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Deadspin | Struggling Phillies release RHP Taijuan Walker  Mar 30, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Taijuan Walker (99) reacts against the Washington Nationals during the third inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images   The Philadelphia Phillies released veteran starter Taijuan Walker on Thursday despite  million remaining on his contract.  He signed a four-year,  million contract with Philadelphia in December 2022.  At 8-16, the Phillies are tied with the New York Mets for the worst record in the National League, and Walker was a contributor to those woes.  The 33-year-old pitched in five games (four starts) and was 1-4 with a 9.13 ERA. He allowed 25 runs (23 earned) in 22 2/3 innings on 36 hits and 11 walks. Eight of those hits were home runs.  Staff ace Zack Wheeler is scheduled to return to the pitching rotation on Saturday after a lengthy recovery from surgery to treat a blood clot in his shoulder last September.   Walker was a first-round draft pick in 2010 by the Seattle Mariners, one of his five major league stops. He had been with the Phillies since 2023 and appeared in 89 games (71 starts), posting a 24-25 record and a 5.12 ERA in his three-plus seasons in Philadelphia.  In his career, Walker has pitched in 256 games (234 starts) with the Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Toronto Blue Jays, Mets and Phillies. He has a 78-75 record and a 4.27 ERA.  The Phillies also announced a swap of right-handed pitchers with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Thursday. They recalled Nolan Hoffman and optioned Alan Rangel.  –Field Level Media   #Deadspin #Struggling #Phillies #release #RHP #Taijuan #Walker

Deadspin | Struggling Phillies release RHP Taijuan Walker
Deadspin | Struggling Phillies release RHP Taijuan Walker  Mar 30, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Taijuan Walker (99) reacts against the Washington Nationals during the third inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images   The Philadelphia Phillies released veteran starter Taijuan Walker on Thursday despite  million remaining on his contract.  He signed a four-year,  million contract with Philadelphia in December 2022.  At 8-16, the Phillies are tied with the New York Mets for the worst record in the National League, and Walker was a contributor to those woes.  The 33-year-old pitched in five games (four starts) and was 1-4 with a 9.13 ERA. He allowed 25 runs (23 earned) in 22 2/3 innings on 36 hits and 11 walks. Eight of those hits were home runs.  Staff ace Zack Wheeler is scheduled to return to the pitching rotation on Saturday after a lengthy recovery from surgery to treat a blood clot in his shoulder last September.   Walker was a first-round draft pick in 2010 by the Seattle Mariners, one of his five major league stops. He had been with the Phillies since 2023 and appeared in 89 games (71 starts), posting a 24-25 record and a 5.12 ERA in his three-plus seasons in Philadelphia.  In his career, Walker has pitched in 256 games (234 starts) with the Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Toronto Blue Jays, Mets and Phillies. He has a 78-75 record and a 4.27 ERA.  The Phillies also announced a swap of right-handed pitchers with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Thursday. They recalled Nolan Hoffman and optioned Alan Rangel.  –Field Level Media   #Deadspin #Struggling #Phillies #release #RHP #Taijuan #WalkerMar 30, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Taijuan Walker (99) reacts against the Washington Nationals during the third inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies released veteran starter Taijuan Walker on Thursday despite $15 million remaining on his contract.

He signed a four-year, $72 million contract with Philadelphia in December 2022.

At 8-16, the Phillies are tied with the New York Mets for the worst record in the National League, and Walker was a contributor to those woes.

The 33-year-old pitched in five games (four starts) and was 1-4 with a 9.13 ERA. He allowed 25 runs (23 earned) in 22 2/3 innings on 36 hits and 11 walks. Eight of those hits were home runs.


Staff ace Zack Wheeler is scheduled to return to the pitching rotation on Saturday after a lengthy recovery from surgery to treat a blood clot in his shoulder last September.

Walker was a first-round draft pick in 2010 by the Seattle Mariners, one of his five major league stops. He had been with the Phillies since 2023 and appeared in 89 games (71 starts), posting a 24-25 record and a 5.12 ERA in his three-plus seasons in Philadelphia.

In his career, Walker has pitched in 256 games (234 starts) with the Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Toronto Blue Jays, Mets and Phillies. He has a 78-75 record and a 4.27 ERA.

The Phillies also announced a swap of right-handed pitchers with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Thursday. They recalled Nolan Hoffman and optioned Alan Rangel.

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Struggling #Phillies #release #RHP #Taijuan #Walker

Mar 30, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Taijuan Walker (99) reacts against the Washington Nationals during the third inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies released veteran starter Taijuan Walker on Thursday despite $15 million remaining on his contract.

He signed a four-year, $72 million contract with Philadelphia in December 2022.

At 8-16, the Phillies are tied with the New York Mets for the worst record in the National League, and Walker was a contributor to those woes.

The 33-year-old pitched in five games (four starts) and was 1-4 with a 9.13 ERA. He allowed 25 runs (23 earned) in 22 2/3 innings on 36 hits and 11 walks. Eight of those hits were home runs.

Staff ace Zack Wheeler is scheduled to return to the pitching rotation on Saturday after a lengthy recovery from surgery to treat a blood clot in his shoulder last September.

Walker was a first-round draft pick in 2010 by the Seattle Mariners, one of his five major league stops. He had been with the Phillies since 2023 and appeared in 89 games (71 starts), posting a 24-25 record and a 5.12 ERA in his three-plus seasons in Philadelphia.

In his career, Walker has pitched in 256 games (234 starts) with the Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Toronto Blue Jays, Mets and Phillies. He has a 78-75 record and a 4.27 ERA.

The Phillies also announced a swap of right-handed pitchers with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Thursday. They recalled Nolan Hoffman and optioned Alan Rangel.

–Field Level Media

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#Deadspin #Struggling #Phillies #release #RHP #Taijuan #Walker

Deadspin | Inaugural Bill Walton Classic set for Nov. 7 with heavy San Diego flavor  Bill Walton with sons Luke (left) a player with Arizona and Chris, a player with San Diego State, before a game at Cox Arena on Dec. 7, 2002.   The inaugural Bill Walton Classic will be played on Nov. 7 in San Diego, the Hall of Famer’s longstanding residence until his death due to cancer on May 27, 2024, at age 71.  San Diego State will play a to-be-determined opponent in the men’s half of a doubleheader. Walton was a fixture at games on the SDSU campus when his son, Chris, played for the Aztecs from 2000-05.  Walton was born in suburban La Mesa, minutes from the San Diego State campus. The doubleheader will be played at Pechanga Arena, which was known as the San Diego Sports Arena when Walton played games there as a member of the NBA’s San Diego Clippers in the early 1980s.  “This is long overdue,” San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher said at a press conference at Helix High in La Mesa. “Bill Walton was a treasure and anything we can do to put his name out there, we’re all for it.”  Walton first came into national prominence when he starred at Helix High before attending UCLA under legendary coach John Wooden. Walton led the Bruins to two national titles, highlighted by his 21-of-22 shooting performance while scoring 44 points in an 87-66 rout of Memphis State in the 1973 title game.   The Portland Trail Blazers selected “the Big Red Head” with the No. 1 pick in the 1974 NBA draft. Three years later, Walton led the Blazers to their lone NBA title. After suffering through years of foot injuries, he earned another ring with the Boston Celtics in 1986 to cap his 468-game NBA career. He was league MVP in the 1977-78 season for Portland.  Walton was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993. He continued to be a popular figure in his post-basketball life as a television commentator who would say off-the-cuff things and talk about this favorite band, the Grateful Dead.  “I’d love to wear something tie-dyed for that game,” Dutcher told reporters, referencing Walton’s love for such clothing.  The other Bill Walton Classic contest will be a women’s game between two local institutions: the University of San Diego and UC San Diego.  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #Inaugural #Bill #Walton #Classic #set #Nov #heavy #San #Diego #flavorBill Walton with sons Luke (left) a player with Arizona and Chris, a player with San Diego State, before a game at Cox Arena on Dec. 7, 2002.

The inaugural Bill Walton Classic will be played on Nov. 7 in San Diego, the Hall of Famer’s longstanding residence until his death due to cancer on May 27, 2024, at age 71.

San Diego State will play a to-be-determined opponent in the men’s half of a doubleheader. Walton was a fixture at games on the SDSU campus when his son, Chris, played for the Aztecs from 2000-05.

Walton was born in suburban La Mesa, minutes from the San Diego State campus. The doubleheader will be played at Pechanga Arena, which was known as the San Diego Sports Arena when Walton played games there as a member of the NBA’s San Diego Clippers in the early 1980s.

“This is long overdue,” San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher said at a press conference at Helix High in La Mesa. “Bill Walton was a treasure and anything we can do to put his name out there, we’re all for it.”


Walton first came into national prominence when he starred at Helix High before attending UCLA under legendary coach John Wooden. Walton led the Bruins to two national titles, highlighted by his 21-of-22 shooting performance while scoring 44 points in an 87-66 rout of Memphis State in the 1973 title game.

The Portland Trail Blazers selected “the Big Red Head” with the No. 1 pick in the 1974 NBA draft. Three years later, Walton led the Blazers to their lone NBA title. After suffering through years of foot injuries, he earned another ring with the Boston Celtics in 1986 to cap his 468-game NBA career. He was league MVP in the 1977-78 season for Portland.

Walton was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993. He continued to be a popular figure in his post-basketball life as a television commentator who would say off-the-cuff things and talk about this favorite band, the Grateful Dead.

“I’d love to wear something tie-dyed for that game,” Dutcher told reporters, referencing Walton’s love for such clothing.

The other Bill Walton Classic contest will be a women’s game between two local institutions: the University of San Diego and UC San Diego.


–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Inaugural #Bill #Walton #Classic #set #Nov #heavy #San #Diego #flavor">Deadspin | Inaugural Bill Walton Classic set for Nov. 7 with heavy San Diego flavor  Bill Walton with sons Luke (left) a player with Arizona and Chris, a player with San Diego State, before a game at Cox Arena on Dec. 7, 2002.   The inaugural Bill Walton Classic will be played on Nov. 7 in San Diego, the Hall of Famer’s longstanding residence until his death due to cancer on May 27, 2024, at age 71.  San Diego State will play a to-be-determined opponent in the men’s half of a doubleheader. Walton was a fixture at games on the SDSU campus when his son, Chris, played for the Aztecs from 2000-05.  Walton was born in suburban La Mesa, minutes from the San Diego State campus. The doubleheader will be played at Pechanga Arena, which was known as the San Diego Sports Arena when Walton played games there as a member of the NBA’s San Diego Clippers in the early 1980s.  “This is long overdue,” San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher said at a press conference at Helix High in La Mesa. “Bill Walton was a treasure and anything we can do to put his name out there, we’re all for it.”  Walton first came into national prominence when he starred at Helix High before attending UCLA under legendary coach John Wooden. Walton led the Bruins to two national titles, highlighted by his 21-of-22 shooting performance while scoring 44 points in an 87-66 rout of Memphis State in the 1973 title game.   The Portland Trail Blazers selected “the Big Red Head” with the No. 1 pick in the 1974 NBA draft. Three years later, Walton led the Blazers to their lone NBA title. After suffering through years of foot injuries, he earned another ring with the Boston Celtics in 1986 to cap his 468-game NBA career. He was league MVP in the 1977-78 season for Portland.  Walton was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993. He continued to be a popular figure in his post-basketball life as a television commentator who would say off-the-cuff things and talk about this favorite band, the Grateful Dead.  “I’d love to wear something tie-dyed for that game,” Dutcher told reporters, referencing Walton’s love for such clothing.  The other Bill Walton Classic contest will be a women’s game between two local institutions: the University of San Diego and UC San Diego.  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #Inaugural #Bill #Walton #Classic #set #Nov #heavy #San #Diego #flavor

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said Thursday that he often struggles to understand the interpretation of the rules of football since the implementation of VAR.

“Sometimes the supporters can’t understand some interpretations of the rules. I can’t understand it many times,” Ceferin said during a conference in Madrid.

“For example, the handball, nobody understands it. Is it a penalty? Is it not a penalty? Nobody knows. It was intentional, how do you know? You’re not a psychiatrist.”

The head of the governing body of European football also bemoaned the length of time some VAR interventions take on the pitch.

“We try to explain to the referees that the referee on the pitch is the one that decides,” Ceferin said.

“And only if it’s a clear and obvious mistake, you intervene. And even interventions should be fast, not just in Spanish league. I saw it in Premier League, sometimes 10-15 minutes of watching something.”

He also called for a greater harmonisation of the interpretation of the rules across Europe’s different domestic leagues.

“I see that sometimes referees who are refereeing on the European level are refereeing differently than in their own leagues,” the Slovenian said.

“Because they have different referee bosses in the leagues. So I think we should, because it’s one game and it should be the same way.”

Ceferin added that the best way to avoid mistakes was to “strictly try to obey” the International Football Association Board (IFAB) rules.

Published on Apr 24, 2026

#UEFA #president #Ceferin #understand #refereeing #decisions">UEFA president Ceferin ‘can’t understand’ many refereeing decisions  UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said Thursday that he often struggles to understand the interpretation of the rules of football since the implementation of VAR.“Sometimes the supporters can’t understand some interpretations of the rules. I can’t understand it many times,” Ceferin said during a conference in Madrid.“For example, the handball, nobody understands it. Is it a penalty? Is it not a penalty? Nobody knows. It was intentional, how do you know? You’re not a psychiatrist.”The head of the governing body of European football also bemoaned the length of time some VAR interventions take on the pitch.“We try to explain to the referees that the referee on the pitch is the one that decides,” Ceferin said.“And only if it’s a clear and obvious mistake, you intervene. And even interventions should be fast, not just in Spanish league. I saw it in Premier League, sometimes 10-15 minutes of watching something.”He also called for a greater harmonisation of the interpretation of the rules across Europe’s different domestic leagues.“I see that sometimes referees who are refereeing on the European level are refereeing differently than in their own leagues,” the Slovenian said.“Because they have different referee bosses in the leagues. So I think we should, because it’s one game and it should be the same way.”Ceferin added that the best way to avoid mistakes was to “strictly try to obey” the International Football Association Board (IFAB) rules.Published on Apr 24, 2026  #UEFA #president #Ceferin #understand #refereeing #decisions

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