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Pope Francis’ fascination with the devil took on remarkable new twists Tuesday, with a well-known exorcist insisting Francis helped “liberate” a Mexican man possessed by four different demons despite the Vatican’s insistence that no such papal exorcism took place. The case concerns a 43-year-old ...
Kazuhiro Shiraishi, 66, is a guest-house manager in the Izu-kogen Highlands, a famous resort area on the Izu Peninsula of Shizuoka Prefecture. Looking out onto the Pacific Ocean, and just 90 minutes by train from Tokyo, Izu has a warm climate all year round ...
“I was stopped by two men in a government-registered vehicle, blindfolded and dragged off the street. They took me away to a house in a place I did not know. I was forced into a room with blood all over the walls and floor, ...
Guitarist Dustin Wong hesitates for a split second. It’s a pause that would go unnoticed during most other sets, but Wong has spent the last 40 minutes seemingly in a trance while playing guitar and looping the notes via an array of pedals in ...
Tim Duncan saves the day as the Spurs hold off the Grizzlies in overtime
The Ryukyu Golden Kings failed to reach the Final Four for the first time since 2007-08, their inaugural season in the bj-league. That result proved to be unacceptable to team management. Thus, despite a league-record 42-10 record, head coach Koto Toyama’s contract was not ...
One victory separated the Eastern Conference regular-season champion Niigata Albirex BB and the second-place Yokohama B-Corsairs in the standings. That one game is indicative of the talent, roster depth, experience and quality coaching for both teams. Niigata finished 36-16 in Matt Garrison’s second season ...
The Rizing Fukuoka and Kyoto Hannaryz renew their rivalry on Saturday in the Western Conference final at Ariake Colosseum. Tipoff is set for 2:10 p.m. The winner will book a spot in the final for the first time, and face the Niigata Albirex BB-Yokohama ...
The Ryukyu Golden Kings are one of three bj-league franchises with two or more championships. But the other two — the Osaka Evessa (three titles) and Hamamatsu Hiagshimikawa Phoenix (two) — are not playing in the conference semifinal round of the playoffs. Osaka didn’t ...
Ryukyu Golden Kings star Anthony McHenry receives the 2012-13 regular-season MVP award, and Matt Garrison of the Niigata Albirex BB is the bj-league's Coach of the Year.
The reigning champion Ryukyu Golden Kings have been so good for so long that veteran forward/center Jeff Newton’s recent monthlong absence due to a knee injury was far from a crisis. Newton missed eight games and underwent knee surgery to repair his left meniscus ...
For Honoo Hamaguchi and Dai Oketani, longevity is one part of their success story as the bj-league’s longest-tenured coaches. What’s more, their quality teams are always competitive year after year. Hamaguchi, the Kyoto Hannaryz coach, and Oketani, the Iwate Big Bulls bench boss, are ...
The Gunma Crane Thunders’ entire history consists of 46 regular-season games — 12 wins, 34 defeats. A standard of excellence and habits, good or bad, generally take longer to form. Head coach Ryan Blackwell has only been at the helm for 36 games, officially ...
Julius Ashby is hungry to win a championship. One of the elite big men in the bj-league’s eight-season history, Ashby has been a valuable pivotman for four franchises that have reached the postseason: Takamatsu Five Arrows (2006-07, championship runnerup), Tokyo Apache (2008-09 and 2009-10, ...
Like a bullet train zooming across the Japanese countryside, Bill Cartwright has rapidly transformed the Osaka Evessa into a much-improved basketball team. It’s been an impressive turnaround. The numbers clearly show that: 12 wins in 18 games, and seven straight victories under his tutelage. ...
The Saitama Broncos find themselves in a familiar place as the season heads into its stretch run — near the bottom of the pack. And they will miss the playoffs for an eighth consecutive season. But since All-Star John “Helicopter” Humphrey’s return after missing ...
Steals generate excitement for fans of all ages. Fast breaks are often the result of these takeaways, whether they come from a tipped pass, a defender’s anticipation or a combination of things that create havoc. And steals are a stat that help measure a ...