Sports category, Page 1576
Mark Madden: How would Roberto Clemente have fared in a few more seasons with Pirates?
Roberto Clemente’s birthday was this past Wednesday. If Clemente were still alive, Gregory Polanco would be his superior in right field, but only marginally. Keep in mind Clemente would be 87. Clemente’s birthday sparked debate over how the Pirates might have fared had Clemente not been killed in that New...
MLB to end 70-year partnership with Topps trading cards
Major League Baseball is ending a 70-year relationship with trading card company Topps after signing a new partnership with a rival company. The loss of the MLB partnership immediately scuttled a deal announced earlier this year that would have made Topps a publicly traded company. The special-purpose acquisition company Mudrick...
5 things to watch in Steelers preseason game vs. Lions
There hasn’t been an announced crowd of more than 5,909 paid patrons for a home Pittsburgh Steelers game since Dec. 15, 2019. In the 20 months since, a total of 15,949 officially have viewed the Steelers play at Heinz Field. Probably more than three times that number will be in...
Mookie Betts feeling ‘really good,’ eyes return soon to Dodgers
LOS ANGELES — Mookie Betts says he’s feeling “really, really good” and is eager to return soon to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ lineup from a stint on the injured list with right hip inflammation. The All-Star outfielder has been on the IL since Aug. 8. He was diagnosed with a...
Could John Calipari be on the verge of an incredibly rare recruiting achievement?
LEXINGTON, Ky. — For all of John Calipari’s massive recruiting success in the past decade-plus at Kentucky, there’s something the UK coach has never been able to pull off. In fact, it’s something that has been accomplished only once over a span of 25 recruiting cycles. Calipari could make it...
Nadal out of U.S. Open, ends season to heal injured foot
MADRID — Rafael Nadal pulled out of the U.S. Open on Friday and said he will not play tennis again this year because of a nagging foot injury. The Spaniard sat out both Wimbledon and the Olympics because of fatigue after losing to Novak Djokovic in the French Open semifinals....
First Call: Under-the-radar Steelers pass rushers draw national praise; Antonio Brown’s practice fight; Pirates’ familiar foe
Friday’s “First Call” puts stats behind some impressive Pittsburgh Steelers pass rushing efforts so far this preseason. Antonio Brown gets into a practice fight with a Tennessee Titans player. The Pirates try to find some solid ground in St. Louis. More news on Robert Morris ice hockey transfers. And Pittsburgh’s...
U mad, bro?: Readers express doubts about Dwayne Haskins, Joe Schobert; the Pirates’ rebuilding plan
If you were mad that this week’s “U mad, bro?” was delayed by a day, I apologize. I was at a work function in Las Vegas for two days. However miffed you may have been doesn’t even approach my level of anger with some of the cards I got on...
Pitt Take 5: Pat Narduzzi speaks of War Daddys, running backs and freshmen
The phrase pre-dates Pat Narduzzi’s coaching career by about three decades, but you can bet the Pitt coach knows a War Daddy when he sees one. War Daddy? It doesn’t take much research to discover that the phrase first was used by coach Harold “War Daddy” White at Perkinston Junior...
Pirates farm report for Aug. 19, 2021: Miguel Yajure strikes out 6 in Indy rehab start
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 43-49) lost to Toledo (Tigers), 5-2. RHP Miguel Yajure (.343) is continuing a rehab stint in the minors for a forearm injury and got the start after being reinstated from the 60-day IL. He allowed one run on two hits with six strikeouts and a walk in four...
This season will be last for CMU football coach Rich Lackner
Who knows how far the Carnegie Mellon football team will go this season, but the Tartans’ 2021 run will be the last chapter in the long career of coach Rich Lackner. CMU announced Thursday that Lackner, who has the most wins in program history, will retire at the conclusion of...
Mike McCarthy finally feels at home as Cowboys coach, but to stay, he must winVideo
FRISCO, Texas — North Texas finally feels like home for Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy. His family has relocated to Allen after spending much of last year in Green Bay because of the covid-19 pandemic. His stepson just started college at SMU. It all has given McCarthy, a Greenfield native,...
Thomas, Rahm open with 63s to share lead at Liberty NationalVideo
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Jon Rahm returned from a month off and played like he was never gone. Justin Thomas took the advice of a 15-year-old and had his lowest score of the year. Both opened with an 8-under-par 63 on Thursday at The Northern Trust as the PGA Tour’s...
Wazzu’s Nick Rolovich says he intends to follow vaccine mandate
PULLMAN, Wash. — Washington State coach Nick Rolovich said Thursday that he intends to follow a new state mandate requiring covid-19 vaccinations for all those working at the state’s colleges and universities, including coaches. Rolovich had said previously that he was not going to get the vaccine for personal reasons...
Pitt linebacker John Petrishen shows signs of growth
More than six years have passed since John Petrishen last roamed the halls of Central Catholic. So what was the deal Thursday with this 25-year-old man apologizing to anyone at the school who might be offended by his appearance? “I wouldn’t be allowed in there today,” Petrishen said. Do you...
Will Stephon Tuitt be ready for the regular-season opener for Steelers?
Cameron Heyward didn’t miss a beat Thursday. He answered the final question of an 11-minute conversation with media with conviction. Is there any concern his longtime running mate on the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive line, Stephon Tuitt, would be ready for the regular-season opener Sept. 12? “No,” is all Heyward said...
Penn State plans to use versatility on defense to maximize players’ potential
Penn State football long has prided itself on high-level defenses, and that hasn’t changed in the five years with defensive coordinator Brent Pry leading the way. The program frequently produces top-end talent — including two first-round picks in the 2021 NFL Draft — and finds its way near the top...
Ben Roethlisberger embraces chance to play in front of fans at Heinz Field after dismal end to 2020 season
The lasting memory of Ben Roethlisberger’s previous game at Heinz Field was of him sitting on the bench with Maurkice Pouncey, the two teammates soaking in the bitter disappointment of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 48-37 loss to the Cleveland Browns in an AFC wild-card game. Pouncey retired a month later. Roethlisberger...
Inside the ropes: Steelers’ Mason Rudolph the 2nd QB in, Dwayne Haskins with scout team
Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin indicated many of the other first-teamers would stay in the game Saturday after Ben Roethlisberger exited it. When that happens, it appears highly likely it again will be Mason Rudolph getting those reps with the projected starters. During a practice at Heinz Field that began...
Biles: Mental health advocacy part of post-Olympic tour
Simone Biles didn’t plan for her second Olympics to become a flashpoint in the evolving conversation about the role proper mental health plays in all levels of sports. Then again, she’s hardly complaining. If anything, she’s leaning into it. The American gymnastics star has no regrets about her decision to...
‘We’re trying to win ballgames’: Pirates endure brutal start to August, losing 15 of 17 games
There wasn’t much promise in the post-trade deadline Pittsburgh Pirates, and they didn’t make any after dealing away their All-Star second baseman, a starting pitcher and three relievers, including the closer. The Pirates won their final two games of July to finish the month with an 11-14 record, their best...
Mike Tomlin says Joe Schobert ‘adapting quickly’ to Steelers defense
Not only will quarterback Ben Roethlisberger make his preseason debut for the Pittsburgh Steelers, inside linebacker Joe Schobert will see his first game action of any kind with his new team Saturday against the Detroit Lions. Schobert, who was acquired a week ago from the Jacksonville Jaguars, will start when...
Dodgers hit JT Brubaker hard, pound Pirates for 4 home runs to sweep series
JT Brubaker watched in disbelief as the ball sailed over the left field wall at Dodger Stadium, courtesy of Max Muncy muscling a sinker on the outside corner only four pitches into the bottom of the first inning. It was the first of four home runs the Los Angeles Dodgers...
This date in sports history: Aug. 19Video
1909 — The first race is held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Twelve thousand spectators watch Austrian engineer Louis Schwitzer win a 5-mile race with an average speed of 57.4 miles per hour. The track’s surface of crushed rock and tar breaks up in a number of places and causes the...
ACC rules teams must forfeit if they can’t play a game because of covid-19 complications
The ACC is getting tough on its schools that can’t field a team because of covid-related absences among players. The league announced Thursday that teams unable to play a game because of an excessive number of covid-19 absences will be forced to forfeit. The forfeiting team will be given a...
