Author: NY TIMES

Sports stars, celebrities, and even cryptocurrencies have rookie cards…but does Santa Claus? This is a question you might be asking yourself after eating too much nutmeg. Since the season of giving is officially upon us, I wanted to spread some holiday cheer by highlighting Christmas-themed trading cards, which is a bigger niche than you might think.So, let’s dive into an interesting corner of the trading card world that’s dominated by the GOAT of gift-giving himself: Old Saint Nick.A brief history of Santa trading cards 1891 Woolson Spice card. (Photo: eBay)There is no specific story about the origin of Santa trading…

Max Purcell, the 2024 U.S. Open men’s doubles champion, admitted violating anti-doping rules and was provisionally suspended pending an investigation.Purcell, who had been suspended since December 12, admitted and requested a temporary suspension on December 10. Rules regarding the use of tennis balls.Purcell said in a statement on Instagram: “I voluntarily accepted a temporary suspension because I unknowingly received an intravenous infusion of vitamins in excess of the allowed limit of 100 milliliters. It was not until last week when I received medical advice from the clinic. When records show that I received an intravenous injection of more than 100…

HARTFORD, Conn. — As the USC bench emptied onto the XL Center floor and the No. 7 Trojans defeated the No. 4 UConn Huskies 72-70, JuJu Watkins raised his hands to the sky. Watkins, enjoying her 25-point performance in the first win over UConn in school history, turned to a small group of red- and yellow-clad supporters in the sold-out stadium and thanked them for their support.”Knowing the history of last year and how they sent us home, it feels a little different,” Watkins said.The stakes are different this time. In April, the Huskies knocked the top-seeded Trojans out of…

Dominique Pelicot, who admitted to drugging and raping his wife for almost a decade and to inviting dozens of strangers to join him, was convicted on Thursday of aggravated rape and other charges and was sentenced to the maximum 20 years in prison. The court also convicted the 50 other defendants, most of them on rape charges. Catherine Porter, a New York Times reporter, followed the four-month trial and reports from Avignon.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Matt Murray looked up at the scoreboard above his head, counted the seconds ticking away, and finally pumped his fist.It’s been 638 days since Murray last felt this feeling.Bilateral hip surgery forced the Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender to sit out the entire 2023-24 season, the final season of his four-year deal. There’s no guarantee the oft-injured Murray will play in the NHL again. A one-year deal offers him a lifeline, allowing him to continue to stay out of the AHL spotlight and score just one goal.A year and a half later, Murray finally returned to the NHL…

new video loaded: ‘The Room Next Door’ | Anatomy of a ScenetranscriptBacktranscript‘The Room Next Door’ | Anatomy of a ScenePedro Almodóvar narrates a sequence from his film starring Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton.I’m Pedro Almodóvar. I’m the director of “The Room Next Door.” We are in the middle of the story. The two main characters, played by Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton. They are very close friends and Martha, Tilda, decided to go to a place close to Woodstock just to spend the last weeks of her life “It’s so much more beautiful than in the photographs.” And it’s a…

The buttery yellow ramparts encircling the center of Avignon stretch 2.6 miles and are notched with arrow slits and gaps for dumping boiling water or cooking oil on attackers below.Over the centuries, the walls have protected popes and warded off sieges. They have been rebuilt by the 19th-century architect who refurbished Notre-Dame, Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, and have been decorated by the notices for plays since the summer theater festival began in the city soon after World War II.And for the last four months, they have borne witness to the mass rape trial occurring in the modern courthouse just across the road…

“I’m very excited but also very overwhelmed. It’s an amazing feeling.” When Sawsan Abou Zainedin fled Bashar al-Assad’s rule more than a decade ago, she thought she might never return. Now, after the fall of the regime, she’s headed to her hometown in southern Syria to see her father for the first time in seven years. While scenes of celebration like these take place across the country, there’s also concern about what’s to come. “We cannot topple a dictator regime to go under a different one. These few months are fundamental, not just in our lives as individuals but also…

The Atlanta Falcons made a move they clearly didn’t want to make – replacing veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins ​​with rookie Michael Penix starting immediately.Falcons head coach Raheem Morris announced the decision Tuesday night in a statement released by the team.”After review, we have determined that Michael Penix Jr. will serve as the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons,” the statement read. “This is a football decision that we are fully focused on making in preparation for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants. Be prepared.”The day after Morris beat the Raiders 15-9 in Las Vegas to improve their record to…

LAS VEGAS – As expected, the upcoming NBA All-Star Game in San Francisco will be a mini-tournament between three teams consisting of the league’s top 24 players and the team that won the Rising Stars Challenge.Yes, the idea behind the change – which will be the league’s third different All-Star format since 2020 – is to make the game more competitive. And, or the opposite, or at least, makes it more fun to watch on TV.”I think we’ve recognized that the modern All-Star Games are partly about competition, but at the end of the day, they’re about entertaining fans and…