Latest news with #Minor
Malaysian Reserve
3 days ago
- Sport
- Malaysian Reserve
Vulcan V-PRO FLIGHT Named Official Ball of DUPR
DELRAY BEACH, Fla., July 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating) announced today that the Vulcan V-PRO FLIGHT is now the Official Ball of DUPR across all its verticals and events, including High School Pickleball, Collegiate Pickleball, Minor League Pickleball (MiLP), as well as more than 8000 DUPR clubs and facilities all over the world. This new partnership sets a standard across the sport, as all DUPR events and events operated by DUPR's partner leagues, tours, clubs and event organizers will be required to use the Vulcan V-PRO FLIGHT pickleball. This reinforces DUPR's commitment to consistency, quality, and the highest level of competitive integrity. 'DUPR is built on accuracy and trust. We only align with partners who meet that standard,' said Tito Machado, CEO of DUPR. 'Vulcan has proven to be the best ball in the game, and this partnership raises the bar for every player who steps on the court.' Vulcan's V-PRO FLIGHT technology is regarded as best-in-class, delivering elite performance, durability, and accuracy. Already trusted as the Official Ball of Major League Pickleball (MLP), Vulcan now strengthens its position as the leading brand in pickleball ball technology. 'We're proud to become the Official Ball of DUPR,' said Jeremy Nef, President of Vulcan Pickleball. 'DUPR is the backbone of competitive pickleball, and this partnership reinforces our commitment to supporting players at every level — with the most advanced ball on the market.' Together, DUPR and Vulcan are shaping the future of competitive pickleball. About VulcanVulcan Pickleball is the premier equipment brand in pickleball and the creators of the V-PRO FLIGHT pickleball. The V-PRO FLIGHT is the official ball of DUPR, High School Pickleball, Collegiate Pickleball, Minor League Pickleball, and Major League Pickleball. Trusted by recreational players and professional pickleball players alike, the V-PRO FLIGHT is 'The Official Ball of Pickleball'. Learn more at About DUPRDUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating) is the premier global pickleball rating system and technology platform, trusted by the world's leading clubs, tournaments, leagues, and players. DUPR's dynamic rating system unifies pickleball across age, gender, and location by analyzing match results to accurately evaluate all players across a 2.000 – 8.000 scale. DUPR is the official pickleball rating of leagues, tournaments and clubs around the world, including United Pickleball Association (UPA), PPA, Major League Pickleball (MLP), Life Time, The Picklr, National Team Pickleball League, National Pickleball League. It also owns and operates Minor League Pickleball and Collegiate Pickleball, two of the biggest amateur leagues in the sport. Players and operators can visit to sign up and learn more. Media Contact: DUPRKyrill HartogVP Marketing & Communicationskyrill@ VulcanJimmy MillerDirector of Club & Partnershipsjimmy@
Straits Times
03-07-2025
- Science
- Straits Times
Third-ever confirmed interstellar object blazing through solar system
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox An undated image shows 3I/Atlas, possibly a comet, blazing its way across the solar system at 60km per second. – Astronomers have confirmed the discovery of an interstellar object racing through our solar system – only the third ever spotted, though scientists suspect many more may slip past unnoticed. The visitor from the stars, designated 3I/Atlas, is likely the largest yet detected, and has been classified as a comet, or cosmic snowball. 'It looks kind of fuzzy,' Dr Peter Veres, an astronomer with the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Centre, which was responsible for the official confirmation, said. 'It seems that there is some gas around it, and I think one or two telescopes reported a very short tail,' he added. Dr Richard Moissl, head of planetary defence at the European Space Agency, said the object, originally known as A11pl3Z before it was confirmed to be of interstellar origin, poses no threat to Earth. 'It will fly deep through the solar system, passing just inside the orbit of Mars', but will not hit our neighbouring planet, he said. Excited astronomers are still refining their calculations, but the object appears to be zooming at more than 60km a second. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore $500 in Child LifeSG credits, Edusave, Post-Sec Education Account top-ups to be disbursed in July Singapore Over 40% of Singaporean seniors have claimed SG60 vouchers: Low Yen Ling Asia 4 dead, 38 missing after ferry sinks on way to Indonesia's Bali Singapore $1.46b nickel-trading scam: Ng Yu Zhi's bid for bail midway through trial denied by High Court Singapore Pedestrian-only path rules to be enforced reasonably; focus on errant cyclists: Baey Yam Keng Singapore Jail for 'sugar daddy' who gave minor cash for sex, threatened to post her explicit videos online Singapore Train service resumes across Bukit Panjang LRT line after power fault led to 3-hour disruption Singapore Is using Gen AI for schoolwork and tests cheating? This would mean it is not bound by the Sun's orbit, unlike objects that remain within the solar system. Its trajectory also 'means it's not orbiting our star, but coming from interstellar space and flying off to there again', Dr Moissl said. Dr Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics, added: 'We think that probably these little ice balls get formed associated with star systems. 'And then as another star passes by, tugs on the ice ball, frees it out. It goes rogue, wanders through the galaxy, and now this one is just passing us.' A Chile based observatory that is part of the Nasa-funded Atlas survey first discovered the object on July 1. Professional and amateur astronomers across the world then searched through past telescope data, tracing its trajectory back to at least June 14. The object is currently estimated to be roughly 10km to 20km wide, Dr Moissl said, which would make it the largest interstellar interloper ever detected. But the object could be smaller if it is made out of ice, which reflects more light. Dr Veres said the object will continue to brighten as it nears the Sun, bending slightly under the pull of gravity, and is expected to reach its closest point – perihelion – on Oct 29. It will then recede and exit the solar system over the next few years. Our third visitor This marks only the third time humanity has detected an object entering the solar system from the stars. The first, Oumuamua, was discovered in 2017. It was so strange that at least one prominent scientist became convinced it was an alien vessel, though this has since been contradicted by further research. Our second interstellar visitor, 2I/Borisov, was spotted in 2019. There is no reason to suspect an artificial origin for 3I/Atlas, but teams around the world are now racing to answer key questions about things like its shape, composition and rotation. Dr Mark Norris, an astronomer at Britain's University of Central Lancashire, said the new object appears to be 'moving considerably faster than the other two extra-solar objects that we previously discovered'. The object is currently roughly around the distance from Jupiter away from Earth, Dr Norris said. He pointed to modelling estimating that there could be as many as 10,000 interstellar objects drifting through the solar system at any given time, though most would be smaller than the newly discovered object. If true, this suggests that the newly online Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile could soon be finding these dim interstellar visitors every month, Dr Norris said. Dr Moissl said it is not feasible to send a mission into space to intercept the new object. Still, these visitors offer scientists a rare chance to study something outside of our solar system.
India.com
02-07-2025
- Sport
- India.com
Zimbabwe Cricket Icon Mohammed Meman Passes Away At The Age Of 73
Former Zimbabwe off-spinner and team manager Mohammed Ahmed Meman, affectionately known as Babu, passed away at the age of 73 on Wednesday morning in Leicester, after a period of ill health. "Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has learnt with great shock and sadness of the death of former Zimbabwe international cricketer and national team manager Mohammed Ahmed Meman," Zimbabwe Cricket said in a press release. Meman wore Zimbabwe colours during his solitary One-Day International appearance for the country against India during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup in 1987. During his sole fixture, he scored 19 runs. In his playing days, he also represented Shropshire in England's Minor Counties Championship between 1977 and 1980. During his stint in the county, Babu struck 888 runs, including two centuries and scythed 55 wickets in 32 matches, underlining his quality as a genuine all-rounder. Meman served as Zimbabwe's national team manager between 1992 and 2006, guiding the side through its early years as a Test-playing nation. Beyond his playing days, he also contributed to the game as a selector, helping to shape the national team. "ZC is deeply grateful for Babu's enduring contributions to cricket in our country, both on and off the field. His passion, humility, and dedication will always be remembered by those who had the privilege of working with him," Zimbabwe Cricket said in a press release. "We extend our heartfelt condolences to his beloved wife, Aisha, and children - Iqbal, Fazila, and Sadiya - as well as to his extended family, friends, and all who knew and loved him. Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time. May his soul rest in eternal peace," ZC concluded.
Extra.ie
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Inside the life and career of DJ Carey as GAA star pleads guilty to fraud
Former hurling star DJ Carey pleaded guilty to 10 counts of defrauding a number of people out of money while faking a cancer diagnosis. The former Kilkenny left-wing forward was set to stand trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on Wednesday, but Dominic McGinn SC, prosecuting, indicated a jury would not be required and Carey would be entering guilty pleas. Carey entered guilty pleas to dishonestly inducing people to pay him money after he wrongfully claimed to have cancer and needed money for his treatment. Former hurling star DJ Carey pleaded to 10 counts of defrauding a number of people out of money while faking a cancer diagnosis. Pic: Collins Courts As the former hurler awaits his sentencing later in the year, take a look inside the sporting career and personal life of the 54-year-old fraudster. DJ has three bothers and three sisters — one of which is Catriona Carey — with the whole family steeping in Kilkenny GAA. The Kilkenny man shares two children — Michael and Sean — with his ex-wife Christine. The pair wed in the 90s and enjoyed seven years of marriage before their split in 2003. DJ Carey with his ex-wife Christine in 2000. Pic: Damien Eagers/Sportsfile DJ was later in a romantic relationship with former Dragon Den star Sarah Newman with the pair engaged to marry — but the wedding was subsequently called off. Last year, Sarah married millionaire Henry Digby, the Baron of Offaly at St Andrew's Church in Dorset. DJ Carey and Sarah Newman. Pic: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland Like many young fellas, DJ took up hurling in his primary school days, and went on to play for both the Minor and Senior Kilkenny teams. He made his Senior debut during the 1988-89 National League, lining out in goal for Kilkenny on February 19, 1989. He was later switched to an outfield position, becoming one of the best hurlers of his time. Amongst his accolades, DJ won five All Ireland Senior Hurling Championships — one of which he captained Kilkenny — as well as ten Leinster Senior Championships. He won 9 All-Star Awards as well as two Hurler of the Year awards. Like many young fellas, DJ Carey took up hurling in his primary school days, and went onto play for both the Minor and Senior Kilkenny teams. Pic: INPHO/Billy Stickland The county player retired from hurling in 2006, but later returned to the sport in a managerial capacity. His first post was with the Institute of Technology, Carlow (now South Eas Technological University) with the college team making it to the final fo their first ever Fitzgibbon Cup. They lost to reigning champions, Mary Immacute College. DJ Carey managing IT Carlow. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile DJ Carey also fulfilled duties for the Leinster inter-provincial team; the Kilkenny U-21 team as well as the Kilkenny senior hurling team where he was a selector under Brian Cody. He left the gig in January 2021. In 2023, it was unveiled that DJ scammed 23 people to donate funds to him after he fraudulently claimed he needed the money for cancer treatment. Amongst the charges were 19 of deception and two charges for using false instruments between 2014 and 2022. At the time, DJ denied all charges with a trial date set for Wednesday, July 2, 2025. Following confirmation that the former hurling star would be entering guilty pleas, he was remanded on continuing bail with his sentencing hearing due for October 29.
Los Angeles Times
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Kobee Minor, the 50th Mr. Irrelevant, celebrated as part of a special fraternity
Kobee Minor's first look at Orange County's coast reminded him of Netflix's shoreline-set, teen-drama series 'Outer Banks.' That's the closest he'd ever been to an actual beach. Five days on the bay, in the surf, among those whose journey mirrors his own, and Newport Beach is now like a home away from home for the new Patriot. The 50th Mr. Irrelevant. who hails from a town 35 miles northwest of Dallas, now understands what it means to enjoy five days on the bay and in the surf among others whose journey mirrors his own. Minor this week joined a 'brotherhood' he hadn't known existed, couldn't have aspired to and now cherishes. He's been steeped in the traditions of pro football's most whimsical culture, joining a band of others chosen with the last pick of five decades of National Football League drafts and the family tethered to it. Irrelevant Week's mission — to fête somebody who wouldn't normally be celebrated just for the joy of it — and the amiably casual approach to maneuvering through it hasn't veered through its evolution from let's-try-this to a celebrated moment on the NFL's calendar. It's a bit of fun before the real business begins. That's what Newport Beach's Paul Salata, who played for USC in the NFL in the late 1940s and early '50s, was seeking when in 1976 he introduced Irrelevant Week, whether he fully realized it or not. It's what Melanie Fitch, Salata's daughter, has embraced in her 30-year stewardship of Mr. Irrelevant celebration. In an increasingly corporate sports landscape, Salata's (and now Fitch's) week-long (or thereabouts) parties are something else, something more meaningful. 'I had no idea,' Andy Stokes, one of nearly two dozen Mr. Irrelevants present for Minor's coronation, said of the event. 'I was just a kid trying to play football. This stays with you your whole life. It's a brotherhood. It's a club. You get a built-in community for the rest of your life.' There's a bit of teasing going on here, in celebration of the 'last,' and a celebration of the achievement, with rewards: for Minor, the key to the city, proclamations, a Newport Beach Police Department badge, personalized longboard, and, at Friday night's marquee banquet, the humorous Lowsman Trophy, its football player depicted fumbling the ball. New England gave Minor his ticket, making a seventh-round trade with the Kansas City Chiefs for two picks and using the latter — No. 257 in the draft — to snare the defensive back from the University of Memphis. He spent his five days here mostly garbed in a Patriots jersey with 257 on the front and getting a taste of Balboa life. He sailed in the weekly Beercans series on Balboa Bay, surfed off 30th Street under inaugural world champion P.T. Townend's tutelage (with a minute-long run judged a 6, highest of Irrelevant scores), took a restaurant crawl along the peninsula, worshiped at Mariners Church and spent a day at Disneyland. 'Everybody's been amazing,' Minor said. That's Salata's doing. He concocted Mr. Irrelevant, Fitch said, 'like a spur-of-the-moment idea' to 'do something nice for someone for no reason.' It was never meant to last forever, but it might. 'Fifty years is a long time,' said Fitch, who took charge of the Irrelevant Week organization in 1995. 'When it started, I was younger than Mr. Irrelevant. Then I was Mr. Irrelevant's age. Then I was the age of his mom. Now I'm the age of his grandma. It's been a good run. 'We still really enjoy the idea of celebrating the underdog and celebrating the last player drafted. We think that he should be recognized just like the first player drafted, because it's an honor to be drafted at all.' There have been 14,156 players drafted over these 50 years. Some 14,106 of them aren't 'Irrelevant.' It's 'truly a fraternity,' says 2006 Raiders selection Kevin McMahan. It's one that has, according to 1977 Vikings pick Jim Kelleher, 'become such a significant part of life.' Salata, who died a day shy of his 95th birthday in 2021, is warmly remembered within the fraternity. 'Paul was the OG,' said Ryan Hoag, a 2003 Oakland Raiders pick who parlayed his success into a stint on reality television show 'The Bachelorette' and now is a pregame analyst for the team. 'He was one of those guys that everybody kind of wanted to be around. 'He didn't say a ton, but when he did, it spoke volumes. He was quick-witted. He was always cracking jokes. And he was just somebody that genuinely had the utmost respect for everybody and the biggest heart and just wanted to help people for no reason at all. It's rare if you come across one of those people in your life, let alone a Paul Salata.' Kelleher, the second Mr. Irrelevant, called Salata 'unlike anybody I had ever met.' 'I was just in awe, the way he interacts with people, his sense of humor,' he said. 'And then what he's done, his vision of this. I can't speak for him, but something tells me that what Melanie's done and where Irrelevant Week is, here, 50 years later, is what he wanted. ''Just doing something nice for somebody for no reason.' How good of a mantra is that for our country, for our world, for us all? It was a gift. We're all blessed.' Fitch this year joined her father as chief beneficiary of the Orange County Youth Sports Foundation's Person of the Year, an honor she rebuked from the Lowsman Banquet stage, quickly shifting the attention back to the event. 'I didn't know, I would have stopped it,' she said. 'Maybe that's why they didn't tell me. I like to be under the radar. I like to do a lot of nice things for people, but I don't want my name in the deal. I just want it to be a super time and super experience.' She marshals a loosely organized, amiably casual team heavy on family members while steering from the behind, slipping in and out of the spotlight as needed, her constant, wry chatter a treasured soundtrack to the proceedings. Everyone's welcomed as 'family' — that was Salata's way, and like father, like daughter. The 'fraternity' is constructed upon that foundation. Hoag, who has returned to Irrelevant Week '10 or 11 times,' calls the relationship 'special ... like family' and says his week, 22 years ago, 'probably usurps every moment of my life.' 'This is pretty much at the top,' he said. 'Having a full week dedicated to you, and they tailor anything and everything you've ever imagined. I mean, it's like finding a genie's lamp and having unlimited wishes.' He'd known nothing of the tradition until a friend called him 'Mr. Irrelevant' as they saw his name called on television. 'I heard you get a trip to Hawaii and a million dollars, and that sounded pretty good, let me tell you,' he said. 'It turned out it wasn't, but, honestly, I wouldn't trade my experience of that week and the subsequent 22 years for a million dollars.' It's all for charity, and the Lowsman Banquet, the business end of the festivities, raised about $150,000, Fitch estimated, for the OCYSF. Many of the Mr. Irrelevants returning this year for the first time, all of them except 2020 New York Giants pick Tae Crowder, whose party was canceled by COVID, carried tales of their weeks: the single Hoag's 'Miss Irrelevant' pageant, Kelleher accompanying Salata in his morning duties, 2005 Patriots pick Stokes' hit-and-run after coach Bill Belichick limited his trip to one day, 1992 Redskins pick Matt Elliott getting tossed from his hotel room bed by the Landers/Big Bear earthquakes. Minor's experience — the adventures, sure, but more so the camaraderie with those who preceded him most of all — 'really opened my eyes,' he said. 'Just realizing this is actually a big event, and it's bigger than all of us. Just fellowshiping with everybody has been amazing. 'Man, I can't thank this family enough. They didn't have to do this, man. They're doing something nice for somebody for literally no reason. So hat's off to them and their family, making me a part of their family.' Minor dreamed from childhood of playing football or basketball professionally — 'basketball didn't work out; I'm not that tall,' said the 6-footer — and started to believe it could happen when he got his first college offers at Lake Dallas High School in Cornith, Texas, near Denton. He was a three-star defensive back in high school, where the elite get five stars. He had (as he noted in his post-draft press conference) 'never been a highly recruited guy ... never been one of the top guys,' and hadn't had a satisfactory four years at Texas Tech, where he saw special-teams duty, and Indiana, where he was 'let go' after a season. Minor made an impact after portaling to Memphis, contributing 38 tackles, seven tackles for loss, two sacks, six passes defended and two fumble recoveries as the Tigers went 11-2 with a Frisco Bowl win over West Virginia just across Lake Lewisville from home. His dad told him he was Mr. Irrelevant. '[Being 'Irrelevant' is] kind of normal to me, because I've always been an underdog, you feel me?' he said. 'Just getting that call and knowing that I'm Mr. Irrelevant, the last pick of the draft, it kind of just adds fuel to my fire.' He stepped into the Patriots' June minicamp and began to 'pick up on the small things I need to fix in my game and trying to focus on my technique and stuff like that, do whatever I can to earn a role on the team and whatever I can to help out.' He's not a certainty. Half of Mr. Irrelevants to date never saw action in an NFL regular-season game, only six have played in more than 50, and just 15 in 10 or more. Four others are on current NFL rosters (49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, Rams defensive end Desjuan Johnson, Lions linebacker Grant Stuard, and 2024 honoree Jaylen Key, a Bengals safety). Another, quarterback Chad Kelly, plays in the Canadian league, and three-year Giants starter Crowder is 'trying to get back into the NFL' after a season in the second-tier United Football League. 'I've got to just go out there and prove that I'm a dog,' Minor said. 'And not just prove to them, but prove to myself that I'm capable of playing in the National Football League.' The support he's found the past few days has made that all the more important. 'Now I know I've got a couple hundred more people that's rooting for me,' he said. 'I can't let them down, so I've got to go back and work.'
