Sports category, Page 1787
Penguins defenseman John Marino resumes practicing
Penguins defenseman John Marino participated in practice on Friday in Cranberry. After being absent from Thursday’s practice, Marino rejoined his teammates, two days removed from being placed on the NHL’s list of absences for covid-19 related protocol on Wednesday. Inclusion on that list — which is updated daily by the...
Andy Reid, Bruce Arians bring stellar offensive systems to Super Bowl
Andy Reid came up in the West Coast offense, where the quarterback performs almost like an NBA point guard, using short passes that talented playmakers can turn into long gains. Bruce Arians’ offensive philosophy has relied on the mantra “no risk it, no biscuit,” as he wants quarterbacks to take...
As Serena, Nadal eye records at Australian Open, covid looms
Easy as it is to assemble a list of significant Australian Open story lines — from Rafael Nadal’s bid for a men’s-record 21st Grand Slam singles trophy to Serena Williams’ try for her 24th, from Novak Djokovic’s attempt to win a third consecutive title at Melbourne Park to Sofia Kenin’s...
Mark Madden: Evgeni Malkin’s shot can fix Penguins’ struggling power play
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ power play stinks and is unlikely to be fixed. It ranks 22nd in the NHL with a conversion rate of 13.9%. It won’t always rank that low. It will generate hot streaks based solely on the unit’s talent, which is plentiful. But right now is not one...
NFL Hall of Fame coach Bill Cowher has memoir out in June
NEW YORK — Hall of Fame coach and NFL analyst Bill Cowher has a book coming out in June that his publisher is calling “more than just a football story.” The former Pittsburgh Steelers coach, who led his team to a Super Bowl title at the end of the 2005...
Tim Benz: Super Bowl predictions and bets to make Sunday interesting — even without Steelers
Sadly for Pittsburgh Steelers fans, their team isn’t involved in the Super Bowl. Again. It’s been that way for a decade now. But most of us in Pittsburgh will still be watching the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. So if you want some Super Bowl prop...
This date in sports history: Feb. 5Video
1913 — The New York State Athletic Commission bans boxing matches between fighters of different races. 1919 — Charges against Cincinnati’s Hal Chase of throwing games and betting against his team are dismissed by National League president John Heydler. Two weeks later, Chase is traded to the New York Giants....
Minor league report: Penguins close preseason with lossVideo
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins fell in their final game of the preseason, losing on the road to the rival Lehigh Valley Phantoms, 2-0, at the PPL Center in Allentown on Thursday. Goaltender Emil Larmi made 29 saves in the defeat. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton finished the preseason with a 1-1-0 record. The Penguins are...
Indians president said team unaware of Mickey Callaway’s behaviorVideo
CLEVELAND — Troubled by what might have happened under his watch, Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said the team was unaware of inappropriate behavior toward women by former pitching coach Mickey Callaway while he was with the club. Antonetti said he became “distraught” and “disturbed” in learning of...
Penguins take NHL’s changes to covid-19 protocol in stride
Just over three weeks into the season, the NHL revised several of its rules pertaining to covid-19 protocols. The league announced the alterations Thursday afternoon, a day after 40 players were identified on the league’s daily listing of absences related to covid-19. In a statement, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman indicated...
Check downs? More like checkmate as Chiefs take what’s givenVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The casual football fan is likely to describe the Kansas City Chiefs offense this way: a go-for-broke, throw-it-deep highlight reel built around a quarterback with record-setting arm strength and wide receivers boasting Olympic-caliber speed. They wouldn’t be entirely wrong. They wouldn’t be entirely right, either. One...
Tim Dahlberg: On eve of Super Bowl, Roger Goodell takes victory lapVideo
The victory lap Roger Goodell took from the podium Thursday in Tampa Bay was hardly unexpected — and surely not unwarranted. He and the NFL have a lot to crow about on the eve of the Super Bowl, and the commissioner’s annual State of the NFL appearance was as good...
Penguins defenseman Mike Matheson eager to prove himself
As the primary return in a September trade that jettisoned a fan favorite — and a two-time Stanley Cup champion — in Patric Hornqvist, Mike Matheson always was going to face an uphill battle to appetize the locals. And considering he played only two underwhelming games out of a possible...
Roger Goodell: Many lessons NFL learned in 2020 will carry forward
TAMPA, Fla. — The many lessons learned from 2020 will be needed as the NFL moves forward, commissioner Roger Goodell said Thursday in his annual state of the league news conference ahead of the Super Bowl. Held before both in-person and virtual audiences and staged outside of the arena that...
After taking it ‘on the chin,’ Pitt showed resilience by beating Virginia Tech
Jeff Capel said his Pitt team was “out of character.” Xavier Johnson remarked, “We know we were a good team at first, and we just let it go.” But Au’Diese Toney put Pitt’s recent troubles in terms everyone can understand: “(Opponents) just busted (us) in our mouth,” said Toney, who...
NASCAR revs ahead with new teams, new tracks, new energyVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Michael Jordan took his own advice and just did it: Air Jordan formed his own NASCAR team and expects the foundation will be in place to build a stock car Dream Team centered around Bubba Wallace. Jordan has some company on the celebrity starting grid: Pitbull bought...
Antonio Brown accuser seeking to subpoena Bucs for employment records
TAMPA, Fla. — Attorneys for the woman who has accused Bucs receiver Antonio Brown of sexual battery are seeking to subpoena the team for documents related to his employment, according to Broward County court records. Britney Taylor’s legal advisers want to subpoena the Bucs and Brown’s previous teams (the Steelers,...
Minus fanfare, small college football getting underway
PARKLAND, Wash. — At some point each week since athletes returned to campus, Pacific Lutheran football coach Brant McAdams has donned the full uniform of personal protective equipment — gown, gloves, mask and face shield. There was never a chapter in any of the books on becoming a small college...
Hempfield grad Tim Jarocki makes everything run smoothly for Tampa Bay Bucs at Super Bowl
Credit for getting a team to the Super Bowl, as often is the case, is reserved for the coach and quarterback. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with Bruce Arians calling the shots from the sideline and Tom Brady making the calls on the field, are no exception. Behind the scenes, though,...
MLB average salary falls for 3rd straight year
NEW YORK — The average Major League Baseball salary dropped for an unprecedented third straight year, even before the shortened season caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic. The Major League Baseball Players Association said Thursday the 2020 average would have been $3.89 million if a full season had been played....
NHL revises virus protocols with 40 players on covid-19 list
The NHL has followed the NBA in revising its virus protocols early in the season as a response to covid-19 problems cropping up around the league. Glass panels have been removed from behind benches for better air flow, players and coaches are not allowed at the arena until 1 hour...
Steelers 2021 offseason positional outlook: Specialists
Editor’s note: This is Part 12 of a 12-part series breaking down the Pittsburgh Steelers at each position in the offseason. All salary cap information courtesy spotrac.com or overthecap.com: After several years of continuity, the Pittsburgh Steelers special teams room had a bumpy 2020. By the end, though, it was...
Former Steelers QB Kordell Stewart opens up in penning Players’ Tribune piece
A quarter century ago, Kordell Stewart was the toast of Pittsburgh. But his tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers was complicated, as was his relationship with their fans. In an essay published by The Players’ Tribune on Thursday, Stewart opened up in detail about it all, including addressing a particularly vulgar...
First Call: Bruce Arians’ quote about Ben Roethlisberger; Chris Drury not in mix for Penguins GM job
Bruce Arians and Franco Harris comment on the Steelers. A perceived general manager candidate is off the Penguins’ list. And Robert Morris hockey has a rare mid-week doubleheader. All that in Thursday’s “First Call.” Bruce on Brady and Ben Former Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians provided an interesting quote about...
The biggest problems facing the Penguins … besides the power play. Oh, and the power play.
At 5-4-1, things could be worse for the Pittsburgh Penguins. But they aren’t great. During Wednesday’s“Breakfast With Benz” podcast, Penguins Radio Network host Brian Metzer and I spent a lot of time drilling down on the problems facing the power play. But that’s not where the analysis needs to stop....
