Sports category, Page 1708
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi sees improvement heading into Blue-Gold spring game
It was cold and gloomy Saturday, but Pat Narduzzi got a clear look at his football team when the offense and defense squared off in a 137-play scrimmage at Heinz Field. In a video conference call with media members Tuesday, Narduzzi said the offense won the scrimmage by a few...
English clubs leave Super League, which looks dead in the water
LONDON — All six English clubs dramatically abandoned plans to join a European Super League on Tuesday, imploding the breakaway project with Spanish and Italian counterparts within 48 hours of the announcement. Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham deserted the plans for a largely closed midweek competition...
Injured Penguins forwards Evgeni Malkin, Kasperi Kapanen participate in morning skate
Injured Pittsburgh Penguins forwards Evgeni Malkin and Kasperi Kapanen participated in Tuesday’s morning skate at PPG Paints Arena. They wore white “no-contact” jerseys and were not involved in line rushes. Their presence represented a significant step forward in their recoveries from undisclosed injuries that have sidelined them for several weeks....
Steelers, Mike Tomlin agree to 3-year contract extension
Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to a three-year contract extension that ties the team and its longtime coach through the 2024 season. Tomlin is entering his 15th season as coach, tying him with predecessor Bill Cowher for the second-longest tenure in Steelers history behind Hall of Famer Chuck...
Thin tight end class awaits Steelers in NFL Draft
Vance McDonald’s retirement two weeks after the wild-card playoff loss to Cleveland brought some much-needed salary cap relief to the Pittsburgh Steelers. It amounted to a $5.2 million savings for a team that needed to reduce its number drastically before the start of the new league year. McDonald’s retirement also...
Led by a natural hat trick from Tanner Agnello, Indiana captures 1st Penguins Cup crown
If the waiting is indeed the hardest part, consider the hard part over for the Indiana Little Indians. Paced by a second-period hat trick from Tanner Agnello, Indiana won its first Penguins Cup title, capturing the PIHL Class A championship with a 3-2 victory over Chartiers Valley at the Robert...
Pitt picks up rebounding specialist via transfer from Oakland University
After losing a handful of players to the transfer portal since the end of the season, Pitt basketball showed Monday that the process is, in fact, a two-way street. The Panthers received a commitment from Oakland University transfer Dan Oladapo, a 6-foot-7 forward best known for his rebounding prowess. Oladapo,...
North Allegheny tops Mt. Lebanon, celebrates back-to-back Penguins Cup titlesVideo
North Allegheny goalie Josh Bailey didn’t mince words Monday night. The second period, when he was peppered with 20 shots and the puck stayed trapped inside NA’s blue line, was bad. “Terrible,” he said. “It was terrible.” Yet, Bailey was very good. Against a Mt. Lebanon attack determined to test...
Tim Benz, Matt Williamson’s NFL Draft preview: Potential Steelers replacements for Vance McDonald; wild wide receiver depth
In advance of the NFL Draft (April 29-May 1), “Breakfast With Benz” is spending this week publishing daily Pittsburgh Steelers previews and podcasts. We are breaking down the franchise’s needs into five different sections. Each day, former college and NFL scout Matt Williamson (Steelers radio contributor/“Peacock and Williamson NFL Show”)...
California allows fans for U.S. Opens if vaccinated or tested
A limited number of spectators will be allowed at the U.S. Women’s Open in San Francisco and the U.S. Open in San Diego in June provided they are vaccinated or can show proof of a negative test for the coronavirus. The USGA announced the policy Monday after consulting with California...
Fired football coach Eric Kasperowicz reaches out to Pine-Richland to ‘come to a resolution’
With students, parents and community members demanding Pine-Richland rehire Eric Kasperowicz, the ousted football coach has asked school administrators to meet with him and “come to a resolution quickly.” The Pine-Richland football coach and his assistants were fired last Wednesday. Kasperowicz re-applied for the school’s head coach position Friday and...
Battery arrest warrant issued for Seahawks’ Aldon Smith
CHALMETTE, La. — A sheriff’s office in Louisiana has issued an arrest warrant for Seattle Seahawks defensive end Aldon Smith. St. Bernard Parish sheriff’s deputies responding to a call for medical assistance in Meraux on Saturday evening found a man who said he had been assaulted by an acquaintance outside...
Marlins CF Starling Marte sidelined with broken left rib
MIAMI — Miami Marlins center fielder Starling Marte will be sidelined for at least a few games with a broken left rib. An MRI on Monday revealed a non-displaced fracture, meaning the rib maintained its proper alignment, the Marlins said. Marte will refrain from activity for five to seven days...
Pine-Richland community shows ‘silent support’ for fired football coach Eric KasperowiczVideo
Reaction to the firing of Pine-Richland high school football coach Eric Kasperowicz has been swift and strong. It has ranged from confusion and anger over the school board’s lack of an explanation — citing their policy not to comment on personnel matters — to students rallying outside their football stadium,...
From anger to humor, reactions to soccer’s proposed Super League swellVideo
A banner hung on the railings outside Anfield bearing a pointed message to Liverpool’s American ownership: “Shame on you. RIP LFC 1892-2021.” Liverpool’s players arrived for an English Premier League match at Leeds United’s Elland Road a few hours later, to the backdrop of jeers and abusive chants by fans...
Super League plan creates winners/losers in European soccerVideo
MONTREUX, Switzerland — The plan for a Super League is shaping up as perhaps the most polarizing idea in European soccer in more than a generation. The project announced early Monday by 12 breakaway clubs would make winners and losers worldwide if it overcomes widespread resistance and kicks off as...
Westmoreland campus clippings: P-T grad Kelly helps Westminster volleyball to PAC title
Westminster’s Samantha Kelly has been a steady contributor in this shortened women’s volleyball season in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference. A shortened season capped with a championship. The junior setter from Penn-Trafford was particularly effective in the PAC title match for the top-seeded Titans as she registered 21 assists and 15...
Pitt women’s volleyball misses out on Final Four in excruciating NCAA regional final loss
Pitt came within a set — and, for brief moments, a point — of the athletic department’s first Final Four in 70 years. Playing in its first NCAA regional final in program history, the Panthers women’s volleyball team lost an excruciating fashion to Washington in a five-set thriller Monday afternoon...
Alex Smith retires after comeback from gruesome leg injury
Alex Smith retired Monday after making an improbable comeback from a gruesome broken leg, saying he’s ready to leave the NFL but believing he’s still able to play quarterback. Smith made the announcement on Instagram a few weeks shy of his 37th birthday, hoping to enjoy more time with his...
5-10 start has Yankees restless; GM Brian Cashman vows to stay course
NEW YORK — The New York Yankees’ players and staff are restlessness. So are fans. A 5-10 start, the franchise’s worst in 24 years, has shaken a team that expects to contend for a World Series title. “Right now we would be a team that an opponent would want to...
Red Sox top White Sox on Patriots’ Day with no Boston Marathon
BOSTON — Kiké Hernández led off with a replay-aided home run and Bobby Dalbec worked a 14-pitch walk in a six-run first inning, helping the Red Sox beat the Chicago White Sox, 11-4, on Monday in the first Patriots’ Day game played apart from the Boston Marathon. The Marathon was...
Pitt, Penn State, WVU soccer teams earn at-large bids to NCAA Tournament
Members of the Pitt men’s soccer team knew they would be in the field for the NCAA Tournament after reaching a No. 1 ranking at the end of the regular season. Despite falling to Clemson in the ACC’s automatic qualifier match Saturday, the Panthers secured an at-large berth into the...
UEFA could ban Super League players from Euro 2020, World Cup
MONTREUX, Switzerland — Players at the 12 clubs setting up their own Super League could be banned from this year’s European Championship and next year’s World Cup, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said Monday. Ceferin showed his sense of anger and betrayal by the leaders of some wealthy European clubs as...
Tom Brady expects to be ready for minicamp after knee surgery
TAMPA, Fla. — Tom Brady is recovering from offseason knee surgery and expects to be ready for June minicamp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Speaking at a fundraiser for Bucs coach Bruce Arians’ foundation, the 43-year-old quarterback joked that he didn’t know “if I can go this week.” He then...
Mark Madden: Connor McDavid’s scoring is impressive, but Mario Lemieux defined his era
Edmonton’s Connor McDavid reached 70 points in 43 games. That’s fast but unsurprising in the limp competition of the North division, the NHL’s worst. It’s so weak that McDavid’s Oilers and the Toronto Maple Leafs will be hard-pressed to both underachieve in the playoffs. It’s not likely, but hardly impossible....
