Kevin Gorman stories, Page 139

As a kid from Aliquippa, Dravon Askew-Henry put Ty Law and Darrelle Revis on a pedestal. As an aspiring NFL player, he put them on speed dial, picking their brains before his first training camp. The words of wisdom they offered — bring that Aliquippa attitude — ring in the...

Sutton Smith couldn’t help but smile while talking about being the Pittsburgh Steelers’ only two-way player on Thursday, a day after taking his first two practice reps on offense at training camp at Saint Vincent College. The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Smith as pass-rushing outside linebacker but are tinkering with the...

When the clock struck 4 p.m. Wednesday afternoon and the Pittsburgh Pirates still possessed one of their only All-Stars, did they win or lose the trade deadline? That the Pirates didn’t deal closer Felipe Vazquez was met with disappointment in baseball circles, especially by the Los Angeles Dodgers. The left-hander...

The Pittsburgh Steelers made a pair of roster moves at training camp on Wednesday, claiming free-agent wide receiver Brandon Reilly off waivers and waiving cornerback Alexander Myres. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Reilly was released by the Detroit Lions, where he had two stints. He also spent time with the Buffalo Bills...

If Bud Dupree looks noticeably leaner for the Pittsburgh Steelers, it’s not because he lost weight. “I’m still 260,” Dupree said. “I just trimmed up.” Maybe he wised up, too. A soup-and-salad diet since April allowed Dupree to lose some body fat — the Georgia native told me giving up...

This was the moment we’ve been waiting for, the annual rite of passage in the first practice in pads for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It’s known as “backs-on-’backers” but Sunday’s edition might as well have been called Benny Snell Football. That’s how the rookie running back refers to his rugged running...

Devin Bush drew cheers from the crowd at Chuck Noll Field in his first practice at Pittsburgh Steelers training camp for diving to break up a short pass over the middle. What the Steelers’ first-round draft pick can’t wait to do is put on the pads for the first time...

If you were looking for leadership on the first day of training camp for the Pittsburgh Steelers, it showed up in a black SUV and parked in front of Rooney Hall at Saint Vincent College. Maurkice Pouncey arrived early Thursday with little fanfare and few words. There wasn’t much to...

Ryan Switzer was enamored with the view at Saint Vincent and excited about the opportunity that awaited his first training camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Not only was the third-year slot receiver/return specialist ramped up about a potentially bigger role as a playmaker, but he rounded up his opportunity. “There’s...

If the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t send a strong enough message this offseason that Mike Tomlin is still the man in charge, they made it official by announcing his contract extension Thursday as players were reporting to Saint Vincent. Upon missing the playoffs for the first time in five years with...

When the Pittsburgh Pirates celebrated their 1979 World Series champions on Saturday at PNC Park, there was only one other place in the world Dave Parker would have rather been. That’s Cooperstown, N.Y. Parker was regarded as the best player in baseball from the mid-1970s until the early ‘80s, a...

From an outside perspective, this will be remembered as the offseason the Pittsburgh Steelers parted ways with a pair of All-Pro players in Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown. The Steelers prefer another narrative: This is the year they banked on Ben Roethlisberger, not only by giving their franchise quarterback a...

For a 6-year-old Pittsburgh kid who needed nothing more than a ball and a glove to spend a summer day happily, the 1979 Pirates were my glorious introduction to baseball. With the Pirates winning the World Series and the Steelers on their way to a fourth Super Bowl, Pittsburgh branded...

Paul Spadafora couldn’t stop crying when he heard the news that Pernell Whitaker had died, a loss of not only one of his boxing idols but his former trainer. The Hall of Fame fighter known as Sweet Pea won a gold medal at the 1984 Olympic Games and who was...

Felipe Vazquez was still down and out about giving up the game-winning run to the Milwaukee Brewers in the 10th inning Friday night when Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle called the closer into his office the next day. When Hurdle informed Vazquez that he was chosen to play in the...

The Pittsburgh Pirates enter the All-Star break below .500 but in contention for the NL Central title and a wild-card berth, attempting to avoid no-man’s land before the trade deadline. No wonder Neal Huntington took the middle ground. The Pirates general manager walks a tightrope when talking about his team,...

Jon Schwind is hoping to be the perfect pitcher for Josh Bell, which is to say he hopes to repeatedly find the sweet spot on Bell’s bat Monday in the Home Run Derby. As a former roommate and teammate of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ All-Star first baseman who has 27 home...

Jameson Taillon had to get a grasp of his injury then get a grip. If the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander is going to pitch again this season, he first has to pick up a baseball. That’s how far along Taillon is two months into his road to recovery from a right...

Jameson Taillon said he plans to pitch again this season, but the Pittsburgh Pirates ace first has to throw. Taillon’s road to recovery will take a big step this weekend, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said, when the 27-year-old right-hander plays catch for the first time since going on the injured...

The Pittsburgh Pirates reached an important milestone Tuesday night with a 5-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs, one that tends to be symbolic of (and necessary for) a successful season. They reached the .500 mark at PNC Park. Lost amid the hoopla over Adam Frazier’s four-double game Monday and seven...

When Josh Bell bashed three home runs against the Chicago Cubs on Monday, it never occurred on the Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman that it happened on Bobby Bonilla Day. In what has become the longest running joke in Major League Baseball, the New York Mets pay the retired slugger a...

On the opening day of NHL free agency, Jim Rutherford’s biggest revelation was about what the Pittsburgh Penguins will do with Mike Sullivan moving forward. Sullivan won the power struggle with Phil Kessel, as the Penguins chose their two-time Stanley Cup champion coach over the two-time Stanley Cup champion sniper....