標籤: trouble

After setting a new attendance record, it’s safe to say that hosting the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was a huge success. As far as the Pittsburgh Steelers themselves, their weekend was one of the strangest among all 32 NFL teams.

It all started Thursday in Round 1, where the Steelers were taken 21st overall. It appears Pittsburgh did what every team does: try to get in touch with the player they plan to select.

The only issue? Pittsburgh just wasn’t on time. It was actually the Dallas Cowboys’ turn to pick the No. 20 pick. Perhaps the Steelers felt strongly about the Cowboys not choosing their target. Still, Pittsburgh did not anticipate that Dallas might trade the pick elsewhere.

That’s exactly what happened when the Cowboys made a trade with their NFC East division rival, the Philadelphia Eagles. The real weird part came when the Eagles tried to call USC wide receiver Makai Lemon, who was already on the phone with the Steelers.

Once his people informed him that the Eagles were on the clock, Lemon immediately hung up the phone on the Steelers and started talking to Philadelphia, which was actually selecting them at 20th overall instead of landing them at 21 with Pittsburgh.

This is the moment Makai Lemon thought he was going to be drafted #steelers And realizing in real time that #eagle traded through @gmfb This morning.

He asked Omar Khan “Why is Philly calling?” [me]?” pic.twitter.com/AbXDJONYye

– Ross McCorkle (@Ross_McCorkle) 24 April 2026

According to former Eagles executive Jake Rosenberg, the Steelers may have violated NFL rules by keeping in contact with Lemon when he was not actually on the clock. According to , the NFL intends to examine the Steelers’ draft strategy now that the three-day event has ended. However, he expressed doubt that the league would assess any type of penalty.

We’re guessing this won’t be a big deal. But in the incredibly competitive NFL, it doesn’t take much for a team and agent to create controversy over a small issue.

RELATED: 2026 NFL Draft Day 2: Winners, losers from Rounds 2 and 3

Dedicated NFL copywriter/editor. My work has been found on SportsNut, Sports Illustrated, Sporting News, MSN, Yahoo, and Minnesota Sports… More about Andrew Buller-Russ

The Houston Astros have faced some tough situations recently. After finishing in first place at the beginning of the year, they are now in last place in the American League West with a 10–18 record. Despite a ridiculously good offense, their pitching has repeatedly lost them games.

In fact, their offense has been one of the best (if not the best). Best) in MLB. The club ranked sixth in home runs (35), fifth in batting average (.259), fourth in RBI (136), slugging percentage (.436) and OPS (.782), and third in on-base percentage (.346). It is a historic disappointment for Astros fans that such a good offense has barely managed 10 wins across the board.

But the crown jewel of that Houston offense – the one hope that fans can cling to – has been the performance of Yordan Alvarez. And, oh my god, has it been good.

Picture painted by metrics

Alvarez has had a great start to 2026. The 28-year-old slugger is in bad form, leading MLB in home runs with 11 through 28 games. In fact, Alvarez leads MLB in every important hitting statistic (expect second place in slugging percentage) with a .353/.464/.755 slash line and an earth-shattering 1.219 OPS.

The craziest part? Expected metrics are even better. His xwOBA (.556), xBA (.381) and xSLG (.871) are all in the 100th percentile of MLB hitters. This means Alvarez is performing worse than he should and is still the best offensive player in the league. Nobody can do what he is doing now.

Batting run value is a Statcast metric that specifies the run impact on each pitch, hit or plate appearance based on its outcome. A positive number indicates production above average while a negative number would indicate production below average. This is the total for the entire season.

For context, in 2022 when New York Yankee Aaron Judge broke the American League record for home runs with 62, he had a stellar +90 BRV. Alvarez is on pace to have a +118 BRV.

the ever present question of stability

Like most things in life, baseball is a game that more than anything else asks whether something is sustainable. In most cases, the answer is no. And the same thing is true here also to a great extent. Alvarez probably won’t keep up these ridiculous statistics.

Perhaps.

That being said, if he accomplishes what he’s on pace to do: 224 hits, 64 home runs and 150 RBI. Needless to mention, Alvarez is on pace for 139 walks (both intentional and not). Those are historical numbers. Apart from the fact that Álvarez would hold the American League home run record, no player in all of MLB history has ever had a stat line like this.

You’ll notice I didn’t answer the stability question. The main reason for this is to prevent the dream of being an offensive powerhouse like Alvarez from ending. It would be incredible to see a player lose like that, especially with how young he is. It’s easy to forget that the slugger is only 28 years old.

Whether or not he finishes the season with Houston is another question entirely. He has already been the subject of trade rumors with the San Diego Padres (a club searching for a high-impact bat) and, although the Astros would be crazy to trade him, the club is not looking so attractive. Started the year last in the AL West with a 10–18 record.

Who knows what the future holds for Alvarez? It’s impossible to predict the future — especially in baseball — but the Houston slugger certainly looks formidable to start the 2026 season. No matter how this ends up, Alvarez will be fun to watch.

Manchester City star Rodri will have to reduce his price if he wants to move to Real Madrid.

Cadena SER’s report on the midfielder today And why, at this point, a move to the Santiago Bernabéu is not planned.

Real Madrid have long admired the midfielder. It was back in the headlines this week when he added fuel to the fire.

Speaking to Onda Cero, he openly stated that “you can’t turn down the best clubs in the world” when asked about Real Madrid. However, the deal will be complicated.

age and price are problems

Cadena SER reports that Rodri remains a favorite of Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez, but praise alone will not seal the deal.

With a contract running until 2027, Manchester City are expected to demand around €80 million. This is a figure Madrid will not pay with only one year remaining on his deal. Anton Mina of El Larguero explained the reasoning.

He said, “Rodri has always been Florentino Pérez’s choice; he fits the profile of a midfielder.”

“But he wouldn’t be the first option right now because his contract expires in 2027 and they are easily going to ask for €80m.” According to him “the financial aspect is fundamental” to Real Madrid’s plans.

Concerns also remain About his knee injury.

rhodri needed effort

According to Mina, if the deal is to go through, Rodri will have to do something behind the scenes.

“If Rodri wants to leave City and manages to negotiate a cheap exit,” he said, for Madrid it would be “more a question of financial fit than football doubt.”

As far as the Spanish side are concerned, Rodri’s comments are positive but “there has to be a gesture along with it” to make a serious effort.

mutual affection

However, for fellow journalist Bruno Alemany, the deal is yet to be done. He believes Real Madrid will try because, even at 80%, Rodri is better than him.

“Real Madrid will really try to make the signing (because) both parties are keen for it to happen,” he said.

“Whether running or playing at 80%, he is still far better than most of the midfielders who have come before him.”

Meanwhile, Antonio Romero believes Rodri would not be speaking out the way he is if he was not leaving Manchester City this summer.

“A footballer who wants to stay at his club doesn’t say things like that,” he said. According to him, the midfielder’s words “open the door to speculation.”

what happens next?

At the moment, everything points to a transfer that now depends more on Rodri than on Real Madrid.

The desire is mutual and the Bernabeu will welcome him tomorrow. But unless he puts pressure on Manchester City to reduce the fee, the deal will be stalled before it even starts.

His words have opened the door. Now Real Madrid want to try to open it wider before the summer.

The news wasn’t surprising on Thursday when it was announced that the Toronto Blue Jays would place top young starter Trey Yesavage on the injured list to start the season. They had been playing gently with him all spring. He reported feeling something was not right at the camp.

But with the announcement that he’s going on the IL to start the year with a “shoulder impingement,” it’s perfectly clear what the issue is.

Let’s all remember that Yesways is still only 22 years old. He came in as a rookie at the end of last season, and got in only 14 regular season innings before arriving on the biggest stage in baseball in the postseason. He was incredible in his 27.2 playoff innings, and not the least bit fazed by the bright lights of the World Series. But at 125 total innings, that was nearly 30% more than the year before in his last NCAA season.

So what happens with the Blue Jays’ rotation now? This news follows the news that Jose Berrios will also start on the IL as he works through a stress fracture in his elbow. And we all know about Justin Bieber, who was kicked out of Opening Days plans long ago.

What does the Blue Jays’ five-man rotation look like now after Yesway’s injury?

Thankfully, the Jays prepared themselves for these types of pitching injuries (as every MLB team should!). The late re-signing of Max Scherzer and the continued presence of swingman Eric Lauer means Toronto could still start a rotation that looks like this:

• Kevin Gausman
• dialing off
• max shazer
• Cody Ponce
• Eric Lauer

So, let’s take a look: The two-time All-Star and recent AL strikeout champion on Opening Day. The $210 million freshman with five consecutive 200-K seasons is next. Then there’s a left-hander (Lauer) who completely reworked himself into the rotation last season (3.77 ERA).

Next comes Cody Ponce. He is returning to North America after completely dominating Korea last season. He has continued this into spring training as well. He allowed only one hit in 5.2 scoreless innings against the NY Yankees on Thursday, dropping his Grapefruit League ERA to 0.66 in 13.2 innings.

And ultimately, the Jays completed their cycle with the only three-time Cy Young winner.

Blue Jays’ impressive pitching depth could survive 3 starters on IL

And as the Jays beat writer Keegan Matheson on TSN’s Overdrive, many teams around baseball couldn’t escape defeat Three The Blue Jays can do just as well with the starters in their rotation.

“This depth is really impressive. I remember we were talking a few weeks ago, ‘Where is Max Scherzer going to pitch?’ Well, he’s going to pitch right here. These things work on their own all the time, Matheson said. “If they had signed 20 starters, 15 of them would have got hurt. That’s just the way it works.”

As for Yesvez, he said that after working on his shoulder throughout the spring, he is “feeling good now” and the pain is gone. He’s still pitching, and, according to Sportsnet’s Shea Davidy, “Yesvez is scheduled to be back on a mound next Wednesday, with his upcoming steps being ‘building, building innings, getting pitch counts to a comfortable spot so I can be a starter,'” the young pitcher concluded.

So, there is no reason to panic at all at this point in the Toronto camp. The rotation should be in very good hands until all of the injured walking backs return. Then we’ll have another problem to worry about. But this whole “too many beginners” dilemma can only be a good thing.

The LA Clippers were the hottest team in the NBA entering Saturday night’s contest against the worst team in the NBA. The Sacramento Kings entered the contest with a league-worst record of 16–51, while the Clippers had won 28 of their previous 39 games, coming back from 15 games under .500 in a single season to climb above .500 for the first time.

What followed was a potentially season-changing play.

The Clippers lost the game against the shorthanded Kings, 118–109, but it was a contest in which they fell behind by 20 points and never got involved. There was a stretch in the fourth quarter where the Clippers got within three, but it coincided with Kawhi Leonard, who suffered an injury in the first half that required stitches, exited the game with 9:27 remaining in the fourth quarter and did not return due to a sprained left ankle.

Leonard was out of favor in the next game against the San Antonio Spurs, leading to another loss against the second-best team in the NBA despite holding an 18-point lead in the first half. Benedict Mathurin suffered a toe injury in that loss that has kept him out of the Clippers’ three-game road trip, and depending on how his toe responds to rehab and treatment, it could keep him out even longer.

On Wednesday and Thursday the Clippers head to New Orleans to take on the Pelicans, a venue that has famously suited the franchise over the past half-decade. And if you’re a fan of the team, it was no surprise that the Clippers lost both games that Kawhi Leonard and Darius Garland played in, with both having to sit out.

This was seen as a huge opportunity for the Clippers to make a run at the Western Conference standings and potentially clinch a play-in berth. It was a long shot, but entering the Kings game on March 14, the Clippers climbed to a 34–32 record, trailing the seventh-seeded Phoenix Suns by just four games in the loss column and the Denver Nuggets by six games in the loss column.

The Clippers are now in a three-way tie for the 8th seed. The injuries came at the worst possible time, as they have now lost 4 games in a row (including the 3rd worst teams in the league).

LA has lost all its momentum and is unable to make any headway on the Suns, who have also lost 4 games… pic.twitter.com/qjZXrDvSCk

– Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) 20 March 2026

LA had a very favorable schedule based on strength of schedule and remaining advantage games compared to their opponents, while the Suns were facing a road trip that included the Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves, and San Antonio Spurs.

Now the Clippers are riding a four-game losing streak, holding no lead on Phoenix despite their four-game losing streak, while the Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers come right behind them to try to avoid the dreaded 9-10 play-in game.

The Clippers are considered one of the easiest remaining schedule powers, with several games against the Dallas Mavericks and Milwaukee Bucks still on tap. However, it appears this season will be reduced to three games:

March 31 vs. Portland Trail Blazers
April 10 @Portland Trail Blazers
April 12 vs. Golden State Warriors

Entering Friday, the Clippers, Blazers and Warriors are all tied in the loss column with 36 losses. The Clippers are dealing with injuries to Kawhi Leonard and Benedict Mathurin, the Blazers are still without Shaddon Sharp, and the Warriors are without Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler.

LA currently holds a 2-1 series lead over the Warriors with one game remaining on the final day of the season. Last season, the Clippers and Warriors played a game on the final day of the NBA regular season to decide who would receive a top-six seed and who would advance to the play-in tournament.

The Clippers currently lead 2–0 in their season series against the Trail Blazers, with two more games in the final two weeks of the season.

It remains to be seen how troublesome Kawhi Leonard’s ankle injury is and how serious Benedict Mathurin’s toe injury is, but with the Blazers having won four of their last six games and the Warriors expected to get Stephen Curry back by the end of the month, we could be in for an epic battle for play-in positioning.

The Los Angeles Lakers recently suffered a blowout 111-89 defeat at the hands of the Boston Celtics, a defeat that exposed both emotional and tactical weaknesses. While the matchup remained competitive for three quarters, Boston took complete control in the final frame fueled by a 32-point performance from Jaylen Brown. The frustration in Los Angeles reached its peak when coach JJ Redick and players Austin Reaves and Marcus Smart were all charged with technical fouls for controversial umpiring.

Redick was particularly vocal about a missed goaltending call involving Celtics center Neemias Quetta, who reportedly reached through the rim to block a LeBron James layup. Even Luka Doncic, who struggled for 25 points, said with a smile that substituting was obviously problematic, even if he was not penalized the most.

The loss to a major rival highlights a troubling trend for the 34-22 Lakers. According to Jovan Buha at X, the Lakers have really struggled against teams with a .600 win% or better (top 10 teams by record).

They are 4-11 against them, with three of their wins coming in the first two weeks of the season (twice over Min and once over SAS). 10 out of 11 losses have been by double digits.

This lack of competitiveness against the league’s elite raises significant questions about their ceiling as a championship contender, as it appears they are missing the “punch” needed to trade with top-tier talent.

Amidst the struggles on the court, the evening became a moment of reflection for LeBron James, who watched the team unveil a statue of legendary coach Pat Riley. James expressed his “huge respect” for Riley, whom he worked under with the Miami Heat.

Acknowledging the “Showtime” architect’s extensive impact on the game as both a coach and executive, James said that although it is human nature to think about his past “what could have been”, he remains focused on the present.

As the Lakers move forward, they will have to find a way to translate that respect into results against top-tier opponents if they hope to capture another banner.

The Los Angeles Clippers showed plenty of promise during their 125-122 loss against the Los Angeles Lakers, despite being on the wrong side of the result. And while Tyronn Lue was completely happy with his team’s efforts, he had clear issues with how the Lakers did it.

Lue accused his opponents of the night of committing fouls throughout the game and claimed that it was something his team went through in every game.

According to a post on the

Undoubtedly, the turning point of the game proved to be Leonard’s exit with an ankle injury, which came with about five minutes left in regulation. The Clippers stayed in the game despite the Lakers getting an explosive start to the game.

While Luka Doncic led from the front with 38 points and 11 assists, Austin Reeves contributed 29 points on 9-15 shooting, LeBron James also came up with a double-double with 13 points and 11 assists.

This was only the 11th time in 55 games that the Lakers’ three superstars played together, something fans will hope will become the norm from now on. The Clippers’ response was mainly driven by Kawhi Leonard’s 31-point performance.

Whenever the Lakers threatened to take over the game, he seemed to inspire his team’s response. Benedict Mathurin scored 26 points off the bench on the night, while Brook Lopez returned with a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds.

The Clippers even came back from a 15-point deficit at one point in the third quarter and things might have changed if Leonard had been able to log minutes toward the end.