Sports category, Page 1253
Penguins, assistant coach Mike Vellucci agree to 2-year extension
The Pittsburgh Penguins re-signed assistant coach Mike Vellucci to a two-year contract extension on Monday. Vellucci, 56, has spent the past two seasons on Mike Sullivan’s staff, overseeing forwards and the penalty killing unit. Last season, the Penguins’ penalty kill finished third in the NHL with an 84.4% success rate,...
Kyle Larson wins rain-delayed NASCAR Cup race at Watkins Glen
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Kyle Larson was looking for a jolt of momentum. He got it for the second straight time at Watkins Glen International. The reigning NASCAR Cup champion, winless since his only victory of the season at Auto Club Speedway in February, beat Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott...
First Call: Ex-Steeler shines at QB in Cleveland; Roquan Smith willing to stay in Chicago; Ravens extend preseason streak
An ex-Steelers quarterback is on fire with his new team this preseason. The Roquan Smith dream seems to have died for Pittsburgh fans. The Ravens just can’t lose in August. And Pittsburgh has two champions in a pair of very unique sports. All that in Monday’s “First Call.” And the...
Ben Cherington’s challenge: Build Pirates into a winner while sustaining strong farm system
When asked about the progress the Pittsburgh Pirates have made under his direction, general manager Ben Cherington painted a picture that was — quite literally — worth almost a thousand words. Nine hundred sixty-one, to be exact. Cherington started his soliloquy Friday by touching on a farm system whose talent...
Madden Monday: Steelers offensive line ‘might be worse’ than last year — and it may impact the QB thinking too
There have been plenty of positives to discuss regarding the Pittsburgh Steelers’ victories in each of their first two preseason games. • All three quarterbacks — Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph — have performed very well. • The wide receivers — namely rookie George Pickens — have impressed....
Pirates farm report for Aug. 21, 2022: Homers by Carter Bins, Hoy Park lift Indy to victory
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 58-57) won 8-2 over Iowa (Cubs). C Carter Bins (.203) smacked a two-run homer. 2B Hoy Park (.228) hit a solo shot. 1B Brendt Citta (.229) was 2 for 3 with two RBIs. DH Jamie Ritchie (.237) also knocked in a run with a double. RHP Johan Oviedo...
Patrick Cantlay wins another thriller at BMW ChampionshipVideo
WILMINGTON, Del. — One good break. One great shot. That’s what it took Sunday for Patrick Cantlay to win the BMW Championship for the second straight time with a finish that was nothing like last year except for his clutch moments. One other difference: The victory didn’t give him the...
Patrick Cantlay wins another thriller at BMW ChampionshipVideo
WILMINGTON, Del. — Patrick Cantlay won another thriller Sunday in the BMW Championship, getting a great bounce on the 17th hole that set up a short birdie and led to a 2-under 69 and a one-shot victory over Scott Stallings. Cantlay became the first player to win the BMW Championship...
Experience buoys RMU goalie Zolnierczyk in return from injury
Mike Zolnierczyk’s leadership skills on and off the field were on display throughout his high school career at Springdale, where he was a three-time All-WPIAL performer and the Class A Player of the Year as a senior in 2018. Upon his arrival the next year at Division I Robert Morris...
Stock up, stock down among Steelers after 2nd preseason game
As Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin put it in reference to Saturday’s preseason game, “They (the Jacksonville Jaguars) controlled the football game, but we won the game.” In the context that the process is more important than the result during August football, it was a less-than-stellar outing for the Steelers....
Caroline Garcia beats Petra Kvitova to win Western & Southern titleVideo
MASON, Ohio — Caroline Garcia generated momentum going into next week’s U.S. Open, capturing the Western & Southern Open women’s championship with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Petra Kvitova on Sunday. Garcia, already the first qualifier to reach the tournament final, clinched the victory when Kvitova sent a second serve...
Reds collect 13 hits, draw six walks to roll past Pirates for series win
Jake Fraley hit a solo home run and a two-run double, so the Pittsburgh Pirates knew there was trouble when the Cincinnati Reds desginated hitter was almost as dangerous when he wasn’t swinging the bat. That Fraley went 2 for 2 with three walks, four runs scored and three RBIs...
With a week of camp to go, here’s a positional look at Pitt’s roster
Pat Narduzzi and his Pitt coaching staff analyze the roster daily, watching practice video, discussing potential role changes and thinking up new ways to confuse the opponent based on the talent available. Those meetings are closed, and what a journalistic coup that would be to get invited to a Narduzzi...
Victory in Jacksonville overshadows mistakes made by Steelers on offense, defense
By getting two scores in the final 6 minutes, 20 seconds Saturday night, the Pittsburgh Steelers turned an eight-point deficit into a 16-15 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The win was the second in a row for the Steelers in the preseason, but, in coach Mike Tomlin’s opinion, all it...
Pirates shuffle bullpen, adding LHP Cam Vieaux, optioning RHP Yohan Ramirez
The Pittsburgh Pirates continued to shuffle their bullpen, making a move before Sunday’s game to add a left-hander to the mix. The Pirates selected the contract of lefty Cam Vieaux and optioned right-hander Yohan Ramirez. To make room on the 40-man roster, they designated catcher Jose Godoy for assignment. Vieaux,...
Manny Banuelos, exemplifying how to persist in the major leagues, enjoying current ride with Pirates
The pain in his arm persisted. His velocity had dropped to what would be considered standard for a decent high school prospect. By the summer of 2016, Manny Banuelos had good reason to believe he had been cursed by the baseball gods. “I remember 2016, when I got released from...
Tim Benz: Steelers go 2 for 3 on Mike Tomlin’s checklist in Jacksonville. The miss was a big one
After the Steelers’ 32-25 victory in their first preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks, coach Mike Tomlin identified three specific areas of improvement that he wanted to see in Game 2. They were: • Sharper two-minute execution on both sides of the ball • Improved pass protection • Better run...
Reds rough up Tyler Beede and pile it on in the 9th, beating the Pirates, 10-1
Saturday evening’s game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds featured two teams battling to avoid beginning Sunday as the National League Central cellar dweller. After the Pirates’ walk-off win Friday, the Pirates and Reds were tied for last place, 20.5 games back of the division-leading St. Louis Cardinals. In...
Riverhounds stumble to disappointing draw with last-place New York Red Bulls II
Pittsburgh Riverhounds coach Bob Lilley opened his postgame press conference after Saturday’s 2-2 draw with last place New York Red Bulls II in which his team squandered a two-goal lead with a poignant sentence. “It was one of the worst performances we’ve had in the four and a half years...
Pirates farm report for Aug. 20, 2022: Miguel Yajure picks up win for Indy
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 57-57) handled Iowa (Cubs), 6-2. 2B Ji-hwan Bae (.300) went 2 for 4 with a triple, two RBIs and his 10th stolen base. 1B Mason Martin (.206) went 1 for 3 with a walk, an RBI and his 12th stolen base. C Jose Godoy (.201) went 2 for...
Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph throw TD passes in Steelers’ 16-15 victory at Jacksonville
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – All of those repetitions running the two-minute offense in training camp have made Kenny Pickett look like a resilient pro — and not a rookie quarterback — in his first NFL preseason. Elevated to the second quarterback spot for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ game against the Jacksonville Jaguars...
‘It’s all love’ for Jack in Jacksonville return
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Myles Jack didn’t have to wait long to make his homecoming at TIAA Bank Field. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ first — and only — preseason road game coincided with the 26-year-old inside linebacker’s return to Jacksonville, site of his first six NFL seasons. “It’s definitely going to be...
Gateway trio to play in international ball hockey tournament
Monroeville will be well-represented at the International Street and Ball Hockey Federation Future Stars Tournament which starts Friday in Buffalo. Nico Mager, Austyn Malloy and C.J. Evans will play for Team Pennsylvania in two divisions against more than a dozen state teams from the northeast and east coast. “It’s such...
Pine-Richland grad Molly Rottinghaus kicks off career with Wisconsin football program
Molly Rottinghaus grew up in a football family and spent many Friday nights watching games in the bleachers dreaming that one day she’d be involved in the sport. Her great grandfather and grandfather were high school football coaches and her dad and uncles played collegiately. Now she’s on the frontier...
Time for NFL’s highly paid receivers to prove their worth
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill, A.J. Brown, Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp and even Christian Kirk are among the wide receivers who reset the market for just how well the NFL pays the best at that position this year. Now comes the tough part: proving they’re worth all...
