Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen might as well be the king of Western New York, beloved by the masses and one of the best players in the sport. Buffalo has become home for Allen, and part of that arrangement means accepting Allen’s family.
As such, when actress Hailee Steinfeld’s relationship with the quarterback went public, she quickly became one of the fanbase’s most cherished figures.
Recently, she starred as Mary in "Sinners," one of the biggest movies of the year. The movie is set in Jim Crow-era Mississippi, and the Buffalo faithful, like seemingly everyone else, flocked to theaters to see their fan on the big screen.
Steinfeld broke down her racial introspection that the role demanded from her in an interview with Melanie Curry, exploring her grandfather’s African-American roots.
“It's not often necessarily about yourself all the time. It's about the character,” Steinfeld told Curry. “But with Sinners, I was constantly thinking about my situation, my family, my ancestors, my grandfather in each [scene] we were in and talking about.”
Steinfeld’s father is Jewish; her mother is Filipino. She hadn’t realized that her maternal grandfather was half Black. As she prepared for her role, she learned more about herself than she anticipated.
“Steinfeld says she spent hours speaking with her mom, learning about their family history, particularly her maternal grandfather’s racial identity as half Filipino and half African American,” Curry wrote. “But it wasn’t just his identity that she uncovered; it was also his upbringing, his parents, and the broader lineage of her ancestors. It was a process she hadn’t realised she needed — one that helped her make sense of things in her own life.”
Just like Allen saw Steinfeld’s steadfast support during the season, he chimed in with praise about her role alongside Michael B. Jordan.
"It was a different world, a very cool experience," Allen said. "I'm so excited for her and so proud of her, and it's getting some great reviews. It's a fantastic movie, so go watch it."
The movie is experiencing incredible success, defining the current moment in pop culture and receiving rave reviews in the process. For Steinfeld, “Sinners” is clearly more than just a movie.
“This role has brought me closer to myself, to my family, and my family history.”
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The Cleveland Guardians are quite a mystery heading into the MLB trade deadline, as no one seems to know whether they will buy, sell or possibly even do nothing before July 31. The Guardians are hovering around .500, but they are still smack dab in the middle of the American League Wild Card race. That's in spite of losing 10 straight just before the All-Star break. Even with Cleveland remaining in contention, there are some who believe the Guardians might sell given their conservative nature, but talk show host Bruce Drennan has provided some rather bad news for the team in that regard: the players they might want to move don't have much value. “No top prospects for a big bat, and I don’t necessarily see us selling players, like Carlos Santana or Lane Thomas. What can you get in return?” Drennan said. Drennan has a point. Santana and Thomas are both impending free agents, and neither has been all that good this season. Santana owns a .665 OPS, and Thomas has been on and off the injured list while hitting just .160 on the year. Of course, the Guardians would surely be able to land a hefty return for players like Steven Kwan and Emmanuel Clase, but it does not seem like Cleveland is going to move either of those two stars. Perhaps the Guardians will surprise some people and go all in by adding pieces at the deadline, but that isn't exactly in their nature. We'll see what happens before the end of the months, but it stands to reason that Cleveland might just stand pat, as Drennan anticipates. Read More Cleveland Guardians Coverage
The New York Yankees had been on the search for a right-handed hitting infielder. They found their man late Saturday night. Jack Curry from YES Network reported that the Yankees acquired infielder Amed Rosario from the Nationals. In exchange, the Yankees are sending pitcher Clayton Beeter and minor league outfielder Browm Martinez to Washington. The Yankees had been looking for a right-handed hitting infielder in the wake of acquiring third baseman Ryan McMahon on Friday. Rosario is exactly the type of player the Yankees had sought - a solid option capable of playing second and third. He had posted a .270/.310/.426 batting line in 158 plate appearances entering Saturday, hitting five homers and eight doubles. Rosario's greatest attribute for the Yankees is his ability to hit left-handed pitching. He has a .299/.333/.483 batting line in 99 plate appearances against lefties this season, with three homers and seven doubles. He and McMahon should form a solid platoon at the hot corner in New York. However, the Yankees paid a steep price to bring Rosario on board for the next several months. Beeter had been ranked as the Yankees' 20th-best prospect per MLB.com, with his upper-90s fastball and wipeout slider both considered plus offerings. He has operated strictly as a reliever this season, where both his ability to miss bats and questionable command have been apparent. Martinez had been considered a player to watch heading into the season by FanGraphs, citing his solid contact rates and projectability. The 18-year-old is years away from making an impact, but has posted an impressive .404/.507/.632 batting line in 69 plate appearances in the Dominican Summer League, hitting three homers and four doubles while stealing 13 bases. His ability to make contact has been impressive, as Martinez has drawn six walks with just eight strikeouts this season. A promotion stateside could be in the cards before the end of the year.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are still looking for a solution to their bottom-six surplus, and veteran forward Calle Jarnkrok remains at the center of trade discussions. However, according to The Fourth Period, trade talks surrounding the 33-year-old winger have failed to gain momentum. They write: “He has a $2.1M cap hit and owns a 10-team no-trade list. The market hasn’t been vibrant, to this point, but the Leafs will continue to dangle him.” Why can’t the Maple Leafs find a taker for Jarnkrok? Jarnkrok has quietly been on the trade block for much of the offseason, but general manager Brad Treliving has yet to find a taker. After adding several depth forwards this summer, the Leafs now face a crowded bottom six — and Jarnkrok’s age, injury history and $2.1M cap hit through 2025–26 aren’t helping his value. Since joining Toronto, Jarnkrok has appeared in only 71 games over two seasons, scoring a modest 28 points. While his defensive versatility and penalty-killing ability are assets, his declining offensive production and durability concerns have made teams wary. With training camp approaching, the Maple Leafs may be forced to keep Jarnkrok on the roster — or retain salary in a deal — if they want to create space and flexibility. Dropping his cap hit down to just over $1M would open up the market a little. Until then, the Swedish forward remains a trade candidate in limbo. This isn’t great news as moving Jarnkrok from the roster is an important item on the team’s to-do list. Treliving would like more cap space, and with Jarnkrok and David Kampf both still on the roster, it hampers the GM’s ability to do other things.
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