Sports category, Page 1930
Riverhounds Notebook: Team hitting its stride as end of regular season nears
Since the end of August, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds have been playing some of their best soccer. In four straight games, starting with a 3-0 road victory over Hartford Athletic on Aug. 28, the black and gold have put together a streak of four straight victories and four straight clean sheets....
Gregory Polanco’s homer, Steven Brault’s complete game help Pirates snap losing streak
Despite striking out at an alarming rate and owning one of the worst batting averages in baseball, Gregory Polanco received a vote of confidence this week from the Pittsburgh Pirates. General manager Ben Cherington cited Polanco’s hard contact as an encouraging sign, and field manager Derek Shelton was enthused about...
NHL playoffs showcase Russia’s goaltending renaissanceVideo
EDMONTON, Alberta — Nikolai Khabibulin wakes up in Yekaterinburg to watch NHL playoff highlights and beams with pride at the saves made by so many Russian goaltenders. For the first time, there are three Russian starting goaltenders in the conference finals, and two will face off in the final. Sixteen...
Nike’s special anniversary Colin Kaepernick jersey sells out within seconds of releaseVideo
Nike’s limited edition jersey for Colin Kaepernick sold out in a swoosh. The black monochromatic No. 7 jerseys, which commemorated the four-year anniversary of when then-San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem to protest racial inequality and police brutality, sold out in seconds...
Justin Thomas takes U.S. Open lead on soft, kind Winged Foot
MAMARONECK, N.Y. — This wasn’t the kind of fun Justin Thomas had in mind for a U.S. Open at Winged Foot. But he’ll take it. For all the hype and history of how much punishment Winged Foot has doled out over the years, Thomas took advantage of a surprising soft...
Baldwin defensive lineman Dorien Ford picks Pitt
Pitt landed its fourth 2021 recruit from a WPIAL school Thursday night when Baldwin defensive lineman Dorien Ford tweeted his intention to enroll next year. Tim Sweeney, the first-year coach at Baldwin, didn’t meet Ford face-to-face until two months ago, but he knows a talented player when he sees one....
PAC outlines plans for sports moved to spring
The Presidents’ Athletic Conference is moving forward with plans to play football, soccer and women’s volleyball in the spring. The NCAA Division III conference outlined plans for a regular season and postseason for the sports, which were postponed for the fall due to the covid-19 pandemic. The spring schedules will...
To smell a victory against Syracuse, Pitt must avoid those nasty tackles for losses
The best way for Pitt to keep Syracuse’s defensive front socially distant Saturday might be for the offensive linemen to wear what Pat Narduzzi calls those “stinky, smelly” T-shirts under their jerseys. Even right guard Jake Kradel wondered about the bonding ritual Pitt’s linemen adopted in training camp, every day...
Through 1 week, Steelers in once-familiar position of leading NFL in rush defense
A quick look at the NFL team statistics through one week finds the Pittsburgh Steelers at what used to be a very familiar place. No. 1 in the league in rush defense. During Monday’s season-opening win, the Steelers allowed the New York Giants an NFL-low 29 rushing yards on 20...
All injured skill players on offense return to Steelers practice
Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin likes to use the terms “varsity” and “junior varsity” in context when referring to players at various levels of acumen and resume. After a “junior varsity” practice on offense Wednesday, the Steelers’ “varsity” was back on the field a day later. Of the eight offensive...
Point Park runner Alyssa Campbell continues to build on sophomore successVideo
The Instagram post already is written: Eight years of running means eight years off. Point Park junior Alyssa Campbell is planning ahead for the last race of her senior season. When she is finished competing for the Pioneers, she aims to back off on her volume of running. In the...
With Big Ten decision made, hard work begins for Penn State football program
On Wednesday, when the Big Ten made the decision to move forward with a football season, it was hailed as a victory for players, coaches and fans — a cause for great celebration. By Thursday, a little bit of reality began to set in. Penn State’s James Franklin is about...
This date in sports history: Sept. 18
1899 — A tennis tournament known as “The Cincinnati Open” begins. Today, it is the oldest tennis tournament in the United States still played in its original city and is now known as the Cincinnati Masters & Women’s Open. 1946 — Joe Louis knocks out Tami Mauriello in the first...
Could Penn State’s Micah Parsons opt back in for this season?
When it comes to All-American linebacker Micah Parsons, Penn State coach James Franklin is like Tom Bodett in those old Motel 6 commercials. He’ll leave the light on for him. Parsons announced last month that he was opting out of his junior season at Penn State and would begin to...
With 2 veterans still out, rookie Kevin Dotson appears in line to start for Steelers
In discussing the possibility of Kevin Dotson starting for the Pittsburgh Steelers, coach Mike Tomlin on Tuesday said, “There is some angst here.” If that’s the case, the way things are trending it’s becoming increasingly likely that Tomlin and the Steelers could have plenty of angst-filled moments leading into Sunday’s...
Pitt accepting ticket deposits for men’s basketball while hoping fans can attend
Pitt’s ticket office is accepting deposits for the 2020-21 men’s basketball season, with the hope that fans will be allowed in the Petersen Events Center for games. Currently, no fans are permitted at any Pitt athletic event through September, but university officials said a $100 risk-free deposit will ensure priority...
Steelers’ Maurkice Pouncey to remove Antwon Rose Jr.’s name from helmet
Maurkice Pouncey, a co-captain and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ second-longest tenured player, indicated he will remove Antwon Rose Jr.’s name from the back of his helmet. “I want to make sure (police) understand I inadvertently supported a cause of which I did not fully comprehend the entire background of the case,”...
Penn State TE Pat Freiermuth confirms he’s playing this fall
The Big Ten is back, and Pat Freiermuth never left. Just after the conference announced a return-to-play plan that will kick off the season Oct. 23-24, Penn State’s star tight end confirmed in an interview with the Big Ten Network on Wednesday that he will be playing for the Nittany...
Pirates taking a swing at solving their strikeouts, other problems at the plateVideo
After the Pittsburgh Pirates struck out 45 times while being swept in a four-game series by the Reds, Derek Shelton couldn’t wait to get out of Cincinnati. The Pirates manager blames the whiffs partly on his insistence of an aggressive approach at the plate and partly on strong pitching performances...
First Call: Steelers-‘MNF’ ratings tank. O.J. Simpson defends Saquon Barkley. Terry Bradshaw’s new TV show.
The Steelers. Plus, a New York audience. That should jolt “Monday Night Football” ratings to open the season! Guess again, ESPN. That’s how we start Thursday’s “First Call.” We also see how O.J. Simpson is supporting Saquon Barkley. And we preview Terry Bradshaw’s new television show. Where’s the remote? A...
U mad, bro? Readers furious over Alejandro Villanueva’s helmet debate. ‘Fixed’ NFL games. Pirates problems.
This week’s “U mad, bro?” ranges from the Steelers, to a Big Ten reboot, to Pirates ineptitude, to Justin Timberlake. It also ranges from substantive to silly. Alejandro Villanueva’s agenda. Mason Rudolph’s helmet. Accusations of NFL officials on the take. And covid-19 propaganda. Aside from that … eh, it’s rather...
The long, strange football history of Pitt-Syracuse. And it’s getting odder by the year.
Saturday marks the 75th college football game between Pitt and Syracuse. And one word sums up the history of this series. Weird. It’s one of the strangest, goofiest rivalries in terms of historical trends that you will find. Just look at Syracuse’s three most recent trips to Heinz Field. 2020...
Pirates impressed with Ke’Bryan Hayes’ defensive instincts at 3rd base
Derek Shelton was the first to pump the brakes on the hyperbole surrounding the defensive play of Ke’Bryan Hayes by reminding everyone there was a seven-time Gold Glove third baseman in Colorado by the name of Nolan Arenado. Now, the Pittsburgh Pirates manager marvels on a nightly basis at Hayes’...
Attendance limits force Neshannock football mother to experience ‘worst fear’ from afar
Landon Shaffer’s parents were allotted one ticket for his high school football game, so his mother resorted to watching a video stream on her cell phone. “You look for little identifying things because it’s so small to tell who’s who,” Veronica Shaffer said. “It’s hard to see.” The first two...
Luis Castillo outduels JT Brubaker as Reds shut out Pirates for their 8th consecutive loss
The Pittsburgh Pirates were looking for a bounce-back game by JT Brubaker, as the rookie right-hander was seven days removed from his worst start of the season. What they got was a pitcher’s duel. And Brubaker was better, just not good enough to win. Brubaker pitched four scoreless innings before...
