Tag Archives: Boston Marathon

Natalie Morales Named Correspondent for CBS News, Including “48 Hours” Duties

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Natalie Morales is expanding her role at CBS…

The 50-year-old Brazilian and Puerto Rican journalist and current co-host/moderator of the CBS Daytime talk show The Talk will serve as a correspondent for CBS News, with duties that will include the true crime series 48 Hours.

Natalie Morales Morales will continue to co-host The Talk.

She joined CBS last year after 22 years at NBC News. She had served as the west coast anchor of Today and correspondent on Dateline. She also had a tenure as host of Access, co-host of Access Live and news anchor of Today, as well as co-hosting the show’s third hour.

She also was anchor of Reelz’s Behind Closed Doors with Natalie Morales.

She joined Today in 2006 as a national correspondent, and reported across the network.

Neeraj Khemlani, the president of CBS News and Stations, said in a statement that Morales “knows how to get to the heart of a tough story with compassion and grace.” Morales noted that 48 Hours “pioneered true crime television and I’m looking forward to working with the great team of producers and correspondents to bring the best stories to CBS viewers on Saturday nights.” The series, now in its 35th season, is executive produced by Judy Tygard.

In a statement, Tygard said, “Natalie is a high-profile reporter with a familiar voice that viewers trust. She’s also known for her exclusive, unsparing interviews of notorious criminals including Clark Rockefeller and Drew Peterson.”

Morales lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two sons. At NBC News, she also covered events including the mass shooting in 2017 at the Harvest Festival, the Boston Marathon bombing and the rescue of Chilean miners in 2010.

Boston Red Sox Legend David Ortiz Throws Out Ceremonial First Pitch at Fenway Park

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David Ortiz is back on the baseball field… 

The 43-year-old Dominican-American former Major League Baseball designated hitter and first baseman for the Boston Red Sox, nicknamed “Big Papi,” made a surprise appearance at Fenway Park on Monday night for the first time since he was shot in a botched assassination attempt in his native Dominican Republic in June.

David Ortiz

Ortiz, a beloved figure among Red Sox faithful, got a standing ovation before throwing out the first pitch prior the game against the New York Yankees.

Ortiz, introduced on the public-address system as a symbol of “resilience, strength, triumph and love,” ran up the steps from the dugout to the field, appearing strong and healthy, before throwing a pitch to former teammate Jason Varitek.

“I want to thank God for giving me a second opportunity in my life to be here with all of you,” Ortiz said to the crowd. “I want to thank the Red Sox, my real family. They always have been there for me, supporting me. … They were the first ones there supporting me.”

Ortiz was shot in the back by a gunman while sitting and talking with a friend at a nightclub in Santo Domingo on the night of June 9. He was flown back to Boston aboard a jet sent by the Red Sox the next day and spent seven weeks in a hospital, undergoing three surgeries for life-threatening injuries.

“I want to thank you for all for your prayers, all of them came home,” he told the crowd.

Ortiz also thanked his former Red Sox teammates for their visits and support, as well as some players on the Yankees who had come to see him as he was convalescing.

When the game started, Ortiz took a seat in the first row, right next to Boston’s dugout, giving his No. 34 home jersey to a young boy seated a few rows back in the first inning.

Ortiz was a 10-time MLB All-Star and three-time World Serieswinner with the Red Sox from 2003 through 2016, thrilling fans with late-game dramatics in the postseason. A street across from Fenway Park has been named for the slugger.

He further endeared himself to the fans with his heartfelt and profane speech at Fenway Park days after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, urging the city to be “Boston Strong.”

Ortiz to Appear in Boston Marathon Attack-Themed Film “Patriots Day”

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David Ortiz is ready for his close-up…

The 40-year-old Dominican designated hitter for the Boston Red Sox will appear in the upcoming movie, Patriots Day, a film that revisits the events of the terrorist attack on the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013.

David Ortiz

Ortiz will play himself and reenact his speech addressing fans in Fenway Park on April 20, 2013, in which he stated, “This is our f—ing city. And nobody’s going to dictate our freedom. Stay strong!”

The film is scheduled for a limited release in theaters in Boston, New York and Los Angeles on December 21, 2016, with a wider national release slated for January 13, 2017.

It’s being directed by Peter Berg and stars Mark Wahlberg playing a Boston policeman.

“Yeah, Mark [Wahlberg] and I go way back,” Ortiz told ESPN.com. “He came and approached me the other day, asking me about it. And I said, ‘No problem.’ It sounds like it’s going to be fun. We’re going to do the filming when I get back to Boston, one of those mornings. I’m excited.

“It’s a big deal,” Ortiz said. “This movie is going to be a big deal, especially in Boston. After what happened in 2013, it’s going to come out on Christmas.”

Ortiz had no problem getting into how important that moment was for him, as well as for the city of Boston. He feels comfortable tapping into the feelings of the day he spoke to fans and of the pride he feels in helping to express the sentiments of many in the city. It’s especially noteworthy because the film will reportedly use considerable amounts of documentary footage, so the decision to reenact Ortiz’s speech and recapture the emotions of that moment make for a potentially powerful artistic decision.

“That’s the idea,” Ortiz said. “Being proud of it, it’s one of the main reasons they want me in it. But I can say, he went through some other details with me that, once you guys watch the movie, you guys are going to find out about. I’m excited.”

For Ortiz, beyond his personal feelings and role in the events after the bombing, this was also something that speaks to the kinds of movies he’s interested in.

“It’s about history, and I’m a big fan of movies based on true stories,” he said. “When they came out and asked me about it, I could agree with it.”

Estrada Wins the Men’s Title at the 2015 USA Half Marathon Championships

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It’s official! Diego Estrada is this year’s “Half-Marathon Man”…

The 25-year-old Mexican long-distance runner may have begun his first half marathon slower than expected, but he managed to end it with the American flag over his shoulders.

Diego Estrada

After pulling away late to win the 2015 USA Half Marathon Championships with a time of 1 hour, 51 seconds in his debut at the distance, Estrada couldn’t keep his patriotism down.

“I am an immigrant,” Estrada said. “I was 13 months when I immigrated to this country. I became a citizen in 2011, so for me to win a U.S. championship, it means more to me than any other runner.”

Estrada who found himself in the pack early, pulled away around the four-mile mark and grew the lead to 20 seconds over Matthew Llano and Jared Ward by the halfway point of the race.

“Based on training, when we first started, our goal was to run 63:20,” Estrada said. “I called my coach and said I was not going to train this hard to run 63, I wanted to run under 61. He said these were the paces I had to run, so I got up to a 10-mile tempo at a 4:35 pace.”

That translates to a time of 60:05.

“I knew I could do it, but I didn’t know about the extra miles. When we went out at a slower pace, I decided to take over and do a tempo. I knew I could run that time, but I didn’t know if I could get to the finish.”

He did with plenty of room to spare, raising his arms as he broke the tape with no one else in sight. Estrada finished ahead of Ward by 51 seconds.

“You dream of being a U.S. champion, it doesn’t matter the distance,” Estrada said. “You are holding that flag and your main concern is not to let that flag touch the ground because I have so much respect for it.”

“My parents have worked so hard to bring me here and give me the opportunity to be able to raise that flag. I feel like it is a message to my family that the sacrifice was worth it. I’m an American. I’m a Mexican-American, but this is my home, and I’m going to represent my country.”

Defending champion Meb Keflezighi finished fourth, the current Boston Marathon titleholder, finished in 1:02:18 seconds.

“I thought 1:01 to 1:02 was going to be good enough to win, but Estrada just ran a phenomenal race,” Keflezighi said. “I saw the pace, and thought maybe there was room for him to make a mistake and tried to close the gap. Once I got past seven miles, I knew he was going to have a day and not going to be able to close the gap.”