Sports category, Page 1161
Penguins assign Sam Poulin, Filip Lindberg to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
The Penguins have assigned forward Sam Poulin and goaltender Filip Lindberg to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL). Poulin, a first-round pick (No. 21 overall) in 2019, appeared in two games this preseason and recorded two assists. He spent all of the 2021-22 season — his first as a...
Analysis: Pirates put 100-loss season in back pocket, focus on future with young core
The Pittsburgh Pirates and Ke’Bryan Hayes agreeing to a franchise-record contract on Opening Day, only for the 25-year-old third baseman to leave Opening Day in the first inning with a spasm in his left hand, could be viewed as symbolic of their season. Even when the Pirates got it right,...
Trackhouse heads into 100th start in championship contention
CONCORD, N.C. — The first racing book Justin Marks ever read was called “The Unfair Advantage,” written during a one-year sabbatical by the late Mark Donohue about his boss Roger Penske. Marks grew up in admiration of Penske, Rick Hendrick and Joe Gibbs, the top owners in American motorsports. When...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Pirates ownership simply can’t be trusted
The Pittsburgh Pirates lost 100 games for a second consecutive year for the first time since 1952-54. That team cracked that regretful barrier three straight times. Next year’s squad won’t lose 100. Probably not, anyway. But the Pirates’ winning percentage in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season was .317, lowest in franchise...
Bethel Park’s offense plays keep away in win over No. 1 Upper St. Clair
“The most average line you’ve ever seen.” Bethel Park center Logan Pettigrew heard that description about his offensive line earlier this season and it still makes him laugh. Individually, there are no monster-sized blockers on the Black Hawks’ line, but the unsung and undersized group can be scary together. Upper...
Freeport grinds out win over East Allegheny behind ‘skinny’ offensive line
Freeport might not be the biggest team around, but the Yellowjackets have the ability to dominate the line of scrimmage. That’s what happened Friday night as Freeport posted a key Allegheny 6 Conference victory, 35-13 over East Allegheny. The Yellowjackets ran for 407 yards — 263 by senior Ben Lane...
Elizabeth Forward cruises to victory over Mt. Pleasant
A quick-strike offense and a shutdown defense helped lead Elizabeth Forward to a 42-14 win over visiting Mt. Pleasant in Class 3A’s Interstate Conference on Friday night at Warriors Stadium. EF’s Zach Boyd continued to show he’s one of the most dominant players in the WPIAL, and the Warriors defense...
Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel lead Penguins past Sabres in preseason finale
Forwards Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel connected on three separate goals and helped lead the Penguins to a lopsided 7-1 win against the Buffalo Sabres at PPG Paints Arena in their preseason finale on Friday. With the victory, the Penguins completed the preseason with a 3-3-0 record. The Penguins took...
NFL players union urges quick changes to concussion protocolVideo
NEW YORK — The NFL Players Association urged the league on Friday to implement changes to its concussion protocol in time to protect players in this weekend’s games. The players’ union wants to strengthen the protocol to avoid a repeat of what happened to Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in...
With Kenny Pickett taking over, are George Pickens and other Steelers rookies poised to break out?
On the steamy fields of Saint Vincent and throughout preseason games in August, a theme appeared to emerge in evaluating the 2022 Pittsburgh Steelers: by all indications, they had a strong incoming rookie class. During the first month of the regular season, though, plays from Steelers rookies generally were few...
Luis Castillo sharp, Mariners blank Jays in wild-card opener
TORONTO — Luis Castillo and Andres Munoz combined on a shutout, Cal Raleigh hit a two-run homer and the Seattle Mariners won in their first postseason game since 2001, beating the Toronto Blue Jays, 4-0, on Friday in their AL wild-card series opener. Eugenio Suarez had two hits and two...
Nino Niederreiter scores in debut, Predators top Sharks in Prague
PRAGUE — The Nashville Predators’ new additions made a quick impact in the NHL’s first regular-season game. Nino Niederreiter scored his debut goal for Nashville, which beat the San Jose Sharks, 4-1, in the Czech capital on Friday night. Kiefer Sherwood, another newcomer, became the first player to score this...
Highly touted freshman Pitt basketball player Dior Johnson charged with assaulting woman, suspended from team
A University of Pittsburgh basketball player is facing charges of aggravated assault, strangulation and false imprisonment after an incident that took place last month. Dior Johnson, 18, of Forbes Avenue, Oakland, is accused of assaulting a woman Sept. 5 and again the next morning in his apartment because he was...
Phillies score 6 in 9th inning, top Cardinals in Game 1 of wild-card seriesVideo
ST. LOUIS — Philadelphia scored six times in the ninth inning off the stingy St. Louis bullpen, highlighted by a bases-loaded single by Jean Segura, and the Phillies beat the NL Central champion Cardinals, 6-3, on Friday in the opening game of their National League wild-card series. The Cardinals, who...
NHL’s East ‘have nots’ hoping to start challenging the eliteVideo
Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin aren’t getting any younger, and New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald isn’t shy about hoping that age finally catches up to the NHL Eastern Conference’s elite players. At the same time, Fitzgerald can appreciate it takes more than hope and age to level the...
Struggling to produce so far, Steelers WRs know they need to make plays for Kenny Pickett
It might not take a village to foster the development of an NFL rookie quarterback, but his wide receivers corps being productive and making plays certainly would help. This season, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ wide receivers haven’t produced all that much. With rookie Kenny Pickett making his first NFL start Sunday,...
Steelers enter Sunday’s game relatively healthy; Bills have lengthy injury list
The Pittsburgh Steelers are still without defensive star T.J. Watt. A starting cornerback likewise remains out, and they also might be missing another player or two during Sunday’s game. The Steelers won’t get any sympathy from their opponent, though. The Buffalo Bills listed 17 players on the official league-mandated injury...
Jose Ramirez’s 2-run homer sends Guardians past Rays in AL wild-card openerVideo
CLEVELAND — Jose Ramirez connected for a two-run homer, Shane Bieber dominated Tampa Bay for 7 2/3 innings and the young Cleveland Guardians played with poise in their postseason debut, beating the Rays, 2-1, in the wild-card opener on Friday. Ramirez’s shot off Shane McClanahan in the sixth inning helped...
Terrell Edmunds’ status in doubt but rest of Steelers secondary on track to play vs. Bills
The Pittsburgh Steelers began the week with virtually their entire secondary on the injury report. Fortunately for them, the week ended with more answers than questions in that regard. Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and cornerback Levi Wallace were deemed cleared to play in Sunday’s game at the Buffalo Bills, via the...
New Penguins forward Ryan Poehling already making an impressionVideo
Ryan Poehling knows how to make a first impression. A first-round pick (No. 25 overall) of the Montreal Canadiens in 2017, Poehling made his NHL debut late in the 2018-19 season. And what a debut it was April 6, 2019. He became only the third player — and first since...
Mark Madden: When placing blame for Steelers struggles, start with the defense
The numbers don’t lie. Except when they do. Pro Football Focus says the Steelers offensive line has allowed the least QB pressures in the NFL. Tight end Pat Freiermuth is on pace for 947 receiving yards. Heath Miller’s best season was 816 receiving yards. Cornerback Cameron Sutton has eight forced...
Penguins to start goaltender Tristan Jarry in preseason finale
The Penguins are scheduled to start goaltender Tristan Jarry in Friday’s preseason finale, a home contest against the Buffalo Sabres at PPG Paints Arena. Penguins coach Mike Sullivan announced his status following an optional morning skate at PPG Paints Arena. In two games this preseason, Jarry has a 0-2-0 record,...
Reaction to Colts-Broncos more offensive than game itself
And you thought the Steelers’ offense had its problems. The Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos played a Thursday night game for the ages — and not in a good way. Neither team scored a touchdown. Both quarterbacks — Matt Ryan and Russell Wilson (whom the Broncos signed to the second-largest...
5 things to watch in Week 6 of high school football
This could be a make-or-break week for some teams with conference title hopes. There are five matchups on the Week 6 schedule pitting teams with undefeated conference records. Among them is a Century Conference matchup between fourth-ranked Washington (5-1, 2-0) and No. 5 Sto-Rox (3-2, 3-0). Each team celebrated an...
Tim Benz: Less than a year from returning, Robert Morris hockey programs ramping up for comeback
Robert Morris University hockey coach Derek Schooley is aware of how time is marching along. He has a countdown clock on his phone. He sees it every day. “I believe 450 days is when I started it,” Schooley said. “It seemed like it was going to take forever. Now that...
