Sports category, Page 1482
Penguins forward Jason Zucker misses practice as a ‘maintenance day’
Penguins forward Jason Zucker did not participate in the team’s practice in Cranberry on Saturday. Coach Mike Sullivan termed his absence as a “maintenance day.” In 29 games this season, Zucker has 10 points (four goals, six assists). Forward Evgeni Malkin practiced as well but not in a full-contact fashion....
Norwin grads looking forward to sibling rivalry on college court
Magen and Mara Polczynski have Jan. 19 and Feb. 16 circled on their calendars. They have for a while now. Those are the days when the Westminster and Grove City women’s basketball teams will meet in Presidents’ Athletic Conference games. The teams are traditional rivals that don’t need much motivation...
Wexford native’s racing career takes left turn into full-time NASCAR truck series ride
If someone told Kris Wright in November of 2019 that he’d be racing full time in NASCAR in three years, he would’ve told them they were crazy. That’s because he had just signed a deal to race in Formula 3 in Europe. Little did Wright or anyone else know in...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Evan Rodrigues deserves to stay on Penguins’ top line
Pascal Dupuis was a nondescript talent before playing on a line with Sidney Crosby. Skating with Crosby made him a legit top-six winger. Chris Kunitz was average before playing on a line with Crosby. Skating with Crosby turned Kunitz into a first-team NHL All-Star and Olympic gold medalist. Crosby can’t...
Steelers Four Downs: Najee Harris under siege by defenders quickly
1. Happy with Harris In today’s NFL world, it’s become controversial to invest too many resources in running backs. That made the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-round draft choice of Najee Harris one to keep an eye on. So far, the traditional measures of results have been mixed. But what about a...
Spokesman: Jaguars owner waited after game before deciding to fire Urban MeyerVideo
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars are trying to set the record straight about owner Shad Khan’s firing of embattled coach Urban Meyer. A spokesman for Khan told the Associated Press on Friday night that the decision to move on from Meyer was made after Jacksonville’s 20-0 loss at Tennessee...
Minor league report: Forward Jared Cockrell leads Nailers past Admirals
Two goals by forward Jared Cockrell led the Wheeling Nailers to a 3-1 road win against the Norfolk Admirals at the Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, Va. on Friday. Goaltender Stephanos Lekkas made 32 saves on 33 shots for Wheeling (13-8-1-0) while forward Bobby Hampton added a goal. The Nailers’ next...
Coastal Carolina holds off Northern Illinois in wild Cure BowlVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — Grayson McCall threw four touchdown passes, and Coastal Carolina held off Northern Illinois, 47-41, in the Cure Bowl on Friday night, with the game ending with the Huskies at the Chanticleers 4. McCall was 22 for 30 for 315 yards, and Braydon Bennett ran 108 yards and...
Jeff Carter, penalty killers help Penguins run winning streak to 6 with OT victoryVideo
Jeff Carter was relieved. Sure, scoring an overtime goal and leading the Penguins to a hard-fought 3-2 home win against the Buffalo Sabres at PPG Paints Arena will sate the soul. But seeing your teammates kill a penalty you took with less than five seconds remaining in regulation? That will...
NHL shuts down 2 more teams for a week amid covid surgeVideo
Postponements and coronavirus problems for the NHL are coming at a dizzying and disquieting pace not seen since earlier in the pandemic. The league shut down two more teams through the Christmas holiday break Friday, eager to avoid putting all 32 on pause amid worsening covid-19 conditions across North America....
Forward Sam Lafferty returns to the Penguins’ lineup
With forward Brian Boyle sidelined by an undisclosed injury, the Penguins inserted reserve forward Sam Lafferty into their lineup for Friday’s home game against the Buffalo Sabres at PPG Paints Arena. It was only Lafferty’s eighth game of the season. He has been a healthy scratch for 22 of the...
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson listed as questionable against PackersVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens listed Lamar Jackson as questionable for Sunday’s game against Green Bay because of his sprained ankle. Jackson missed practice Wednesday and Thursday, and the team listed him as having sat out Friday as well. The listing Friday was an estimate since the Ravens...
Tiger Woods returns at PNC Championship, still ‘long way’ from tournament golfVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — Tiger Woods walked onto the tee for a routine pro-am round Friday and felt an unexpected dose of nerves, realizing how long it had been since he had an audience on the golf course. The small grandstand behind the tee was packed, everyone on their feet. Spectators...
Middle Tennessee tops Toledo in Bahamas to begin bowl seasonVideo
NASSAU, Bahamas — Freshman Nick Vattiato threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns, including a 59-yard scoring pass to Jarrin Pierce with 6 minutes, 24 seconds left, and Middle Tennessee beat Toledo, 31-24, on Friday in the Bahamas Bowl. Two plays after Toledo’s 32-yard punt, Vattiato connected with a wide-open...
Trickle-down economics at heart of MLB labor disputeVideo
NEW YORK — Francisco Lindor’s $341 million contract with the New York Mets was supposed to be a boon for other shortstops. Same for pitchers when aces Gerrit Cole and Max Scherzer signed megadeals. Baseball players long have benefited from trickle-down economics, where stars set a market that leads to...
Loss in NCAA semifinal brings down curtain on stellar careers of Pitt volleyball players Kayla Lund, Chinaza Ndee
Kayla Lund rose up — as she had so many times during her Pitt volleyball career — and swung her arm in its signature windmill motion. She took aim at yet another kill, one she hoped would extend the Panthers’ stay in their first Final Four just a bit longer....
Pitt cornerback Damarri Mathis plans to skip Peach Bowl
Pitt lost another starter for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Friday when senior cornerback Damarri Mathis announced on Twitter his plans to skip the game and focus on preparing for the NFL Draft. Mathis has been invited to the Senior Bowl next month, but he is not listed among ESPN...
Steelers vs. Titans: Joe Haden questionable but Alex Highsmith, Robert Spillane to play
It has been more than a month since Joe Haden was able to play in a game. While it is yet to be assured he will play Sunday, the veteran Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback appears to be as close as he has been since suffering a foot injury Nov. 14. Haden...
Browns-Raiders game pushed by NFL to Monday amid covid cases
CLEVELAND — The Browns got a welcomed reprieve on Friday after days of positive covid-19 tests. The NFL moved Cleveland’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders to Monday as the Browns grappled with a virus outbreak that sidelined coach Kevin Stefanski, quarterback Baker Mayfield and more than a dozen regulars....
Steelers’ Najee Harris — again — reiterates he’s not concerned with heavy workload
His usual post-practice Friday session with media was moved from in-person outdoors to a Zoom format. But for Najee Harris, one thing remained the same: fielding questions about whether he is concerned about the heavy workload he has shouldered as a rookie running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers. “You guys...
Steelers T.J. Watt says he’s going to play vs. Titans
T.J. Watt didn’t make everyone wait for the Pittsburgh Steelers to release their injury status report regarding Sunday’s scheduled home game against the Tennessee Titans. “I’m going to play,” Watt said early Friday afternoon. When the injury report cane out more than 3½ hours later, Watt was listed as a...
Steelers’ Pat Freiermuth moves on from failed catch at end of last game
In the immediate aftermath of having his hands on the ball on the final play of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ most recent loss, tight end Pat Freiermuth was said to be “taking it hard.” For a rookie who has made a name for himself because of his reliable hands and “combat-catch”...
Winnipeg Jets coach Paul Maurice resigns; Dave Lowry gets interim job
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Winnipeg Jets coach Paul Maurice has resigned in a surprise move in his ninth year with the team. The team announced Maurice’s decision on Friday, and said it was effective immediately. Dave Lowry was elevated to interim coach. The Jets (13-10-5) have dropped three of four heading...
Penn State QB Sean Clifford addresses whether Kenny Pickett influenced his decision to return in 2022
One week ago, Penn State veteran quarterback Sean Clifford announced he would return for a sixth season with the Nittany Lions. Assuming good health, Clifford will head into the offseason primed to be a four-year starter, something rarely seen in college football. Clifford and his teammates still have one game...
Penguins forward Brian Boyle out against Sabres
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Brian Boyle will miss Friday’s home game against the Buffalo Sabres due to an undisclosed injury. Coach Mike Sullivan labeled his status as “day to day.” Boyle did not participate in an optional morning skate on Friday, a day after he was absent from practice in Cranberry....
