Sports category, Page 1271
First Call: Former Steeler makes ‘All-Underrated’ list; Derek Shelton on near no-hitter; ex-Penguin’s coaching achievement
Wednesday’s “First Call” features some praise for a few current Pittsburgh Steelers and a former Super Bowl champion. Derek Shelton reflects on Cal Mitchell’s at-bat to break up last night’s no-hit bid in St. Louis. And a former Penguin hauls in a coaching honor. No complaints here Former Steelers linebacker...
Basketball vs. Kentucky? Football vs. Florida St. and WVU? Why — and how — Duquesne has stepped up its scheduling strategy
Duquesne football coach Jerry Schmitt was at Pittsburgh Steelers practice at the UPMC Rooney facility on the South Side last week. He saw Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi hanging out in front of his team’s side of the building. “I said, ‘Hey, Pat! Guess who opens up the ACC Network schedule...
Tim Benz: Bill Cowher also faced a 3-QB quandary — but had a unique out the Steelers don’t have now
I guess we’ve figured out the Steelers’ three-headed-monster quarterback situation. All they have to do is move Kenny Pickett to wide receiver. Hey, that’s how former Steelers coach Bill Cowher handled it in 1996. Maybe current Steelers coach Mike Tomlin should try the same tactic. Speaking on SiriusXM NFL Radio...
Pirates OF Canaan Smith-Njigba, C Jason Delay have unforgettable moments in MLB debuts
Canaan Smith-Njigba had prepared his whole life for his major league debut, so he wasn’t going to complain about spending nearly two games in the Pittsburgh Pirates dugout before getting in a game. When he got the call to pinch hit for Yu Chang with two outs in the ninth...
Steelers 2-a-days: Devin Bush, Chase Claypool each aim for bounce-back season
Editor’s note: From now until the first practice of training camp at Saint Vincent College, the Trib will be running through the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 90-man roster, assessing each player’s outlook for the 2022 season. The breakdown will go through the roster in mostly-alphabetical order, two per day, between June 11...
Pirates farm report for June 14, 2022: Quinn Priester, Mike Burrows roughed up
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 30-29) was beaten by Gwinnett (Braves), 8-2. RHP Miguel Yajure (3.52) started and worked three innings, allowing one unearned run on one hit and one walk with two strikeouts. LHP Joe Jacques (0-1, 40.50) took the loss, allowing three runs, two earned, on one hit and two walks...
Cal Mitchell breaks up no-hit bid by Miles Mikolas in 9th as Cardinals crush Pirates
The outcome was long decided when Miles Mikolas reached the 100-pitch mark, yet the St. Louis Cardinals had no intention of pulling the 33-year-old right-hander from the game. Mikolas was one out away from making history when Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Cal Mitchell hit a 2-2 curveball for a double over...
Knapp ready for Sunnehanna Amateur
The roar of thunder Tuesday morning woke Oakmont’s Sean Knapp from his sleep. So he decided to look at his phone and call up the weather radar, and he saw a blotch of red hanging over Johnstown. Knapp screen-shot the radar and sent it to friend Nathan Smith with the...
Derrick Henry insists foot is healthy, open to extension from TitansVideo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee running back Derrick Henry has let his hair down this offseason, prompting lots of questions about the new ‘do. Not nearly as many as the current state of his right foot. “The foot is good,” Henry said Tuesday. A broken right foot cost Henry nine games...
Healthy again, Bengals’ Joe Burrow embraces ‘normal’ offseasonVideo
CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow is entering his third season in the NFL. However, this is the first reasonably normal offseason for the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback. He’s not taking it for granted. Burrow, the top overall pick in the 2020 draft, entered the league amid the uncertainty and chaos of the...
Lamar Jackson back at practice for start of Ravens minicampVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Lamar Jackson-to-Mark Andrews connection — the linchpin of Baltimore’s offense last season — is back on the field. As expected, Jackson was at practice Tuesday when the Ravens began mandatory minicamp. He had been absent during voluntary OTAs. “He looked great,” said Andrews, the team’s...
No angst about college athletes cashing in at 1st NIL summitVideo
ATLANTA — Almost a year into the NIL era in college sports, there has been much angst about booster-funded collectives, million-dollar quarterback recruits and the need for federal legislation to regulate how athletes monetize their fame. Nick vs. Jimbo, in fact, has been the story of the spring. At the...
Warriors’ Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson 1 win from another NBA titleVideo
SAN FRANCISCO — When Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and emotional, do-everything teammate Draymond Green began Golden State’s climb nearly a decade ago, they were still relatively young and each establishing themselves in their careers. At far different stages of their respective basketball journeys and lives all these years later, they...
Mickelson, LIV casting shadow over U.S. OpenVideo
BROOKLINE, Mass. — Phil Mickelson lumbered his way down the first fairway and flashed a thumbs-up almost by habit, even if he wasn’t responding to an occasional encouraging word from behind the ropes or in the grandstands. In that respect, Tuesday felt like a typical U.S. Open. This is his...
Avalanche try to finally break through with Cup title, but 2-time champ Tampa Bay stands in wayVideo
Nathan MacKinnon wouldn’t have it any other way. He and the Colorado Avalanche have stubbed their toe many times in the playoffs over the past several years, never getting past the second round. Now that they have broken through to reach the Stanley Cup Final, naturally, they need to beat...
Rangers hope to build on deep playoff run for future successVideo
Two days after being eliminated in the Eastern Conference Final, the New York Rangers still haven’t gotten over their loss. “You go on a great run like that, so many people reach out to tell you how proud they are of you, of your group, but right now it stings,”...
Fifth-year players Warren, Alexandre ready to take leadership role for Pitt football
Inside Pitt’s UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side, a video screen displays the final score of Pitt’s Sept. 18, 2021, game against Western Michigan, which the Panthers lost 44-41. The loss didn’t cost the Panthers the ACC title, but it serves as a reminder of what happens when...
Crazy plays, errors plague Pirates against Cardinals in 8th consecutive loss
Just when the Pittsburgh Pirates appeared run down during a seven-game losing streak, the St. Louis Cardinals made them chase them around the diamond in a rundown for the ages. Score it a fielder’s choice 6-4-2-5-6-2. That was part of a sequence of wild plays in the fourth inning of...
Doug Ferguson: Players who take Saudi money shouldn’t need PGA TourVideo
BROOKLINE, Mass. — Two players huddled on the practice range late in the afternoon at The Country Club. Only a few words were audible from each sentence, still enough to have a good idea of the topic. And it wasn’t anything about the U.S. Open. Even at the second-oldest championship...
U.S. Open lets Russian tennis players in after Wimbledon ban
The U.S. Open will allow tennis players from Russia and Belarus to compete this year despite the ongoing war in Ukraine, which prompted Wimbledon to ban those athletes. U.S. Tennis Association CEO and Executive Director Lew Sherr, whose group runs the U.S. Open, said in a telephone interview with The...
Browns QB Deshaun Watson again denies sexual misconduct claims
BEREA, Ohio — Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson reiterated he never committed sexual misconduct and said he plans to keep fighting to clear his name. Watson, who is facing civil lawsuits from 24 massage therapists in Texas accusing him of sexual assault and harassment during private sessions, on Tuesday stood...
Lawrenceville grandmother unwittingly plays pickleball with Steelers T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Minkah Fitzpatrick
She has become a viral sensation on Twitter. She has been interviewed by newspapers and TV stations, and she has done the morning radio show circuit. Meg Burkardt’s time in the spotlight has exceeded her allotted 15 minutes, but she is not done soaking in the attention. “I’m going to...
Penguins promote Chris Pryor to assistant general manager
Chris Pryor, a longtime lieutenant of Penguins general manager Ron Hextall, was promoted to assistant general manager of the franchise Tuesday. He replaces Patrik Allvin, who left the organization in January to take over as general manager of the Vancouver Canucks. Pryor, 61, was previously the Penguins director of player...
Serena Williams gets wild-card entry for Wimbledon singles
Serena Williams is going to play at Wimbledon, after all. The All England Club announced Tuesday that Williams was awarded a wild-card entry for singles, marking her return to Grand Slam action after a year away. The owner of a professional era-record 23 Grand Slam singles trophies, and as big...
Gymnasts from Ultimate Gymnastics win state, regional medals
Gymnasts from Ultimate Gymnastics in Delmont competed at state meets and state championships at various levels last month. Six members of the school earned state medals. Renee Ruggeri, owner of Ultimate Gymnastics, has been coaching the sport for more than 40 years and helped guide the group to success. Kiski...
