Sports category, Page 1247
Steelers, Mike Tomlin keep open mind in final audition for players on roster bubble
For most of Mike Tomlin’s tenure as coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, seeing the Carolina Panthers on the field during the final week before Labor Day meant only one thing: the preseason finale. And Tomlin has plenty of memories of fringe players seemingly coming out of nowhere in that game...
No change in Steelers’ quarterback rotation for preseason finale against Lions
Mike Tomlin is keeping the status quo with the rotation of his quarterbacks in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ preseason finale. Mitch Trubisky will start the game Sunday against the Detroit Lions at Acrisure Stadium. Rookie first-round pick Kenny Pickett will be the first quarterback of the bench. Veteran Mason Rudolph, the...
Pirates’ Tucupita Marcano working to match dependable defense with more consistent offenseVideo
If there’s been one common denominator among the Pirates’ corps of rookie players who have seen extended action this season, it’s a collective struggle for consistency at the plate. The most recognizable struggle, the juxtaposition of Oneil Cruz’s ability to hit for raw power and inability to lay off out-of-the-zone...
Mark Madden: Steelers should delay culture shock for Kenny Pickett until after Patriots matchup
These refreshing sports notes are locked in a battle to see who starts! (Not really. But that’s a deception you like to buy into.) • Kenny Pickett has looked great in preseason games. But he has faced defenses that were 100% vanilla. Plenty of media experts want Pickett to start...
First Call: Ike Taylor’s new Steelers job; ex-Pirate almost makes MLB history; Duquesne-Florida St. point spread
Former Pittsburgh Steeler Ike Taylor said he is getting a job with the franchise. A former Pirate almost made history at the plate, while a few others have been busy on the mound. And Duquesne’s athletic department celebrated a landmark win in soccer as it hopes for something similar in...
Roberto Clemente: Keeping the Dream AliveVideo
Luis Clemente swats at insects as he stands on the edge of a swimming pool filled with stagnant, murky water in this San Juan suburb of 150,000 people. The pool had been a glistening centerpiece of Roberto Clemente Sports City. On this blistering May morning, nearly 50 years after the...
Clemente family, Puerto Rican government ‘at war’ to keep Pirate legend’s Sports City dream aliveVideo
CAROLINA, Puerto Rico — Luis Clemente swats at insects as he stands on the edge of a swimming pool filled with stagnant, murky water in this San Juan suburb of 150,000 people. The pool had been a glistening centerpiece of Roberto Clemente Sports City. On this blistering May morning, nearly...
Friday Football Footnotes — Fantasy Football edition: When to draft certain Steelers, how to best construct your team
As the NFL preseason wraps up over the next 10 days or so, this is going to be a huge week for fantasy football drafts across Pittsburgh and the rest of the country. So for “Friday Football Footnotes” this week, we spoke with Jeff Erickson of Rotowire. He’s our long-time...
Tim Benz: If Pittsburgh thinks Aaron Donald shouldn’t be suspended, then we are moving the goalposts
A brawl between the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams erupted during a joint practice session Thursday. Rams star Aaron Donald was caught on film swinging a helmet at Bengals players before getting thrown to the ground. #Rams Aaron Donald used a #Bengals helmet to hit Cincy players after a...
Mars surges past Montour as coach Eric Kasperowicz wins in return to sidelines
A year ago, coaches and players throughout Western Pennsylvania had a familiar refrain following their Week Zero contests. They got, as so many said, “back to normal.” Eric Kasperowicz finally got to experience that. The former Pine-Richland coach, who was controversially ousted last spring by the school’s administration, returned to...
Pirates farm report for Aug. 25, 2022: Endy Rodriguez homers again for Altoona
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 60-58) clobbered Rochester (Nationals), 14-4.CF Jared Oliva (.233) went 3 for 4 with a homer, his sixth, and three RBIs. LF Cal Mitchell (.333) went 2 for 4 with a triple. 1B Kevin Padlo (.478) went 2 for 4 with a double. C Jose Godoy (.208) went 2...
Scottie Scheffler starts with Tour Championship lead and expands itVideo
ATLANTA — Masters champion Scottie Scheffler might have had a roller coaster of an opening round Thursday at the Tour Championship if only he had been paying attention to the scoreboards. Scheffler started with a two-shot lead as the No. 1 seed in the FedEx Cup. He led by as...
Aaron Donald swings helmet in brawl between Rams, BengalsVideo
CINCINNATI — A brawl between the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams put an early end to their joint practice session Thursday, with Rams star Aaron Donald repeatedly swinging a helmet at Bengals players before getting thrown to the ground. Players threw fists and helmets during scuffles leading up to...
Elijah Riley hops on moving train, plays nickel and free safety in 1st practice with Steelers
Elijah Riley laughed it off. Within about 18 hours of arriving in Pittsburgh, he was part of a mini scrum during his first practice with the Pittsburgh Steelers. “Just having fun,” Riley said Thursday from UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “Playing ball, talking (trash). It’s fun to be out there.” Everything...
QB Jacoby Brissett to start Browns’ preseason finale against BearsVideo
CLEVELAND — Jacoby Brissett will finally make his delayed debut for the Browns. The veteran quarterback, set to fill in as Cleveland’s starter while Deshaun Watson serves his upcoming 11-game NFL suspension, will start Saturday night’s exhibition finale against the Chicago Bears. Brissett has yet to see any action during...
Backyard Brawl themes: Aggression, physicality, hatred
One by one, three Pitt football players in their early 20s — smiling, friendly young men — stood in front of a group of reporters Thursday afternoon and spoke of the Backyard Brawl. None has played in the game, of course. Defensive tackle David Green, a Central Catholic graduate, said...
Steelers notes: Backup running backs have one last in-stadium chance to earn role
Najee Harris is well-cemented as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting running back. But the competition for the Nos. 2-3 on the depth chart — and accompanying gameday roster spot that comes with it — has been brewing all throughout training camp. The candidates have one last chance to make their case...
Thunder No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren to miss season with foot injuryVideo
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City forward Chet Holmgren, the No. 2 pick in this year’s NBA Draft, will miss the 2022-23 season with a right foot injury. The 7-footer was hurt while playing in a pro-am game last weekend in Seattle, near where he starred last season for Gonzaga, and...
With future up in the air, Mason Rudolph not looking beyond Steelers’ preseason finale
When the Pittsburgh Steelers face the Detroit Lions on Sunday, they will conclude not just their preseason but the exhibition schedule for the entire NFL. The 4:30 p.m. nationally televised kickoff makes the Steelers-Lions matchup the final one of the weekend and one of only two that will be held...
Pitt notebook: With help from John Denver, Pat Narduzzi hopes to set a brawling mood
Pitt players who will line up next Thursday against West Virginia were of middle-school age — or younger — in 2011 when the Panthers most recently played the Mountaineers. Pat Narduzzi, a Youngstown, Ohio, native, who was still at Michigan State at the time, promised to “educate” his players on...
Novak Djokovic out of US Open; can’t travel to U.S. because of covid vaccine status
NEW YORK — Novak Djokovic will not play in the U.S. Open, as expected, because he is not vaccinated against covid-19 and thus is not allowed to travel to the United States. Djokovic announced his withdrawal from the year’s last Grand Slam tournament on Twitter on Thursday, hours before the...
U mad, bro?: Steelers’ preseason anxiety meets Pirates’ late-season despair
It’s late August in Pittsburgh. For local sports fans, that marks the annual nexus of Steelers preseason obsession, meeting yearly late-season Pirates fan dejection. Preemptive quarterback concerns. Acute offensive line panic. Defensive back denial. All stirred with long-simmering Pirates angst and frustration. We mix it, shake it, chill it and...
First Call: ESPN projects Steelers to regress; Pirates’ brutal upcoming stretch; remembering Len Dawson as a Steeler
In Thursday’s “First Call,” ESPN.com is setting the bar low for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022. Tough times for the Pirates are about to continue. A trio of ex-Buccos pitchers are on the mound Thursday night. And we remember Len Dawson as a Steeler as the NFL mourns his passing....
Former Steelers linebacker Vince Williams: ‘Mark Robinson is better than I was as a rookie’
It appears that ex-Steeler Vince Williams is a big fan of a new Steeler at his former position. It’s rookie inside linebacker Mark Robinson. “Mark Robinson is better than I was as a rookie,” Williams said Tuesday on social media. “I hope he keeps #93.” Mark Robinson is better than...
Phil Kessel signs 1-year deal with Vegas Golden Knights (because of course he does)
LAS VEGAS — In perhaps the most appropriate marriage of player and team in the history of free agency, the Vegas Golden Knights bolstered their forward depth by signing veteran Phil Kessel to a one-year, $1.5 million deal Wednesday. The 34-year-old Kessel spent the past three seasons with the Arizona...
