Strikes

On the picket line outside Caterpillar's sprawling tractor plant, John McCoy uses his head to display his disdain for his employer of 29 years: He wears a John Deere cap. Just up the street, a union billboard painted in Caterpillar's bold yellow colors announces: "You are entering a war zone. Caterpillar vs. its UAW employees." Such are the symbols of the nation's longest ongoing labor confrontation.

Right-hander Luke Eubank of Newbury Park is 9-0 with a 1.08 earned-run average, six shutouts, three no-hitters and has given up only 10 walks in 65 innings. "It's the best pitching performance in the last 30 years that I've seen," Newbury Park Coach Matt Goldfield said. On Friday in his latest dominating performance, Eubank struck out six, walked none and finished with a two-hitter as the Panthers defeated Long Beach Wilson, 3-0, in a first-round Southern Section Division 1 playoff game.

Their name conjures up the most celebrated moment of America's post-Sept. 11 military campaigns. Now the Navy SEALs belong to a grimmer chapter in history: the most deadly incident for U.S. forces in the 10-year Afghanistan war. Three months after they killed Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in neighboring Pakistan and cemented their place in military legend, the SEALs suffered a devastating loss when nearly two dozen of the elite troops were among...

Kerry Wood arrived in the majors 14 years ago, a fresh-faced kid with No. 34 on his back, slinging fastballs at 100 mph, delivering breaking pitches that were often unhittable and striking out 20 batters in just his fifth start. On Friday, he left the game after one final, emotional appearance with the Chicago Cubs. Fittingly, "Kid K" struck out the last batter he'll ever face and retired at 34, ending a career that was eye-popping at times but hampered by injuries.

Pilots at South Korea's two major airlines plan to go ahead with job actions set for early this week, signaling possible havoc in the midst of the high travel season, a news report said Sunday. Unionized pilots of Korean Air and Asiana Airlines are demanding better benefits and the power to change their assistants and cabin crew members, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said.

Getting stuck by lightning might seem like one of the ultimate random acts of natural violence. But perhaps it's less random than you think; men tend to get shocked more often than women. That's according to AccuWeather.com, reports the Sun-Sentinel , which says 82% of the 648 people killed in the U.S. between 1995 and 2008 were male. This unequal relationship goes back a long way. According to a 1999 paper that looked at lightning-caused damages since 1959, men accounted for 84% of lightning deaths and 82% of injuries.

The question Major League Soccer's owners and players should be asking themselves as they continue to bicker and move ever closer to a showdown is this: If there is a player strike, will anyone really care? Soccer has made tremendous strides in North America over the last two decades, even more so since MLS was launched in 1996 in the wake of the U.S.-hosted 1994 World Cup. The landscape is now sprinkled with soccer stadia, and television features not only regular coverage of the world's most popular sport but even entire channels devoted solely to soccer.

Cole Hamels took a perfect game into the sixth inning, masterfully using his changeup while matching a season high with 10 strikeouts and leading the Phillies to a 4-2 win over the Nationals on Thursday. Hamels (10-9) gave up one run and five hits in eight innings. He even chipped in with an opposite-field RBI single to help the NL East-leading Phillies win their fifth straight game. Brad Lidge got his 30th save in 40 chances. -- associated press

To hear him tell his story, John Wesley Ewell was the victim of an overly harsh criminal justice system. The South Los Angeles hairstylist complained to journalists over the last decade about the unfairness of the state's tough three-strikes law, saying he lived in fear that even a small offense would land him back in prison for life. He even appeared on the "The Montel Williams Show" to argue the case against three strikes. A caption that flashed on the screen when Ewell spoke read: "Afraid to leave his house because he has 2 'Strikes.

British Airways on Thursday won a High Court injunction blocking a threatened 12-day strike by cabin crews that could have grounded about 1 million travelers at the height of the Christmas season. The decision ended a roller-coaster four days of disputes and negotiations over the planned work stoppage, which threatened to further undercut the beleaguered airline at one of the busiest travel times of the year. The union called the strike in response to British Airways' decision to reduce cabin crew staffing on most flights to cut costs.

Re "Coming clean on drones," Opinion, May 6 Doyle McManus raised some excellent questions about congressional oversight of U.S. drone strikes. The Senate Intelligence Committee, which I chair, has devoted significant time and attention to the drone program. We receive notification with key details shortly after every strike, and we hold regular briefings and hearings on these operations. Committee staff has held 28 monthly in-depth oversight meetings to review strike records and question every aspect of the program including legality, effectiveness, precision, foreign policy implications and the care taken to minimize noncombatant casualties.

PARIS - France's new president, Francois Hollande, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have opposing ideas of how to solve Europe's crippling public debt crisis - she austerity, he spending and growth - so a clash was in the cards Tuesday. Instead, Hollande's welcome to Berlin just hours after he took office was brisk but warm, even if he was late for dinner. Hollande - whose initial flight to Berlin was hit by lightning, causing him to briefly return to an air base outside Paris to switch planes - and Merkel met for an hour before dining together.

CHICAGO — Bobby Abreu had the opportunity to make a notable first impression with the Dodgers on Friday, but it wasn't to be. With the Dodgers trailing by two runs in the seventh inning, Abreu was the hitter with runners at first and third and two outs. But he took a called third strike. Then in the ninth, again with two outs, he had another chance to get the Dodgers even and hit the ball hard — but directly at the right-fielder. Before the game, the veteran outfielder said he was prepared for a part-time role with his new club and "just happy to be back" in the game.

Israel's move toward early elections is the latest sign that its threatened attack against Iran's nuclear facilities is unlikely to take place in the coming months. Though no final decision has been made about moving up national elections slated for next year, the Knesset, or parliament, is talking about dissolving this month and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to announce as soon as next week an election date in September. Some officials predict the chances of an Israeli airstrike against Iran will decrease because a divisive political campaign would paralyze the government and focus attention on domestic issues.

From the steps of the dugout, the balls Matt Kemp hits for home runs look different from those that other players hit over the stadium fence. "They take off like fly balls and they just get small quick," Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly said. "You can tell when he gets them. They get really small really quick. " So quickly that they don't even look like baseballs from the third base coach's box. "It looks more like a golf ball," third base coach Tim Wallach said. "It really does.

MOSCOW - Russia may consider a preemptive strike on a missile defense system in Europe if the U.S.-led NATO project continues as planned, a top official said Thursday. Russian Chief of General Staff Nikolai Makarov, in a sign of the tension between Russia and the United States over the missile defense plans, said during an international conference that a strike by his country might be possible. "A decision to use destructive force preemptively will be taken if the situation worsens," Makarov said.

If a transit strike occurs, the MTA will still operate partial service on the bus and rail lines listed here daily from 6 a.m.-7 p.m. Bus lines run by nearby municipalities will not be affected by the strike. The following Metro bus and rail lines will operate during a strike: Line 1, Hollywood Blvd. Portion of route operating: Downtown LA-Hollywood * Line 18 West 6th St./Whittier Blvd. Portion of route operating: Wilton Pl.-Whittier & Atlantic * Line 20 Wilshire Blvd.

About 24,000 unionized refinery and pipeline workers across the United States are prepared to walk off the job at midnight Saturday if negotiations with major oil companies don't result in a new contract. A strike by members of the United Steelworkers union would affect more than half of the nation's refining capacity. Strike jitters helped drive wholesale gasoline prices up by more than 4 cents a gallon Thursday on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Jeff Weaver's no-hitter, by the numbers: 121: total pitches. 77: strikes. 4.2: average pitches per at-bat 88: average fastball in mph 81: average slider in mph 78: percentage of batters who saw two strikes in first three pitches 68: percentage of fastballs for strikes 57: pecentage of off-speed pitches for strikes 9: strikeouts ...

Re "Tuition costs prompt hunger strikes," April 29 California State University spokesman Mike Uhlenkamp says the students planning hunger strikes to protest excessive executive compensation don't understand the issues. It is the university that seems not to understand the issues. I am a Cal State faculty member, and as such it is important to me that people understand that the university leadership does not represent the thousands of faculty and staff of Cal State. We stand with the students against excessive executive compensation.