Ángel Hernández, the umpire who was the target of heavy criticism over blown calls and sued Major League Baseball in 2017, claiming racial discrimination, is retiring after over 30 years as a major league umpire. MLB and Hernández, 62, reached a financial settlement over the weekend, USA Today reported. “Starting with my first major league game in 1991, I have had the very good experience of living out my childhood dream of umpiring in the major leagues,” Hernández said in a statement. “I treasured the camaraderie of my colleagues and the friendships I have made along the way. I have decided that I want to spend more time with my family.” Hernández claimed in his lawsuit that he was denied a crew chief position and World Series assignments because of his race, but a U.S. District Court in 2021 dismissed the case, later upheld by the 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. “Hernández has failed to establish a statistically significant disparity between the promotion rates of white and minority umpires,” the appeals court stated. “MLB has provided persuasive expert evidence demonstrating that, during the years at issue, the difference in crew chief promotion rates between white and minority umpires was not statistically significant. Hernández offers no explanation as to why MLB’s statistical evidence is unreliable.” The Athletic reported that last week, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred discussed the grading system for umpires, saying, “There is, in fact, a really detailed evaluation system. They get evaluated twice a year, in mid-season, and at the end of the season. There are monetary ramifications to those evaluations in terms of what they get in terms of postseason assignments, which is a big part of — a big increment to what they earn. And there are, in fact, mandatory remedial activities that are more frequently than people realize imposed on umpires.” “Having said that, I think that the management of umpires is … a physically demanding job,” he continued. “It goes beyond just the evaluation, training and discipline. It also goes to things like thinking about their career path, how long should they be out there? And that implicates things like your retirement program. I mean, there’s a lot to the management of it that I don’t think everybody fully appreciates.” “There have been many positive changes in the game of baseball since I first entered the profession,” Hernández said in his statement Monday. “This includes the expansion and promotion of minorities. I am proud that I was able to be an active participant in that goal while being a major league umpire.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP In Game 3 of the 2018 American League Division Series between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, Hernandez made three calls that were overturned. On April 12, 2018, he called three consecutive pitches outside the strike zone as strikes and miscalled seven other pitches. “Ángel was horrible,” Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez chafed after the 2018 playoff game. “Don’t get me going on Ángel now. Major League Baseball needs to do something about Ángel. It doesn’t matter how many times he sues Major League Baseball, he’s as bad as there is.” Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia echoed, “I don’t understand why he’s doing these games. He’s always bad. He’s a bad umpire.”

Expectations were high for the Memorial Day weekend box office as “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” exceeded targets for ticket pre-sales. Ultimately, the film had a disappointing opening, with $32 million in total sales for the four-day weekend. “The Garfield Movie” made just over $31 million. Total sales for the holiday weekend topped out at just $128.3 million, per CNN, representing a steep decline from the same time span in 2023, which brought in just under $205 million. It’s well under the top performing Memorial Day weekend in 2013 when moviegoers spent $314.3 million, driven mainly by the release of that year’s mega-hit “Fast & Furious 6.” “There’s no way to sugarcoat it, the numbers that are coming out this weekend are nothing to write home about,” Paul Degarabedian, senior media analyst with Comscore, told CNN about the disappointing results. The next lowest Memorial Day weekend was led by “Casper” in 1995, with total box office sales totaling just over $117 million. “Summer is the most important moviegoing season of the year, accounting on average for nearly 40% of the total domestic annual revenue, so as goes the summer so goes the year,” he added. Last summer was dominated by “Barbenheimer” mania, with the release of the comedy “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s historical drama “Oppenheimer” on the same weekend in late July. Combined, the films raked in close to $1 billion domestically. This summer so far doesn’t have any standout contenders for similar results.  The 2024 season will be full of franchise follow-ups, including “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” next week. Degarabedian mentioned a few other upcoming titles that had potential, including “Despicable Me 4,” “Inside-Out 2,” and “Deadpool & Wolverine.” “Sans a Marvel movie to provide a $100-million-plus opening weekend to get the momentum going, this summer will have to make up ground in June and July,” he added.  CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP Entertainment industry experts also noted that Disney has yet to release a single film in 2024, which is likely contributing to the downward trend in ticket sales. They noted that $100 million-plus openings are more likely with well-known franchises like Marvel and Star Wars. The analysts are still blaming post-pandemic viewing habits for the low ticket sales but insist that there’s still potential for studios to make money this summer.  “Moviegoing habits have changed drastically since the pandemic, but we continue to see significant enthusiasm when it comes to the theatrical experience,” Daniel Loria, editorial director at Box Office Pro, told CNN. “The data clearly shows that audiences can still support the studio tentpole model — but identifying the movies that will become those blockbuster hits continues to be as difficult to predict as ever before.”

Susan Kehoe lives with bears. She educates people about these large woodland critters through her TikTok channel, which features many videos. The narration is provided by Susan as she watches a black bear try out a chair. @susankehoe1 Bear is so proud of himself to sit in a chair the correct way #foryou #bear #viral #love #funny #pet #teddybear #fyp #laugh #chair #woods #forest #mountain #camping #wildlife #animals ♬ original sound – Susan Kehoe As the bear moves across the yard, he stops at a green plastic chair, opting for a closer look. He sniffs, and the chair shifts slightly. As he places a left front paw on the chair, we think it will collapse or fall out from under his weight. Susan talks quietly to the bear, encouraging his exploration. Image from TikTok. The bear gingerly gets onto the chair, standing awkwardly. He shuffles his paws enough to rotate until he faces Susan. Just as we think he will jump out, the bear sits in the chair with a definitive “thump.” Susan is quick to offer a happy, “You did it!” The bear shifts while sitting. Susan continues praising him. The bear sits in the chair, looking around awkwardly and contemplating his life choices. The chair wobbles. Susan tells the bear to be careful so he doesn’t fall. She reminds the bear to get out of the chair gently, which he does. Susan continues speaking lovingly to the bear as he wanders off. Images from TikTok. We must remind you that black bears can be dangerous, and you should never approach them. Susan is with these bears daily and is an experienced observer. She doesn’t approach the bears. She merely observes them from a safe distance. Susan dedicates her time to helping people understand these magnificent animals with her videos. If bears wander into residential spaces, please stay safe and keep your distance. If you enjoyed watching this bear explore, please share with friends. You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post Black Bear Comes Across Chair In Backyard… And Does Something Too Human! appeared first on InspireMore.

‘I know all the leaders. They’re at the top of their game’

'The damage had been done!'

'Historic opportunity to redefine BuzzFeed'

'Extremely problematic'

'I have decided that I want to spend more time with my family'

'There is reasonable doubt all over this case'

'Widespread and sustained growth'