Sports category, Page 1211
Pitt linebackers coach Ryan Manalac demands versatility from his ‘hungry’ group
Pitt’s linebackers are “improving … watching extra tape … hungry … eager.” Those were the words of position coach Ryan Manalac, who is directing the one area of the team that needs the most significant makeover after last season. Three linebackers who contributed 200 tackles (21½ for a loss) —...
Tim Benz: All 3 Steelers QBs deserve praise. And Mason Rudolph deserves a break
It’s not like the boos were raining down from Acrisure Stadium when Mason Rudolph was introduced as the second quarterback during the Steelers preseason opener Saturday night. It was more of a grumbling murmur. A disgruntled undercurrent. Whatever you wanted to call it, it got louder when Rudolph took his...
Logan Webb weaves a gem for Giants, who hand Pirates their 12th shutout of season
Logan Webb toyed with the Pittsburgh Pirates, as the San Francisco Giants right-hander relied on off-speed and breaking pitches that danced around the strike zone but managed to miss their bats. The Pirates had no answer for Webb, even when Giants manager Gabe Kapler left him in with the bases...
Riverhounds shut out at home vs. Memphis
One thing Pittsburgh Riverhounds coach Bob Lilley made clear in the postgame press conference is his team will be working on runs in the box this week. He also said his team’s effort was solid, but the execution was lacking and it led to a rare home defeat, a 2-0...
Pirates farm report for Aug. 13, 2022: Newly acquired Malcom Nunez homers for Curve
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 54-54) handled Memphis (Cardinals), 6-1. RHP Jerad Eickhoff (4.39) started and worked three pefect innings, striking out five. RHP Mike Burrows (1-3, 4.93) came on and earned the win, allowing one run on three hits, including a homer, in 4.1 innings. He struck out six. DH Cal Mitchell...
Steelers win preseason opener on Kenny Pickett’s TD pass with 3 seconds left
If the preseason opener is any indication, the Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t going to be the notoriously slow starters that took the field last year in Ben Roethlisberger’s final season. With veterans Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph competing to be Roethlisberger’s successor, the offense got off to a good start Saturday...
Steelers notes: T.J. Watt regaining a piece of team captaincy?
By virtue of finishing among the top three in AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting each of the past three seasons, T.J. Watt can reasonably be considered the Pittsburgh Steelers’ best player. In 2022, indications are he will again be one of their captains. Watt and veteran defensive...
Browns backup QB Jacoby Brissett moves into Deshaun Watson’s starting spotVideo
CLEVELAND — Jacoby Brissett has jumped ahead of Deshaun Watson on Cleveland’s depth chart. Maybe for a while. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said Brissett will take the majority of snaps with Cleveland’s first-team offense starting Sunday, a move necessitated by Watson’s pending suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy...
Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex eyeing playoff spot at RichmondVideo
RICHMOND, Va. — Ryan Blaney and Martin Truex Jr. are the favorites as they battle for position to make NASCAR’s playoffs, but in a season when there already have been 15 race winners, they are far from the lone contenders. Blaney is second in points, just 19 points ahead of...
Cameron Smith has claret jug and now eyes No. 1 in worldVideo
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — J.J. Spaun did just enough right at the end to fashion a 2-under-par 68 and keep his one-shot lead Saturday in the FedEx St. Jude Championship with a familiar name lurking. At stake for Cameron Smith is No. 1 in the world. Already a banner year with...
Pittsburgh Aces qualify for USTA National Championships
A team of eight local youth tennis players came together in May to compete this summer on the USTA junior circuit and they needed a name. The group decided on calling themselves the Pittsburgh Aces and that turned out to be a perfect choice. The Aces blitzed through local competition...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Bill Russell’s No. 6 isn’t really retired
On Thursday, the NBA retired Bill Russell’s No. 6 league-wide. He was the first NBA player to be so honored. He was an 11-time champion, a civil rights pioneer and the league’s first Black head coach. Russell passed away July 31. But there was a disclaimer: Players already wearing No....
Baseball America ranks Pirates’ 1st-round pick Termarr Johnson among Top 50 overall
When the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Termarr Johnson with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft last month, scouts proclaimed the Georgia prep phenom the best pure hitter in the draft in decades and Johnson declared himself the best player in the draft. Now, Baseball America is calling...
Offensive linemen understand Pitt’s system, the value of staying in school
One at a time, five large men walked into Dave Borbely’s office late last season, seeking his counsel and wisdom. Each player — Carter Warren, Marcus Minor, Owen Drexel, Jake Kradel and Gabe Houy — had the same question: “Should I come back?” Pitt’s offensive line coach, who at the...
Despite 3 solo home runs, Pirates come up empty with bases loaded in loss to Giants
When it came to hitting home runs, the Pittsburgh Pirates went flying solo three times on long balls by Rodolfo Castro, Ben Gamel and Greg Allen. When it came to playing small ball, the Pirates came up empty. Trailing the San Francisco Giants by one run in the top of...
J.J. Spaun leads FedEx Cup opener; Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy miss cutVideo
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — J.J. Spaun hopes he’s only getting started on the road to the FedEx Cup finale. Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth will have to wait another week. As for Jason Day, his season is over. Spaun made a late birdie for a 3-under-par 67 to take...
Len Dawson, MVP of Chiefs’ first Super Bowl win, in hospiceVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Len Dawson, the 87-year-old Hall of Fame quarterback who led the Kansas City Chiefs to their first Super Bowl title, has entered hospice care in Kansas City. KMBC-TV, the Kansas City station where Dawson began his broadcasting career in 1966, confirmed Dawson is in hospice care...
Pirates farm report for Aug. 12, 2022: Carter Bins’ 2-run homer sparks Indy to shutout victory
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 53-54) shut out Memphis (Cardinals), 3-0. C Carter Bins (.194) hit a two-run homer. 3B Kevin Padlo (.500) was 2 for 4 with an RBI. CF Travis Swaggerty (.265) was 1 for 4. DH Diego Castillo (.256) singled, and RF Cal Mitchell (.324) tripled. Four pitchers combined on...
Latrobe’s Butler brothers teammates in international 3-on-3 basketball event
Austin and Bryce Butler have staged many shirt-ripping driveway basketball battles against one other over the years. But now they’re teaming up to play for their country on an international stage. The brothers from Latrobe are playing for the USA Basketball 3x3 U23 team in the FIBA 3x3 Nations League...
Browns’ Watson apologizes ‘to all the women I have impacted’
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson apologized Friday “to all the women I have impacted” after being accused by two dozen women of sexual misconduct during massage therapy sessions. Watson, who is facing a potential yearlong NFL suspension, spoke before Cleveland’s exhibition opener in Jacksonville — his first game since Jan....
More than 3.1 million TV viewers for ‘Field of Dreams’ game
NEW YORK — More than 3.1 million viewers watched Fox Sports’ broadcast of Major League Baseball’s second “Field of Dreams” game, about half of the audience for the 2021 game. The Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 4-2 on Thursday night at a throwback ballpark in eastern Iowa, a short...
Padres star Fernando Tatis suspended 80 games for positive drug testVideo
NEW YORK — San Diego Padres dynamo Fernando Tatis Jr., one of the brightest, freshest stars in MLB, was suspended 80 games on Friday after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. The penalty imposed by MLB was effective immediately, meaning the shortstop cannot play in the majors this year for...
Pitt Take 5: A week full of football, Apple Jacks and Pat Narduzzi kicking up his heels
Two weeks into training camp — and with two weeks remaining — Pitt’s players and coaches have reached a point where football matters most, but everyone can see there’s more to life than turnover drills and trying to throw a football into a little net. Pitt quarterbacks practice throwing footballs...
Vikings’ Kirk Cousins has covid-19, won’t play preseason openerVideo
EAGAN, Minn. — Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins has tested positive for covid-19 and will not play this weekend in the team’s first preseason game. Coach Kevin O’Connell confirmed the diagnosis Friday at practice, where Cousins was absent for a second straight day. He felt ill Thursday and sent home....
Hip surgery to sideline Vegas goalie Robin Lehner for upcoming seasonVideo
LAS VEGAS — Vegas Golden Knights goalie Robin Lehner will require hip surgery and is expected to miss the upcoming season, the team said Thursday. The 31-year-old Lehner, who will likely spend the entire 2022-23 season on long-term injured reserve, has three years remaining on a contract that carries a...
