Sports category, Page 1848
Penguins A to Z: Kevin Czuczman finds value as a mentorVideo
While the NHL is on hold because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 48 individuals under NHL contract with the organization, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to high-profile trade acquisition Jason Zucker. Kevin Czuczman Position: Defenseman Shoots: Left...
Maurkice Pouncey activated off Steelers’ covid list
The Pittsburgh Steelers activated veteran center Maurkice Pouncey from the NFL’s reserve/covid-19 list Friday, clearing the way for the eight-time Pro Bowler to play during Sunday night’s showdown of AFC division leaders at the Buffalo Bills. Pouncey was placed on the covid list Dec. 2, the day the Steelers played...
Injuries at ILB will put newcomer Avery Williamson in spotlight when Steelers face Bills
With inside linebackers falling like dominoes, Avery Williamson has gone from part-time backup to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ most experienced starter at his position in a matter of days. “It’s crazy how the last week has spiraled,” Williamson said Friday. A knee injury to Robert Spillane in the third quarter Monday...
Mark Madden: Game at Buffalo will show what the Steelers are made of — one way, or the other
Sunday night’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo is the Credibility Bowl. The winner gets perceived to be in the AFC’s upper echelon with Kansas City. The loser is back in the pack. If the Steelers felt disrespected when many said they weren’t as good as their record, this...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: For Pirates, Rule 5 Draft is 1st move in virtually normal offseason
The MLB winter meetings were virtual because of the coronavirus pandemic, so baseball’s biggest week of hot stove season felt like virtually any other week to Pirates general manager Ben Cherington. The Pirates were relatively quiet until Thursday, when they were active in the Rule 5 Draft by adding a...
First Call: Browns get loud after Steelers loss; playoff-clinching scenarios in Buffalo
The Cleveland Browns are getting awfully brave on Twitter after the Steelers’ loss Monday. Let’s see how their head coach responds. Aaron Donald is still in top form out in Los Angeles. Just ask the New England Patriots. We have gambling odds on the New York Jets going winless and...
Georgia Tech’s Geoff Collins offers Pat Narduzzi abrupt handshake after Pitt victory
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi extended a handshake to Georgia Tech coach Geoff Collins after the Panthers’ 34-20 victory Thursday night in Atlanta. Collins dismissively shook hands and abruptly walked away, leaving Narduzzi looking bewildered. Narduzzi said later he didn’t know why the meeting ended that way. Geoff Collins of Georgia...
Tim Benz: How big is the top AFC seed for the Steelers? Team history shows a mixed bag.
Washington’s victory Monday evening at Heinz Field hurt in ways beyond just ending the Steelers’ unbeaten season. The struggling offense was further exposed. The defense suffered two more injuries (Joe Haden, Robert Spillane). And the team fell into an 11-1 tie with the Kansas City Chiefs atop the AFC. Technically,...
James Washington explains Steelers’ drops; JuJu Smith-Schuster’s thoughts on WR routes
James Washington is one of the few Steelers wide receivers worthy of praise in recent games. The third-year Oklahoma State product caught a clutch pass from Ben Roethlisberger late in the victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Dec. 2. He caught two passes for 80 yards including a touchdown in...
Pitt survives 2 more departures of its best players, still defeats Georgia Tech
When Pitt’s players, coaches and fans look back on the Panthers’ 34-20 victory against Georgia Tech on Thursday night, they’ll remember the game for its physicality. Vincent Davis, all 5-foot-8, 175 pounds of him, ran for a remarkable 247 yards on 25 carries, 64 percent of his total in the...
SEC on ABC: ESPN to be exclusive TV home, starting 2024Video
The Southeastern Conference’s signature mid-afternoon Saturday game will move from CBS to ABC starting in 2024 as part of a new 10-year contract announced Thursday with ESPN and the powerhouse football league. The deal makes ESPN the exclusive media rights holder of SEC football and men’s basketball, and will end...
Army hosts Navy for 1st time in 77 years because of covid-19
Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo never tires of the feeling that permeates the locker room in the moments before the opening kickoff of the annual matchup against Army. “There’s a chill that goes through you unlike any other game,” Niumatalolo said. “It’s the craziest thing because you’re in the locker room...
Duke basketball cancels remainder of nonconference games
Duke won’t play any more nonconference men’s basketball games in the regular season. The school announced the move Thursday. That followed coronavirus-related postponements of three nonconference games this year, though only one had been rescheduled. In a release, the school said it was a cautionary step because of the pandemic...
Amy Olson comes up aces and takes 1-shot lead in Women’s Open
HOUSTON — Amy Olson got back to under par with one swing, an 8-iron for a hole-in-one on her seventh hole Thursday, and kept right on going until she had a 4-under-par 67 and a one-shot lead in the U.S. Women’s Open. On a perfect day, the scores made it...
Fans not allowed at Pitt’s home basketball games under new Pa. covid regulations
Pitt’s basketball programs will not have fans at its upcoming home games at the Petersen Events Center after updated covid-19 safety regulations were announced by Gov. Tom Wolf’s office Thursday. Pitt’s men’s team is scheduled to host Gardner-Webb at 4 p.m. Saturday and the women’s team is set to host...
Pitt’s Rashad Weaver, Damar Hamlin don’t travel to Georgia Tech for final regular-season game
Senior defensive end Rashad Weaver and safety Damar Hamlin, two key members of Pitt’s starting lineup with NFL aspirations, did not make the trip to Atlanta with their teammates and will not play Thursday night against Georgia Tech, according to a travel roster issued by the university. Earlier this week,...
For Gateway product Jaquan Brisker, ‘just being a Nittany Lion is great’
Given the season’s unique circumstances, all NCAA athletes in fall sports will have the option of another year of eligibility. So as a senior, Penn State safety and Gateway product Jaquan Brisker could return or opt to pursue an NFL career. If he has given any thought to which path...
Gov. Wolf shuts down interscholastic, recreational sports until Jan. 4
With covid-19 cases increasing statewide, Gov. Tom Wolf “paused” interscholastic and recreational sports Thursday, one day before high school teams were scheduled to start their winter schedules. Once the order takes effect Saturday, teams cannot practice or compete until Jan. 4. College and professional sports were allowed to continue. “The...
Steelers wary of damage Bills QB Josh Allen can cause with arm, legs
After the Pittsburgh Steelers absorbed their first loss of the season Monday, they had a chance to flick the channel to ESPN and get a preview of what awaits them this weekend in Buffalo. What defensive captain Cameron Heyward saw looked familiar. There was Bills quarterback Josh Allen moving around...
Illness keeps Chase Claypool from Steelers practice, but Chris Boswell returns
During the pandemic-affected 2020 NFL season, “illness” takes on a whole new connotation in regards to missed practice. Chase Claypool became the latest player to be absent from a Pittsburgh Steelers practice for such a reason. But the best news to come out of the Steelers’ league-mandated injury report was...
Steelers rookie Alex Highsmith passes tests in 1st career start
Almost lost amid the short week, the bevy of injuries and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first loss of the season was that the defense featured a player making his first NFL start last week. And with his status as a rookie mid-round pick from an unheralded college, Alex Highsmith by all...
Steelers place Vince Williams on covid list, left perilously thin at inside linebacker
Veteran inside linebacker Vince Williams became the latest member of the Pittsburgh Steelers to be placed on the NFL’s reserve/covid-19 list. The team announced the transaction in a brief, 15-word statement late Thursday afternoon. Per league policy, the Steelers did not clarify if Williams had tested positive for the novel...
Pirates hire new pitching development coordinator, make changes to baseball ops
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced Thursday a number of changes to their baseball operations staff, including the hiring of Josh Hopper as pitching development coordinator. Hopper comes to the Pirates after three seasons as pitching coach at Dallas Baptist University, which won 43 games in 2019 as his staff ranked ninth...
Pitt’s 1-point victory offers sign of hope for the future
Before Jeff Capel took his team on its first road trip to confront Northwestern, the only Power 5 team on its nonconference schedule, he had some questions. Among them: How might Pitt’s young team react on the road in a pandemic? These days, every minor detail is different, including the...
Fantasy sports podcast: How the Steelers’ offensive woes are impacting fantasy leagues
It’s time for our weekly fantasy sports podcast with Jeff Erickson of RotoWire. We surf through lots of fantasy football topics as we approach the playoffs in most leagues. Are Buffalo Bills running backs smart plays after what Washington did to Pittsburgh last week? On the surface, no, because those...
