Mannatech Stock Soars to 52-Week High, Hits $10.6
It was a long and mostly miserable season for Toronto’s veteran reliever Jordan Romano in 2024. He was coming off two All-Star seasons as the Blue Jays closer, had accumulated 95 saves over the previous three seasons, but but as the season trickled through the late spring it became obvious this season wasn’t going to turn out like those other two. He first encountered elbow inflammation issues during spring training, delaying his season start until mid-April. He seemed to pick up where he’d left off in 2023, accumulating four saves in a couple of weeks, but his velocity dropped significantly during a stretch in May and his ERA ballooned to 6.59 before he was finally pulled from action at the end of the month. But before his injury troubles really began to set in on him, there was the memory of the day that he managed his fifth save of the season, coming on May 8 on the road in a day game at Citizens Bank Park. “The place was absolutely sold out,” Romano said Tuesday, recalling the surprise of what even a workday baseball game in South Philadelphia was like. “The atmosphere was electric, and kind of coming off that series, I thought that if I get a chance to play here, I think I’d really enjoy it.” Romano will indeed get that chance, after he was signed Monday to a one-year, $8.5 million contract by Phillies president Dave Dombrowski. While some critics thought the signing was a bit of a gamble with what today is almost like a pocket-change free agent contract, Dombrowski sees in Romano a 31-year-old premier reliever almost back to full health and still in the prime of his career. Before departing the Winter Meetings in Dallas, Dombrowski praised Romano, calling him “one of the best back-end, high-leverage guys in baseball. Our medicals on him have been very good.” On a Zoom call with media members Tuesday, Romano said he was excited to keep progressing in his efforts to recapture his form from a couple of seasons ago. “Last Friday I got off the mound, felt great, mid-90s, for the first bullpen, which i was really excited about,” said Romano. He added that after another few weeks of “deloading” and strength training, he’ll get back to throwing bullpens in January. But he thinks he’s well on his way to full recovery before spring training starts. It was a long road. Romano, 31, would go on IL on June 1, and after another setback during rehab finally underwent elbow surgery in July. His rehab after that didn’t go well, either, and after initial optimism that he’d be returning sometime in August, the call was made to let him continue to rehab while the Blue Jays were quickly playing themselves out of contention. “The whole plan last year was never really to come back at the end of the year. We were just going to take it a little bit ... not even slower, just follow the timeline with that,” said Romano, a native of Markham, Ontario. “I want to get back on track, I’m feeling healthy and good now so I just want to have the one year to get back out there and prove my worth.” Before meeting any of his teammates, Romano can feel comfortable knowing that his manager, Rob Thomson, is a fellow Ontarian. But Thomson isn’t being provincial in his thinking about Romano’s role here – there were no fast promises of giving a closer role to Romano. Thomson doesn’t like to use that “closer” term anyway. Instead, the plan for Romano is to help in “high-leverage” situations, especially since both Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez are currently on the free agency market themselves. The Phillies now have Romano to go with fellow right-hander Orion Kerkering and left-handers Matt Strahm and Jose Alvarado as back-end bullpen weapons. “I’m just kind of going in and wherever I can, help,” Romano said. “If they want me to throw the ninth, you know, I do love closing. I have experience there and I’m happy to do it. But if they need me in other spots, too, I’m happy to do that. “I’m kind of just there to help get big outs wherever they need them.”Gaming Revolution! ‘Maxn’ Takes the StageATLANTA — On Jan. 18 and 19 the AT&T Playoff Playlist Live! will be held at State Farm Arena in advance of the College Football Playoff national championship on Jan. 20. The star-studded lineup was announced Thursday at a news conference at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Performances will include Lil Wayne and GloRilla on Saturday; and Camila Cabello, Myles Smith and Knox on Sunday. On game day, the Allstate Championship Tailgate, taking place just outside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the Home Depot Backyard, will feature country acts on the Capital One Music Stage, including global superstar Kane Brown and iHeartCountry “On The Verge” artist Ashley Cooke. The concerts are just two of the festivities visiting fans can enjoy in the days leading up to the big game. The fan experience for both ticket holders and the general public has been a focus for event planners. All weekend long, an estimated 100,000 people from across the country are expected to attend fan events preceding kickoff. “It will be an opportunity for fans of all ages to come together to sample what college football is all about, and you don’t have to have a ticket to the game to be a part of it,” said Bill Hancock, executive director of the CFP in a press release. “We’ve worked closely with the Atlanta Football Host Committee to develop fan-friendly events that thousands will enjoy come January.” On Saturday, Jan. 18, Playoff Fan Central will open at the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta. The free, family-friendly experience will include games, clinics, pep rallies, special guest appearances, autograph signings and exhibits celebrating college football and its history. That day, fans can also attend Media Day, presented by Great Clips, which will feature one-hour sessions with student-athletes and coaches from each of the College Football Playoff national championship participating teams. ESPN and social media giants X, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok will be taping live broadcasts from the event. On Sunday, Jan. 19, the Trophy Trot, both a 5K and 10K race, will wind its way through the streets of downtown Atlanta. Each Trophy Trot participant will receive a T-shirt and finisher’s medal. Participants can register at atlantatrackclub.org . On Sunday evening, the Georgia Aquarium will host the Taste of the Championship dining event, which offers attendees the opportunity to indulge in food and drink prepared by local Atlanta chefs. This premium experience serves as an elevated exploration of local cuisine on the eve of the national championship. Tickets to the Taste of the Championship event are available on etix.com . Atlanta is the first city ever to repeat as host for the CFP national championship. The playoff was previously held in Atlanta in 2018. “We are honored to be the first city to repeat as host for the CFP national championship and look forward to welcoming college football fans from around the country in January,” said Dan Corso, president of the Atlanta Sports Council and Atlanta Football Host Committee. “This event gives us another opportunity to showcase our incredible city.” The College Football Playoff is the event that crowns the national champion in college football. The quarterfinals and semifinals rotate annually among six bowl games — the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential and the Allstate Sugar Bowl. This year’s quarterfinals will take place on Dec. 31, 2024 and Jan. 1, 2025, while the semifinals will be Jan. 9-10, 2025. The CFP national championship will be Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. For additional information on the College Football Playoff, visit CollegeFootballPlayoff.com . Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!
AP Business SummaryBrief at 4:27 p.m. ESTGEORGE TOWN, Grand Cayman (AP) — Noah Farrakhan scored 24 points and sealed the victory with a jump shot with 46 seconds left as Hampton defeated Duquesne 64-59 on Monday. Farrakhan also had five rebounds for the Pirates (3-4). Daniel Johnson shot 4 for 6, including 1 for 3 from beyond the arc to add nine points. Jake DiMichele led the Dukes (0-6) in scoring, finishing with 13 points. Jakub Necas added nine points for Duquesne. Story continues below video The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .None
EMPOLI, Italy (AP) — Englishman Keinan Davis scored with 14 minutes remaining for Udinese to draw at Empoli 1-1 in Serie A on Monday and snap the visitor's three-game losing streak. The former Watford and Aston Villa striker rose to head home a near-post corner with 76 minutes gone. Pietro Pellegri put Empoli ahead midway through the first half with his third goal in three games. The on-loan Torino striker has endured a lean season but a goal in the 1-0 win over Como was followed by another in the 1-1 draw with Lecce before the international break. The result was the first point in four games for Udinese, after consecutive defeats to Atalanta, Juventus and Venezia, and meant that both sides retained their mid-table positions. Udinese was ninth and Empoli 10th. Later, Venezia missed a chance to move off the foot of the table when it went down at home to Lecce 1-0. Venezia was dominant for most of the game, with Gaetano Oristanio and Jay Idzes hitting the woodwork and Wladimiro Falcone outstanding in the Lecce goal. But the home side paid for its profligacy after 70 minutes. Antonino Gallo’s sublime cross from the left was met by Patrick Dorgu at the far post and he steered the ball into the far corner to give Lecce all three points. Lecce, which started the night only two places above bottom side Venezia, jumped into 15th place. AP soccer:In a postgame press conference with the media this week after a home loss to the Atlanta Hawks , Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard set the record straight on his reputation as a negative defender. According to Lillard, he doesn't get his due credit on that end of the floor since he doesn't often get torched like others in his position. “In the last couple years of my career, it’s been something that I’ve taken pride in," said Lillard . "I think early in my career, like most young players, especially scoring young players, it’s a learning curve defensively. Not just physically, but when you don’t know the terminology, you don’t know personnel that well, it’s a challenge to be a good defender in the NBA. And as I’ve become more experienced, I think it’s carried on as more of a narrative than actual truth. Guys not just coming out here breaking me off and putting me out there and scoring on me over and over." At 6'2" and 195 pounds, Lillard doesn't have the frame of a defensive stopper but with attention to detail, experience, and consistent effort Lillard has managed to make great improvements from his early days in the league. “And I also never been a guy that’s going to shy away from it. You seek me out, I'm going to come to it and we are going to do it however we gotta do it," Lillard said. "But like I said, I think it’s more of a narrative than anything else. I get my hands on the ball. I’m physical. I’m in the action. So I think that being a stat, just shows you I’m not just out there. Sometimes it’s on the ball. Sometimes I’m coming over to help. Just trying to make something happen.” Lillard has hovered around the same defensive numbers for years. He started his career with a rating of 112.5 and that number has fluctuated over the years with various lineups. This season, Lillard's defensive rating is 116.2, the lowest it has been since the 2018-19 season. Individually, Lillard certainly tries on defense and he always puts up some resistance against the NBA's best point guards. Unfortunately for Lillard, his teams have always struggled on the defensive end and it seems his efforts are never quite good enough to make a positive influence on that end of the floor. Compared to Jrue Holiday, he's a massive downgrade for the Bucks on the defensive side of the ball. Of course, this season as a whole has been difficult for Lillard and his team. After starting the season 3-8, Milwaukee hit rock bottom early before a recent win streak put them back in play for a top-six seed. For his part, Lillard is trying his best to stop the bleeding with averages of 25.9 points, 7.5 assists, and 4.4 rebounds per game on 45.1% shooting. At 11-10, the Bucks have risen to 5th in the East and they rank 12th on defense with a 113.2 defensive rating. Tonight, they will fight to stay above .500 against the Boston Celtics at 7:30 PM EST at TD Garden. On December 8th, Lillard and the Bucks will head to Barclays Center for a showdown against the Brooklyn Nets at 3:30 PM EST. It's their final game before the East Quarterfinal of the NBA Emirates Cup against the Orlando Magic at 7:00 PM EST. This article first appeared on Fadeaway World and was syndicated with permission.