Sports category, Page 1968
Plan for Kentucky Derby eliminates general admission tickets
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Churchill Downs officials expect less than 23,000 fans will be able to attend next month’s rescheduled Kentucky Derby under an updated health and safety plan. The plan eliminates general admission and standing room only areas, with total capacity limited to less than 14% of the 2015 attendance...
Anders Lee stakes Islanders to series lead over CapitalsVideo
TORONTO — New York Islanders coach Barry Trotz isn’t surprised the Washington Capitals, his former team, is unhappy with Anders Lee. Trotz didn’t see anything wrong with Lee’s play in a 4-2 first-round series playoff-opening victory in which the New York captain set the tone with a big hit on...
Bruins win opener against Hurricanes in double overtimeVideo
TORONTO — After being told to come back the next morning because another game lasted five overtimes, the Boston Bruins didn’t want to repeat history so quickly. “We talked about trying to end this before the fifth overtime,” Patrice Bergeron said. Bergeron accomplished that by scoring early in double overtime,...
Avalanche score 3 third-period goals to shut out CoyotesVideo
EDMONTON, Alberta — Nazem Kadri and J.T. Compher scored 10 seconds apart in the third period, Philipp Grubauer stopped 14 shots and the Colorado Avalanche opened the Stanley Cup playoffs with a 3-0 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday. Colorado dominated the Coyotes through the first two periods, outshooting...
Patience, consistency pay off for PA Open winner Jimmy Ellis
It doesn’t take the longest hitter to win a tournament at Oakmont Country Club. It takes one who is patient and willing to take what is given. Par wins tournaments at Oakmont. Risks rarely pay off. Peters Township’s Jimmy Ellis, 34, wasn’t flashy during the three rounds of the Pennsylvania...
Pirates’ Chad Kuhl, Steven Brault will start separately in CincinnatiVideo
Derek Shelton will break up the Chad Kuhl/Steven Brault piggyback situation in his starting rotation. The Pittsburgh Pirates’ manager said Kuhl will start Friday in the second game of the series in Cincinnati; Brault gets the start Saturday. Shelton’s reasoning is simple. The Pirates need another arm in the rotation...
Big East will not play fall sports seasonsVideo
The Big East joined the growing list of conferences not playing sports in the fall. The conference announced that men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross country, volleyball and field hockey won’t be contested. Georgetown is the defending national champions in men’s soccer. Teams still will be allowed to...
Norwin grad Jack Salopek in holding pattern at Western Michigan after MAC postpones season
Jack Salopek has been enamored with Division I football for years. It’s driven him to work extra hours, grind in the offseason and always perform at a high level. He has completed the most challenging part of earning a scholarship at the next level. But the former Norwin star quarterback...
Jets’ motivated Le’Veon Bell out to prove he is better than everVideo
NEW YORK — Le’Veon Bell refuses to make excuses or blame anyone else. The New York Jets running back acknowledged he wasn’t nearly as good as he expected he would be in his first season with his new team. And he points solely at himself for that. Not the playcalling...
Former OLSH, Pitt standout Cam Johnson playing big role for red-hot Phoenix Suns
When the Phoenix Suns entered the NBA bubble in July, former OLSH standout Cam Johnson was inserted into the starting lineup. There was no big message from first-year coach Monty Williams, and there was no “here’s what you have to go do.” For Johnson, it was all doing whatever he...
Report: Penguins to retain 2020 first-round draft choice
The Pittsburgh Penguins have opted to retain their first-round draft pick for this year’s draft, according to Pierre Lebrun of TSN. They will instead send their first-round pick in 2021 to the Minnesota Wild to complete a trade they made in February for forward Jason Zucker. A condition of a...
Mike Sullivan, Penguins still searching for answers on what went wrongVideo
If things had gone as planned, the Pittsburgh Penguins still would be in Toronto, playing the Boston Bruins in the first round of the playoffs. Sergei Gonchar would be trying to help defensemen Justin Schultz regain some confidence. Jacques Martin would be going over video of the Bruins’ dangerous top...
Former WVU star, ‘consummate pro’ Wendell Smallwood an add to Steelers’ RB room
Five years ago, he was in a starring role a couple hours from Pittsburgh down I-79. In 2017, he contributed to a Super Bowl-winning team based a few hours east on I-76. After spending last year about four hours southeast on I-70, Wendell Smallwood is plying his trade in Pittsburgh....
Pirates closer Keone Kela returns to bullpenVideo
Keone Kela had a bag of balls, a net to throw them into and plenty of free time while quarantined after a positive covid-19 test. That wasn’t enough, though. Passersby might have seen the Pittsburgh Pirates’ closer under the I-279 bridge on the North Side, throwing baseballs off the pillars....
NBA’s latest testing numbers reveal no confirmed positivesVideo
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The NBA still has not had a confirmed coronavirus case among players inside the season-restart bubble at Walt Disney World. The league released updated numbers Wednesday showing none of the 342 players who were tested daily since the league last released results Aug. 5 has...
Zach Johnson wins PGA Tour’s prestigious Payne Stewart AwardVideo
Zach Johnson had quick success after a long road to the PGA Tour. He won as a rookie and reached the Tour Championship in Atlanta, where one of the perks was attending a ceremony to watch Jay Haas accept the Payne Stewart Award. He remembers it being powerful, inspiring, motivating....
Bubba Wallace, Columbia Sportswear sign sponsorship dealVideo
Corporate interest in Bubba Wallace has picked up momentum, and NASCAR’s only Black full-time driver signed a new sponsor that includes funding for his Richard Petty Motorports team. Columbia Sportswear Co. on Wednesday announced a multiyear sponsorship with Wallace as a brand ambassador that also will put the company on...
Cancer survivor James Conner never considered opting out of Steelers’ 2020 seasonVideo
Given his medical history, James Conner had every reason to be wary about playing football as a high-risk candidate to contract covid-19. As a cancer survivor, Conner had perhaps the best reason of any NFL player for wanting to opt out of the 2020 season. Conner didn’t waver in his...
West Virginia releases updated 2020 football schedule
On the heels of the Big 12 board of directors’ announcement to proceed with the fall sports seasons, West Virginia on Wednesday morning announced its updated 2020 football schedule. “When the Big 12 announced a revised 10-game season, we knew that the schedule would change and there would be some...
NBA lays out plan for player guests to enter Disney bubble
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — NBA players could have some family members or close friends inside the season-restart bubble with them by the end of the month. And that raises the possibility of having a real, albeit small, cheering section for some playoff games. The league detailed the policies for...
No roars at Augusta as Masters to be played without fans
The Masters, known as much for the roars as the raw beauty of Augusta National, will be on mute this year. The club decided Wednesday there will be no spectators. That means all three majors in this year of covid-19 will not have fans, and the silence figures to be...
Mark Madden: Penguins face free fall pending difficult roster choicesVideo
When the clock hit all zeroes Friday in Toronto and the No. 24 seed Montreal Canadiens had eliminated the Pittsburgh Penguins, some lamented the end of an era. But the Penguins’ era of glory really ended when Evgeny Kuznetsov’s overtime goal took Washington past them in the second round of...
Big 12 Conference moving forward with plans for fall sports
Although the Big Ten and Pac-12 shut down fall sports, the Big 12 Board of Directors decided to join the ACC and SEC among Power 5 conferences with plans to proceed with the fall sports seasons. That means football at West Virginia, for now. The first of nine conference football...
Summit Academy is 2nd WPIAL school to forgo fall sports
Summit Academy won’t play sports this fall, becoming the second WPIAL school to cancel athletics over covid-19 concerns. “This has to do with the health and safety of our students and staff members,” said athletic director Ryan Parrish, noting the school for at-risk boys faces challenges different than others. “Our...
Penguins dismiss assistant coaches Sergei Gonchar, Jacques Martin, Mark Recchi
A day after general manager Jim Rutherford said change was needed for his team, the Penguins did just that with their coaching staff. On Wednesday, the team announced assistant coaches Sergei Gonchar, Jacques Martin and Mark Recchi will not have their contracts renewed. A search for new assistants to work...
