clearly adults. Ahem.

Think back to your beliefs at his age, and before, and after, and I think it’ll be clear that beliefs always evolve and deepen with time. We get there when we get there, at our own pace, using or discarding new information and others’ input as we see fit. You may have listened to offensive artists yourself at 20, but thrown away the recordings at 40.

Plus: A moral adult’s own reckoning with artists of grim character can be complicated. Are there painters whose personal lives you know to be problematic? Okay. Do you turn your eyes away from their works? Or do you look and admire because it was … enough years ago? You’re seeing them free? The artists can’t profit? No one knows you’re looking? Everyone was an oppressor back then!!

What about movies? With so many in the cast and crew and front office, do you boycott for one corrupted influence? The whole Miramax oeuvre: out?

So where does this land as far as advice … good question. That also depends on your kid, and how responsive he is to a parental intrusion on his thoughts. Some young adults will gratefully engage, some will eye-roll — and some are still immature enough to double down just because you butted in. That has a way of blurring even clear moral lines.

Overall, I advise playing the long game. Trust that your moral teachings have hit their mark and will be absorbed as he is receptive to them. If you can’t stop your mouth from moving, then I urge conversation over pronouncements. “How do you feel about X’s music since [relevant events]? I always struggle myself with art vs. the artist.” Then listen, listen, listen, because you’ve reared him already, and because you may just learn something from him.

Part of why this question is so challenging is that soft approaches feel wrong in the presence of such casual dehumanization. If ever there were a time for arm-flapping outrage, this would be it, right?

But what’s the point of the outrage: for its own sake, or to persuade? That’s both the crux of this answer and one entirely unto itself.

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