A Yankees vs. Dodgers World Series is a star-studded clash that’s been decades in the making

A Yankees vs. Dodgers World Series is a star-studded clash that’s been decades in the making

It’s hard to envision a more star-studded and magnetic World Series matchup than this one — both a throwback to when baseball reigned supreme in the U.S. while also showcasing the greatest talents in the game today.

The New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers represent the two largest markets in Major League Baseball. They entered the season with the second-largest payroll in the sport (Yankees) and the fifth largest (Dodgers). They will now meet for a whopping twelfth time in the World Series, the most by any two teams. 

Decades ago, the key players were luminaries like Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Roy Campanella and Jackie Robinson.

Legends of the game, for sure, and now that star power has returned in 2024. 

Shohei Ohtani — who just rewrote the history books with baseball’s first season of 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases — certainly appears to have a flair for the dramatic, crushing a three-run homer in his postseason debut.

Ohtani, the marquee name in the sport, was part of the Dodgers’ $1 billion offseason overhaul that saw them pad a star-studded roster with two pitching aces — fellow Japanese countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow, acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays.

On the Yankees side, general manager and senior vice president Brian Cashman made a major offseason splash of his own — acquiring 25-year-old phenom Juan Soto, whom many consider the most complete hitter in baseball, adding to a lineup that already features American League home run king Aaron Judge and the fearsome Giancarlo Stanton. 

Soto not only delivered with a career season of 41 home runs and 109 runs batted in, but he also just unleashed one of the most epic at bats you will see in postseason play — daring Cleveland Guardians pitcher Hunter Gaddis to throw him a fastball in extra innings Saturday, only to belt it over the centerfield fence and send the Yankees past upstart Cleveland and into their first World Series since 2009. 

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Judge and Ohtani, meanwhile, are both making their first appearance in the Fall Classic, a fact that might seem hard to fathom given their already robust resumes. Judge and Ohtani are both MVP winners and are the favorites to win it again this season. Judge flirted with the Triple Crown by batting .322 with 58 home runs and 144 RBIs. Ohtani nearly matched those numbers, with a .310 average, 54 home runs and 130 RBIs.

“This is sweeter — it’s even sweeter,” Judge said on Fox Sports about reaching the World Series and whether the reality matched expectations. 

“This group we have is something special,” he said. “You know, all the work they put in the offseason, the ups and downs during the regular season, there’s no better group. … That’s what you grind all season for — moments like this.”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts echoed those sentiments after his team ousted the magical New York Mets to reach their fourth World Series in the last seven years, though with only one ring to show for it, in the Covid-shortened 2020 season.

“I’ve never believed in a group of guys more than I believe in these guys,” Roberts said, ahead of the impending clash of the titans. “Most importantly, they believe in each other.”

The playoffs this season have been a hit with fans as TV viewership is at its highest levels in years.

The last time the two teams faced off in the World Series was in 1981 (the Dodgers won), and Tyler Kepner, the longtime baseball writer now with The Athletic, reflected on the rarity of what we’re seeing. 

“There was a 40- or 41-year span, from 1941 to 1981, where we saw that matchup [in the World Series] 11 times … but in the last 41 years, we haven’t had one.” 

And with Judge and Ohtani headlining the two juggernauts, another feat is now happening that’s taken more than four decades, too. 

“To have two Hall of Fame-type players in MVP seasons making their World Series debuts against each other, that’s only happened once,” Kepner said. “That was George Brett and Mike Schmidt in 1980 — so it is kind of a perfect storm of fun stuff that would happen if it’s Yankees and Dodgers.”


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Dodgers vs. Yankees World Series tickets have reached Taylor Swift level prices

Dodgers vs. Yankees World Series tickets have reached Taylor Swift level prices

Dodgers fans cheer before the start of Game 6 of the NLCS at Dodger Stadium on Sunday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

The World Series is set: the Dodgers against the New York Yankees, featuring two of baseball’s three biggest spenders.

Also some of baseball’s biggest spenders: fans buying tickets for the World Series.

Resale prices soared Monday, on the day after the Dodgers clinched their spot in the World Series. The Fall Classic matchup is the most storied in baseball history, in the two most populated cities in the United States.

The World Series opens Friday. The bottom line at Dodger Stadium: Tickets for two probably will cost you at least $2,500.

Read more: Nine concerns the Dodgers should have about facing the Yankees in the World Series

On Monday afternoon, the minimum price for a Game 1 ticket on StubHub was $1,326, up 23% from Sunday night. The minimum price for any of the four potential games at Dodger Stadium: $1,268.

The Dodgers sold out the tickets available through their website. They control much of the resale market for their tickets, so prices usually do not vary significantly among sites. The minimum price for any game at Dodger Stadium on Vivid Seats, another resale site: $1,202.

StubHub said Monday its sales revenue for this year’s World Series already exceeds its sales revenue for last year’s Arizona Diamondbacks-Texas Rangers World Series, even though this series does not start for four days, and already is four times more than the company generated for the 2022 Houston Astros-Philadelphia Phillies World Series.

In this series, the ticket prices at Dodger Stadium are a relative bargain. The Yankees have not appeared in the World Series since 2009; the Dodgers are making their fourth appearance since then.

On Monday afternoon, this was the lowest Vivid Seats ticket price for Game 3, the first game at Yankee Stadium: $1,536.

That was for a ticket, not a seat. The ticket is standing room only.

Read more: Complete coverage: How the Dodgers made it to the World Series

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.


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Seoul demands North Korean troops leave Russia immediately

Seoul demands North Korean troops leave Russia immediately

South Korea has summoned the Russian ambassador, seeking the “immediate withdrawal” of North Korean troops which it says are being trained to fight in Ukraine.

About 1,500 North Korean soldiers, including those from the special forces, have already arrived in Russia, according to Seoul’s spy agency.

In a meeting with the ambassador Georgiy Zinoviev, South Korea’s vice-foreign minister Kim Hong-kyun denounced the move and warned that Seoul will “respond with all measures available”.

Mr Zinoviev said he would relay the concerns, but stressed that the cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang is “within the framework of international law”.

It is unclear what cooperation he was referring to. The ambassador did not confirm allegations that North Korea has sent troops to fight with Russia’s military.

Later on Monday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters the cooperation between the two nations is “not directed against third countries”.

He added it “should not worry anyone”, according to Russian state news agency Tass.

Pyongyang has not commented on the allegations.

South Korea has long accused the North of supplying weapons to Russia for use in the war against Ukraine, but it says the current situation has gone beyond the transfer of military materials.

Some South Korean media reports have suggested as many as12,000 North Korean soldiers are expected to be deployed.

“[This] not only gravely threatens South Korea but the international community,” Kim said on Monday.

Moscow and Pyongyang have stepped up cooperation after their leaders Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un signed a security pact in June, which pledges that their countries will help each other in the event of “aggression” against either country.

Last week, Putin introduced a bill to ratify the pact.

Pyongyang’s deployment of troops to fight with Russia “would mark a significant escalation” in the conflict, Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Monday.

In a phone call with Rutte on Monday, South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol urged the alliance to explore “concrete countermeasures”, adding that he will take steps to strengthen security cooperation between South Korea, Ukraine and Nato.

British Foreign Minister David Lammy, who is visiting Seoul, called Russia’s actions “reckless and illegal”, adding that London would work with Seoul to respond, according to Yoon’s office.

The United States and Japan have also condemned the deepening military ties between North Korea and Russia.

Meanwhile, in response to a BBC question about the alleged North Korea-Russia cooperation, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said that China hopes all parties will work to de-escalate the situation and aim for a political solution to the Ukraine crisis.

Some defence experts told BBC Korean that North Korea’s involvement could complicate the war.

“North Korea’s involvement could open the door for greater international participation in the conflict, potentially drawing in more countries,” said Moon Seong-mok from the Korea National Strategy Institute.

“The international community will likely increase sanctions and pressure on both Russia and North Korea, but it remains to be seen whether North Korea’s involvement will truly benefit either country,” Dr Moon said.

But others believe the Russian military units will have difficulties incorporating North Korean troops into their frontlines.

Apart from the language barrier, the North Korean army has no recent combat experiences, they said.

Valeriy Ryabykh, editor of the Ukrainian publication Defence Express, said the North Korean soldiers could be asked to guard sections of the Russian-Ukrainian border, which will free up Russian units to fight elsewhere.

“I would rule out the possibility that these units will immediately appear on the front line,” he said.

Additional reporting by Sangmi Han, Jake Kwon and Hosu Lee in Seoul


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South Korea calls for immediate withdrawal of North Korean troops allegedly in Russia

South Korea calls for immediate withdrawal of North Korean troops allegedly in Russia

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea on Monday demanded the immediate pullout of North Korean troops allegedly deployed in Russia as it summoned the Russian ambassador to protest deepening military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.

South Korea’s spy agency said Friday it had confirmed that North Korea sent 1,500 special operation forces to Russia this month to support Moscow’s war against Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier said his government had intelligence that 10,000 North Korea soldiers were being prepared to join invading Russian forces.

During a meeting with Russian Ambassador Georgy Zinoviev, Vice South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Hong Kyun “condemned in the strongest terms” North Korea’s troop dispatch that he said poses “a grave security threat” to South Korea and the international community, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Kim said that South Korea in collaboration with the international community will mobilize all available means to deal with an act that threatens its vital national security interests, according to the statement. The Russian Embassy quoted Zinoviev as saying that the Russian-North Korean cooperation is not aimed against the security interests of South Korea.

In a telephone call with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Monday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said that Seoul won’t sit idly by “reckless” military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow. Yoon said South Korea will soon send a delegation to NATO to exchange information about Russian-North Korean cooperation, according to Yoon’s office. Rutte wrote on X that North Korea possibly fighting alongside Russia would “mark a significant escalation.”

The U.S. and NATO haven’t confirmed that North Korean troops were sent to Russia. But the reports of their presence have already stoked concerns in South Korea that Russia might provide North Korea with sophisticated technologies that can sharply enhance the North’s nuclear and missile programs in return for its troop dispatch.

North Korea’s advancing nuclear arsenal is a major security threat to South Korea. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently took steps to permanently terminate all relations with South Korea and threatened to use nuclear weapons preemptively. Some observers say South Korea will likely consider supplying weapons to Ukraine if Russian transfers of high-tech nuclear and missile technologies to North Korea are verified.

South Korea has joined U.S.-led sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. But South Korea hasn’t directly provided arms to Kyiv, citing its longstanding policy of not supplying weapons to countries actively engaged in conflicts.

Russia has earlier denied using North Korean troops in its war with Ukraine. North Korea’s state media hasn’t commented on the matter. Ukrainian officials released a video allegedly showing North Korean soldiers lining up to collect Russian military clothes and bags at an unknown location. The Associated Press couldn’t verify the footage independently.

Asked about the North Korean troops during a conference call with reporters Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that “we are seeing a lot of contradictory information.”

“South Koreans say one thing, then the Pentagon says it has no confirmation of such statements. There is a lot of contradictory information,” Peskov said. ”It must be treated as such.”

At a U.N. Security Council meeting Monday on Ukraine, Western ambassadors raised the South Korean intelligence, but none confirmed it.

U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood said that if true, it marks “a dangerous and highly concerning development” and noted that the U.S. was “consulting with our allies and partners on such a dramatic move.”

Britain’s U.N. Ambassador Barbara Woodward said it’s “highly likely” North Korea agreed to send troops in support of Russia’s war.

Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia dismissed the South Korean assertion as well as Western allegations of Iran supplying Russia with missiles and China providing arms components. He accused the West of “circulating scaremongering with Iranian, Chinese and Korean bogeymen, each one of which is more absurd than the one before.”

North Korea’s troop deployment to Russia would be its first participation in a major war since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. Many experts question how much North Korean troops would help Russia on the battlefield, citing their lack of combat experience.

Cooperation between North Korea and Russia has flourished over the past two years. The U.S., South Korea and their partners have accused North Korea of supplying conventional arms to Russia in return for economic and military assistance. In June, Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a pact stipulating mutual military assistance if either country is attacked.

__

Associated Press writers Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.


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Buccaneers Stars Vita Vea, Mike Evans Active vs. Ravens

Buccaneers Stars Vita Vea, Mike Evans Active vs. Ravens

Defensive tackle Vita Vea and wide receiver Mike Evans, two of the Buccaneers’ top stars, will play on “Monday Night Football” against the Ravens.

Vea was questionable after being added to the injury report Saturday with a hamstring injury. The massive 6-foot-4, 347-pounder is a run-stopping force who can also bully blockers into the backfield and will be the toughest test yet this season for Ravens Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum.

Evans has long been one of the league’s top receivers, with 10 straight seasons over 1,000 receiving yards to start his career. Evans (hamstring) didn’t practice on Thursday or Friday but was off the injury report Saturday. He and Chris Godwin are one of the NFL’s top wide receiver duos.

Bucs running back Rachaad White, who was questionable with a foot injury, is also active.

The Ravens’ inactives are:

With wide receiver/returner Deonte Harty placed on injured reserve this week, rookie wide receiver Devontez Walker is active for his first game. Rookie cornerback T.J. Tampa will also play.

Running back Chris Collier was moved up to the 53-man roster with rookie running back Ali (ankle) out, and inside linebacker Kirstian Welch was activated from the practice squad with Harrison (groin) sidelined.


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Chris Godwin (ankle), Mike Evans (hamstring) injured in Bucs’ loss

Chris Godwin (ankle), Mike Evans (hamstring) injured in Bucs’ loss

  • Jenna Laine, ESPN Staff WriterOct 21, 2024, 09:33 PM ET

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      Jenna Laine covers the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for ESPN. She started covering the Bucs for ESPN in 2016, but she has covered the team since 2009. Follow Jenna on Twitter: @JennaLaineESPN.

TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost both of their star wide receivers — Chris Godwin and Mike Evans — in a 41-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on “Monday Night Football,” with Godwin suffering what coach Todd Bowles said was a dislocated left ankle and Evans suffering a right hamstring injury.

Bowles said he was waiting for further details on Evans but that “it [didn’t] look good” for Godwin, who was met by several teammates in the training room after the game.

“Our prayers go out to him,” Bowles said of Godwin. “Chris is a hell of a player and a hell of a human being. Not much you can say. You feel bad for him, and unfortunately, they’re not going to cancel the games. We got to step up and move on. But our hearts are heavy.”

With 1:04 left in regulation, Godwin caught a pass from Baker Mayfield and was tackled from behind by inside linebacker Roquan Smith, with Godwin’s left ankle appearing to get caught beneath Smith.

Smith’s tackle appears to have all the elements of a hip-drop tackle and is being reviewed by the NFL, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday. If it is deemed to be a hip-drop tackle, Smith would be subject to a fine.

Several teammates were visibly shaken as Godwin remained on his knees and was quickly attended to by the training staff. Mayfield turned away, knelt down and put his head into his hands.

“This absolutely sucks,” Mayfield said. “Yeah, it sucks for our team, but Chris deserves better than that. He’s an unbelievable guy. An unbelievable teammate. Obviously, you guys have seen — he’s played extraordinary this year. Got a heavy heart right now.”

The entire Buccaneers bench cleared and gathered as Godwin was helped onto an injury cart, as chants of “Godwin! Godwin!” broke out along with a standing ovation.

Godwin and Evans entered the game tied for the league lead with five touchdown receptions over Tampa Bay’s first six games, with Mayfield calling them a “huge heartbeat of this team.”

Bowles defended keeping Godwin and other starters in the game despite it being out of reach with two onside kicks already attempted and no timeouts remaining, saying, “We don’t second-guess,” and pointing to the fact that the team was already without Evans.

“I do protect my players all the time,” Bowles said. “That has nothing to do with why we left him in this ballgame. We still had a shot to score some points and win this ballgame. It happens. It happens in football.”

“This absolutely sucks. Yeah, it sucks for our team, but Chris deserves better than that. He’s an unbelievable guy. An unbelievable teammate. Obviously, you guys have seen — he’s played extraordinary this year. Got a heavy heart right now.”

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield on Chris Godwin’s injury

Mayfield had no objection to remaining in the game.

“We talked about it on the sideline, thinking, ‘If we get a quick touchdown — obviously already got an onside kick during the game — get a quick touchdown, an onside kick, have a possibility for a Hail Mary,” he said. “We have a group of fighters. We all wanted a chance to try and win that thing any way, some way, somehow.”

Evans, who entered the game with a hamstring strain but was determined to play, caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from Mayfield on the opening drive, making him just the 11th player in NFL history to reach 100 receiving touchdowns.

But in the second quarter, Mayfield attempted to find Evans in the end zone on a 25-yard go route against Brandon Stephens, and Evans couldn’t hang onto the pass. Evans fell to the ground and grabbed the back of his leg while writhing in pain.

Evans remained on the field for several seconds as trainers and teammates gathered around him. He was able to walk off the field with Bucs vice president of sports medicine and performance Bobby Slater but limped significantly as he entered the tunnel to a standing ovation.

Evans missed two days of practice this week with the injury, which coach Todd Bowles described earlier in the week as a lingering injury versus an acute one. The wideout was able to practice Friday in a limited capacity and carried no injury designation heading into Monday night’s game, where he was honored with a message on the videoboard commemorating his scoring achievement in the first quarter.

Evans and Godwin sit No. 1 and 2 for the Bucs in all-time receiving yards. Evans had hoped to tie Jerry Rice this season for the most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons after recording 10 in his first 10 campaigns. Up until this point, Evans has only missed nine regular-season games, with just seven due to injury or illness.

But for Godwin, this is the second major career-threatening injury he has dealt with, having torn an ACL and an MCL in Week 15 of the 2021 season. Godwin said he finally felt like he was back to his old self this summer, and several teammates and coaches took notice too.

“I’m sick about it,” tight end Cade Otton said of his injured teammates. “We talk about great guys and great leaders and great players. It sucks. It’s the terrible part about this job, but we have to come together for them and play better and win games and just carry on like they would.”

As outside linebacker YaYa Diaby said of Godwin, “He was having such an amazing year, and for a guy like that … we need him on this offense. And then for Mike — we need him, as well. You know, I don’t know what the story is, but I hope he can get well.”

The 4-3 Bucs now must face their biggest divisional obstacle this weekend when they host the Atlanta Falcons (also 4-3) in a rematch of a Week 5 overtime heartbreaker for Tampa Bay.

“It sucks,” Mayfield said. “Going to be thinking about Chris and Mike for a while here, but going to move forward. This group is going to have to be resilient. Going to have to have guys step up. That’s just the way it is. There is no other way around it. Going to have to look this thing in the face and take it head on.”


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Original Iron Maiden singer Paul D’Anno dies, aged 66

Original Iron Maiden singer Paul D’Anno dies, aged 66

Getty Images A black and white photograph of Paul Di'Anno performing with Iron Maiden in 1981.Getty Images

Di’Anno was known for his guttural, aggressive vocal style

Paul Di’Anno, the original singer for heavy metal band Iron Maiden, has died at the age of 66.

Born Paul Andrews, the musician featured on the band’s first two albums, Iron Maiden and Killers, establishing them as a crucial part of the new wave of British heavy metal.

He left the band in 1981 and was replaced by Bruce Dickinson. Di’Anno later admitted he had been partying “non-stop, 24 hours a day” and that the impact of his lifestyle “wasn’t fair to the band, the fans or to myself“.

The band’s current members paid tribute, saying they were “all deeply saddened” by his death.

In a statement on social media, bass player Steve Harris said it was “just so sad he’s gone”.

“At least he was still gigging until recently, it was something that kept him going, to be out there whenever he could. He will be missed by us all. Rest in peace mate.”

The rest of the band’s statement said: “Paul’s contribution to Iron Maiden was immense and helped set us on the path we have been travelling as a band for almost five decades.

“His pioneering presence as a frontman and vocalist, both on stage and on our first two albums, will be very fondly remembered not just by us, but by fans around the world.”

Di’Anno’s death was announced by record label Conquest Music, on behalf of his family.

In a statement, they said Di’Anno had “passed away at his home in Salisbury”. No cause of death was given.

“Conquest Music are proud to have had Paul Di’Anno in our artist family and ask his legion of fans to raise a glass in his memory,” they added.

Getty Images Paul Di'Anno on stage with Iron Maiden's Steve HarrisGetty Images

The singer’s contribution to the sound of British heavy metal cannot be overstated

Born in Chingford, east London, in 1958, Di’Anno sang with numerous bands as a teenager, while working as a butcher and a chef.

In 1977, he befriended Harris, who was seeking a singer for his up-and-coming metal band Iron Maiden. Di’Anno auditioned and got the job.

Their sound was an anomaly during the ascendancy of punk rock, and they struggled to get gigs outside London. To address the issue, they decided to make a demo tape to drum up business.

Known as the Soundhouse Tapes, the three-track demo gained them a cult following, selling 5,000 copies by mail order.

By 1979, they had secured a record deal with EMI and started recording their self-titled debut.

Although it was put together in a hurry, the record was hugely influential – with its combination of punk intensity and rock riffs setting the template for heavy metal in the 1980s.

It entered the UK album chart at number four in April 1980, and the success of the single Running Free earned the band a coveted spot of music TV show Top of the Pops.

The follow-up album, 1981’s Killers, had a harder sound again. But after a world tour, Di’Anno was either kicked out of the band or left of his own accord.

Either way, he said success had led him to a dark place.

“I was already a fairly excessive character, but there I really went for it,” he told Rock Hard magazine in 2004.

“I was on another planet, as well as the rest of the band.”

With Dickinson taking over, Iron Maiden went on to become one of rock’s most successful groups, with genre-defining hits like Run To The Hills and Can I Play With Madness.

But Di’Anno never held a grudge against the band, or his replacement.

“Everyone thinks that we hated each other, which is [completely wrong],” he told SDTV in an interview last month. “That’s the press for you.”

He also denied rumours that he had been underpaid for his contribution to the first two Iron Maiden albums, which included co-writing credits on key tracks like Remember Tomorrow, Killers, Sanctuary and Running Free.

“To be honest with you, it’s nobody’s damn business [but] I got paid very well,” he told Rock Hard in 2022.

“They looked after me. End of story.”

Marco Benjamin Alvarado Paul Di'AnnoMarco Benjamin Alvarado

The singer was touring and releasing music this summer

After leaving Iron Maiden, Di’Anno’s raw, aggressive vocals were cited as an influence by metal bands including Metallica, Pantera and Sepultura.

He stayed in music, both a solo artist and as a member of bands like Gogmagog, Battlezone, Praying Mantis, and Killers.

In recent years, he had been performing in a wheelchair due to serious health issues including lymphedema, a condition that causes swelling of your body tissue. In 2022, fans helped him raise money to have major knee surgery in Croatia.

Despite that, he kept up a robust touring schedule, playing more than 100 shows in 2023 and 2024.

A career retrospective album, The Book of the Beast, was released last month, including highlights from his solo career and two “reworked” versions of Iron Maiden songs Tomorrow and Wrathchild.

A documentary about his life is scheduled for release at the end of the year.


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Paul Di’Anno, former Iron Maiden singer, dies at 66

Paul Di’Anno, former Iron Maiden singer, dies at 66

Paul Di’Anno, Iron Maiden’s lead singer on its first two albums, has died, according to a statement from his label on behalf of his family. No cause of death was announced but he had been struggling with illness for several years; he was 66.

Di’Anno was Iron Maiden’s lead singer from 1978 through 1981, and sang on the group’s self-titled debut album and its iconic follow-up, “Killers.” He was replaced by current singer Bruce Dickinson, who left the band in 1993 and returned in 1999.

In the years afterward, Di’Anno fronted the bands Battlezone and Killers, and released several solo albums. He suffered from health issues in recent years but still managed to perform more than 100 concerts since 2023, according to the announcement, which follows in full.

“On behalf of his family, Conquest Music are sad to confirm the death of Paul Andrews, professionally known as Paul Di’Anno,” the statement reads.

Paul passed away at his home in Salisbury at the age of 66.

Born in Chingford, East London on 17th May 1958, Paul first came to prominence as lead singer of English Heavy Metal band, Iron Maiden between 1978 and 1981. He sang on their groundbreaking debut album Iron Maiden, and the influential follow up release, Killers.

Since leaving Iron Maiden, Paul Di’Anno had a long and eventful recording career with Battlezone and Killers as well as numerous solo releases and guest appearances.

Despite being troubled by severe health issues in recent years that restricted him to performing in a wheelchair, Paul continued to entertain his fans around the world, racking up well over 100 shows since 2023.

His first career retrospective album, The Book of the Beast was released in September 2024 and featured highlights of his recordings since leaving Iron Maiden.

Conquest Music are proud to have had Paul Di’Anno in our artist family and ask his legion of fans to raise a glass in his memory.”

Di’Anno was the voice of early Maiden classics like “Running Free,” “Sanctuary,” “Twilight Zone/ Wrathchild” and others, and there were reports of discord between him, founder Steve Harris and manager Rod Smallwood at the time of his departure from the band in mid-1981, as well as reports of dissatisfaction with his performances. However, he strenuously denied those reports in recent years.

“My record stands for itself,” he told Rock Hard magazine in 2022. “I’ve played more shows than Iron Maiden have ever played… So it was nothing to do with my voice. I was just upset about certain things, which were private things in the band. And the way I dealt with them maybe was not right, but I dealt with them. And that’s the end of it. And that’s as much as I’m gonna say.”

CORRECTION (Oct. 22, 2024, 07:00 a.m.): A previous version of this article misstated singer Bruce Dickinson’s history with band. He left in 1993 and returned in 1999; he has not been with band since 1981.


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Liam Payne reportedly had ‘pink cocaine’ in his system at time of death

Liam Payne reportedly had ‘pink cocaine’ in his system at time of death

Liam Payne, the former One Direction singer, had multiple drugs in his system when he fell to his death from a hotel balcony in Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires, several local and international news outlets have reported.

An initial toxicology report revealed the British singer, who died aged 31, had drugs in his system at the time of death including “pink cocaine,” according to a report from ABC News on Monday, which cited sources. The recreational drug typically includes a combination of MDMA, ketamine and methamphetamine.

Broadcaster Todo Noticias and several other Argentine media outlets, as well as TMZ, also said the preliminary report found evidence of exposure to cocaine, alongside traces of methamphetamines, ketamine, and MDMA in his system, and benzodiazepines and crack cocaine. NBC News has not been able to independently confirm the reports.

Despite its name, law officials say “pink cocaine” rarely has any cocaine in it and the pink comes from food coloring.

Bridget Brennan, the special narcotics prosecutor for New York, told NBC News in an interview in August, that pink cocaine contains a mixture of substances as is “typical with a lot of the drugs out on the streets.”The final toxicology report not expected to be made public for some weeks, with no public confirmed date for release.

NBC News reached out to Payne’s team and local authorities for comment on the reports regarding the partial autopsy result, but didn’t immediately receive responses.

Payne died shortly after a hotel receptionist called 911 to report that a distressed guest who was intoxicated with alcohol and drugs was “breaking the whole room.”

“The guest is in a room that has a balcony, and, well, we are a little afraid that he might do something life-threatening,” the caller said, according to audio obtained from local media by Telemundo.

A memorial for Liam Payne outside Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires on Monday.Tobias Skarlovnik / Getty Images

Argentina’s emergency health service, Sistema de Atencion Medica de Emergencia, or SAME, confirmed to Telemundo that Payne fell from the balcony of his third-floor room at the hotel in the city’s Palermo district.SAME director Alberto Crescenti told the Argentine TV station Todo Noticias TV that Payne was found dead a few minutes after the 911 call. 

An autopsy found that Payne had 25 injuries “compatible with those produced by a fall from height” and that his cause of death was “polytraumatism, internal and external hemorrhage,” the Argentina National Prosecutor’s Office said.

Liam Payne achieved global fame with the English Irish boy band One Direction.

Liam Payne performing with One Direction.
Liam Payne performing with One Direction.Christopher Polk / Getty Images for Clear Channel

One Direction was formed in 2010 by Simon Cowell after the teens all auditioned separately for The X Factor, a British musical competition.After splitting up, Payne launched a solo career with his 2017 debut single “Strip That Down” which reached number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Liam Payne’s One Direction bandmates said they were “completely devastated” by his death, they said in a statement on the boy band’s Instagram account last Thursday.

Following the joint statement, Tomlinson, Styles and Malik offered their own personal tributes on Instagram, with Tomlinson and Malik saying they had lost a brother.

Hannah Peart

Freddie Clayton contributed.




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Steelers QB switch despite a solid start worked | News, Sports, Jobs

Steelers QB switch despite a solid start worked | News, Sports, Jobs


Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin talks to quarterback Russell Wilson (3) during an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Durisko)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A dominant defense. An offense heavily reliant on a running game. A steady start to a season brimming with promise tinged by uncertainty at quarterback.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been here before. Even if Mike Tomlin and Russell Wilson haven’t.

Fifty years ago, the original “Steel Curtain” defense led by Joe Greene was in its prime. Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier provided a one-two punch in the backfield. Rookie wide receivers Lynn Swann and John Stallworth were the downfield threats the passing game so desperately lacked.

Yet something was off. Coach Chuck Noll could feel it even as Pittsburgh went 4-1-1 over the opening six weeks. Joe Gilliam, who started in Week 1 after Terry Bradshaw was injured late in the preseason, threw four touchdowns against eight interceptions across those first half-dozen games, leading Noll to turn back to Bradshaw and even take a glimpse at third-stringer Terry Hanratty.

The constant jockeying at the game’s most important position could have divided the team. In some ways, it did. Greene grew so frustrated late in the season following a loss to the Houston Oilers that he cleaned out his locker in a huff only to have wide receivers coach Lionel Taylor talk him out of quitting.

Bradshaw eventually settled in and the season ended with the Steelers winning the franchise’s first Super Bowl.

Looking back, Swann doesn’t linger on the bumpy road Pittsburgh took to the top, only the destination. Asked during a 50th-anniversary celebration of the 1974 team on Sunday night just hours before Wilson guided the Steelers to a surprisingly easy 37-15 win over the New York Jets that pushed Pittsburgh to 5-2 what he remembers about the turbulent season five decades ago, the Hall of Famer just smiled.

“Chuck was going to do what Chuck was going to do,” Swann said. “As players, we knew we just had to do our jobs for whoever the quarterback was. I caught my first career touchdown pass from Joe. I was with Joe just like I was fine with Terry or (Hanratty).”

Standing inside the Acrisure Stadium locker room just after Sunday night turned to early Monday morning, inside linebacker Patrick Queen echoed a similar thought when talking about Wilson and backup-turned-starter-turned backup Justin Fields.

“We have got a lot of faith in both of those guys,” Queen said. “Justin did a great job and now Russ has come in and done a great job. We know whoever we have back there, they’re going to give us a chance to win.”

Maybe, but Wilson’s performance in his first regular-season game in 10 months showed a glimpse of what Tomlin and first-year offensive coordinator Arthur Smith believe the Steelers can be.

Wilson completed 16 of 29 passes for 264 yards, throwing for two scores and running for another. Wide receiver George Pickens finished with five receptions for 111 yards and his first touchdown of the season. Running back Najee Harris topped 100 yards for a second straight week and the Steelers went over 30 points in consecutive games for the first time since 2020.

Suddenly, all the external angst about Wilson’s return from a calf injury disrupting whatever the Steelers believed they were building with Fields disappeared.

Funny how winning convincingly does that.

“We’re having fun playing ball,” Wilson said. “We’re having fun going to practice. We’re having fun being around one another and Coach Tomlin believes in all of us.”

His 35-year-old quarterback perhaps most of all.

What’s working

Developing what Tomlin calls a “block culture.”

The Steelers got their hands on a kick for a third straight game when defensive tackle Dean Lowry deflected Greg Zeurlein’s 35-yard field-goal attempt late in the third quarter that would have drawn the Jets within five. The offense drove 75 yards for a touchdown on the ensuing possession to put the game out of reach.

“We’ve got a lot of guys who put a lot of efforts into the techniques that are required to deliver (blocked kicks),” Tomlin said. “So I am appreciative of that, it’s pretty awesome, and it’s significant.”

What needs help

The slow starts remain an issue. The Steelers have one first-quarter touchdown through seven games. For a team that prefers to jump out in front and let the defense do the rest, falling behind regularly against teams with playoff aspirations — such as most of their opponents in the second half of the season — is playing with fire.

Stock up

Beanie Bishop was supposed to be a fill-in at slot corner until Cam Sutton comes off the suspended list in early November. The undrafted rookie free agent’s fearlessness and playmaking in Sutton’s absence — capped by the first two interceptions of Bishop’s career on Sunday night against Aaron Rodgers, both of which set up touchdowns — means he has likely carved out a role for himself in some capacity even after Sutton returns.

Stock down

Tomlin’s critics. The NFL’s longest-tenured coach could have played it safe and stuck with Fields considering how solidly the Fields had performed while filling in.

Yet Tomlin understands his offense needs to reach another gear if it wants to be a legitimate contender in the AFC.

While plenty of work remains to be done, the victory over the Jets provided a solid foundation Tomlin expects his team to build on.

Injuries

Defensive tackle Montravius Adams left in the first half with a knee injury. Cornerback Donte Jackson injured his shoulder in the second quarter.

Key number

201 — games played by longtime defensive tackle Cam Heyward, tied with Hall of Fame cornerback Donnie Shell for the most by a defensive player in franchise history.

Next steps

Try to complete their sweep of the Big Apple (OK, northern New Jersey) when the struggling New York Giants (2-5) visit for “Monday Night Football” on Oct. 28.



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