Le Journal

On Monday, the calendar flips to December, when Major League Baseball’s hot stove often goes from simmering to boiling over. The Red Sox wrapped up November with a trade for right-hander Sonny Gray, but will they make a big splash at next month’s Winter Meetings, like they did last year? The Herald’s Red Sox reporters, Gabrielle Starr and Mac Cerullo, discuss. Related Articles Analysis: More moves possible, but Sonny Gray likely Red Sox No. 2 starter Red Sox boss declines to say if Sonny Gray will be club’s No. 2 starter Red Sox acquire right-hander Sonny Gray from Cardinals Red Sox honor Yankees lefty as 2025 Tony Conigliaro Award winner MLB notes: Moment of truth may be near for Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens Sonny Gray, yay or nay? Gabrielle Starr: The Red Sox made what will hopefully be a rotation upgrade with this week’s trade for Sonny Gray. There’s a lot to like, such as the promising innings-pitched and strikeouts track record, but he didn’t come cheap and a considerable portion of the fan base appears underwhelmed. What do you think of the move? Mac Cerullo: I like it, more than a lot of Red Sox fans apparently. Gray has been one of the most consistent and reliable starting pitchers in baseball for most of the past decade and his under the hood metrics were much better last year than his 4.28 ERA would suggest. He might not be as flashy a name as, say, Minnesota’s Joe Ryan, but he’ll give the Red Sox rotation a boost. I’m also not sure I agree with your assessment that he didn’t come cheap. Sure, $21 million is a solid chunk of change, but that’s basically what the Red Sox paid Walker Buehler last year and only a bit more than what Lucas Giolito earned. In terms of asset allocation, taking that money from either one of them and putting it towards someone who should be better strikes me as a great piece of business, especially when they only other thing Gray cost was two promising arms who weren’t top-10 talents and likely wouldn’t have made a huge impact on the 2026 club. Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan delivers against the Cleveland Guardians during the first inning of a game, Friday, Aug. 1 in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long) GS: I like this trade, too. I think Gray’s rough tenure with the 2017-18 Yankees may be coloring this trade for some Red Sox fans, because that was his closest proximity to Boston. I also would bet there are fans who feel this move is too similar to the short-term moves the front office has made in recent years for similarly-aged pitchers, several of which were busts. Twins righty Joe Ryan was more what I had in mind for a Red Sox rotation upgrade this offseason, but the return package would have been significantly bigger; Gray is more in their starter-acquisition comfort zone. There’s more nuance and upside to this trade than fans in this mindset think, such as the fact that the Red Sox are now developing legitimate big-league starters rather than rebuilding a farm system that perennially struggled in this area, and therefore no longer feel the need to make long-term additions. That said, with the exception of the Garrett Crochet trade last winter, the recent track record isn’t exactly a thrill ride. (And we probably wrote similarly optimistic takes about the Walker Buehler signing last year, and look how that turned out). I’m sure watching the reigning American League pennant-winning Blue Jays ink free-agent starter Dylan Cease to a big contract the next day didn’t exactly pretty-up the Gray trade for Sox fans, either. And just looking at their projected luxury tax payroll, it will be interesting to see how far ownership is willing to go with spending. The estimated payroll is $224.99 million, just $19.01 million away from hitting the $244 million competitive balance threshold. Some of that money could come off in trades and arbitration outcomes, but if the Red Sox are truly committed to improving the roster, it’s safe to assume they’ll be going over that line for a second straight…

E3G thinktank warns retrofit sector could shed 10,000 skilled jobs as small firms struggle to surviveCuts to a scheme for insulation and heatpumps for low-income households will leave homes damp, draughty and unsafe over winter, experts have said.Housing have asked for a one-year extension to the scheme to ensure continuity and prevent small retrofit firms going bust. Companies say funding for solar panels and insulation is already being withdrawn, leaving homes cold and draughty as winter sets in. Continue reading...

A safe famously stolen from Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson that once held their sex tape inside has sold at auction for over $2,000. READ MORE: ‘Pam & Tommy’ review: sex tape scandal takes aim at ’90s sleaze The tape was the centre of controversy in the ’90s when it was stolen and distributed without the consent of Lee or Anderson, who has been vocal about the psychological impact the video has had on her in the years following, and has often recalled it as a traumatic moment in her life. The safe that the tape was stolen from recently featured in Julien’s Auctions’ ‘Played, Worn & Torn’ event, with proceeds from items sold going towards charities including MusiCares, Teenage Cancer America, Gibson Gives, and St. Jude’s. Mötley Crüe drummer Lee got involved, signing the safe and writing: “This is the unsafe that ruined my life!”, a detail that ultimately didn’t help it reach its estimated $4,000-$6,000 fee. Per Consequence, the winning bidder snagged the piece for $2,560, which didn’t include the price to have the weighty safe shipped home. View this post on Instagram The fallout from the theft was chronicled in Hulu’s Pam & Tommy series, which starred Lily James and Sebastian Stan as the couple. Created once again without the consent of the famous actress, the show centred around their tumultuous relationship and the scandal that erupted after the sex tape was stolen in 1995 and leaked. Back in 2023, Anderson revealed that her ex-husband Lee attempted to comfort her after the series aired. Speaking to Variety, the actress spoke candidly about her distaste for the program and its producers, describing them as “assholes”. She said their decision to follow through with the show felt like rubbing “salt on the wound,” and it was difficult for her to relive the trauma during the show’s press cycle. She revealed that Lee had reached out in an attempt to comfort her, saying: “I remember Tommy writing me a note saying, ‘Don’t let this hurt you like it did the first time,’ because he had heard through the kids that I was kind of struggling with the idea of bringing this all up again. I don’t think he was portrayed kindly. I just know that I refuse to watch it.” It comes after James revealed in January 2022 that she sent Anderson a letter, to which she’d never responded. “I was really hopeful that she would be involved,” James said at the time. “I wish it had been different.” Speaking to The New York Times earlier this month, Anderson said that she had received the letter and refused to read it, instead scanning a copy and leaving it in her inbox. The post Safe stolen from Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson that once had their sex tape inside sells at auction appeared first on NME.

Alain Jamet et Louis Aliot.     -“Alain Jamet est mort ✝️ Une page se tourne. Il était la charnière militante entre les anciens et les nouveaux…   Membre de la Corpo de droit. En 1954, il est cofondateur et secrétaire général des Jeunes indépendants de Paris, puis membre du bureau national de l’Union de défense de la jeunesse de France (l’une des Union parallèle de l’Union de défense des commerçants et artisans (UDCA) de Pierre Poujade). Parachutiste au 18e RCP en 1956, il est blessé en 1957 à Canrobert dans le djebel Tarf, pendant la guerre d’Algérie. Durant cette période militaire, il est décoré de la croix de la Valeur militaire à l’ordre du corps d’armée et de la croix du combattant. Considéré comme l’un des dirigeants historiques du Front National, Alain Jamet apporta son soutien à Marine Le Pen lors du congrès de Tours en 2011. Il est alors premier vice-président du FN. Modéré de tempérament et fin connaisseur de la vie politique, il était le plus jeune des créateurs du FN et avait soutenu Marine dans sa volonté de modernisation de l’appareil. C’était une encyclopédie et un bon camarade. C’est une grande tristesse qui aujourd’hui m’envahit”.   […]