Sports category, Page 1065
Steelers’ Minkah Fitzpatrick part of first NFLPA All-Pro team
There was credible new NFL All-Pro balloting introduced for this season, and Minkah Fitzpatrick is on the inaugural team. Voted by his teammates as the Pittsburgh Steelers 2022 MVP last week, Fitzpatrick again was honored by peers with his selection as the first-team All-Pro free safety in balloting done by...
Wilkinsburg native, former WVU safety Kenny Robinson among 4 signed by Steelers
Wilkinsburg native and West Virginia safety Kenny Robinson was among four players signed to reserve/future contracts with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday. Robinson was a PIAA Class A all-state honoree while playing for Imani Christian, though he began his high school career at University Prep. A first-team Big 12 selection...
Naomi Osaka says she’s pregnant, plans tennis return in 2024
Naomi Osaka is pregnant and plans to return to competition in 2024, the tennis star announced Wednesday. The former world No. 1 posted what she called “a little life update for 2023” on social media, including a picture of an ultrasound. The 25-year-old Osaka has been dating Cordae, a rapper,...
Montgomery, Brind’Amour, DeBoer, Cassidy to coach NHL All-Stars
Boston’s Jim Montgomery will coach the Atlantic Division, Carolina’s Rod Brind’Amour the Metropolitan, Dallas’ Peter DeBoer the Central and Vegas’ Bruce Cassidy the Pacific at NHL All-Star Weekend. They were chosen because each of their teams is atop the division at the midway point of the season. The league announced...
Penguins defenseman Jan Rutta steps up with more minutesVideo
There’s an everyman affability that shines through with Jan Rutta. He seemingly greets just about everyone with “buddy.” And with a smile. At the same time, he possesses an old school sternness as a hockey player. Want to talk to him about advanced statistics? Good luck. “I don’t even try...
Tua Tagovailoa ruled out of Dolphins’ playoff game vs. Bills
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has not been cleared to return to football activities and has been ruled out for Sunday’s playoff game against the Buffalo Bills as he remains in the NFL’s concussion protocol, coach Mike McDaniel said Wednesday. The Dolphins are preparing for rookie...
NFL Pro Bowl skills competitions announced
LAS VEGAS — The NFL announced all eight skills competitions for its revamped Pro Bowl week on Wednesday. Five of the events will be Feb. 2 at Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center, the headquarters for the Las Vegas Raiders. Those will be televised but not open to the public. The rest...
Bills safety Damar Hamlin released from the hospital
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Bills safety Damar Hamlin was released from a Buffalo hospital on Wednesday, more than a week after he went into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated during a game at Cincinnati, after his doctors said they completed a series of tests. A news release from...
NFL offseason a mental, physical reboot process for players
Aaron Rodgers hits the beach and has even hosted a TV game show. Alvin Kamara has snowboarded in the mountains of Montana. Quinton Jefferson takes his kids to school and runs errands. Sheldon Rankins catches up on cooking and traveling. Game plans and practices are replaced in the NFL offseason...
Mark Madden: Penguins are stale, and it’s time to call things into question
The Pittsburgh Penguins need change. They too often come out flat. There’s a sense of familiarity about their mistakes, almost comfort. Little gets solved. Good teams don’t have long losing streaks. But the Penguins recently lost six in a row and had lost seven in a row before that. Bad...
Penn State 2023 early look: The Nittany Lions’ defensive end room should be formidable
A little more than a week removed from Penn State’s 35-21 victory over Utah in the Rose Bowl, it’s time to start looking ahead to the Nittany Lions’ 2023 season. James Franklin’s team closed out 2022 with five consecutive victories, and the win over Pac-12 champ Utah qualifies as a...
Penguins assign defenseman Mark Friedman to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
The Pittsburgh Penguins assigned defenseman Mark Friedman to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL) on Wednesday. A healthy scratch for the past three games, Friedman has appeared in three contests this season and has no points while averaging 13 minutes, 8 seconds of ice time per contest. Primarily deployed...
Record 5 1st-year coaches lead teams into NFL postseason
Coaching changes paid off in a big way for several NFL teams this season. From impressive turnarounds for Jacksonville and the New York Giants to big boosts for Minnesota and Miami, a record-setting five of the 10 teams that hired new coaches for the 2022 season made the playoffs. Doug...
Jason Zucker adding scoring as he drags Penguins ‘into the fight’
The Pittsburgh Penguins were hosting the New York Rangers in a game before Christmas. Pens winger Jason Zucker shot a puck wide of the net. Like a basketball player crashing the glass for a rebound after a missed jumper, Zucker zipped beneath the goal line to track down the loose...
Unvaccinated Djokovic back, year later at Australian Open
Novak Djokovic had just wrapped up last season by winning the ATP Finals for a record sixth time when, rather than looking ahead to 2023, his mind immediately went back to the way 2022 began: He was unable to compete in last year’s Australian Open after being deported from the...
Tim Benz: Steelers finished strong in ’22, but their trend of awful starts needs to change
The Pittsburgh Steelers finished the 2022 season winning seven of nine games. As a result, some NFL fans and media members are lobbying for Mike Tomlin to win Coach of the Year. That’s ridiculous. Tomlin had a squad that was 9-7-1 last year and lost in the first round of...
First Call: Ben Roethlisberger wants this Steelers TE to get more involved; Ravens keep Roquan Smith; crazy night in Metro
Ben Roethlisberger wants a certain Pittsburgh Steelers pass catcher to have an increased role next season. Former Steeler James Washington may have a new home soon. Tuesday night was on tilt in the NHL’s Metropolitan Division. Pitt and Duquesne are both on the men’s basketball stage Wednesday. And the Baltimore...
Penguins rebound to win thanks to reserve goaltender Dustin Tokarski
Streaks have been the defining characteristic of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2022-23 season as they approach the midway point of the campaign. A 4-0-1 start was immediately followed by a seven-game skid in late October and early November. Then, gains from a seven-game winning streak in early December were largely washed...
Cowboys’ Jerry Jones says playoffs won’t affect Mike McCarthy’s job status
DALLAS — Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones offered support to coach Mike McCarthy in an interview with a Dallas sports radio station Tuesday morning. McCarthy, who is 30-20 in three seasons with the Cowboys, went 12-5 this season, including a 4-1 mark without starting quarterback Dak Prescott,...
Players praise embattled U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter
SAN JOSE, Calif. — National team defenders DeAndre Yedlin and Walker Zimmerman praised U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter for bringing the Americans together at the World Cup in Qatar even as he’s currently under investigation by U.S. Soccer for a 1991 incident during which he kicked his future wife in the...
Commanders fire offensive coordinator Scott Turner
ASHBURN, Va. — Scott Turner’s at times curious play-calling and the underwhelming results that ultimately derailed the Washington Commanders season cost him his job as offensive coordinator. Turner was fired Tuesday after his third year on the job featured an offense that underperformed with multiple quarterbacks and contributed to the...
Bears GM Ryan Poles expects Justin Fields to be starting QB next seasonVideo
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles said he expects Justin Fields to be the team’s starting quarterback next season and just about slammed the door on drafting one with the No. 1 overall pick. Poles left it slightly ajar Tuesday, saying he would have to be...
Jaguars find offensive chemistry with pass-catching newcomersVideo
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Zay Jones has been in the NFL long enough to realize — and appreciate — the uniqueness of Jacksonville’s receiving group. The Jaguars signed three pass catchers in free agency to help second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence, and each of them delivered a career season. Jones, fellow receiver...
Nick Sirianni: Eagles ‘fortunate’ ailing QB Jalen Hurts has week offVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Jalen Hurts can only hope an extra week off will help his sore right shoulder. The Pro Bowl quarterback returned Sunday to lead the Philadelphia Eagles (14-3) to a win over the New York Giants after he missed two weeks with a sprained right shoulder. The victory gave...
Doctors: Bills’ Damar Hamlin in good spirits, undergoing testingVideo
BUFFALO, N.Y. — An upbeat Damar Hamlin said Tuesday he is “not home quite just yet,” as the Bills safety spent his second day in a Buffalo hospital undergoing a series of tests to determine why he went into cardiac arrest on the field last week and when he can...
