Sports category, Page 1731
Not just offense: Gonzaga trusts defense entering USC gameVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Gonzaga has spent its entire season pushing tempo, knocking down shots and rolling to comfortable wins with one of the best offenses college basketball has seen in two decades. The Zags’ push for perfection hasn’t ignored the other end of the court, either. The No. 1 overall seed...
Iowa senior, Franklin Regional grad Spencer Lee named nation’s top wrestler
While he is hyper-focused on winning, Spencer Lee doesn’t always envision a final score when he faces opponents on the wrestling mat. He just competes, and his margin slowly expands. Lee’s matches often end in one-sided fashion because he has a way of toying with opponents and piling on bonus...
UCLA-Michigan matchup brings back more memorable images of MarchVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — The names UCLA and Michigan can’t help but conjure up some of the most memorable images of March. There’s the Wizard of Westwood, John Wooden, slapping his rolled up game program in his hands. The grace of Lew Alcindor and the funky persona of Bill Walton. The blur...
All-Star first baseman Anthony Rizzo cuts off contract talks with CubsVideo
MESA, Ariz. — Anthony Rizzo is cutting off talks with the Chicago Cubs on a new contract and is prepared to play the season as free agency looms after the World Series. The first baseman, who in 2016 helped the Cubs win their first title in 108 years, agreed in...
Pirates outfield breakdown: Last chances for Gregory Polanco, Anthony Alford
Breakout candidate Anthony Alford A former SEC football player and once a top prospect of the Blue Jays, Alford is still only 26 and for the first time figures to get an extensive look as an everyday player. The talent and many of the tools are there for Alford to...
What’s ahead? NFL owners to meet about upcoming seasonVideo
What’s ahead for the NFL in 2021? Not even the teams know. They will begin finding out this week when the 32 team owners hold virtual meetings Tuesday and Wednesday. Two items top the agenda: increasing the regular season to 17 games and decreasing preseason games to three per team....
Pirates put versatility of Erik Gonzalez, Phillip Evans on display in loss to Twins in home finale
The Pittsburgh Pirates showed how much they value the versatility of Phillip Evans and Erik Gonzalez by keeping them on the 26-man Opening Day roster. Both put theirs on display by playing out of their natural positions Monday afternoon against the Minnesota Twins. Evans started in right field then moved...
Steelers reportedly sign former Bears OL Rashaad Coward
Versatile offensive lineman Rashaad Coward is expected to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to a report from NFL Network. The move would add depth and options to an offensive line that has lost one starter (Maurkice Pouncey) to retirement and another to free agency (Matt Feiler) while left tackle...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Seton Hill baseball makes ‘SportsCenter’
Seton Hill senior Derek Orndorff made some magic in right-center field last week, and the nation got to catch a glimpse of it. Orndorff made a spectacular running catch in the top of the second inning in the Griffins’ game last Friday against IUP. The play made No. 4 on...
Steelers re-sign punter Jordan Berry
Jordan Berry is back for what will be a seventh offseason and training camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The team on Monday announced the re-signing of the Australian who has served as their punter for 98 of their 103 games (including postseason) since he won the job 2015. Berry signed...
Ex-Browns coach Hue Jackson says team lied about rebuildVideo
CLEVELAND — Former Cleveland Browns coach Hue Jackson said owner Jimmy Haslam gave him a contract extension midway through a winless 2017 season, and he was lied to from the start about the team’s rebuilding plans. During a wide-ranging radio interview Monday with ESPN 850, Jackson said the Browns’ efforts...
South Park native Randy Dobnak, Twins agree to 5-year dealVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins signed right-hander Randy Dobnak to a $9.25 million, five-year contract that includes three club options to extend and increase the deal with the overachieving former ride-share driver. Dobnak went 6-4 with a 4.05 ERA in 10 starts last season, before hitting a slump and being...
Infant son of former Steelers WR Ryan Switzer stable after surgery in Boston
CLEVELAND — Browns wide receiver Ryan Switzer said his infant son is recovering after undergoing surgery in a Boston hospital. Switzer tweeted an update Monday following the procedure on his 9-month-old, Christian. “Our sweet baby boy is stable and out of surgery,” he said in the posting that included a...
Pirates name Chad Kuhl Opening Day starter, Kevin Newman wins SS job as roster shapes up
With the end of spring training in sight, the Pittsburgh Pirates are close to setting a starting lineup. One Opening Day certainty is Chad Kuhl will be on the mound at the Chicago Cubs on Thursday at Wrigley Field. Pirates manager Derek Shelton named Kuhl the Opening Day starter, capping...
Steelers ILB Robert Spillane says his strength is pass coverage, even vs. WRs
NFL Network once referred to Robert Spillane matching up against a slot wide receiver as “a sportscar versus a pickup truck.” Spillane made it known Monday he strongly disagrees with that assessment. Furthermore, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ presumed starter at right inside linebacker said coach Mike Tomlin told him that pass...
Pirates to use PNC Park, Heinz Field, Pitt’s Charles L. Cost Field as alternate training sites
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced Monday that they will use three local venues as their alternate site facilities in April, as MLB has pushed back the start of the minor league season until May. The Pirates will use a locker room at Heinz Field to serve as their home clubhouse and...
Unfiltered: Tim Benz and Mark Madden discuss Ben Roethlisberger’s conditioning, NFL 17-game schedule, Penguins, moreVideo
Tim Benz and Mark Madden return for this week’s edition of “Unfiltered” on TribLive’s Facebook page to talk about Ben Roethlisberger’s conditioning, the Steelers’ spin game, the likely NFL 17-game schedule, the Penguins’ recent play and more. As the topic of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s commitment to conditioning was again...
Mark Madden: Amid adversity, resilient Penguins have taken on Sidney Crosby’s identity
The Pittsburgh Penguins have been missing their entire second line and two-thirds of their third line. Those filling in are of marginal quality, and that’s a kind description. Yet the Penguins had won four of five going into Monday’s home game with the New York Islanders, sported an 11-3-1 record...
Anthony Alford wins center field competition, as Pirates reassign Brian Goodwin in camp cuts
The center field competition has come to a close for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Anthony Alford appears to be the winner after they reassigned veteran Brian Goodwin on Monday morning. The Pirates also optioned right-handed reliever Geoff Hartlieb and reassigned infielder Wilmer Difo and right-handed knuckleballer Steven Wright to trim...
Jim Litke: NCAA tourney hits halfway point, still the field vs. Gonzaga
The Elite Eight marks the halfway point of the NCAA Tournament, but don’t blink. It has the shelf life of chicken nuggets. By the time your head hits the pillow Tuesday night, we’ll be down to a Final Four and find out whether the selection committee is any better at...
Penguins Prospect Watch: Nathan Legare extends scoring streak to 5 gamesVideo
A weekly look at how Penguins prospects and minor leaguers have fared over the past seven days: • In the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), forward Nathan Legare had a goal and two assists for the Val-d’Or Foreurs in a 9-0 home victory against the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies on Wednesday....
First Call: New questions about Ben Roethlisberger’s weight; Penguins player roasts Philadelphia
Monday’s “First Call” revisits the rebooted topic of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s commitment to conditioning. We also get some less-than-happy responses from NFL players to the news about the NFL expanding to a 17th game. PPG Paints Arena is ready to host the Frozen Four. And we now know which...
Madden Monday: Steelers over .500 streak in 17-game season? ‘They’ll be begging for a chance at 8-8-1.’
The Steelers haven’t finished under .500 since Mike Tomlin took over as the head coach in 2007. In fact, they’ve been at or above the break-even mark every year since the start of 2004. In that time, though, they’ve had four 8-8 seasons — three under Tomlin (2012, ‘13, ‘19),...
This date in sports history: March 29
1929 — The Boston Bruins win the Stanley Cup with a 2-1 victory over the New York Rangers to complete a two-game sweep. 1940 — Joe Louis knocks out Johnny Paychek in the second round at Madison Square Garden in New York to retain the world heavyweight title. 1941 —...
Tim Benz: Steelers’ offseason turning Pittsburgh into ‘Spin City’
The Steelers’ spin cycle is moving so fast this offseason that I get dizzy every time I turn on my computer. No matter the situation, someone is there to spit-shine the prospects for the 2021 campaign, whether it’s the fans, media or team itself. A few examples popped up recently....
