Sports category, Page 1738
Lawyer: Deshaun Watson assault suits followed blackmail attempt
HOUSTON — An attorney for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, who’s accused of sexual assault and harassment in lawsuits filed by 16 women, on Tuesday questioned the allegations against the NFL player, claiming they were made following a failed attempt to blackmail his client for $30,000. The women, in lawsuits...
Jordan Spieth rounding into form for fickle week of Match Play
AUSTIN, Texas — As much golf as Jordan Spieth likes to play, it took as much discipline as he could muster to not play at all. When he left the Masters on Nov. 15, the only two rounds of golf he played were of the recreational variety. One was a...
Pitt baseball rises to No. 14 in Baseball America poll, highest in program history
On the eve of Pitt baseball’s home opener Wednesday against Bucknell, the Panthers achieved their highest ranking in program history, No. 14 in the nation in the Baseball America poll. With coach Mike Bell in his third season, Pitt is ranked in all five major polls, including DIBaseball.com (No. 15),...
Preakness to run in front of 10,000 fans in May
The Preakness will be run in front of a limited capacity of 10,000 fans May 15 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. Organizers of the second jewel of horse racing’s Triple Crown announced the decision Tuesday. Churchill Downs has said it expects the Kentucky Derby to be run in front...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Latrobe grad Butler on to D-II Elite Eight
The dance goes on for Bryce Butler. A sophomore guard at West Liberty, Butler has helped the Hilltoppers (18-4) reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division II men’s basketball tournament. The Latrobe alum had four points and six rebounds in a 78-61 win over Hillsdale. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound Butler...
Twins send Plum product Alex Kirilloff out, leave LF wide open
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins optioned prized prospect Alex Kirilloff (Plum) to their alternate training site Tuesday, leaving a wide-open competition for playing time in left field while giving the 2016 first-round draft pick more time to develop. Jake Cave, Kyle Garlick and Brent Rooker are the primary candidates at...
Penguins dive back into busy game schedule on heels of rare idle day
Mike Matheson and Sam Lafferty were born 53 weeks apart in the mid-1990s, so their divide is not a generational one. They are in different life stages, though, as Matheson is married with a pregnant wife. That meant the Pittsburgh Penguins teammates had different approaches to a much-needed idle day...
New pitchers shine as Adam Frazier homers, Pirates score a shutout over Twins
Derek Shelton loved everything about the way the Pittsburgh Pirates ended their Grapefruit League game against the Minnesota Twins, with three consecutive strikeouts to seal a shutout. What got a shout-out from the Pirates manager was the brevity of the 1-0 victory over the Twins on Tuesday afternoon at LECOM...
After one season at Penn State, Kirk Ciarrocca joins WVU staff as offensive analyst
After only one season as Penn State’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Kirk Ciarrocca found work in a neighboring state. West Virginia coach Neal Brown announced he has hired Ciarrocca as an offensive analyst for the Mountaineers. “I have known Kirk for many years, having worked together on the staff...
Penguins’ injury updates: Brandon Tanev misses practice, Jason Zucker ‘making progress’
The injury states of Evgeni Malkin and Brandon Tanev remained status quo, but coach Mike Sullivan had better news about one of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ other top nine forwards. Jason Zucker again skated Tuesday morning, taking the ice with skating/skills development coach Ty Hennes before Tuesday’s team practice in Cranberry...
Justin Champagnie will look into NBA Draft process, leave door open for return to Pitt
Justin Champagnie is taking the first step toward the NBA while leaving room for his return to Pitt for the 2021-22 season. Coach Jeff Capel announced Tuesday that Champagnie, who was an honorable-mention All-American and first-team All-ACC as a sophomore this season, will test the NBA Draft process. The process....
NCAA President Mark Emmert agrees to meet protesting players after March Madness
The National College Players Association said Tuesday that NCAA President Mark Emmert has informed a group of basketball players who started a social media campaign to protest inequities in college sports that he will meet with them after March Madness. NCPA executive director Ramogi Huma said in a statement he...
Steelers terminate contract of CB Steve Nelson
Unable to find a trade partner for cornerback Steve Nelson, the Pittsburgh Steelers terminated his contract Tuesday afternoon. The decision, which cleared $8.25 million in salary-cap space, came four days after reports surfaced the Steelers were giving permission to Nelson to seek a trade and less than an hour after...
Pirates Rule 5 pick Luis Oviedo confident he can make leap from Class A to major leagues
Luis Oviedo can laugh now, but on that December day, it was mostly confusing. His agent called to tell the right-hander the New York Mets had selected him from the Cleveland Indians in the Rule 5 Draft, telling Oviedo he was free to contact family and share the news. “And...
Pitt pauses scheduled spring drills because of covid protocols
Pitt football hit a roadblock in its spring drills Tuesday when all in-person activities were paused because of covid-related protocols. Players and coaches will continue to meet virtually, the university announced. The university said last week it has seen an 83% spike in new covid cases. Campuses in Oakland, Greensburg,...
Jim Litke: March was bound to be mad; NCAA tourney hasn’t disappointed
Considering how everything else has gone this past year, March was bound to be mad. So far, it hasn’t disappointed. The last perfect NCAA Tournament bracket was busted before the first round was over. The second round just wrapped with an even dozen upsets already in the books — a...
In terms of chaos, this year’s NCAA Sweet 16 field is historic
By at least one measure, this is the most chaotic Sweet 16 field to date. The seed numbers of the 16 remaining teams add up to 94, the highest total since the NCAA Tournament expanded in 1985. The previous record of 89 was set in 1986. This year’s regional semifinals...
Trio of upsets mark 2nd day of women’s NCAA Tournament
After an opening day of top seeds holding serve, the women’s NCAA Tournament became a little less predictable Monday as double-digit seeds BYU, Belmont and Wright State advanced. No. 11 BYU got things started with a 69-66 victory over sixth-seeded Rutgers for the tournament’s first upset. Wright State, seeded 13th,...
First Call: Steelers in touch with 2 draft targets; tempers flare after former Penguins goalie prospect gets 1st win
Tuesday’s “First Call” features some national media types who aren’t high on the Steelers offseason. We track some Steelers scouting efforts in advance of the draft. The Baltimore Ravens aren’t giving up on their quest for a free-agent wide receiver. And a new definition of “puck battle” emerges to help...
Penguins need sweep of woeful Sabres after yielding points to Devils last week
As the 2021 Penguins know by this point, you can’t take goals out of your own net. Just ask goalie Tristan Jarry following that overtime wrap-around score by the New Jersey Devils Sunday afternoon, courtesy of Jesper Bratt. Jesper Bratt’s beautiful OT winner #NJDevils: @NJDevils pic.twitter.com/zSKfFVodeU— SiriusXM NHL Network Radio...
This date in sports history: March 23
1939 — Long Island University finishes the season undefeated after a 44-32 victory over Loyola of Chicago in the NIT championship. 1948 — Alex Groza and Ralph Beard combine for 26 points to lead Kentucky to a 58-42 win over Baylor in the NCAA basketball championship. 1956 — Bill Russell...
Tim Benz: Holes on Steelers roster only outnumbered by questions about how to patch them
The latest Steelers free-agent departure is reserve outside linebacker Ola Adeniyi. Like fellow pass rusher Bud Dupree, he went to the Tennessee Titans. Of all the offseason defections thus far, Adeniyi’s pinch will probably be felt the least. He only participated in 14% of the defensive snaps. His 63% of...
Column: Love him or hate him, Gragson has NASCAR talking
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Oh, Noah Gragson, what have you done now? Nothing, according to NASCAR, which went with a no-call by not penalizing Gragson for backing into Daniel Hemric’s car on pit road at Atlanta Motor Speedway over the weekend. Nobody was fined, either, for the post-race scuffle after that...
Penguins assign forward Sam Miletic to Wilkes-Barre/ScrantonVideo
The Penguins have assigned forward Sam Miletic from their taxi squad to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL). Miletic, 23, has appeared in six AHL games this season and has two points (one goal, one assist). During the 2019-20 season, Miletic appeared in 62 AHL games, scored 32 points...
Texans QB Deshaun Watson facing 6 more sexual assault lawsuitsVideo
HOUSTON (AP) — Six more women filed lawsuits Monday accusing Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual assault and harassment, bringing the total number of such lawsuits against the NFL player to 13. The claims in the six new suits, which were filed in a Harris County state district court,...
