Sports category, Page 1667
Roger Penske bullish on large crowd for Indianapolis 500
A fully vaccinated Roger Penske is hard at work at Indianapolis Motor Speedway preparing for a full season of racing that will include spectators at his showcase event. There will be fans at this year’s Indianapolis 500, Penske said Monday, but how many remains a moving target based on covid-19...
Pirates knuckleballer Steven Wright unafraid to confront his ‘dark past’
Steven Wright can talk at great length about the knuckleball. • How he doesn’t recommend it for a young pitcher: “Ain’t nobody going out there trying to draft a knuckleball guy,” he said. • How it saved his career: “I was 26 years -old, in Double-A for the fifth year....
Jared Oliva, Edgar Santana among those removed from Pirates’ spring roster
After entering spring training viewed as sleepers for roles for the Pittsburgh Pirates’ regular-season roster, Jared Oliva and Edgar Santana were among those officially dropped from consideration Monday. Outfielder Oliva and right-hander Santana were optioned to the minor leagues and infielder Kevin Kramer and right-hander Shea Spitzbarth were reassigned to...
Duquesne gets commitment from Division II forward R.J. Gunn
Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot’s venture into the NCAA transfer market led to a verbal commitment Monday from 6-foot-7, 245-pound forward R.J. Gunn. Next chapter ?✍️ pic.twitter.com/ZqkY5rb9Ef— RJ Gunn (@gunn_rj) March 22, 2021 Gunn, who spent the past four seasons at Division II Lenoir-Rhyne in Hickory, N.C., announced on Twitter his...
NCAA Tournament roundup: Oregon routs second-seeded IowaVideo
Chris Duarte scored 23 points, and Oregon showed no signs of rust after a long layoff, beating No. 2 seed Iowa, 95-80, on Monday to reach the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in the past five NCAA Tournaments. The seventh-seed Ducks (21-6) were put in an unprecedented spot, advancing...
Los Angeles Lakers legend, Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor dies at 86Video
LOS ANGELES — Elgin Baylor changed the very direction of basketball when he joined the NBA and brought his vertical feats of athletic brilliance to a largely horizontal game. He filled scoresheets and sparked young imaginations with his trailblazing aerial style, and every high-flying player of the past 60 years...
Lawyers battle over ‘race-norming’ in NFL dementia tests
PHILADELPHIA — The class counsel for thousands of retired players suing the NFL pledged Monday to try to remove race as a factor in dementia testing, but lawyers for Black players demanded he release the data on payouts by race in the $1 billion concussion settlement. They argue that Black...
Former Steelers OLB Ola Adeniyi signs 1-year contract with Titans
Continuing their raid on former Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebackers, the Tennessee Titans on Monday agreed to terms with Ola Adeniyi on a one-year contract. NFL Network, citing Adeniyi’s agent as the source, reported the signing. This deal, of course, pales in comparison to the five-year, $82.5 million contract that the...
No basement blues: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on hand for draft in Cleveland
CLEVELAND — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will be leaving his man cave to announce this year’s rookie draft class within shouting distance of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The league announced some its plans for this year’s three-day event in Cleveland, which will include some of the prospects...
Frederick Gaudreau is enjoying his moment with the PenguinsVideo
Frederick Gaudreau almost had a moment Sunday. In the third period of a home game against the New Jersey Devils, with the score tied 1-1, the reserve forward cut through the slot of the offensive zone toward the right wing. With goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood moving to his left in congruence...
Spotted at Georgia pro day, WR Tyler Simmons gets 1-year deal from Steelers
Being in the right place at the right time landed Tyler Simmons an unlikely contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Simmons, a 6-foot, 205-pound wide receiver, finalized a one-year deal Monday with the Steelers, less than a week after general manager Kevin Colbert was impressed by his workout at Georgia’s pro...
Mark Madden: Fabrication surrounds JuJu Smith-Schuster’s free agency, signing with Steelers
Much of what’s been opined about the return of the prodigal JuJu Smith-Schuster to Pittsburgh seems like it’s based on fabrication, or at least a truth stretched very thin. Much of that distortion is based on the idea Smith-Schuster had other significant offers. But Philadelphia media reported Smith-Schuster’s so-called “offer”...
Freshmen show no signs of jitters in women’s NCAA Tournament
Several freshmen showed no jitters on the opening day of the women’s NCAA Tournament. In fact, they embraced the bright lights of the Big Dance. It came as no surprise that Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, the nation’s leading scorer during the regular season, began a run of impressive performances in the...
Kysre Gondrezick leads No. 17 WVU women past Lehigh
SAN ANTONIO — Once West Virginia started running, the Mountaineers couldn’t be stopped. Kysre Gondrezick scored seven of her 26 points in a game-breaking 16-0 run to close the third quarter and No. 17 West Virginia raced past Lehigh, 77-53, in the opening round of the women’s NCAA Tournament on...
Jim Litke: With big upsets in NCAAs, has the mid-major revolution begun?
In any other college basketball season, four upsets in the eight second-round games played at the NCAA Tournament would be a sign that something big is brewing. Were those the opening shots in the long-rumored mid-major revolution? Have enough talented kids and smart coaches finally taken up residence at programs...
Madden Monday: Idea that JuJu Smith-Schuster took less money to stay with Steelers is fiction
If you are someone who is excited about JuJu Smith-Schuster returning to the Pittsburgh Steelers for one more year in 2021, I’m happy for you. He’s a good receiver. The offense is better with him than without him. If you are someone who thinks it’s better to have him than...
First Call: Was Philadelphia trying to sign JuJu Smith-Schuster or not?; Pirates said to have ‘top 10’ farm system
Monday’s “First Call” examines the alleged level of interest in Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster before he decided to stay in Pittsburgh. Specifically, from the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles. Alex Highsmith has a plan to replace Bud Dupree at outside linebacker. And at least one outlet seems to think that...
Tim Benz: Hope the Steelers enjoyed cornerback depth while it lasted
Remember when the Steelers had cornerback depth? I know, it was a long time ago. Like, December. How ‘bout before then? Go ahead and test your memories. I’ll wait. The Steelers entered 2020 with a starting cornerback tandem that was caked with accolades. Last season wasn’t as good as 2019....
Empty Thoughts: Devils 2, Penguins 1 (OT)Video
Observations from the Penguins’ 2-1 overtime loss to the Devils: Entering the season, the Penguins’ most obvious hole in the lineup involved their bottom-six forwards. Under former general manager Jim Rutherford, there was hope Mark Jankowski could reinvigorate his career and be the pivot of a new third line with...
Sweet 16 bound: No. 15 seed Oral Roberts stuns Florida
INDIANAPOLIS — Oral Roberts pulled off yet another upset to become just the second No. 15 seed in NCAA Tournament history to advance to the round of 16 with an 81-78 victory over Florida on Sunday night. Kevin Obanor and Max Abmas carried the Golden Eagles out of an 11-point...
NCAA Tournament roundup: Arkansas in Sweet 16 for 1st time in 25 yearsVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Justin Smith had 20 points and played a key role in a final-play defensive stop, helping Arkansas beat Texas Tech, 68-66, on Sunday in the NCAA Tournament, securing the program’s first trip to the Sweet 16 in a quarter-century. In the final seconds of a tense finish, Smith...
Syracuse’s Buddy Boeheim tops West Virginia, gets dad back to Sweet 16
INDIANAPOLIS — Buddy Boeheim kept shooting, carrying his Hall of Fame father and 11th-seeded Syracuse back into the Sweet 16. The Orange, a top program for four decades under Jim Boeheim, once again showed they’re just as dangerous as an NCAA Tournament afterthought. “To win two games and be doubted...
Minor league report: Penguins fall to Phantoms in overtimeVideo
Forwards Jordy Bellerive and Nick Schilkey each had a goal and an assist for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins who lost their fourth consecutive game, a 5-4 overtime road defeat at the hands of the rival Lehigh Valley Phantoms in Allentown, Pa. on Sunday. Defenseman Zach Trotman recorded two assists for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton...
Ryan Blaney wins at Atlanta after Kyle Larson fades on old tires
HAMPTON, Ga. — Ryan Blaney knew he had to let Kyle Larson go. Patience was the key, especially on a day when Larson looked unbeatable. In the end, Larson faded on an battered set of tires, and Blaney raced by him for an improbable victory Sunday. “I was not going...
Penguins forward Brandon Tanev ‘day-to-day’ with undisclosed injury
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Brandon Tanev missed his second consecutive game Sunday as a result of an undisclosed injury. Initially injured during a 3-2 road loss to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., Tanev, arguably the team’s most energetic player, has missed only three...
