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- US has supplied Israel with bunker buster bombs, thousands of weapons since Oct. 7, says report Anadolu Agency | English
- Explained | How BLU-109 `bunker buster` bombs could potentially decimate Hamas tunnels in Gaza WION
- US sends ‘bunker buster’ bombs to Israel for war on Gaza, report says Al Jazeera English
- Bunker Buster Bombs In Israel; Sent By U.S Amid Civilian Casulties Concern I What Deadly Bombs Do Hindustan Times
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Tag Archives: Buster
Stephen Smith’s mom cited Buster Murdaugh as possible suspect in son’s death in letter to FBI – New York Post
- Stephen Smith’s mom cited Buster Murdaugh as possible suspect in son’s death in letter to FBI New York Post
- Stephen Smith death probe: South Carolina law enforcement says ‘progress has been made’ Fox News
- Hear Stephen Smith’s mother describe her late son CNN
- Stephen Smith’s death now considered a homicide, attorney says FOX Carolina News
- Stephen Smith family attorneys shed light on ‘surprising’ call from South Carolina’s ‘top cop’ about dead teen, a ‘piece of evidence,’ and connection to Alex Murdaugh trial Law & Crime
Alex Murdaugh trial live coverage: Surviving son Buster to testify today as defence pushes back on crime scene evidence – The Independent
- Alex Murdaugh trial live coverage: Surviving son Buster to testify today as defence pushes back on crime scene evidence The Independent
- Alex Murdaugh searched online for restaurant minutes after finding slain wife and son New York Post
- Alex Murdaugh’s only surviving son is expected to testify as a defense witness in his father’s double-murder trial, source says CNN
- Murdaugh searched for restaurant 30 MINUTES after finding wife and son’s bodies Daily Mail
- What Buster Murdaugh’s Testimony Could Mean for Father Alex’s Trial Newsweek
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This Final Fantasy VII Buster Sword clock prevents you from casting snooze
Are a Final Fantasy VII fan? Tired of oversleeping? Don’t want to use your phone as an alarm lest you get sucked into doomscrolling? Well, do I ever have the solution for you: a standalone digital clock fashioned after Final Fantasy VII’s iconic Buster Sword.
The miniature replica of Cloud Strife’s ridiculously large sword — specifically, the version in Final Fantasy VII Remake — is set at an angle reminiscent of how you see it on the game’s main menu screen. The time is illuminated prominently thanks to a display on the sword’s blade, and the materia near the hilt light up, too.
If you like Final Fantasy VII Remake’s music — like me — you’ll be pleased to know that you can set five of the game’s best songs as your alarm:
- Main Theme of FFVII — Sector 7 Undercity
- Let the Battles Begin! — A Merc’s Job
- The Airbuster (a remix of the original FF7’s boss battle theme that totally rips)
- Aerith’s Theme — Home Again
- One-Winged Angel — Rebirth
If you want to get an idea of what the music sounds like on the clock’s speakers, check out this video from Square Enix. The sound quality doesn’t seem great, but it might be worth dealing with so that Sephiroth’s theme song is the first thing you hear every morning.
Before you get ready to drop some gil on the clock, there are a few not-so-good things I should mention. For one thing, the clock costs… $199.99. If you put money down now, you’re only preordering the clock ahead of an expected January 2023 release date. According to Square’s website, the clock only shows 24-hour time. And you better hope that the weak-sounding speakers can fully wake you up, because the clock is also missing a snooze button.
But, if you’re willing to wait, really want to own a miniature replica of Cloud’s Buster Sword, and are okay living dangerously without a snooze button, you might want to put in your preorder now. While you wait, perhaps your dreams will be filled with the classic songs of Final Fantasy VII — soon enough, you’ll be able to hear them from the official clock, too.
Buster Posey To Announce Retirement
After 12 Major League seasons, Buster Posey is calling it a career. The longtime Giants catcher will announce his retirement tomorrow, The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly reports (Twitter link).
Going into the offseason, the only question surrounding Posey seemed to be whether the Giants would simply exercise their $22MM club option on the catcher for next season, or if the two sides would work out a longer-term extension. Posey hit .304/.390/.499 with 18 home runs in 454 plate appearances in 2021, rebounding to prime form after opting out of the 2020 season, and struggling through a 2019 season in the aftermath of hip surgery.
That was the first of three championship rings for Posey, as he became the face of this era of Giants baseball. Posey’s long list of achievements includes the 2012 NL MVP Award, seven All-Star selections, four Silver Slugger Awards, and a Gold Glove in 2016. He retires with 158 home runs and a career slash line of .302/.372/.460 over 5607 plate appearances, and is likely heading for a Hall Of Fame induction in five years’ time.
While Posey’s outstanding 2021 numbers leaves the impression that he has plenty left in the tank, it shouldn’t be ignored that at this time last year, a retirement following the 2021 campaign seemed quite plausible, or even likely. The hip surgery was the latest in a series of notable injuries for Posey throughout his career, including leg and ankle injuries suffered in a collision with Scott Cousins in 2011 (the impetus for MLB changing its rules about baserunners can make contact with catchers while trying to score). Most troubling, Posey also suffered multiple concussions over the course of his 12 years, and there was long speculation that the Giants would eventually move him over to a semi-permanent first base role.
Posey is only 34 years old, but with all of his accumulated wear-and-tear, it could be that he simply preferred to leave on the high note of a great personal season and the Giants’ 107-win campaign. Posey and his wife are also the parents of four children, including adopted twin girls born prematurely last summer (which Posey said factored into his decision to opt out of the 2020 season). There is certainly nothing left to prove for Posey, and he can now enjoy a well-deserved retirement and more time with his family.
While Posey’s role in Giants history can’t truly be replaced, the team hopes it already has a worthy heir apparent in Joey Bart, the second overall pick of the 2018 draft. Posey’s return to form created some questions about how exactly San Francisco would juggle playing time behind the plate, yet now the catching situation looks like it will consist of Bart and incumbent veteran Curt Casali. The Giants could quite possibly target another veteran to compete with Casali in Spring Training and provide more backing in case Bart (who has played in only 35 Major League games) needs more time to get acclimated.
San Francisco also now has at least $22MM in extra payroll space next season, not that the team didn’t already have plenty of spending capacity. The Giants’ surprising 107-win year has left the game well ahead of schedule in their rebuild, and the focus will squarely be on contending for another World Series title in 2022. While truly big expenditures haven’t been part of the strategy thus far for president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, he will have every avenue open to him this winter, whether it be major free agent signings, big-ticket trade acquisitions, re-signing notable in-house free agents like Brandon Belt, or all of the above.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Giants’ Buster Posey hits game-tying RBI double off Madison Bumgarner
SAN FRANCISCO — It took Buster Posey a few innings, but he finally got some bragging rights on longtime Giants teammate and close friend Madison Bumgarner.
In his third career plate appearance against Bumgarner, Posey roped an RBI double down the left field line to tie Thursday night’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at 4-4 in the fifth. Austin Slater raced all the way around from first to give Posey a two-RBI night in his first matchup against Bumgarner. He hit a sacrifice fly earlier in the game.
Bumgarner has faced the Giants three times since leaving for the Arizona Diamondbacks, but Posey opted out of the 2020 season and missed last season’s matchup, and he wasn’t in the lineup when the Giants visited Chase Field in August. The Giants are pushing Posey this week, giving him three starts in a row, a rarity this season. He was 1-for-2 through five innings, having grounded out to the mound in the bottom of the first.
RELATED: Bumgarner gets lengthy ovation, tips helmet to Giants fans
Bumgarner also gave up a solo homer to Brandon Crawford, but he held on with runners in scoring position in part by handling two right-handed hitters in the heart of the lineup. With Posey on second, Evan Longoria grounded out and Kris Bryant struck out. They were a combined 0-for-6 with three strikeouts against Bumgarner.
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Giants get great Buster Posey injury news after beating D-backs
It was a happy flight that left Phoenix for San Francisco on Sunday night, but not necessarily because of Anthony DeSclafani’s flirtation with another complete game or the continued resurgence of key right-handed bats.
The Giants were most thrilled with the news that came from the X-ray machine at Chase Field.
Buster Posey gave the coaching staff the scare of the first half in the sixth inning when he pulled himself from the game after taking a foul tip off his glove hand, but an X-ray came back negative and Posey was diagnosed with a thumb contusion. That left his manager with one of his biggest smiles of the season as he sat down a few minutes after a 5-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“You see me smiling, that’s my level of relief,” Gabe Kapler said. “My level of concern when Buster threw his glove off was pretty high, obviously. He’s pretty even and doesn’t react with that much emotion very often, so obviously we take that really seriously.”
Posey caught two warm-up pitches in front of Kapler and trainer Dave Groeschner after the foul tip. He then caught a 95-mph fastball from DeSclafani, one of the right-hander’s seven strikeouts on a dominant night, and immediately stood up and motioned that he needed to come out.
“We went out there and gave him a chance to kind of stay in the game, and obviously he’s always going to fight for that,” Kapler said. “But we thought it was best to get him out of there and get him checked out and obviously it’s good news on the X-ray.”
Kapler said he was hopeful Posey could be ready off the bench as soon as Monday afternoon against the St. Louis Cardinals. That might be optimistic, and the Giants will certainly be patient.
They have made it this far in large part because of Posey, once again one of the most impactful players in the NL. Posey is one of just three Giants All-Stars, though, and the third straight win in Phoenix showed off the sum-of-all-parts makeup of this roster.
Posey had an RBI single, but Austin Slater and Darin Ruf made big contributions against a rare lefty starter, too, with Slater hitting a 467-foot homer that surpassed Saturday night’s blast.
DeSclafani took a no-hitter into the fifth and ended up one out shy of his third complete game. He paused after the game when asked what was working so well.
RELATED: Posey exits Giants game early with left thumb contusion
“Absolutely nothing,” he said, a serious look on his face.
DeSclafani said he didn’t feel sharp at all and was surprised to look up after four and see that he had not allowed a hit. It was an honest assessment, but one that probably guaranteed Posey was not the hitter who left Chase Field in the most pain Sunday night.
That distinction would belong to the Diamondbacks hitters who had no answers for DeSclafani and fell to 1-9 against the Giants this season.
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Buster Posey suffers thumb injury on foul tip
The Giants capped the Fourth of July weekend with a 5-2 win over the D-backs that clinched a series victory at Chase Field on Sunday night, but the celebration was dampened after catcher Buster Posey was forced to exit the game with a left thumb injury.
Posey immediately threw off his glove and grimaced in pain after being struck by a foul tip from pinch-hitter Daulton Varsho on the thumb area of his left hand in the bottom of the sixth inning. Posey took two warmup throws and tried to stay in the game following a quick evaluation from head athletic trainer Dave Groeschner and manager Gabe Kapler, but he caught only one more pitch from right-hander Anthony DeSclafani — a third strike to Varsho — before taking himself out of the game.
X-rays came back negative on Posey, who was diagnosed with a left thumb contusion. Kapler said Posey isn’t expected to start against the Cardinals on Monday afternoon at Oracle Park, but he didn’t rule out the possibility that Posey could be available off the bench as the Giants kick off their final homestand before the All-Star break.
“You see me smiling, that’s my level of relief,” Kapler said. “My level of concern when Buster threw his glove off was pretty high, obviously. He’s pretty even and doesn’t react with that much emotion very often, so obviously, we take that really seriously. We went out there and gave him a chance to stay in the game. He’s always going to fight for that, but we thought it was best to get him out of there and get him checked out. Obviously, it’s good news on the X-rays. We’ll try to get him ready for tomorrow’s baseball game.”
Backup Curt Casali entered the game to replace Posey, who has been one of the Giants’ most indispensable players this year. Posey, who was selected to start behind the plate for the National League at the 2021 All-Star Game at Coors Field on July 13, entered Sunday batting .327 with a .965 OPS and 12 home runs over 57 games this season.
The 34-year-old veteran had enjoyed another productive night against the D-backs before his premature exit, putting the Giants on the board with an RBI single off left-hander Caleb Smith in the first inning and drawing a walk in his final plate appearance in the sixth.
“It’s really unfortunate,” DeSclafani said. “It’s definitely alarming. He’s obviously a big reason for us being successful. I don’t know any of the details, but hopefully it’s nothing serious, and he’s back soon.”
Posey’s injury deflected some attention away from another brilliant outing from DeSclafani, who came within one out of securing his third complete game of the year. DeSclafani gave up two runs on six hits over 8 2/3 innings to improve to 9-3 with a 2.84 ERA over 17 starts this year.
His strong body of work could make him a candidate to join Posey, Brandon Crawford and Kevin Gausman at the Midsummer Classic, as more players are expected to be added to the NL squad as replacements this week. Still, the competition for the final spots will be tough, as talented NL starters like Max Scherzer, Walker Buehler, Freddy Peralta and Taijuan Walker also figure to be in the mix.
“I think I’ve had a pretty good first half so far,” DeSclafani said. “It’s great to even be considered. Obviously, I would love to join and get to experience everything. With that being said, there are a lot of guys having really good seasons and a lot of guys that are deserving. If I was to be one of them, it’d be awesome. But I know the reality of it and the chance that it might not happen. At the end of the day, I’ve just got to continue to get better. More than anything, I’m excited to keep winning on this ballclub.”
The D-backs ended the night with a fireworks spectacular at Chase Field, but platoon bats Austin Slater and Darin Ruf supplied their own pyrotechnics at the plate after launching long home runs off Smith to pace the Giants’ offense. Slater delivered a mammoth blast off an Arizona lefty for the second consecutive night, as he extended the Giants’ lead to 3-0 with a 467-foot solo shot in the third. It was the longest home run Slater has hit since Statcast began tracking in 2015, topping the 463-foot moonshot he belted off Ryan Buchter on Saturday.
Ruf later added more cushion with his seventh homer of the year, a two-run shot that landed halfway up the left-field bleachers in the sixth.
“We joke with each other, we’re Team Righty waiting for a left-handed pitcher,” Slater said. “We understand the role. We understand how we play baseball on this team and how we match up. When you go through a stretch of not getting hits, especially in limited opportunities, you feel like you’re letting the guys down, so it always feels great to come up in these kinds of situations and win these kinds of games.”
After taking three of four games from the last-place D-backs, the Giants (53-30) retained their perch atop the National League West and stayed a half-game ahead of the red-hot Dodgers, who extended their winning streak to nine games after finishing off a four-game sweep of the Nationals on Sunday.
Buster Posey back for possible final season with San Francisco Giants
Buster Posey tried to watch every inning of San Francisco Giants baseball that he could last year, but he was busy.
Most of his energy was spent caring for four children, particularly two adopted twin girls who were born eight weeks premature last summer. But he also found a useful way to keep his arm in shape — by balling diapers up really tight and flinging them at his 9-year-old son, Lee, while he ran for cover.
“You have to really make sure that you have the right weight of the diapers,” Posey said after the Giants’ first official workout on Wednesday. “Depending on how well they’ve been feeding, that plays a lot into my accuracy and if it’s equivalent to the weight of a baseball. Take all that into account, whatever type of formula they’ve got, if they’re eating baby food or not — and yeah, I’ve been pretty accurate.”
Posey, who sat out the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season primarily out of concern for his newly adopted daughters, heads into the 2021 season with unfamiliar uncertainty. By Opening Day, he’ll be 34 years old, entering his 11th and potentially final season as the Giants’ every-day catcher. Posey’s $167 million contract includes a $22 million club option for 2022, but the Giants also possess a promising young catcher in Joey Bart, who was drafted second overall in 2018 to someday replace Posey long term.
“Yeah, sure, it’s gone through my mind,” Posey said of the possibility that it’s his final season with the Giants. “I think, for me, my biggest goal this year is really to — as cliché as it is — go one day at a time and try to focus on what needs to be accomplished for that day, whether it’s stuff in the weight room or cage work or whatever it may be. And try not to get too far ahead.”
The last time Posey was on the field, he was coming off hip surgery and struggling through the 2019 season, ultimately batting .257/.320/.368 with seven homers and 24 doubles in 114 games. In the seven prior seasons, he made six All-Star teams, won an MVP award and batted .308/.378/.466 while averaging 16 homers, 31 doubles and 141 games per year.
Giants manager Gabe Kapler said in the middle of December that Posey would return as the team’s primary catcher in 2021, offering the 24-year-old Bart more time to develop after a trying season in 2020.
Posey had access to Oracle Park when the team wasn’t there last summer and utilized the facilities to train routinely. He admitted that it might take him some time to get re-acclimated to live pitching but said he believes his body is in good enough shape to stand up to the rigors of another season. He missed the competition.
“It’s nice,” Posey said of returning to play. “It’s different. Look at what we’re doing right now [conducting an interview over video conference] — it’s not the same. You’re still in masks, so that’s obviously different as well. There’s normalcy, too. There’s the normalcy of standing on the foul line and stretching. Playing catch, catching ‘pens. Yeah, it’s great to be back, and hopefully as this vaccine continues to roll out, we’ll be able to all get to experience the game like we’re used to.”