Sports category, Page 1399
Recruiting wars: A&M’s Fisher says rumors about booster-funded endorsement deals are ‘garbage’Video
After Texas A&M added yet another blue-chip prospect to the highest-rated recruiting class in college football Wednesday, coach Jimbo Fisher went off about rumors that booster-funded endorsement deals were fueling the Aggies’ success. “There is no $30 million fund. There is no 10 million, there is no five million. This...
Home again, Frank Cignetti Jr. eager to get his hands on Pitt’s offense
Frank Cignetti Jr. took big, eager steps Wednesday when he entered Pitt’s team meeting room. There, he hugged an old friend, acknowledged another with a great-seeing-you-again wave and, truly, looked like a guy who had just returned home for the first time in years. Which is, actually, the case. “It’s...
Spieth, Cantlay carry load of limited star power at PebbleVideo
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Patrick Cantlay was 12 when his father first brought him to Pebble Beach, and it remains one of his favorite golf courses in the world. “Every time I’m here I feel lucky and no different this week,” he said. Jordan Spieth feels the same way. He...
West Virginia adds wide receiver Cortez Braham to 2022 recruiting class
West Virginia’s football team added a fourth wide receiver to its 2022 recruiting class. Cortez Braham (6-foot-2, 193 pounds), a junior receiver from Hutchinson Community College in Kansas, signed a letter of intent Wednesday. He has three years of eligibility remaining. He had 68 receptions and 1,387 yards in two...
With Mike Munchak on the market, interim Steelers OL coach Chris Morgan leaves for Bears
The Pittsburgh Steelers soon will have their fifth offensive line coach since January 2019. Or maybe could it, perhaps, be an old name to fill the newest incarnation of the job’s opening? Chris Morgan, the Steelers’ assistant O-line coach in 2021 who filled in as the top position coach late...
3-star offensive lineman signs with Penn State on National Signing Day
UNIVERSITY PARK — Penn State seemed to have its Class of 2022 firmed up when it inked 23 signees during the early signing period in December. But Nittany Lions coach James Franklin and his staff want to leave no stone unturned on the recruiting trail, and some of that work...
America East bans Stony Brook from conference tournaments
Stony Brook’s basketball teams will need to receive at-large bids to the NCAAs if the Seawolves want to make it to the tournament this year. The America East announced Wednesday that the school is ineligible for conference postseason tournaments because it’s leaving for the Colonial Athletic Association next year. Stony...
Mark Madden: Forever linked, Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin are still faces of the NHL
Tuesday’s matchup between Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin wasn’t enthralling statistically: Crosby got two assists but remained two goals away from 500 on his career. Ovechkin went pointless and has scored just once in his last 14 regular-season games vs. the Penguins. It didn’t much matter in terms of grabbing...
Penguins assign 4 to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
The Penguins assigned forwards Kasper Bjorkqvist and Michael Chaput as well as defensemen P.O Joseph and Juuso Riikola to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL). All four players were recently recalled and assigned to the NHL club’s taxi squad. Bjorkqvist made his NHL debut earlier this season and has...
Shortened Olympic torch relay starts for Beijing Games
BEIJING — The three-day torch relay for the Beijing Olympics, shortened considerably because of concerns about the coronavirus, started Wednesday with an 80-year-old former speedskater carrying the flame. The relay opened at the Olympic Forest Park. Luo Zhihuan, the country’s first internationally competitive speedskater, ran the first leg. The torch...
Brian Flores says he won’t drop lawsuit even if hired as NFL coach
Brian Flores says his lawsuit against the NFL over alleged racist hiring practices will continue even if he becomes a head coach again this offseason. Flores interviewed with the Houston Texans and New Orleans Saints, who have yet to fill their coaching vacancies. If they call, Flores will listen, but...
Tom Brady bids football adieu, thanks everyone — except Patriots
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The greatness of Tom Brady’s NFL career can’t be exaggerated. He took the New England Patriots to the upper echelon of the league during his 20-year run with the team, filling the franchise’s trophy case with six Lombardi trophies while cementing his own status as possibly the...
Washington’s NFL team unveils new name as Commanders
Washington’s NFL team is now known as the Commanders. The new name unveiled Wednesday comes 18 months after the once-storied franchise dropped its old moniker following decades of criticism that it was offensive to Native Americans and under fresh pressure from sponsors. The organization committed to avoiding Native American imagery...
Tim Benz: Pacman Jones doesn’t want Steelers fans on the Bengals’ bandwagon. Let’s help calm his concerns
Former Cincinnati Bengals defensive back Adam “Pacman” Jones says he doesn’t want Pittsburgh Steelers fans glomming on to the Super Bowl success of his former franchise. “We don’t want none of the Pittsburgh fans jumping on the bandwagon,” Jones told 93.7 The Fan this week. I’m pretty sure he has...
Penguins lose 4th straight, falling to Capitals in overtime
The Penguins reached a milestone on Tuesday. And not a good one. Their 4-3 overtime home loss to the Washington Capitals at PPG Paints Arena extended their losing streak to a season-worst four games. But as they enter the All-Star break, they aren’t despondent about the results. In fact, they...
U.S. gets Honduras for chilly World Cup qualifier in MinnesotaVideo
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Since World Cup qualifying entered this special winter session, the U.S. has embraced the cold and its accompanying advantage over an opponent from a tropical country. The bring-it-on attitude will be put to a stiff test Wednesday night in Minnesota, where the U.S. will stage a...
Duquesne’s losing streak reaches 6 in loss to Richmond
The losses hurt so bad that Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot made a confession Tuesday night during his 20-minute postgame chat with reporters. “There are a lot of days I feel like eating this microphone,” he said. That was after the Dukes were swallowed up by Richmond in the second half...
Rams’ Andrew Whitworth excited to go against former team in Super BowlVideo
LOS ANGELES — If anyone has an appreciation for the long, winding road the Cincinnati Bengals have taken to their first Super Bowl in 33 years, it is Andrew Whitworth. But if the Los Angeles Rams left tackle wants to win his first championship, he will have to do it...
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo says goodbye to 49ers fansVideo
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Before Jimmy Garoppolo finished his 17-minute season-ending news conference, he wanted to deliver a message to the San Francisco 49ers fans who supported him the past five seasons. “It’s been crazy, man. Just all the comebacks at Levi’s, comebacks on the road, ups and downs. It’s...
MLS rising global profile evident in latest transfer windowVideo
As the talent level in Major League Soccer grows, so does the inevitable loss of young players to top clubs abroad. For fans, that might be disappointing, but it’s good for the league. Transfers can bring MLS clubs big money, which can then be used to develop more players and...
Jim Litke: Tom Brady’s goodbye leaves (almost) everyone smilingVideo
The smart ones get out while people are still lining up to see them play. Tom Brady was even smarter than that. He was so good for so long that it made the toughest decision of his own career easy for everybody else. Sure, it could have gone smoother. As...
Freeport International Baseball Invitational looks to bring in overseas teams for 2022 event
Despite recent temperatures in the single digits and snow on the ground, officials and others connected to the Freeport International Baseball Invitational are thinking of warm and sunny weather as plans move forward with this summer’s 28th annual event. FIBI president Chuck Sarver said Monday that a team from Israel...
Buccaneers exploring options for successor to Tom BradyVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — Long before Tom Brady called its quits, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers began contemplating a future without the seven-time Super Bowl winner. Brady announced his retirement Tuesday, ending an unparalleled career that began with a two-decade stint with the New England Patriots followed by two seasons with the...
Kenny Pickett gets his 1st taste of the NFL at Senior Bowl
Still months removed from his first NFL paycheck, Kenny Pickett nonethless is getting his first taste of life as pro quarterback this week at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. Four hours of interviews with NFL personnel Monday, followed by full schedule Tuesday that included practice, more interviews and a...
With packed portal, NCAA signing day becomes transfer seasonVideo
The transfer portal remains remains packed as college football’s second signing period arrives, a glut that has the sport’s leaders pondering ways to clean up a roster management mess. The most notable free agent came off the market Tuesday when former Oklahoma quarterback Caleb Williams made his long-anticipated transfer to...
