Author: Michael

Things got a bit heated in the sixth inning of Sunday’s game between the Pirates and White Sox after Pittsburgh shortstop Oneil Cruz suffered an injury following a collision with Chicago catcher Seby Zavala. Cruz was called out on the play and stayed on the ground in pain, eventually coming out of the game.
While he was being tended to by a trainer, Zavala exchanged words with Pirates first baseman Carlos Santana. Eventually, both benches and bullpens cleared, with the two sides coming together near where Cruz was on the ground.

Benches cleared in Pittsburgh! pic.twitter.

After parting ways with head coach Stephen Silas on Sunday, the Rockets are set to begin their coaching search. 
According to The Athletic, Houston is expected to consider Raptors coach Nick Nurse, Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson, former Lakers coach Frank Vogel, former Celtics coach Ime Udoka, former Hornets coach James Borrego and Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin. The team is reportedly expected to have a list of eight candidates for the job.

Speaking after Detroit concluded its season with a 103-81 loss to the Chicago Bulls, Dwane Casey announced Sunday that he will step down from his role as coach of the Pistons and will move into a front-office role.

The Houston Rockets are declining to pick up the fourth-year option on coach Stephen Silas’ contract, ending his three-year run with the team, sources told ESPN.

Baseball is a beautiful game, and there are all sorts of things that happen during play that remind fans of this: a diving catch, an expertly turned double play, a crushed home run. 
You know what else is on that list? A first baseman cleanly picking a one-hopper thrown by one of his fellow infielders. Cubs veteran first baseman Eric Hosmer pulled off a really nice one against the Rangers at Wrigley Field on Friday. But what makes it more beautiful is the slo-mo replay.
This video is equal parts impressive and mesmerizing: 

Eric Hosmer, Picking Machine pic.twitter.

Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago White Sox for their involvement in the first bench-clearing brawl of the 2023 Major League Baseball season. On Easter Sunday, no less!

Easter brawl ! Pirates vs. White Sox pic.twitter.com/mQ41X9Ag3Y
— Patrick (@Patrick17234456) April 9, 2023

The former hosted the latter for a three-game series in the Steel City and the rubber match got FIESTY.
It all went down in the top of the sixth inning. Ke’Bryan Hayes stepped into the box with a 1-2 count and one out. Pittsburgh had runners on first and third.

St. Louis Cardinals rookie Jordan Walker impressed so much in Spring Training, he made the Opening Day Roster. As a Top 5 prospect, Walker was certainly going to be a big leaguer at some point.
Still, as a kid who can’t legally drink in the United States — Walker turns 21 next month — his ascension to MLB was quick. He spent just two seasons in the minor leagues.
That’s why Walker got so emotional when Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol informed him of his promotion.
And Walker has made his manager look like a genius.

LSU star Angel Reese received support from the original creator of the “You Can’t See Me” taunt – Tony Yayo – nearly a week after the controversy stemming from the star basketball player giving Iowa’s Caitlin Clark a little bit of her own medicine.
Reese received criticism for her celebratory gestures as LSU was wrapping up its first national championship last Sunday against Iowa. Yayo addressed the controversy in an interview with TMZ Sports on Friday.
“When a black girl do it, it’s a problem, but when a white girl do it, it’s not a problem,” Yayo said.

Pistons coach Dwane Casey announced Sunday he will step down from the position after four seasons to transition into a role in the team’s front office.
“This is my last game,” Casey told reporters following the Pistons’s 103–81 loss to the Bulls in the final game of the season, via NBA insider Marc Stein. The last-place Pistons finished the 2022–23 campaign with the top odds for the No. 1 pick, and widely-presumed favorite Victor Wembanyama, in the 2023 NBA draft after finishing with the NBA’s worst record at 17–64.

Stephen Silas coached his last game with the Rockets on Sunday, according to The Athletic. With his three-year deal done, Houston will not re-sign Silas after the team’s season mercifully came to an end with a 22–60 record—the worst mark in the Western Conference. 
It’s the third year in a row that Houston has found itself finishing at the bottom of the Western Conference. In his three years with the Rockets as the franchise continues to rebuild, Silas compiled a 42–177 record. The mark is by far the worst of any team in the NBA in that span.