Sports category, Page 1646
Dustin Johnson’s Masters reign ends with missed cutVideo
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Dustin Johnson is scheduled to be in Butler Cabin on Sunday evening, draping the green jacket over the shoulders of the Masters champion. That will be his only official appearance at Augusta National this weekend. Johnson, the world No. 1 player and reigning Masters champion, bogeyed three...
Stats pioneer Bill James: Don’t blame us for boring baseballVideo
BOSTON — The analytics crowd isn’t accepting blame for baseball’s big slowdown. “I plead not guilty,” statistics pioneer Bill James said Friday. “I don’t have nothin’ to do with this.” As baseball games get longer and less action-packed, the sport has been looking for ways to reverse the fan-unfriendly trend....
Virus-battered Canucks aim to complete condensed seasonVideo
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Vancouver Canucks are recovering from the NHL’s worst covid-19 outbreak and believe they can complete the pandemic-condensed season. An outbreak has ripped through the team over the past week and a half with 25 people — 21 players and four members of the coaching staff...
Dodgers manager believes pitcher Trevor Bauer being singled out by umpsVideo
LOS ANGELES — Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he believes right-hander Trevor Bauer is being “singled out” by Major League Baseball after umpires in Oakland collected several baseballs he threw in his last start, apparently to examine for foreign substances. Roberts also acknowledged Friday he has noticed umpires collecting sample...
Steelers grab another undrafted free agent, sign former Kentucky defensive end TJ Carter
Adding depth to their defensive line, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed former undrafted free agent TJ Carter on Friday. Carter, a 6-foot-4, 289-pound defensive end, was a member of the 2020 draft class. He was signed by Arizona but was cut after a week with the organization. He spent the regular...
Pitt gets commitment from Sean Fitzsimmons, Central Valley’s ‘face of the program’
After Central Valley defensive tackle Sean Fitzsimmons verbally committed to Pitt on Friday, the last topic coach Mark Lyons wanted to discuss five months before football season was the possibility of repeating as PIAA Class 3A champion. But he did allow himself one tiny glimpse into the future. “With Sean...
Adams said to have spurned NFL, union health programs
The NFL and its players’ union have an array of health programs designed to help players in their life after football. According to his agent, Phillip Adams did not avail himself of those opportunities. Adams, a journeyman player, spent six seasons in the league. Authorities say he fatally shot five...
Franklin Regional Unified Club captures Western Pa. bocce championshipVideo
When Franklin Regional life skills teacher Allison Harris helped start the high school’s Unified Club in 2014, she was hoping to create inclusive opportunities that would bring life skills students together with the larger student body in fun competitions. She certainly did not expect the club’s track team to win...
Robert Morris announces 2021 nonconference football schedule
Robert Morris is still finishing up its 2021 spring football season, but its fall schedule is one step closer to being complete after the Colonials announced three nonconference opponents Friday. Before playing eight Big South opponents between Oct. 2 and Nov. 20, the Colonials will kick off their 2021 fall...
Penguins to start goaltender Casey DeSmith against Devils
The Penguins are scheduled to start goaltender Casey DeSmith for Friday’s road game against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. In 16 games this season, DeSmith has a 9-5-0 record along with a 2.30 goals against average, a .915 save percentage and two shutouts. Note:...
Advocates call on NCAA to act in response to anti-trans laws
Athletes, coaches and advocates are calling on the NCAA to act in response to state laws banning transgender athletes from competing in organized sports. “Simply put, trans inclusion makes our sports, our teams and our communities stronger,” said Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve, who was among those speaking out. Reeve...
Back in Business: WrestleMania ready to rumble with fans
His time due as the next face of WWE, Drew McIntyre imagined what his crowning achievement would look like in the build toward last year’s WrestleMania in his American hometown of Tampa, Fla. “I beat ‘The Beast’ Brock Lesnar, I raise the title, I jump into the crowd,” he said....
Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex eager for more success at Martinsville
MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Brad Keselowski didn’t get the finish he hoped for two weeks ago when NASCAR’s Cup Series ran on the dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway, but the 2012 series champion didn’t dwell too long on his 11th-place finish. “When we got out of Bristol, I left with a...
Legendary Pirates usher Phil Coyne, whose career spanned from Forbes Field to PNC Park, dies at age 102
Phil Coyne spent eight decades as an usher for Pittsburgh Pirates games, spanning from Forbes Field to Three Rivers Stadium to PNC Park, and only one tradition lasted longer. Known as “Philly” to family and friends, Coyne ate two Oreo cookies with a glass of milk before going to bed...
Judge orders one accuser of Texans QB Deshaun Watson to be ID’d
HOUSTON — A judge on Friday ordered that the name of one of the 22 women who have filed lawsuits accusing Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual assault and harassment must be made public. Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, has asked that all the women, who have sued under the...
Mark Madden: With Evgeni Malkin injured, Penguins taking test drive for future
McDonald’s is doing a promotion with Evgeni Malkin: The “Geno Meal” consists of a Big Mac, french fries, milkshake and an orange soda. (Do elite athletes ever eat like that?) The “Geno Meal” is available for a limited time. Perhaps that’s an omen. When GM Ron Hextall and president of...
Mom, dad, Pirates fans have Gregory Polanco’s back in tough times, but he also prays ‘a lot’
Gregory Polanco smiles easily, and appears to enjoy engaging in conversations about hitting, his teammates and the good fortune he sees ahead for everyone. That’s the case even now, when the Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder’s batting average sits at .150 after seven games, with no home runs or RBIs. Yet,...
Pirates trade reliever Edgar Santana to Braves for cash considerations
The Pittsburgh Pirates traded Edgar Santana to the Atlanta Braves for cash considerations Friday, four days after designating the right-handed reliever for assignment. Santana, 29, was 3-4 with a 3.31 ERA and 1.198 WHIP in 88 relief appearances over two seasons. He underwent Tommy John surgery in September 2018 and...
3 surgeries and a vegan diet later, ex-PSU safety John Petrishen transforms into Pitt linebacker
Some people run from change. John Petrishen embraces it like he’s making a new friend, constantly seeking ways to redefine himself as a student and athlete. The oldest player on the Pitt football team (42 days older than wide receiver Tre Tipton with whom he played AAU basketball in the...
Tim Benz: Kevin McClatchy, former players reflect on PNC Park on the 20th anniversary of its debut
It had been a long time since something went right for the Pittsburgh Pirates. In fact, pretty much everything since the end of the eighth inning in Atlanta on Oct. 14, 1992 had been downhill. They lost their last shot at making the World Series. Their MVP went to San...
This date in sports history: April 9Video
1946 — The Montreal Canadiens beat the Boston Bruins, 6-3, to win the Stanley Cup in five games. 1947 — Leo Durocher, manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, is suspended for one year by Commissioner A.B. “Happy” Chandler for “conduct detrimental to baseball.” Durocher is linked to gambling interests. 1950 —...
Empty Thoughts: Penguins 5, Rangers 2Video
Observations from the Penguins’ 5-2 win against the Rangers: The idiom “if the Penguins are fully healthy” is foolhardy. It’s an ideal they can strive for but rarely attain, especially in a grinder of a season such as the 2020-21 campaign being played during a global pandemic. Buuuuutttt … if...
Frozen Four in Pittsburgh: UMass beats 2-time defending champ Minnesota Duluth in OT
It’s been almost seven decades since college hockey has had a national championship “three-peat.” Fans of the sport who want to see another are going to have to Wait. Garrett Wait scored 14½ minutes into overtime to earn Massachusetts a berth in a second consecutive Frozen Four title game. The...
NHL grapples with vaccine inequity between U.S., CanadaVideo
His smile covered by a light blue surgical mask, Jacob Trouba’s eyes shined as the needle went into his left arm. The New York Rangers gave players, coaches and staff a day off this week so they could get vaccinated against covid-19. “We’re very fortunate to be able to get...
Dustin Johnson begins Masters defense with sloppy 74
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Dustin Johnson found conditions much more challenging Thursday than they were in November for his record-setting romp to the Masters green jacket. The result was a lackluster 2-over-par 74 that ended his unprecedented streak of below-par rounds at Augusta National. Johnson finished with a sloppy, double-bogey 6...
