Sports category, Page 1409
First Call: Joe Manganiello narrates Sidney Crosby doc; progress on Aaron Donald contract; Tom Brady update; Gronk to Bills?
In Thursday’s “First Call,” Hollywood star Joe Manganiello channels his Western Pennsylvania roots as narrator of a new Sidney Crosby documentary. Also, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers may not look kindly on Tom Brady going elsewhere if he comes out of retirement. The Buffalo Bills may try to bring Rob Gronkowski...
What to watch in WPIAL finals: North Hills boys, 3 others seek 1st basketball title
North Hills senior Alex Smith and his older brother Nick have a strong sibling rivalry that carries over to the basketball court. Here’s a debate they just can’t seem to finish: Whose high school team was better, Alex’s or Nick’s? The younger brother hopes to have the last word in...
Duquesne’s losing streak hits 15 games after triple-overtime loss at George Washington
Everybody wanted it, but nobody wanted it. Until George Washington decided it wasn’t going to be the one to end Duquesne’s monumental, 15-game losing streak. Joe Bamisile scored 30 points and George Washington survived Duquesne’s valiant bid for another elusive victory to come away with a 98-93 triple-overtime victory Wednesday...
Thanks to $3 million bonus, Jon Rahm makes unexpected debut at Bay HillVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — Jon Rahm plays so much during the West Coast swing that he could never find room in his schedule for the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Now he has 1.5 million reasons to make his debut at Bay Hill. Rahm, the U.S. Open champion and No. 1 player in...
Ex-Sooners QB Spencer Rattler ready for restart at South CarolinaVideo
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Spencer Rattler is not sure how things went sideways when he was Oklahoma’s quarterback, he just knows it was time for a reset and believes he’s found it at South Carolina. “I feel totally refreshed to be at a new university, a great university like this,” Rattler...
Analysis: Anger as much as money at center of broken MLB labor talksVideo
JUPITER, Fla. — Anger is at the center of Major League Baseball’s broken labor negotiations as much as money. Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred’s cancellation of each team’s first two series is a byproduct of failed relationships in a fractured sport that can’t get out of its own way. Negotiators headed...
UMass forward Sam Breen, former North Catholic star, named Atlantic 10’s top player
Sam Breen went from the Big Ten to the Atlantic 10. Ten and 10, that’s right up Breen’s alley. The former North Catholic star is a double-double producer and durable post presence for Massachusetts in her fifth season of college basketball, and her counterparts have noticed. The 6-foot-1 Breen, who...
WVU golfer Mark Goetz collects third college win
With three sub-70 rounds, Greensburg’s Mark Goetz chiseled out a two-shot victory at the Lake Las Vegas Intercollegiate, an event his West Virginia team also won in a runaway. Goetz, a fifth-year senior, shot 65, 67 and 69 to finish at 15-under-par 201 at Reflection Bay Golf Club in Henderson,...
Getting chance to stay in Pittsburgh would be ‘unbelievable’ for former Pitt QB Kenny Pickett
INDIANAPOLIS — In his five years at Pitt, Kenny Pickett spent enough time on the practice fields the Panthers share with the Pittsburgh Steelers that he developed a rapport with coach Mike Tomlin. He remembers the first time Tomlin plopped down on the benches outside UPMC Rooney Sports Complex and...
Pitt’s Jordan Addison eager to accept increased expectations
If you’re a wide receiver and you insist on running past opposing players like they’re fence posts … If you get your kicks wrestling the football from a cornerback, turning and running into the end zone to clinch a championship … If you must make 166 catches at more than...
Tiger Woods beats out Phil Mickelson for $8M impact bonusVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — Tiger Woods still moves the needle in golf even when he barely plays. The PGA Tour informed players Wednesday that Woods was the winner of the new $40 million “Player Impact Program” that rewards those who generate the most positive interest in golf measured by five metrics....
Bill Plaschke: Blame clueless owners for selfishly canceling MLB games and hurting fansVideo
LOS ANGELES — If you had plans to attend any of the first seven games at Dodger Stadium this season, don’t bother. Baseball is locking you out. If you had plans to make a trip to check out Mike Trout or Shohei Ohtani in Oakland or Seattle during the season’s...
Penguins notes: Penalty kill settling down after worst stretch of season
Through the first 50 games, the Pittsburgh Penguins hadn’t allowed as many as four opponent power-play goals over any six-game stretch all season. So when Toronto, Carolina and New Jersey combined for four power-play goals over a recent three-game span, coach Mike Sullivan took notice. “We went through a rough...
Penguins’ Kris Letang not focused on pending free agency, rumors of departure
Kris Letang didn’t deny he is aware of it. But to him, it’s nothing new. The veteran defenseman’s eight-year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins expires this summer, leading to plenty of “noise” in the form of rumors his tenure with the team will, too. “I mean, that noise has been...
Call it a ‘measuring stick’ or not, Penguins prep for tough stretch vs. NHL’s top teams
Perhaps it was an ESPN “power ranking” published a few hours earlier that pegged the Pittsburgh Penguins as the sixth-best team in the Eastern Conference. Or maybe Kris Letang recently had been informed sportsbooks are giving the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers at least twice as good of odds...
Steelers notebook: Matt Corral welcomes chance to follow Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback
INDIANAPOLIS — Some NFL prospects might shy away from the thought of immediately replacing a Hall of Fame quarterback. Matt Corral isn’t of that mindset. Corral, the redshirt junior from Mississippi, is prepared to follow in the footsteps of Ben Roethlisberger provided he is drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers. “Who...
Nearing the end of his farewell tour, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’s emotions run high, but he said it’s all about team
There were grown men holding back tears on the floor of the Petersen Events Center on Tuesday, but emotions might flow more freely Saturday night in Durham, N.C. Before its 86-56 loss to the Blue Devils, Pitt honored retiring Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski with a ceremony recognizing his 47 years...
Penn-Trafford, Franklin Regional grads start podcast to help athletes when cheering stops
Keep chasing the life you want to live. That is one of the core messages Tim Cortazzo and Colin Jonov want to push in a new podcast they created called “Identity Impact.” The pair of former Division I football players from Westmoreland County high schools want to assist former athletes...
Mark Madden: Drafting Malik Willis solves nothing for the Steelers in 2022
Draftnik Mel Kiper Jr. says the Pittsburgh Steelers will choose Liberty quarterback Malik Willis with the 20th pick of the NFL Draft. That’s on Kiper’s big board. It’s not nearly as big as Kiper’s hair but is bigger than Kenny Pickett’s hands. (Kiper has the Pitt quarterback going No. 11...
Giants add former Pittsburgh Passion player to coaching staff
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants have added a second woman to their coaching staff, and started clearing cap space for free agency by releasing veteran tight end Kyle Rudolph. Rudolph confirmed his release in a tweet. New coach Brian Daboll on Wednesday announced Angela Baker, a Carlynton...
Penn State’s Rasheed Walker a ‘true boom or bust player’ entering NFL combine
STATE COLLEGE — For Daniel Jeremiah, the case for and against Rasheed Walker as an NFL prospect is present in one game from the Penn State offensive lineman’s final season with the Nittany Lions. During a conference call last week, the NFL Media draft analyst pointed to Penn State’s November...
Ukrainian athletes join military after Russian invasion
Less than two weeks ago, Dmytro Pidruchnyi was competing at the Winter Olympics in Ukraine’s national colors. Now he’s wearing a military uniform and ballistic helmet. Pidruchnyi is a world champion in biathlon, which combines skiing and shooting, and a three-time Olympian. He returned home from Beijing last week just...
Pirates adjust plans for 2022 home opener
After failing to reach a new collective bargaining agreement, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday announced the cancellation of the first two series of the regular season. The Pittsburgh Pirates are now tentatively scheduled to open the season April 7 with a four-game series at the St. Louis Cardinals. The...
Tim Benz: Kevin Colbert’s comments on Najee Harris unexpected, but not unfounded
When it comes to Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert, I don’t think he goes out of his way to lie to the media during his rare meetings with us. But I do think he avoids giving direct answers to the best of his ability. It’s as if he has...
U mad, bro?: Pittsburgh fans have early barbs for Penguins at trade deadline, the Pirates — even the Maulers
Two treats for this week’s “U mad, bro?” First, because of some scheduling quirks, it’s coming a day early. Second, Pittsburgh fans are so special, they have managed to work their way into complaining about a franchise that hasn’t even held its first practice, rules changes that haven’t even been...
