Sports category, Page 156
Penguins prospect Chase Pietila embraces ‘meaner’ defense as his route to the NHL
Even if he isn’t in the NHL just yet, Chase Pietila had his “welcome to the NHL moment” this past spring. On March 12, three days after he signed his three-year entry-level contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Pietila was brought to UMPC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry to get a...
Steelers A to Z: Ben Skowronek proved a nice acquisition as ‘gunner,’ depth receiver
Editor’s note: From now until reporting day to training camp at Saint Vincent College, TribLive is running through the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 90-man roster, looking at each player and assessing his outlook for the 2025 season. The breakdown will run in alphabetical order with at least two players each day between...
First Call: Report claims NFL teams ‘don’t really expect’ a T.J. Watt trade; update on Najee Harris’ eye injury
Tuesday’s “First Call” examines the latest news on T.J. Watt’s contract. We have an update on Najee Harris’ eye. Paul Coffey has a new gig with the Edmonton Oilers. And a Pitt baseball pitcher gets picked in the MLB Draft. Waiting on Watt For T.J. Watt, the roadblock in his...
Pirates are being leveraged by both sides in MLB’s economics debate
As is usually the case around the All-Star break, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred pops up quite a bit with annual “state of the league” media interactions. Often, his quotes come with some sort of player-salary cost control messaging. Equally as predictable are retorts from the MLB Players Association,...
Pair of Pitt Panthers picked by Padres on 2nd day of MLB Draft
A pair of Pitt baseball players were chosen by the San Diego Padres on the second day of the MLB Draft on Monday. Left-handed pitcher Ryan Reed was selected in the 15th round (460th overall) and first baseman Luke Cantwell went in the 20th round (610th overall) Reed went 5-4...
Pirates’ Oneil Cruz wows with moonshots but is eliminated in semifinal round of Home Run DerbyVideo
The Home Run Derby has been notoriously unkind to Pittsburgh Pirates participants over the years. While the format has changed often, no Pirates player had ever advanced out of the first round heading into the 2025 T-Mobile Home Run Derby in Atlanta. Oneil Cruz, MLB’s resident Statcast record-shatterer, whose 6-foot-7...
Jannik Sinner wanted to win Wimbledon, but he really needed to beat Carlos Alcaraz
LONDON — Jannik Sinner needed this victory. He wanted to win Wimbledon, of course, and it would have meant a lot to him no matter who the opponent was in the final. That this championship, his fourth at a Grand Slam tournament, came via a win over Carlos Alcaraz made...
Fox Chapel’s David Fuhrer II gets off to blistering start at WPGA Amateur
Fox Chapel graduate David Fuhrer II got off to a blistering start to his opening round, making birdie on five of the first eight holes, to take the lead after the first day of the WPGA Amateur Championship on Monday at Sunnehanna Country Club in Johnstown. Fuhrer went out in...
Neal Shipley closing in on PGA Tour card
Neal Shipley has almost secured a spot on the PGA Tour in 2026. Another win for the Mr. Lebanon native on the Korn Ferry Tour this season would earn him an automatic promotion to the PGA Tour, effective for the next full-field event. Shipley shot an 8-under par 64 on...
Sun Belt approves move to lure Louisiana Tech from Conference USA
NEW ORLEANS — The Sun Belt Conference has formally approved a proposal to extend a membership invitation to Louisiana Tech, a person familiar with the situation said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Monday because the Sun Belt has not announced the membership offer,...
Pirates’ Paul Skenes ready to start All-Star Game again: ‘A huge honor and huge opportunity’Video
In part stemming from an aversion to receiving compliments, hyping up himself and publicity in general, Paul Skenes can be notoriously succinct when asked about his growing list of accolades as a major-leaguer. After all, last summer, when Skenes was named to the All-Star Game, as well as the NL’s...
NFL legend John Elway won’t be charged in golf cart accident that killed former agent Jeff Sperbeck
LA QUINTA, Calif. — NFL Hall of Famer John Elway won’t be charged after his business partner Jeffrey Sperbeck was fatally injured falling out of his golf cart at a Southern California golf resort community last April, authorities said. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco told KUSA-TV in Denver on Friday...
Former Nailers coach Derek Army hired as assistant with AHL’s Colorado Eagles
Derek Army is leaving as head coach of the Wheeling Nailers, ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins, to accept an assistant coaching position with the Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League. Colorado announced the hiring via a release on Monday. Army took over as interim head coach of the...
Rory McIlroy returns home for the British Open ready to embrace the love
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Rory McIlroy practically had Royal Portrush all to himself Monday morning, but not for long. By the time he finished his first practice round for the British Open — his first time back on these links in 2,187 days — there was a big crowd that...
The SEC and Big Ten are currently at a standstill over the College Football Playoff format
ATLANTA — Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey said Monday that, despite frequent conversations with Big Ten counterpart Tony Petitti, the two leagues have yet to agree on the College Football Playoff format after this upcoming season and could leave it at 12 teams. The disagreement doesn’t stem from a lack...
Steelers A to Z: 10th-year guard Isaac Seumalo the lone veteran on the starting O-line
Editor’s note: From now until reporting day to training camp at Saint Vincent College, TribLive is running through the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 90-man roster, looking at each player and assessing his outlook for the 2025 season. The breakdown will run in alphabetical order with at least two players each day between...
Penguins to participate in Prospect Challenge event at Buffalo
The Pittsburgh Penguins will once again participate in the Prospect Challenge event hosted by the Buffalo Sabres in September. This event is a series of scrimmages between prospects from five NHL teams. In addition to the Penguins and Sabres, the Boston Bruins, Columbus Blue Jackets and New Jersey Devils will...
Pirates start 2nd day of MLB Draft by picking Puerto Rican shortstop, Arizona catcher
On the second day of the MLB Draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates loaded up on college hitters. The Pirates professed they picked the best players available Sunday night in a pair of right-handed prep pitchers from southern California in Seth Hernandez (No. 6) and Angel Cervantes (No. 50) and college sluggers...
In an era prizing velocity, more than 20,000 curveballs a year have disappeared from MLB
ATLANTA — Curveballs have been thrown a curve by a modern game valuing velocity over variety, disappearing from the major leagues by more than 20,000 annually. The Athletics have thrown curves on just 2.5% of pitches this season. The overall big league figure dropped from 10.7% in 2019 to 8.1%...
British Open joins U.S. Open in leaving prize fund at same level
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — The British Open is leaving the total prize money at $17 million, the first time since 2012 the R&A has chosen not to increase the purse. The U.S. Open also did not boost its purse this year at Oakmont. The winner this week at Royal Portrush...
Penguins to face Rangers, Mike Sullivan on opening night
It won’t take long for the Pittsburgh Penguins to cross paths with former head coach Mike Sullivan. On Monday, the NHL announced the Penguins will face the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on the league’s opening night of the 2025-26 season, Oct. 7. The game is scheduled to...
Nationals take Eli Willits with No. 1 pick in MLB draft, first of record 17 first-round shortstops
ATLANTA — The Washington Nationals selected Oklahoma high school shortstop Eli Willits on Sunday night with the No. 1 pick in Major League Baseball’s amateur draft in a selection seen by some as a surprise. The 17-year-old Willits is the youngest player taken No. 1 overall since Ken Griffey Jr....
Penguins management intrigued by forward prospect Mikhail IlyinVideo
Mikhail Ilyin did not wait for the translator. The young Russian answered almost immediately. When Ilyin, a Pittsburgh Penguins forward prospect, was asked who his favorite player was, he knew what to say, even in a language he isn’t overly familiar with. “Evgeni Malkin,” he said with a slight smile....
MLB Draft Analysis: Pirates take best available with prep pitchers in 1st 2 picks, will address needs later
When the MLB Draft started with stunners for the first two selections, the Pittsburgh Pirates were prepared to pivot in a number of different directions with the No. 6 overall pick. They believed the odds were against Seth Hernandez slipping to them, so they were “super excited” to take the...
Steelers A to Z: RB Trey Sermon gets another shot to put it togetherVideo
Editor’s note: From now until reporting day to training camp at Saint Vincent College, TribLive is running through the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 90-man roster, looking at each player and assessing his outlook for the 2025 season. The breakdown will run in alphabetical order with at least two players each day between...
