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CARY, N.C. (AP) — Former major leaguer Mark DeRosa has been named Team USA manager for the 2023 World Baseball Classic. USA Baseball, based in Cary, North Carolina, announced the appointment Friday. DeRosa's professional coaching debut puts him in charge of the defending world champions next spring. He is currently a co-host of MLB Network’s daily morning program, MLB Central. “Mark DeRosa brings a lifetime of baseball knowledge to the dugout for Team USA,” general manager Tony Reagins said. “(DeRosa) is well-respected both on and off the field and his experience and leadership as a player in the 2009 Classic will be a valued asset as we navigate this process.” The U.S. won the title in 2017, beating Puerto Rico 8-0 in the title game at Dodger Stadium. The 47-year-old DeRosa played for eight teams during 16 years in the majors, batting .268 with 100 homers and 494 RBIs in 1,241 games. He made his major league debut with Atlanta in 1998 and played in his last game with … [Read more...] about Mark DeRosa named US manager for World Baseball Classic

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 In "Beast," the Universal Pictures thriller released Friday, Idris Elba plays a father locked in a battle with a rogue lion in South Africa. Every time he thinks he's won, his feline foe comes roaring back. Will Packer, the movie's producer, can relate. The 48-year-old is one of the industry's more prolific filmmakers. Among his hits: the two "Ride Along" pictures, starring Ice Cube and Kevin Hart, which took in more than $300 million at the box office, and 2017's "Girls Trip," featuring Regina Hall and Tiffany Haddish. The top-grossing comedy that year, the film was the first by a Black female screenwriter to take in more than $100 million. But each triumph for diversity in Hollywood seems to come with setbacks as well. Case in point, the Academy Awards in March, where Packer led the first all-Black production team. People of color captured two of the top acting awards, a deaf … [Read more...] about Oscars producer Will Packer finds fixing Hollywood a never-ending job