Spieth has a stunning turnaround
Jordan Spieth holed out from 160 yards for eagle on the 16th hole at Pebble Beach, the start of a stunning turnaround that took him from two shots behind to a two-shot lead Saturday in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
These moments used to happen when Spieth was winning all the time. This was the second time this week he holed out from the fairway, and now he is on the cusp of ending more than three years without a victory.
He shot 1-under 71 as he goes for a second victory at Pebble Beach in the last five years.
A pedestrian round that included bogeys on two of the par 5s left Spieth two shots out of the lead with three holes to play. And then it all changed. His hard draw to a left pin on the 16th landed about 8 feet right of the hole and took the slope all the way to the bottom of the cup.
Two holes later, Daniel Berger sent his drive well to the right, over the bunkers and onto the cart path.
It settled next to the hedges, and was out-of-bounds by mere inches. Berger called over an official for a linear measurement, but it was out. That led to double bogey and a 72.
MLB: The Diamondbacks have agreed to a $1.75 million, one-year deal with veteran infielder Asdrúbal Cabrera, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press. The agreement was reached on Friday and confirmed to the AP on condition of anonymity Saturday because the deal is pending a physical. Cabrera can earn up to $1.05 million in performance bonuses . ... Matt Harvey will try to revive his career with the Orioles. The 31-year-old right-hander agreed Saturday to a minor league contract with the Orioles. He would get a $1 million, one-year contract if added to the 40-man roster, and would have the chance to earn performance bonuses. ... Outfielder Jay Bruce agreed Saturday to a minor league contract with the Yankees and will try to win a job at big league spring training. The 33-year-old has an opportunity as a left-handed bat in a primarily righthanded lineup . ... The Mets’ pitching staff took a hit before the start of spring training when the team announced Saturday that Seth Lugo needs elbow surgery and will miss the start of the season. An MRI revealed a bone spur in the right-hander’s pitching elbow. Mets medical director Dr. David Altchek will operate Tuesday at the Hospital for Special Surgery.
Jonathan Marchessault scored the first of Vegas’ three power-play goals and the Golden Knights spoiled the Sharks’ first home game in nearly a year with a 3-1 victory over the Sharks on Saturday. Mark Stone and Chandler Stephenson also scored as the Golden Knights took advantage of its first three opportunities with the man advantage to win for the fourth time in five games. Marc-Andre Fleury made 24 saves
NBA: The anchor of the Knicks’ top-rated defense will be out at least a month. Mitchell Robinson is undergoing surgery on his broken right hand and the reported recovery timetable is 4-to-6 weeks. The 22-yearold suffered the injury in Friday’s victory in Washington and was evaluated back in New York. A six-week recovery would mean Robinson wouldn’t return until late March and miss around 20 games.
Little Radical Theatrics, the newest theater company in town, isn’t radical in the sense of an anarchist, founder Fatima Viegas assures me.
Instead, she says, the company’s name refers to looking at theatrical works in new ways while emphasizing contemporary plays over classics.
Little Radical Theatrics will make its Central
Florida debut this month with its take on “Into the Woods,” the 1986 Stephen Sondheim-James Lapin musical inspired by fairy tales.
“It’s definitely not your traditional ‘Into the Woods,’ ” says Viegas of the production, which will be directed by Bryan Jager. “The set, the costuming have a very modern twist.”
The cast is led by Jarrett Poore as the Baker, Kelly Mauro as the Baker’s Wife and Laurel Hatfield as the Witch.
Although “Into the Woods” is the company’s first local production, Little Radical Theatrics has actually been active for a decade in Yonkers, outside New York City.
Viegas started the company in 2009 because she saw theater companies in the region performing the same titles in the same ways over and over again.
“I thought there was a need for a company willing to do more modern works, premieres and things that had just closed on Broadway,” she says. So her troupe presented then-new shows such as “The Addams Family” and “Matilda the Musical.” Other productions included “The Wild Party,” “Reefer Madness” and “Smile.”
A production of “Oliver!” was set in Fagin’s jail cell, with the musical presented as his flashbacks.
In all, Viegas oversaw 27 full-scale musicals. Her final show in New York, “Brigadoon,” garnered regional awards and acclaim. “We left on an unexpected high note,” she says.
The departure was unexpected because of — what else? — COVID-19.
Viegas and her family had a second home in the Lake Nona area, and they made an extended visit in January 2020. Then, coronavirus hit.
“We were here, we decided to stay,” Viegas says. “My family fell in love
with the Central Florida community.”
Viegas found encouragement among those already active in local theaters.
“That was one thing I noticed immediately: How much the arts are loved and
valued in Central Florida,” she says. “I believe every company should support every other company. I will be attending as many productions as possible.”
She wants Little Radical Theatrics to be a welcoming place for people of all different backgrounds and levels of experience.
“I’m a very strong believer in diverse casting, in nontraditional casting,” she says. “I like to give an opportunity to somebody who wouldn’t normally be given a chance.”
“Into the Woods” makes its debut at the Marshall Ellis Performing Arts Center near Florida Mall after a coronavirus-caused delay. In December, two cast members tested positive in separate cases, likely related to their jobs. Rehearsals were halted.
“No one else tested positive, which made me feel somewhat better that although I can’t control what happens in the outside world, we could at least keep people safe in the rehearsal room,” she says.
Viegas takes COVID precautions seriously.
For “Into the Woods,” parties will be seated in groups of chairs separated from other patrons. Temperature checks,
mandatory masks for audience members, actors and stage crew, and other measures, such as timed entry and dismissal, are in place.
Viegas thinks, despite the extra steps needed to see a live performance, there’s still a hunger for theater. She says: “I’m hoping people realize how much they’ve missed and need the arts.”
In recent months, families have turned to nature for inspiration and exploration. While in many ways outdoor adventure can translate into wide open spaces and a safe haven, it’s important that our skills, gear and intel are up to speed. Here are a few ideas to consider:
Use caution in the backcountry. Whether you venture into the backcountry via skis, snowshoes or snowmobiles, it’s important to be well-informed and fully prepared. Check the forecast before you head out and take note of any changes in weather that might create unstable snow conditions. Be aware of your surroundings and be on the lookout for temperature and wind shifts.
Learn about mountain lions.
Mountain lion attacks on people are rare. Yet, recently, interactions have increased. Experts believe the shift is due in part to humans moving closer to lion habitat, an increase in deer populations (their prey), and more people sharing trails with lions.
If you venture into lion country, experts recommend exploring in groups and making plenty of noise to avoid a surprise. Should an encounter occur, do not run. Stay calm. Pick up any children and talk firmly as you slowly back away. Do everything you can to loom large, raising your arms, opening a coat while not blocking a lion’s escape route. If the lion acts aggressively, fight back with rocks, sticks or whatever you can find without getting low or turning your back.
Hiking, climbing and camping in many parts of the country means a snake encounter is possible. Make sure kids know to steer clear
Snake smarts.
of anything that resembles a snake. According to the University of Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center, more than half of those bitten intentionally
provoked the snake in some way. Stay on hiking trails and keep hands and feet away from wood and rock piles, deep grass or crevices.
A: You’ve come to the right place. I’m tempted to rename this column the “Airbnb Troubleshooter.” Or maybe even the “Help Unlock My Airbnb Account Troubleshooter.” It’s only been a few weeks since the last case.
But your problem is different. It looks like your actions on Airbnb triggered an automatic review process. It’s unclear if a person examined the evidence against you before deciding to ban you forever. But based on what you’ve told me — and the predictable conclusion of your case — I would say that you did absolutely nothing that violated Airbnb’s terms. Apparently, looking for a nice cabin in upstate New York was your “crime.”
Airbnb doesn’t say much about its fraud-detection
I was looking for a cabin in upstate New York for a weekend getaway recently when I discovered I had been locked out of my Airbnb account. I received a notification that my account was “under review” by Airbnb. After six calls and several emails to the company, I received an email that said that they will be “unable to support my account moving forward” and have exercised their discretion under their Terms of Service to disable my account. This decision was “irreversible” and would affect any duplicated or future accounts, according to Airbnb.
I was shocked. My account was deactivated without any explanation or warning. The history of almost 10 years of my stays around the world as well as all of my favorite lists are gone. I have no idea about the reason. I’ve always gotten fivestar reviews from my hosts and never ran into any issues with this site. I must say, this is the most brutal way any business has ever treated me in my life, and it feels unfair. Can you please help? — Natalya Kovalenko, Brooklyn, New York
algorithm, and I understand why. If you talk about how you catch the bad guys, you offer them a road map for getting around the system. But I’ve received so many false-positive cases banning Airbnb customers, you would think they’d have done something to fix it by now. Instead, I continue to get a steady stream of cases, including yours.
I think a brief, polite email to one of the Airbnb executives I list on my consumer advocacy site at www.elliott .org/company-contacts/ airbnb might have helped. But then again, given all the craziness of the past few months, your request might have fallen through the cracks.
Airbnb needs to get its act together with these random bannings. But
there’s a more basic question that I have for the company: Why would you turn down customers during a pandemic — a time when your hosts need bookings more than ever? It makes no sense to tell customers like you to get lost, with no ability to appeal your decision.
I contacted Airbnb on your behalf, and it reinstated your account.
If you need help with a coronavirus-related refund, please contact me. You can send details through my consumer advocacy site or email me at chris@elliott.org.