Sports category, Page 1323
Penguins’ Casey DeSmith makes franchise-record 52 saves in shutout of Bruins
Mike Sullivan’s demands for what he wanted to see out of the Penguins to open Thursday’s home game against the Boston Bruins weren’t all that complicated. “Just energy and simplifying the game,” the team’s coach said following Thursday’s morning skate at PPG Paints Arena. “I think it’s important that we...
Pit concerns dissipate as IndyCar drivers crank up speedVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Jimmie Johnson posted the fastest lap of his career Thursday as IndyCar drivers got back to work at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This time, there were no spins, no crashes and not as much talk about the slick warmup lane. Instead, drivers raced toward the top of the speed...
Tigers fans boo as Miguel Cabrera draws intentional walk with 2,999 career hitsVideo
DETROIT — Miguel Cabrera was intentionally walked in the eighth inning with 2,999 career hits, setting off a loud chorus of boos and derisive chants at Comerica Park as the Detroit Tigers beat the New York Yankees, 3-0, on Thursday. Cabrera was 0 for 3 with two strikeouts, forcing him...
Pro Football Hall of Fames expands opportunities for seniorsVideo
CANTON, Ohio — Senior candidates will have more opportunities to be selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the next three years. The hall’s Board of Trustees on Thursday approved several changes to the bylaws governing the selection of Hall of Fame enshrinees. In the past, only one...
Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele open with 59 to lead Zurich Classic
AVONDALE, La. — Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele are a good team even when they’re playing for cash and not just a flag. Cantlay holed a 25-foot eagle putt early and chipped in from 40 feet for birdie late, while Schauffele contributed six birdies of his own, and their three...
Kyle Busch steadily cementing a Hall of Fame NASCAR careerVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A cascade of boos rained down on Kyle Busch after his surprise win at Bristol Motor Speedway, a moment that reminded him of the icy reception the late Dale Earnhardt received after a controversial 1999 win at the track. But this wasn’t even close to that. Earnhardt...
Gonzaga stars Chet Holmgren, Andrew Nembhard declare for NBA DraftVideo
SPOKANE, Wash. — Gonzaga stars Chet Holmgren and Andrew Nembhard announced Thursday they will enter the NBA Draft. Holmgren is expected to be a top-five pick, and Nembhard is projected as a likely second-rounder. Holmgren arrived at Gonzaga as one of the most lauded recruits in program history, a 7-footer...
Penguins goalies Casey DeSmith, Louis Domingue each likely to see action by season’s end
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ approach for their final four games of the regular season will be simple. After all, it’s pretty much the same approach they adopted for the previous 78 games. “We’re going to win every game in front of us,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said Thursday. “That’s the way...
Resurrected Pittsburgh Karate Championships begin Saturday
After nearly a decade, the Pittsburgh Karate Championships return to the Pittsburgh area. The event, which ran for nearly four decades prior to its hiatus, will kick off Saturday morning at the Quality Inn in New Kensington and will feature more than 300 competitors of all ages, from those who...
Pitt’s Jeff Capel gets commitment from 6-11 Fede Federiko, formerly of First Love
Pitt added some desperately needed size and shot-blocking ability Thursday when coach Jeff Capel received a verbal commitment from 6-foot-11, 210-pound Fede Federiko, who previously played at First Love Christian Academy in Washington, Pa. Federiko is a native of Helsinki, Finland, and he played for the Finnish under-19 national team....
Tight end class that lacks elite prospects likely holds little interest for Steelers in NFL Draft
For the second year in a row, the Pittsburgh Steelers watched a veteran tight end depart in the offseason. Unlike this time last year, they won’t feel obligated to replace him with a player taken high in the NFL Draft. A few months after Vance McDonald retired after the 2020...
Pirates option RHP Roansy Contreras to Triple-A, select Chase De Jong, DFA Luis Oviedo
The Pittsburgh Pirates shook up their pitching staff Thursday when they optioned top pitching prospect Roansy Contreras to Triple-A Indianapolis and selected the contract of Chase De Jong. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Pirates designated right-hander Luis Oviedo for assignment. Contreras (1-0, 3.52 ERA) was thriving in...
Former Raiders QB Daryle Lamonica dies at age 80
Daryle Lamonica, the deep-throwing quarterback who won an AFL Player of the Year award and led the Raiders to their first Super Bowl appearance, has died. He was 80. The Fresno County Sherriff’s said Lamonica passed away at his Fresno home on Thursday morning. The death is considered to be...
After weather delays, Lernerville racing season ready to begin Friday
The weather in Sarver early Friday evening calls for temperatures in the low 60s with no rain in sight. That is good news for area racing fans who plan to flock to Lernerville Speedway as the season finally gets started. Mother Nature put a halt to the first two attempts...
Penguins to start goaltender Casey DeSmith in rematch with Bruins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are scheduled to start goaltender Casey DeSmith in Thursday’s home game against the Boston Bruins at PPG Paints Arena. In 22 games this season, DeSmith has an 8-5-5 record, a 2.89 goals-against average, a .907 save percentage and two shutouts. DeSmith was in net during Saturday’s 2-1...
2 months after Brittney Griner’s arrest, mystery surrounds her case
For another person in another country at another time, the case might have been a minor matter: an American citizen detained at an airport for allegedly possessing a cannabis derivative legal in much of the world. But the circumstances for Brittney Griner couldn’t have been worse. Griner, a WNBA All-Star...
After 1 season, Leon Ayers III decides to transfer from Duquesne
Leon Ayers III’s stay at Duquesne turned out to last one season. Ayers, who averaged 10 points per game in 2021-22, has decided to put his name in the NCAA transfer portal. A 6-foot-5 guard, he came to Duquesne last year after attending Mercer and Henry Ford (Mich.) College. He...
First Call: ESPN reporter says Baker Mayfield signs with Steelers ‘the next day’ if cut; Terrell Edmunds still ‘in the mix’ to return
Thursday’s “First Call” advances another “Baker Mayfield to the Steelers” theory. Liberty’s coach lobbies for Malik Willis to be selected as the NFL draft’s top quarterback. Discussion continues regarding a return of Terrell Edmunds to Pittsburgh. And the Washington Capitals have tied the Penguins for third place in the Metropolitan...
Tim Benz: Penguins players throw their weight — and hope — behind Casey DeSmith
Sure. It’s more than a little disingenuous. More than just a bit intellectually dishonest. But for fans of the Pittsburgh Penguins, what are they to do? Just give up when the playoffs start? Not watch the games? Yes. In Pittsburgh nowadays, there’s a lot of talking ourselves into believing when...
U mad, bro?: Pittsburgh fans tear into the Penguins, Pirates and even… the Maulers?
You didn’t think that just because the Pittsburgh Maulers are a start-up, minor league, spring football team that plays their home games in Birmingham, Ala., they’ll escape the wrath of “U mad, bro?”, did you? Hey, if “Pittsburgh” is in their name, they are not immune. The Steelers know this....
‘Game changer’: Pirates embrace pitch-calling device to improve pace, deter sign stealing
As a 33-year-old catcher in his ninth season in the major leagues who enjoyed the time-honored tradition of flashing fingers to signal pitch calls, Roberto Perez was skeptical about the introduction of pitch-calling technology. Wearing a push-button transmitter on the inside of his left forearm to call pitches was a...
Pirates farm report for April 20, 2022: Anthony Alford homers in Indy win
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 7-6) moved back over .500 with a 5-3 win over Columbus (Guardians). LF Anthony Alford (.167), on a rehab assignment with a wrist injury, went 1 for 4 with a home run. RF Cal Mitchell (.372) went 3 for 4 with a stolen base. LC Canaan Smith-Njigba (.235)...
Reynolds tabbed to lead men’s basketball program at Point Park
After leading a turnaround of considerable note at Slippery Rock, Kevin Reynolds will look to do something similar at Point Park. He was announced Wednesday as the next head men’s basketball coach at NAIA Point Park, replacing Joe Lewandowski, who resigned in March after four seasons in charge of the...
Jay Wright resigns as Villanova coach; Kyle Neptune takes over
PHILADELPHIA — Jay Wright shocked college basketball Wednesday night with his immediate resignation at Villanova, the Big East program he led to two national championships and four Final Fours in a Hall of Fame career. The 60-year-old Wright guided Villanova to titles in 2016 and 2018 and just led the...
Fox Sports makes Easter Sunday a NASCAR ratings success
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Dirt will be back on NASCAR’s schedule next year and likely on Easter Sunday again if Fox Sports has its way. NASCAR delivered the most-watched race at Bristol Motor Speedway since 2016 on Sunday night when an average 4,007,000 viewers tuned in as the Cup Series raced...
