Sports category, Page 1700
First Call: A team that may draft Najee Harris before Steelers pick; Alex Ovechkin sidelined; Josh Bell struggles
Wednesday’s “First Call” clues us in on a team that may steal Najee Harris in the first round of the NFL Draft before the Pittsburgh Steelers get a chance to pick him. Steelers Hall of Famer Alan Faneca throws his support behind a potential top-5 draft choice for a very...
Tim Benz: Surfing through NFL Draft medical info may be even more important for Steelers than many other teams
In advance of the NFL Draft, Alabama center Landon Dickerson has been called “almost the perfect Steeler.” Anyone who has tracked the draft knows what that “almost” surrounding him is. It’s not his talent. Or athleticism. Or pedigree. Or attitude. Or leadership. Or the obvious fit he’d be at pick...
U mad, bro?: Some readers are mad about Mike Tomlin’s contract extension; others are angry at criticism of it
Thursday will feature Penguins/Capitals and Round 1 of the NFL Draft. So we’re posting “U mad, bro?” a day early. Also, coming off a vacation week when Mike Tomlin got a contract extension on the heels of another late-season collapse, we’ve got … hmm … a few comments stored up....
By extending MLB-best scoreless streak, Richard Rodriguez captures Pirates’ closer role
Derek Shelton has been reluctant to name a closer for the Pittsburgh Pirates, so Richard Rodriguez made it easy on his manager by seizing the job with the longest scoreless streak in baseball. Asked if that makes him The Closer — yes, with a capital C — Shelton simply shrugged....
In strangest of seasons, Seton Hill baseball continues to dominate
Despite having 18 players out at one point because of coronavirus protocols and the team being sidelined for 20 days, Seton Hill baseball has been nearly unbeatable this season. The Griffins are ranked No. 7 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division II Top 25. On Tuesday, Seton Hill...
Ex-Pine-Richland coach Kasperowicz meets with team, says he’s ‘not done fighting’ for job
Embattled former Pine-Richland football coach Eric Kasperowicz met with his 2020 state championship team for an emotional outdoor ring ceremony on Tuesday evening. Kasperowicz was informed by the school district in an April 14 letter that his contract would not be renewed due to “incidents of hazing, ‘rites of passage,’...
Joe Rutter’s mock draft: Steelers will play it by the book, take RB, center early
Mock drafts can humble a football writer faster than T.J. Watt rushing the edge. One year you’re riding high, patting yourself on the back for predicting four of the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted players correctly (Devin Bush, Benny Snell, Diontae Johnson and Isaiah Buggs). The next year you’re whiffing more frequently...
Penguins hampered by Bruins’ defense in loss
Having earned points in 16 of 19 games before Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Penguins have reached a pretty firm conclusion. Defense comes first. Offense will follow. “That’s the way we’ve got to play,” defenseman Marcus Pettersson said via video conference. “We don’t have to take chances to create offense. We’re going...
Wilmer Difo’s pinch-hit RBI single in 7th leads Pirates past Royals
The Kansas City Royals came to PNC Park with baseball’s best record, riding a five-game winning streak and with a small-market, team-building template the Pittsburgh Pirates want to follow. In a span of three seasons, the Royals went from worst to first in the AL Central, turning a 104-loss team...
Golf notes: Peter Uihlein trying to decide best path to return to PGA Tour
PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Good play brings tough decisions for former U.S. Amateur champion Peter Uihlein. Uihlein worked hard to return his swing back to where it needed to be, and the results were encouraging. He won on the Korn Ferry Tour two weeks ago in Las Vegas, and then...
NHL could adjust playoffs for travel restrictions in CanadaVideo
The NHL is preparing contingency plans if virus restrictions in Canada prevent travel between provinces or back and forth to the U.S. during the playoffs. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Tuesday called the situation “wildly unpredictable.” The NHL put off the thorny issue of cross-border travel before the season began...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Penn-Trafford loading college softball teams
Penn-Trafford alums are scattered across the college softball landscape, and the players are making an impact at various levels. Consider: The Warriors have impactful former players at the Division I, II, III and NAIA levels this season — more than any other area program. You could fill out a lineup...
Rob Manfred: MLB expansion fee could be in $2.2 billion range
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball would consider expansion fees in the range of $2.2 billion for new franchises, though there are no current plans to add teams. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred spoke Tuesday during SporticoLive’s online discussion of its estimates to baseball franchise valuations. The company estimated the average...
Hello, Cleveland: NFL takes ‘blended’ draft back on road
CLEVELAND — All those boos aimed at Commissioner Roger Goodell that have become an NFL draft tradition will be slightly muted this year. At least they’ll be heard. After going all virtual in 2020 due to the covid-19 pandemic, the three-day draft, which has grown into one of America’s biggest,...
New outfielder Ka’ai Tom hoping to make quick impact on Pirates
Ka’ai Tom doesn’t hesitate to help enunciate his Hawaiian first name — it’s pronounced kuh-EYE — and the newest Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder even offered a bit of advice to their broadcasters. “Think of the apostrophe as a pause,” Tom said, “like a hiccup.” That’s the perfect analogy for Tom’s arrival,...
Steelers exercise 5th-year option for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick for $10.6 million in 2022
With the deadline approaching for NFL teams to tender fifth-year options to 2018 first-round picks, the Steelers got a jump on the process by exercising it for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. The move locks in Fitzpatrick’s salary for the 2022 season at a guaranteed $10.612 million. NFL Network first reported the...
Essential Quality 2-1 favorite for Kentucky Derby
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — With the rail still open and Kentucky Derby post positions dwindling, Brad Cox grew anxious about the most notable of his two horses drawing the least desired spot. The homegrown trainer soon breathed easier. Essential Quality got something more palatable, though the hardest part awaits with the...
Pitt players eagerly await NFL Draft weekend
Here’s what we know about the NFL Draft, for sure: We don’t know anything, for sure. There was plenty of speculation — both good and bad — last month after Pitt’s Pro Day when the 10 Panthers who hired agents, plus several others, worked out for NFL scouts, coaches and...
WVU, Tennessee football teams to open 2028 in Charlotte
Fans of the West Virginia and Tennessee football teams can mark Sept. 2 on their 2028 calendars as the Mountaineers and Volunteers will do battle that day in the Duke’s Mayo Classic in Charlotte, N.C., the Charlotte Sports Foundation announced Tuesday. West Virginia will be designated the home team for...
Penguins to start goaltender Tristan Jarry in rematch with Bruins
The Penguins are scheduled to start goaltender Tristan Jarry for Tuesday’s rematch with the Boston Bruins at PPG Paints Arena. Coach Mike Sullivan announced Jarry’s status via video conference following Tuesday’s morning skate. Jarry recorded his first shutout of the season Sunday after making 30 saves in a 1-0 home...
NHL reaches 7-year deal with Turner Sports, ending NBC run
The National Hockey League is coming to TNT. The league and Turner Sports on Tuesday announced a seven-year agreement that begins next season. The deal means NBC’s run of covering the league ends after after this season’s playoffs. NBC has broadcast games since 2005 and is in the final season...
West Virginia’s Derek Culver signs with agent, will enter NBA draft
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — All-Big 12 forward Derek Culver has decided to skip his senior season at West Virginia to enter the NBA draft. Culver announced Monday night on Instagram that he has signed with an agent. Culver was named to the all-Big 12 first team as a junior. The...
Alan Faneca chooses former Steelers teammate Hines Ward to present him for the Hall of Fame
Add another beloved Pittsburgh Steeler to this summer’s Hall of Fame ceremonies. Alan Faneca chose longtime former Steelers teammate Hines Ward to serve as his presenter for his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction in August. Before he became a six-time All Pro guard, Faneca and Ward were part of...
Mike Lange to make temporary return to Penguins broadcast
Mike Lange had homework to do Monday night. For a few nights, in fact. Having been on hiatus as a precaution because of the pandemic, Lange listened to his temporary replacement, Josh Getzoff, aptly handle the duties as the play-by-play radio broadcaster for the Penguins’ first 49 games of the...
On cusp of NFL career, ex-Pitt player Damar Hamlin enters new world of digital trading cards
Damar Hamlin can’t control when he will be drafted, which NFL team will pull the trigger or how long the process will take. But the former Pitt and Central Catholic defensive back said he’s more than ready to be a professional, and he’s acting that way off the field, too....
