Former Chicago White Sox star Alexei Ramirez has been provisionally banned from baseball after testing positive for four anabolic steroids during the World Baseball Classic in March, where he made headlines as the tournament’s oldest ever player.

The International Testing Agency (ITA) confirmed on Wednesday that the 44-year-old Cuban tested positive for “metabolites of mesterolone, metandienone, oxandrolone and stanozolol.”

These substances, the Lausanne-based agency noted, are “associated with promoting rapid muscle growth, increased strength and enhanced physical performance.”

The ITA informed Ramirez of the positive result from a sample taken during the tournament.

Ramirez had returned to the Cuba roster after a 20-year absence, featuring as a bench player to break the record previously held by Roger Clemens, who was 43 when he represented the United States in the 2006 WBC.

Cuba failed to advance from the pool phase in the recent tournament.

Known for his nine-year career in Major League Baseball, Ramirez spent seven years at the Chicago White Sox between 2008 and 2015.

He was the runner-up for the American League Rookie of the Year award in 2008 after making his debut earlier that year at the age of 26.

He also played in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 2014 and won the Silver Slugger Award twice in 2010 and 2014.

Ramirez went on to have short spells at the San Diego Padres and the Tampa Bay Rays in 2016 before walking away from Major League Baseball.

He also boasts an Olympic gold medal with Cuba from the 2004 Athens Games and won the Baseball World Cup the following year in Rotterdam, Netherlands, before being part of a silver medal-winning team at the 2006 World Baseball Classic in San Diego, California.

During his MLB tenure through 2016, he hit 115 home runs and recorded 590 RBIs.

College sports are completely different now than it was when Shaquille O’Neal spent his days dunking basketballs for the LSU Tigers before he entered the NBA.

O’Neal played three seasons at LSU before he chose to go pro. He was later selected No. 1 overall by the Orlando Magic in the 1992 draft.

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Florida Gators forward Me’arah O’Neal walks on the court against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Fla., on Jan. 4, 2026. (Matt Pendleton/Imagn Images)

With the rise of name, image and likeness (NIL) deals and the increased usage of the transfer portal, there is hardly an athlete nowadays who doesn’t at least think about changing up schools. O’Neal’s daughter became the latest college athlete to switch schools on Monday.

Me’Arah O’Neal announced she will transfer to the Kentucky Wildcats.

“I give thanks to you that I was marvelously set apart. Your works are wonderful—I know that very well. (Psalms 139:14),” she wrote on Instagram announcing her commitment.

Tennessee guard Talaysia Cooper attempts a shot while guarded by Florida forward Me’Arah O’Neal in Knoxville, Tenn., on Jan. 1, 2026. (Saul Young/News Sentinel/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

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O’Neal played two seasons with the Gators, increasing her playing time in 2025-26. She averaged 13.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals per game. Florida finished 18-15 on the year but failed to make the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.

The Wildcats are coming off a season in which they made the Elite Eight. Kentucky finished 25-11 and defeated the James Madison Dukes and West Virginia Mountaineers before falling to the Texas Longhorns.

Shaquille O’Neal previously praised his daughter as being the standout basketball player in his family.

Shaquille O’Neal honors the flag during the women’s basketball game at the Steven C. O’Connell Center Exactech Arena in Gainesville, Fla., on Jan. 29, 2026. His daughter, Florida forward Me’arah O’Neal, is on the team. (Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun)

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“My baby is the best athlete in the family because she can do it all,” he said, via ESPN. “She’s not an old-school player. She’s the new pick-your-type player, so I’m going to give her the title. She can shoot, she can dribble. She can’t be fazed when it comes to certain things.”

Pokemon GO Fest 2026 Global will be a completely free event. Niantic has mentioned that there will be no paywalled content that had been common in previous iterations of the GO Fest event. This is a surprise step from the developers, but one that is likely explained by the big debuts scheduled for GO Fest 2026.

Coinciding with the game’s 10th anniversary, Pokemon GO Fest 2026 Global will take place on June 11 and June 12 between 10 am and 7 pm local time each day. The event will mark the debut of Zeraora and the mega-evolved forms of Mewtwo.

Pokemon GO Fest 2026 will be free for all trainers

Announcing the same, Niantic mentioned:

“Yes, GO Fest: Global is FREE for the first time! Pokemon GO Fest 2026: Global is FREE for all Trainers logged in during the event weekend. That means Special Research, additional bonuses, and an increased chance of encountering Shiny Pokémon are available to all Trainers at no cost!”

GO Fest 2026 Global Special Research will net trainers an encounter with the Thunderclap Pokemon, Zeraora. Those who have already caught the Pokemon in the in-person events will get Zeraora Candy instead. GO Fest 2026 Timed Research has a chance of giving Mega Mewtwo X or Mega Mewtwo Y Energy.

The following GO Fest 2026: Global bonuses and features will be active:

10 am to 7 pm each day

• “Increased appearances of Pokemon-type featured during each time block of GO Fest: Global!
• Lure Modules activated during the event will last for one hour.
• Incense (excluding Daily Adventure Incense) will attract special Pokemon.
• Party Play will be active for nine hours
• Increased chance of encountering Shiny Pokemon
• Special Research including an encounter with Zeraora
• Branching Timed Research with a choice between Mega Mewtwo X or Mega Mewtwo Y.
• Global Challenges to unlock additional bonuses and Ultra Unlock events.
• Different Pokemon type–themed Field Research every hour”

12 am to 11.59 pm each day

• Up to nine free Raid Passes per day by spinning Photo Discs at Gyms
• Up to six Special Trades
• 1/2 Stardust cost for all trades
• Open up to 50 Gifts each day

The decision to make GO Fest 2026: Global free may have been influenced by the Super Mega Raids that trainers need to participate in to battle Mega Mewtwo X/Y and get their respective energies. Given that these unique Mega Raids can host over a thousand trainers, Niantic is hoping for a massive turnout and will surely ensure that the difficulty of these battles will be appropriately greater.

Furthermore, with an increased number of players participating and the massive popularity of Mewtwo, trainers may choose to spend more on Passes and Link Charges to get enough Mega Mewtwo Energy. For those unaware, “every Mega Mewtwo caught from Super Mega Raids will also have at least one Mega Level [or Mega Level 2 or 3 for lucky trainers] already unlocked and can be Mega Evolved without the initial energy cost”.