Sports category, Page 1246
Steelers OLB T.J. Watt learning to deal with cut blocks like one that knocked him from preseason finale
Had T.J. Watt’s knee injury taken place in the regular season and not the preseason finale, the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year wouldn’t have missed many snaps, if any. But because it was the final tuneup for the Sept. 11 season opener, Watt didn’t mind exiting for good in...
Veteran QBs have ACC set for season of big offensive totals
Devin Leary hasn’t forgotten lessons that came as a first-year starting quarterback struggling just to consistently complete passes, much less avoid turnovers and move North Carolina State’s offense. “I think one of the biggest things is pretty obvious,” the fifth-year QB said. “It’s hard to win games.” Things look much...
Pirates announce 2023 spring training schedule
The Pittsburgh Pirates released their 2023 Grapefruit League schedule Wednesday afternoon, and it shows a return to normal after three altered years of spring training. The Pirates will play 32 games, including 16 at LECOM Park. Spring training was cut short in 2020 due to the covid-19 pandemic. Workouts were...
Lawyers bash Roger Goodell-led arbitration in NFL racial bias suit
NEW YORK — Lawyers for three Black NFL coaches alleging racial bias by the league took aim directly at Commissioner Roger Goodell on Wednesday in their latest arguments against arbitrating a dispute they say belongs before a jury. In papers filed in Manhattan federal court, the lawyers wrote that arbitration...
Pirates reinstate JT Brubaker from paternity list
The Pittsburgh Pirates reinstated starting pitcher JT Brubaker from the paternity list Wednesday afternoon. Brubaker and his wife, Darci, welcomed a son Aug. 28. On the year, Brubaker (3-11) owns a 4.39 ERA over 24 starts. In a corresponding move, the Pirates recalled right-hander Miguel Yajure from Triple-A Indianapolis. Yajure,...
O’Connell’s steady rise keeps Purdue in Big Ten title hunt
Aidan O’Connell arrived at Purdue in 2017 as a hopeful, exuberant teenager. He set out to prove a walk-on could win the starting job at the “Cradle of Quarterbacks” and lead the Boilermakers to postseason success. O’Connell routinely stayed after practice for extra snaps, gladly fine-tuned his skills with the...
NIL deals put just a few bucks in most athletes’ pockets
Texas offensive lineman Christian Jones remembers walking up to Bijan Robinson not long ago and asking for a lift, figuring it was least the All-American running back could do for one of the big guys doing all the blocking. “He said there’s a height limit,” Jones said with a smile....
Jaylen Warren relishes being only undrafted rookie to make Steelers’ initial 53-man roster
Pittsburgh Steelers teammates began approaching Jaylen Warren after Tuesday’s afternoon practice at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “People were coming up saying, ‘Congrats,’ ” Warren said Wednesday. “I was like, ‘Appreciate it — but we still got, like, 20 minutes before 4 p.m.’ ” Those 20 minutes leading up to the...
Chuks Okorafor says ‘no talk’ about move to left tackle, defends Steelers’ offensive line
New acquisition Jesse Davis’ locker at the Pittsburgh Steelers facility is just to the right of Chuks Okorafor’s. The arrival of Davis, though, doesn’t mean Okorafor is moving across the Steelers’ offensive line. A 30-year-old, six-year NFL veteran, Davis has started more games at right tackle than anywhere else —...
Bryce Young, Will Anderson driven and dominant for top-ranked AlabamaVideo
Will Anderson Jr. glowers at the camera like it was an opposing quarterback on third-and-5. Standing next to him, Alabama’s Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Bryce Young, sports a beatific smile befitting football’s glamour position. The two most decorated players in college football — a fierce pass rusher and a poised-beyond-his-years passer...
First Call: Former Pro Bowl lineman gives scouting report on 2 new Steelers; big TV ratings for Steelers-Lions
Wednesday’s “First Call” gives us some expert feedback on the two newest Pittsburgh Steelers. Sunday’s game between the Steelers and Lions posted some impressive television ratings. And a few names with Pittsburgh ties were released by their teams on NFL cutdown day. The read on Reed Former NFL offensive lineman...
Tim Benz: Oneil Cruz’s highlight night puts the whole ‘exit velocity’ debate in focusVideo
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz did it again Monday night. Another laser of a home run. This time, 118 miles per hour during a 5-3 loss in Milwaukee. Impressive. HOW 'BOUT A CRUZ MISSILE?! pic.twitter.com/AGQ8sVg3zb— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) August 30, 2022 You know what might be more impressive? His game...
Backyard Brawl: Memories of 13-9 in ’07 with Pitt’s Chris McKillop — ‘We played a perfect game’
When it comes to Chris McKillop’s freshman year as a Pitt Panther, there is at least one aspect of coach Walt Harris’ daily practices that the defensive lineman will never forget. “Walt Harris had a ‘West Virginia’ period,” McKillop said during Wednesday’s “Breakfast With Benz” podcast. “In an 18-period practice....
Pitt Take 5: Panthers vs. Mountaineers has the feel of a college reunion
The Backyard Brawl returns to Pittsburgh on Thursday night for the first time since 2010, and it almost sounds like a football game wrapped around a college reunion. Former Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt will address the current players at their pregame meal, and will share hugs and old stories with...
For Pirates reliever Chase De Jong, earning first MLB save against Brewers ‘pretty special’
After recording the first save of his professional baseball career, Chase De Jong was in the middle of giving a shoutout to his teammates when he got a celebratory shower courtesy of them. The Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander took a twisting path to the milestone moment that he called “very humbling,”...
Pirates farm report for Aug. 30, 2022: Nick Gonzales drives in 4 runs for Curve
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 62-60) lost in walk-off fashion to Louisville (Reds), 7-6, in 10 innings. Indianapolis used a slew of RBI singles to score five runs in the top of the first. 1B Kevin Padlo (.424) went 1 for 5 and knocked in the first run. RF Bligh Madris (.289) was...
Mitch Keller strikes out 10, Pirates draw bases-loaded walk to beat Brewers
A night after Milwaukee won on a walk-off home run, the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Brewers when they walked the winning run home. Mitch Keller had a career-high 10 strikeouts, Rodolfo Castro drew a bases-loaded, four-pitch walk and Oneil Cruz doubled to add an insurance run for a 4-2 win...
Mark Madden: Steelers’ Mike Tomlin must avoid another Melvin Ingram fiasco
Memo to Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin: Don’t make the same mistake twice. As this space recently noted, Tomlin erred when he started Alex Highsmith at edge rusher last season, not Melvin Ingram. Ingram got the boo-boo face, asked out, got traded to Kansas City and was missed when T.J. Watt...
Raiders’ Alex Leatherwood, Browns’ Josh Rosen among NFL cutsVideo
The Las Vegas Raiders waived offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood on Tuesday, the third of the club’s three first-round draft picks in 2020-21 to get dumped before the end of his second season. NFL teams had to cut their rosters to 53 players for the regular season by the Tuesday deadline,...
Seton Hill softball coach Jessica Strong steps down
Jessica Strong has resigned as the head softball coach at Seton Hill after four seasons. She is leaving to pursue another coaching endeavor but did not want to comment until the end of the week, when her tenure at Seton Hill is complete. Strong guided the Griffins to a memorable...
Smith, Niemann among players to join Saudi-backed LIV GolfVideo
British Open champion Cameron Smith and Joaquin Niemann are among six players to leave the PGA Tour for Saudi-funded LIV Golf, which returns this week for a fourth tournament, this time outside of Boston. The signing of Smith, who had been deflecting questions about his imminent departure since the day...
Column: Big moments in PGA Tour season lost amid LIV GolfVideo
ATLANTA — Two weeks after Justin Thomas won the PGA Championship with a record-tying comeback and a defining shot in a playoff, Dustin Johnson led a pack of players over to LIV Golf. Two days after Tiger Woods strode across the Swilcan Bridge at St. Andrews for what might be...
Venus Williams out of US Open in 1st round for 2nd timeVideo
NEW YORK — The welcome and support for Venus Williams in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday afternoon were not the same as they were for her sister, Serena, a night earlier. Nor was the result. Venus, who turned 42 in June, has not made any pronouncements about her future in...
Kevin Dotson believes he has won competition to start for Steelers at left guard
The competition for who will begin the season as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting left guard is beginning to look a lot like the one for who will start at quarterback. A done deal, even if it’s not formally acknowledged by anyone in power. While neither coach Mike Tomlin nor any...
Mike Tomlin not ready to announce Mitch Trubisky as Steelers’ QB1
Another day, another round of first-team reps for Mitch Trubisky. Unofficially, that runs the streak of 35 consecutive organized team activity and minicamp sessions, training-camp practices and preseason games in which Trubisky has operated as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ QB1. It’s been just about that many days, too, that coach Mike...
