Sports category, Page 1451
Tim Benz: Penguins need to accept holiday gifts from NHL schedule maker
As Christmas approaches, the NHL schedule makers have already sent the Penguins a few early presents. Let’s hope the Penguins graciously accept them. The next five games for the Penguins, between Tuesday and Christmas, are all extremely winnable contests. • A Tuesday, Dec. 14 home game against the Montreal Canadiens....
Matthew Stafford leads Rams’ air attack in win over Cardinals
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Matthew Stafford threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns, Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr. each caught a touchdown pass and the Los Angeles Rams held on for a 30-23 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night. The Cardinals (10-3) will have to wait at least...
Ravens hoping injured QB Lamar Jackson can return quickly
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — This was the absence Baltimore could least afford. The Ravens are hopeful it won’t linger. Lamar Jackson missed most of Sunday’s loss at Cleveland after spraining his ankle, but a day later, coach John Harbaugh said the star quarterback did not have a high ankle sprain....
NFL requiring covid-19 booster shots by Dec. 27
The NFL is requiring coaches, front-office staff and team personnel to receive a covid-19 booster by Dec. 27. In a memo sent to teams Monday and obtained by the Associated Press, the league said: “Given the increased prevalence of the virus in our communities, our experts have recommended that we...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Hempfield’s Burns rewriting record book
Michelle Burns came back for a fifth year at Point Park, which basically rendered the women’s basketball program’s record book defenseless. The grad point guard out of Hempfield topped the 1,500-point mark for her career during an 86-84 loss to Washington Adventist. She had 29 points in the game and...
So you’re sayin’ there’s a chance? Steelers’ path to postseason rife with pitfalls
In a reverse take of the message ubiquitous on the rearview mirrors of cars, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ chances of making the playoffs are smaller than they appear. When Week 14 of the NFL season wrapped up Monday night, the Steelers sat just a half-game out of sixth place in the...
NHL postpones 3 Flames games because of covid-19 outbreak
NEW YORK — The NHL postponed the Calgary Flames’ next three games after six players and a staff member entered the league’s covid-19 protocol over a 24-hour period. The Flames announced Monday that forwards Elias Lindholm, Andrew Mangiapane, Brad Richardson and Adam Ruzicka and defensemen Chris Tanev and Nikita Zadorov...
Baylor men grab No. 1 spot in AP Top 25 rankings
Baylor won the national championship last season without ever reaching No. 1 in the AP Top 25. The Bears are there now. Baylor took advantage of Purdue’s last-second loss to Rutgers last week to become the fourth team at No. 1 in the past four weeks. The Bears earned every...
Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker uncertain vs. Pitt in Peach Bowl
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State coach Mel Tucker said Monday he was uncertain whether All-America running back Kenneth Walker will play for 11th-ranked Spartans against No. 13 Pittsburgh in the Peach Bowl. The Big Ten Coach of the Year said Walker is battling through some things. The transfer from...
Despite inconsistent play, Steelers’ Devin Bush believes ‘I’m the same player’ from before ACL injury
As players taken with the team’s top selection in the 2019 and ‘20 drafts, Devin Bush and Chase Claypool are supposed to be rising stars in the NFL, foundational pieces around which the Pittsburgh Steelers can build. Instead, the third-year inside linebacker and second-year wide receiver have become the lightning...
Covid issues prompt NBA to postpone Bulls’ next 2 games
CHICAGO — The NBA postponed the Chicago Bulls’ next two games on Monday, with 10 of the team’s players in the league’s health and safety protocols. The Bulls were scheduled to host the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday and visit the Toronto Raptors on Thursday. No makeup dates were announced. The...
Titans’ about-face results in shutout win, brighter outlook
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans returned from their much-needed bye week and got their first home shutout since 2000. On Sunday, the Titans bested AFC South rival Jacksonville 20-0 thanks to a defense that intercepted Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence four times. It was an about-face from the previous two...
USA Gymnastics, USOPC reach $380M settlement with victimsVideo
The legal wrangling between USA Gymnastics and the victims of sexual abuse by former national team doctor Larry Nassar, among others, is over. The fight for substantive change within the sport’s national governing body is just beginning. A federal bankruptcy court in Indianapolis on Monday confirmed a $380 million settlement...
Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin continues to progress in recovery
Injured Pittsburgh Penguins forwards Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust all took to the ice Monday at the team’s facility in Cranberry. Malkin, still recovering from offseason surgery on his right knee, was the only of the three who participated in the formal portion of practice. Wearing a white...
Penguins forward Danton Heinen chases a new high scoreVideo
Danton Heinen didn’t have much stability this past summer. He was a restricted free agent, and the Anaheim Ducks opted not to extend a contract offer to the versatile forward, allowing him to walk away as an unrestricted free agent. The Pittsburgh Penguins, with limited salary cap space, signed him...
Penn State quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson enters transfer portal
Following last week’s announcement that Penn State starting quarterback Sean Clifford would return for a sixth season, third-string quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson entered his name into the transfer portal on Monday morning. “Thank you Penn State University for the countless, unforgettable memories, and life long relationships that was built these past...
Injury-hit UConn down to No. 7, lowest Top 25 spot since ’07
UConn dropped four spots to No. 7 in the women’s AP Top 25 released Monday, its lowest ranking in 14 years after losing its first game against an unranked team since 2012. The Huskies fell to Georgia Tech last week in its first game without sophomore star Paige Bueckers, who...
Pitt’s Jordan Addison named first-team All-American by AP; Kenny Pickett, Calijah Kancey also honored
Pitt wide receiver Jordan Addison, quarterback Kenny Pickett and defensive tackle Calijah Kancey were named Associated Press All-Americans Monday. Addison was a first-team selection while Pickett, a Heisman Trophy finalist and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner, was named to the second team and Kancey to the third team. It...
Monmouth coach King Rice’s past gives him unique perspective on suspended Pitt player Ithiel Horton
King Rice stopped by Petersen Events Center on Sunday night, presumably just to win a basketball game. He did that, leading Monmouth to a 56-52 victory against Pitt, boosting his team’s record to 8-2. After the game, he had something to say about an issue that matters to him more...
Ligonier Valley graduate Marrek Paola grows into key player for Seton Hill
Marrek Paola’s height is up for debate. At Ligonier Valley, Paola was listed at 6-foot-6. Seton Hill’s basketball roster says the junior forward is 6-foot-10. His actual height? “On a good day, 6-9, 6-10,” Paola said with a laugh. “I grew about an inch since I got to college. I...
Freeport grad Jenna Manke takes on leadership role under new Allegheny women’s basketball staffVideo
When Kelly Muffley took over as the Allegheny women’s basketball coach six months ago, not only was she moving into her first head-coaching job, she was inheriting a roster that was more than half freshmen and sophomores. She needed strong senior leadership to smooth the transition and set the tone...
Tim Benz: As decision day looms for Robert Morris hockey, fundraising efforts approach goals
Most hockey teams go into extra skater mode in the final minutes of a game. For the Robert Morris Colonials, they’ve been living in that world since May. That’s when university President Dr. Christopher Howard blindsided both the men’s and women’s hockey teams with the news that the programs would...
Aaron Rodgers throws 4 TD passes, Packers defeat Bears
GREEN BAY, Wis. — After an extraordinary second quarter in which the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears exchanged body blows, the NFL’s oldest rivalry returned to normal, with Aaron Rodgers once again delivering a knockout punch. Rodgers threw for 341 yards and four touchdowns to continue his mastery of...
Madden Monday: ‘I don’t think (the Steelers) will go QB in the 1st round. They’ll let Mason Rudolph start and see how he does’
In this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden of TribLIVE and 105.9 The X has a warning for you: Don’t get fooled again! After what we saw against the Los Angeles Chargers earlier in the year, don’t get tricked by that failed fourth-quarter comeback from the Steelers against the Minnesota...
First Call: Minkah Fitzpatrick sounds off about officiating; Steelers among favorites to land Russell Wilson; T.J. Watt fined
No Steelers game this weekend. No problem for Monday’s “First Call.” A bunch of Steelers news nuggets cropped up in the days after their Thursday night loss in Minnesota. So we mined them for you. Among the headlines, Minkah Fitzpatrick is mad at NFL officials. T.J. Watt got fined. The...
