First Call: Steelers pass rush facing banged up Eagles O-line. Vegas struggling to trade Marc-Andre Fleury.

Wednesday’s “First Call” outlines some offensive line problems in Philadelphia as the Eagles get ready to face a fearsome Steelers pass rush. The Vegas Golden Knights are struggling to trade Marc-Andre Fleury. And Ex-Pirates aplenty put their stamp on last night’s Yankees-Rays playoff game.

More problems up front

In advance of facing the Steelers’ vaunted pass rush, the Philadelphia Eagles are dealing with injury concerns along their offensive line.

The latest is right tackle Lane Johnson. He was in and out of Sunday’s win over the San Francisco 49ers thanks to soreness in a surgically repaired ankle. Johnson only played 37 of 62 snaps. Jack Driscoll replaced him periodically during the game.

“Listen, it’s gonna linger,” Eagles coach Doug Pederson said on Monday afternoon via NBCSports Philadelphia. “We’re at the point now where everybody’s body is sore and the injuries that we have, they’re going to continue. You’re not going to get 100 percent healthy. There’s no way. We just don’t have the time to get everybody 100 percent. It’s just the nature of the game.”

Philadelphia has already lost left tackles Jason Peters (toe) and Andre Dillard (bicep). They are on injured reserve. Right guard Brandon Brooks tore an Achilles in July. And left guard Isaac Seumalo is currently on injured reserve with a knee problem.

Jordan Mailata made his first start at left tackle Sunday. Brooks and Seumalo have been replaced by Nate Herbig and Matt Pryor, respectively.

Think Cameron Heyward, Stephon Tuitt, Bud Dupree and T.J. Watt are licking their chops?

Mailata did grade out well, though, yielding just one pressure in 62 snaps according to Pro Football Focus.

Fleury frustrations

It sounds like the Vegas Golden Knights are having a hard time trading Marc Andre-Fleury.

According to TSN.ca’s Frank Seravalli on “Insider Trading,” they are looking for franchises to chip in as a third party on a potential deal, in an effort to take on some of Fleury’s cap hit.

Seravalli reports that Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon has offered a second-round pick to so-called “broker teams,” but so far that hasn’t wooed anyone into absorbing the $3.5M that the Golden Knights want to shave.

Apparently, the Carolina Hurricanes have been involved. They are allegedly seeking a first-round and a second-round pick in order to take on that much salary over the final two seasons of Fleury’s deal.

So if Jim Rutherford is watching this play out, he must be biting his fingernails over how hard it may be to trade Matt Murray. After all, there was at least one report that Murray turned down an offer in the $5 million-per-year neighborhood to work out a deal in advance of a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks.

With the glut of goalies on the open market, good luck, GMJR.

Please answer in the form of a question

It can’t be hockey without Canada. And it can’t be Canada without … Alex Trebek?

Yes, the “Jeopardy” host got involved during Tuesday night’s NHL draft. The Ontario product and University of Ottawa graduate made the third pick of the draft on behalf of the Ottawa Senators.

It was German product Tim Stuetzle.

‼️ Awesome Moment Alert ‼️

Alex Trebek announces the @Senators 3rd overall pick, Tim Stuetzle! #NHLDraft | #NHLonSN pic.twitter.com/mqv3xonhcP

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 6, 2020

I wonder if Trebek would’ve had to turn to the judges for approval after that pronunciation.

Eh, it was pretty close. Good enough, Alex.

See a trend?

In Game 1 of the American League Division Series between the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays, former Pirate Gerrit Cole got the win for the Bronx Bombers.

Another former Pirate, Tyler Glasnow, started the second game for Tampa. Yet another ex-Bucco, J.A. Happ, came into the game in the second inning for New York.

Neither pitcher was great. But the night turned out better for Glasnow than Happ.

The Rays righthander tallied 10 strikeouts over five innings.

10 Ks for Tyler Glasnow. ? pic.twitter.com/g5CA4nGb7u

— MLB (@MLB) October 7, 2020

But Glasnow did yield four runs and three walks, including two home runs to Giancarlo Stanton.

The Stant Bully. pic.twitter.com/IwHZBB1mhO

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 7, 2020

The second was an absolute bomb.

Stantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them. pic.twitter.com/eGbmHQaeU8

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 7, 2020

That rocket left the stadium at 118.3 MPH, and it went 458 feet. That’s the hardest-hit home run in the postseason since 2015, according to Statcast.

Happ had problems. The Rays scored four times off of him on five hits and three walks. After Happ was lifted, yet another former Pirate, Austin Meadows, got into the act. He hit a homer off of Jonathan Loaisiga.

Austin Meadows extiende la ventaja con este cañonazo. #RaysBéisbol 7, Yankees 4 pic.twitter.com/VSoAPcDAse

— Rays de Tampa Bay (@raysbeisbol) October 7, 2020

The Rays ended up winning 7-5. Glasnow got the win. Happ took the loss.