EDDIE PEREZ

Major League Baseball has taken its fair share of criticism for changes trying to get younger fans interested in the game, but there has been one this season that has generated rave reviews.

Former players David Cone and Eduardo Perez are joining Karl Ravech to form a new broadcast team for ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” telecasts.

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Hall of Famer Greg Maddux threw out the ceremonial first pitch for Sunday night’s Game 5 of the World Series. Maddux, wearing his Braves jersey, tipped his cap in response to an ovation from fans as he walked onto the field. Fittingly, he threw the pitch to Eddie Perez, who was often his designated catcher.

From the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp to the Tri-City Dust Devils, minor league teams are set to host opening day across the country following more than a year of uncertainty and empty ballparks.

Election workers handle ballots as vote counting in the general election continues at State Farm Arena on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, file)ATLANTA – Election systems in the U.S. are vulnerable to cyber intrusions similar to the one that hit federal agencies and numerous businesses last year and remain a potential target for foreign hacking, according to a report released Wednesday. AdDespite that, election systems are vulnerable to the same risks exposed by the SolarWinds hack, the report said. AdThe use of foreign suppliers for voting technology and related supply chain security has long been a concern. AdBrandon Wales, the acting director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said recently there was “no evidence that any election systems were compromised” as part of the hack.

Many Republican voters in Georgia are angry; certain that widespread voter fraud claims of which are baseless cost President Donald Trump the election. The companies deny several statements made about them, and there is no evidence any voting system switched or deleted votes in the 2020 election. That came days after Smartmatic sent a letter threatening legal action to Fox and two other networks popular with Trump supporters, Newsmax and One America News Network. A statement aired by Newsmax anchors on Monday, and also printed on the company website, was much broader and concerned both Smartmatic and Dominion. “No evidence has been offered that Dominion or Smartmatic used software or reprogrammed software that manipulated votes in the 2020 election,” Newsmax said.

In an unusual move, Fox News is airing a segment to counter previous remarks made by its conservative hosts and pro-Trump guests that voting software firm Smartmatic was involved in election fraud. “Newsmax has found no evidence either Dominion or Smartmatic owns the other, or has any business association with each other. We have no evidence Dominion uses Smartmatic’s software or vice versa. The legal salvo from Smartmatic may be a precursor to a defamation suit against Fox News, Newsmax and One America News. He says he has seen no evidence that Smartmatic software was used to delete, alter or change the vote tabulation.

Attorney General William Barr raised that prospect in interviews in recent weeks with The New York Times magazine and Fox News. The president tweeted on Monday a news report on Barrs remarks as well as a separate message that said: RIGGED 2020 ELECTION: MILLIONS OF MAIL-IN BALLOTS WILL BE PRINTED BY FOREIGN COUNTRIES, AND OTHERS. A bipartisan team of election judges conducts signature verification and refers for further investigation suspected instances of double-voting. That trend has agitated Trump, who even before Monday has openly railed against absentee voting. ___Associated Press reporters Brian Slodysko in Washington and Nicholas Riccardin in Denver contributed to this report.