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It’s not surprising to learn that Christos Nikou worked on fellow Greek writer-director Yorgos Lanthimos’s 2009 breakout Dogtooth⁠—his debut feature is part and parcel of the…

Sports

Ravens player Jaylon Ferguson died of fentanyl and cocaine, medical examiner office says

Jaylon Ferguson, the Ravens outside linebacker found unresponsive last month in a North Baltimore home, died from the combined effects of fentanyl and cocaine, according to a spokesman for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.Bruce Goldfarb, the agency’s spokesman, said the death had been ruled an accident following an autopsy of the 26-year-old.AdvertisementGoldfarb said no written autopsy report was available yet, but the agency’s goal is to have one 90% completed within 90 days.Baltimore Police said previously that investigators had not ruled out the possibility of an overdose, but that there were no signs of trauma or foul play. The agency did not immediately respond to questions sent Friday about the status of the investigation.AdvertisementIn a statement, the Ravens said: “Our priority is focused on the man Jaylon was and the positive impact he made on so many as a father, son, fiancé, friend and teammate. It would be inappropriate for us to comment further while we continue to support his family and teammates, who are mourning the tragic loss of a loved one and will celebrate his life tomorrow.”Ferguson’s family issued a statement following his death calling it “one of the darkest moments in our lives.” It went on to ask for privacy during this “difficult time.”A viewing and funeral service for Ferguson is scheduled for Saturday in St. Francisville, Louisiana, according to a post from his fiancee, Doni Smith.An online fundraiser for Ferguson’s three children described a prior house fire that took away some personal belongings. Ferguson, it said, “desperately tried to put out the fire in order to save his children’s possessions to the point where his own toes were burned in the process.“Jaylon was a provider for his family and in times like this we have to come together and help where we can,” it said.Ferguson, who was entering his fourth NFL season in Baltimore, was set to report to training camp in Owings Mills in late July. A third-round draft pick from Louisiana Tech, where he earned the nickname “Sack Daddy,” Ferguson holds the Football Bowl Subdivision record for career sacks (45).Over his 38 games and 10 starts with the Ravens, Ferguson had 67 tackles, 4 ½ sacks and three forced fumbles. Ravens coaches and teammates, who said Ferguson was poised for a breakthrough season, described him as genuine and supportive.“Jaylon was a good-hearted, gentle person who loved his family and his team,” coach John Harbaugh said in a statement released by the team last month. “He was a joy to talk with and be around every day. You always wanted to see and talk to ‘Ferg.’ Our prayers and our help go to his family. Our hearts are with his Spirit. R.I.P., Jaylon.”AdvertisementBaltimore Police previously said officers responded around 11:30 p.m. June 21 to a home in the 400 block of Ilchester Avenue in Baltimore’s Harwood neighborhood on a report of a questionable death.Police found Ferguson unresponsive and receiving treatment from medics, police said. He never regained consciousness and died at the scene, spokeswoman Niki Fennoy said.

Sports

After an ugly June swoon, the Chicago Cubs enter July with the trade deadline coming into focus

The Chicago Cubs’ June swoon has cemented the direction of their season.The Cubs finished 10-17 (.370), their worst month so far, as they approach the midpoint of the season. Although the Cubs leave behind a 10-game losing streak in early June as they enter July having won two consecutive series, the clubhouse will be facing increased trade speculation.AdvertisementHere is a breakdown of what to take away from the Cubs’ June performance.Chicago Cubs infielder Nico Hoerner rounds the bases en rout to scoring on a double by teammate Yan Gomes in the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field, June 30, 2022. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)Hoerner’s potential for stardom has been on display this season with his upside never looking higher than it did in June.AdvertisementHe already impressed with his glove at shortstop behind the work he put in during the offseason. But his offensive production went to a new level in June. Hoerner finished the month with a .344/.392/.452 slash line. There is still room to increase his power numbers (six extra-base hits over 25 June games). But his ability to get on base via hits is a reliable attribute that had been missing from the Cubs’ power-heavy lineups the last couple years.“I felt like I showed some bits and pieces last year when I played but never really got into the full swing of things,” Hoerner said. “So to have a chance to play every day and just kind of roll with the season and all that comes with it, I think it’s been a great experience.”And, importantly, he’s not swinging and missing very much while putting the ball in play a lot. He struck out only six times in June, including just three times over a 22-game stretch (88 plate appearances) to begin the month. He rode a career-high eight-game hitting streak into July during which he went 17-for-32 (.531) with three extra-base hits.The key for Hoerner the rest of the season is staying healthy. Injuries have thwarted him in the past, particularly last year. Chicago Cubs starter Justin Steele (35) walks to the dugout after pitching during the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field, June 29, 2022. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)A successful Cubs rebuild will require the organization to develop or acquire quality starting pitchers.Ideally, Thompson and Steele represent two of those arms the Cubs can count on. Consistency is important, though, and both closed out June pitching well. Thompson has allowed five runs in 18⅓ innings over his last three starts while Steele finished June with a 3.03 ERA, allowing two runs or less in four of his five starts.Steele has noticeably been filling the zone with strikes and going after hitters with his fastball. Thompson pitched into the seventh in two of his last three starts. Now it’s about finishing off those outings.“They’re attacking the zone more often,” catcher Willson Contreras said of the two pitchers. “When they struggle, their mechanics are a little off, now they find a way to make adjustments right away and I’m really proud of the work they’ve done lately.”AdvertisementOne key going forward is how well Thompson and Steele maintain consistency into July and over the final three months. It’s their first extended starting opportunity in the majors. Finding a way to grind through it is a must for every player at some point in 162 games.Chicago Cubs center fielder Christopher Morel (5) hits a two-run homer during the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field, June 29, 2022. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)The Cubs rookie could have let his June struggles send him into a prolonged slump or affect other areas of his game. Morel’s strikeouts started piling up in June, recording 41 strikeouts in his first 24 games in the month. His average (.240) and on-base percentage (.283) dipped in the process.Manager David Ross dropped Morel to ninth in the Cubs batting order Wednesday, and the 23-year-old responded how the Cubs hoped he would in his last two games: 7-for-9 with two home runs, two RBIs and nine runs scored.“I try to come in with a positive attitude, it doesn’t matter if I’m doing well or I’m not doing that well,” More said through an interpreter. “It’s just about having that attitude, that effort, rub off on the other players and then in turn, I might not have a good game at the plate, but I might have a good game helping others and inspiring the team.”Maybe his last two games are merely a blip before his struggles continue. Regardless, Morel showed how he responds to getting knocked down. Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.Morel was expected to face adversity at some point after a sizzling start to his big-league career, and this won’t be the only time he experiences a slump. But the organization must be happy with how well he embraced the lineup change and continued to maintain a good attitude. His five-hit night Thursday marked a career high and made him the youngest Cubs rookie to accomplish the feat since Ken Hubbs in 1962.AdvertisementChicago Cubs left fielder Ian Happ (8) hits an RBI double during the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field, June 29, 2022. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)Happ’s first four months in 2021 were so bad that wondering if the Cubs would non-tender him in the offseason wasn’t an outrageous question to ponder. His stellar 2022 campaign went to another level in June when he hit .327 with a .417 on-base percentage and .948 OPS in 27 games.The switch hitter has given the Cubs an important mix of hitting for power and average to complement Contreras, Patrick Wisdom and Hoerner. If Contreras, currently well positioned to earn his third All-Star Game start behind the plate, has his way, Happ will be joining him in Los Angeles this month for the Midsummer Classic.Happ’s defense shouldn’t be overlooked in left field, either. All of it is setting up for Happ to earn a big payday from the Cubs or in free agency after next season. He will need to prove it wasn’t merely a streaky three-month hot stretch. But his peripherals, including a career-best 19.3% K% that is 10% lower than last year, suggest this is what the 27-year-old can be.Seiya Suzuki talks with reporters before the Chicago Cubs play the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field, May 31, 2022. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)The Cubs have been trying to survive without three veteran starters the last three weeks. Then add Frank Schwindel’s back issues and Seiya Suzuki’s lingering finger strain and, well, the Cubs weren’t close to their whole version in June.But that is expected to change soon. Right-hander Marcus Stroman (right shoulder inflammation) and left-hander Drew Smyly (right oblique strain) were scheduled to throw bullpens Friday. If they come out of those well, a rehab start is not out of the question to put both in play to return around the All-Star break. In Smyly’s case, a couple good starts could put him in play to get traded before the Aug. 2 deadline.Schwindel is getting back into baseball activities. Meanwhile, Suzuki began his rehab start at Triple-A Iowa Thursday with a bang. Suzuki started in right field and played five innings, hitting a solo home run and an RBI single. He will provide the Cubs lineup with a boost after missing more than a month. This year is all about learning and getting comfortable in a new league so the Cubs want him to log as many at-bats as he can as he continues to adjust.

Sports

Russian trial of American basketball star Brittney Griner begins

American basketball star Brittney Griner appeared in a Moscow-area court for trial Friday, about 4 1/2 months after she was arrested on cannabis possession charges at an airport while traveling to play for a Russian team.Griner was arrested in February at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport. Police said she was carrying vape canisters with cannabis oil. The Phoenix Mercury center and two-time U.S. Olympic gold medalist could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of large-scale transportation of drugs.AdvertisementFewer than 1% of defendants in Russian criminal cases are acquitted, and unlike in the U.S., acquittals can be overturned.At a closed-door preliminary hearing Monday in the Moscow suburb of Khimki, Griner’s detention was extended for another six months, to Dec. 20.AdvertisementThe athlete’s detention and trial come at an extraordinarily low point in Moscow-Washington relations. Griner was arrested less than a week before Russia sent troops into Ukraine, which aggravated already high tensions between the two countries.The invasion led to sweeping sanctions imposed by the United States, and Russia denounced the U.S. for sending weapons to Ukraine.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday denied politics played a role in Griner’s detention and prosecution. .“The facts are that the famous athlete was detained in possession of prohibited medication containing narcotic substances,” Peskov told reporters. “In view of what I’ve said, it can’t be politically motivated,” he added.Griner’s supporters have kept a low profile in hopes of a quiet resolution, until May, when the State Department reclassified her as wrongfully detained and shifted oversight of her case to its special presidential envoy for hostage affairs — effectively the U.S. government’s chief negotiator.Griner’s wife, Cherelle, has urged President Joe Biden to secure her release, calling her “a political pawn.”“It was good to see her in some of those images, but it’s tough. Every time’s a reminder that their teammate, their friend, is wrongfully imprisoned in another country,” Phoenix Mercury coach Vanessa Nygaard said Monday.The coach hoped that Biden would “take the steps to ensure she comes home.”AdvertisementGriner’s supporters have encouraged a prisoner swap like the one in April that brought home Marine veteran Trevor Reed in exchange for a Russian pilot convicted of drug trafficking conspiracy.Russian news media have repeatedly raised speculation that she could be swapped for Russian arms trader Viktor Bout, nicknamed “the Merchant of Death,” who is serving a 25-year sentence on conviction of conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens and providing aid to a terrorist organization.Russia has agitated for Bout’s release for years. But the wide discrepancy between Griner’s case — which involves alleged possession of vape cartridges containing cannabis oil — and Bout’s global dealings in deadly weapons could make such a swap unpalatable to the U.S.Others have suggested that she could be traded in tandem with Paul Whelan, a former Marine and security director serving a 16-year sentence on an espionage conviction that the United States has repeatedly described as a setup.U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, when asked Sunday on CNN whether a joint swap of Griner and Whelan for Bout was being considered, sidestepped the question.“As a general proposition … I have got no higher priority than making sure that Americans who are being illegally detained in one way or another around the world come home,” he said. But he said he could not comment “in any detail on what we’re doing, except to say this is an absolute priority.”