Sports category, Page 1982
Josh Bell, Colin Moran homer too late in Pirates’ 6-3 loss to Cubs
Josh Bell hopes five swings of the bat in the ninth inning Friday night will ignite the Pittsburgh Pirates’ offense. But back-to-back home runs by Colin Moran and Bell couldn’t turn around the Pirates’ fortunes in a 6-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs (5-2) at Wrigley Field. Bell, who displayed...
WPIAL reveals 2 playoff formats with 8- or 4-team football brackets
The WPIAL revealed two football playoff options Friday, one if there are state playoffs this fall and another if they’re canceled in advance. Here’s the reason: If the PIAA championships are held in November as expected, the WPIAL playoffs must fit into a tight window between the regular season and...
Sidney Crosby, Penguins finally to begin playoffs after 4½ monthsVideo
Let’s assume there are no unforeseen and unpleasant surprises between now and then — this is 2020 we are talking about, after all — and the Pittsburgh Penguins take the ice Saturday evening at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena to open up their postseason. By the time Game 1 of their qualifying-round...
Belichick mum on plans for QB position as camp nearsVideo
BOSTON — Like all NFL teams, the New England Patriots face a variety of unknowns heading into a 2020 season in the midst of the ongoing pandemic. So it’s no surprise Bill Belichick is being coy about his expectations for the quarterback position as his team prepares for the start...
Penguins notes: Mike Sullivan won’t commit to goalie, not taking Canadiens lightly
Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan on Wednesday declined to even reveal if he had made the decision about what goalie he intended to start in Game 1 of the qualifying-round playoff series. So two days later, when he was asked directly about his choice between Matt Murray or Tristan Jarry...
Pitt head trainer Rob Blanc retiring after 32 years
When head trainer Rob Blanc walked into Pat Narduzzi’s office last week, Pitt’s coach thought someone was injured or ill. Actually, the news was almost that bad. Blanc told Narduzzi he is retiring after 32 years, all of them as Pitt’s head football trainer. Blanc, 60, served eight football coaches....
Vagabond Blue Jays stuck on the road with no one to playVideo
Toronto general manager Ross Atkins says life has been difficult for the vagabond Blue Jays at the beginning of a baseball season like no other. The Blue Jays haven’t had a real home game yet and still don’t have a stadium fit to host them. They played twice as the...
Communication reason Steelers are turning back to Vince Williams at inside linebackerVideo
What’s old is new again – or is it vice versa? — for the Pittsburgh Steelers at one of their inside linebacker positions. After a year in which he played his fewest snaps in the past three seasons, Vince Williams will return to regular playing time in the middle of...
Penn State branch campuses shut down fall sports
Another lower level college conference is bagging fall sports. The Penn State University Athletic Conference, home to 14 Penn State branch campuses, announced Friday it is postponing fall athletics — soccer, cross country, golf and women’s volleyball — due to the covid-19 pandemic. The decision, made by the conference’s executive...
Peters Township native Todd takes 2-stroke lead at WGC in MemphisVideo
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Brendon Todd’s putter is more than making up for any lack of power off the tee at the World Golf Championship. The Peters Township native shot a 5-under-par 65 on Friday and grabbed a two-stroke over Rickie Fowler lead through 36 holes of the FedEx St. Jude...
Pat Narduzzi pleased with Pitt’s 22-day streak without positive testVideo
Even if he felt compelled to criticize the reconfigured ACC schedule that sends Pitt to three southern states, Pat Narduzzi doesn’t have the time. “Give me a team to play. Give me some white lines and green fields and go play,” he said Friday during a Zoom conference call with...
A-K Valley soccer players help Pittsburgh Hotspurs claim NPSL Member’s Cup
The Pittsburgh Hotspurs beat Erie Commodores FC, 3-0, to capture the 2020 NPSL Member’s Cup in Erie on Wednesday. The Hotspurs, who finished the two-day tournament with a record of 1-0-1, tied Cleveland SC last Friday in a 2-2 draw. Because they finished the tournament with the highest goal differential...
As virus hits Pirates’ division, players wearing N95 masks while traveling
A week into the regular season, the Pittsburgh Pirates already have learned how rapidly conditions can change while trying to play during a pandemic. For instance, while traveling to Wrigley Field for a three-game series that starts Friday night, the Pirates wore the more protective N95 masks medical personnel often...
AP Source: ESPN tabs Levy, Griese and Riddick for MNF booth
Steve Levy, Brian Griese and Louis Riddick will be the new announce team for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” according to a person familiar with the decision. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday because the network has not announced its decision. ESPN biographer Jim Miller...
Best-of-5 game series poses unique challenge for PenguinsVideo
Bryan Trottier has no shortage of memories from his outstanding NHL existence. Between six Stanley Cup titles — four with the New York Islanders and two with the Pittsburgh Penguins — as well as a handful of individual accolades such as the Hart Memorial Trophy and induction into the Hockey...
Former Steelers WR Antonio Brown gets 8-game suspensionVideo
Antonio Brown has waited nearly 10 months for the NFL to hand down its punishment for his violations of the league’s personal conduct policy. Brown finally got the word Friday. The former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver will be suspended for the first eight games of the 2020 season, the NFL...
Plum 12U Cooperstown team earns runner-up finish at Cal Ripken tournament
When one door closed, another opened for the Plum 12U Cooperstown baseball team. When the team found out its spring Cooperstown, N.Y., tournament trip was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, it hoped to find other opportunities to compete. One opportunity came in the form of a tournament at the...
Local swim club hosts a return to competition with USA Swimming-sanctioned event
USA Swimming in late June released a comprehensive plan for a return to competition for local clubs throughout the country after the national organization halted events in March in the wake of the burgeoning coronavirus pandemic. Racer-X, a member of Allegheny Mountain Swimming, is one of the first clubs in...
Riverhounds look to rebound against PhiladelphiaVideo
The Pittsburgh Riverhounds are looking to get back on track. For the first time in almost two years, the Black and Gold have lost two straight games. On Saturday evening, the Riverhounds (2-2-0) will have a good opportunity to get back in the saddle when they host Philadelphia Union II...
WPIAL delays start dates for fall sports
The WPIAL delayed the start date for most fall sports, a decision executive director Amy Scheuneman compared to a two-hour delay on a winter morning. It’s better than a cancellation. The WPIAL notified school administrators Friday that football season won’t start until Sept. 10, the regular season will be reduced...
Cardinals-Brewers game off after St. Louis positives
NEW YORK — The coronavirus forced another change in Major League Baseball’s schedule, bringing the league’s total to eight teams affected in the first nine days of the season. Friday’s game between St. Louis and Milwaukee was postponed after two Cardinals players tested positive for the coronavirus. The league announced...
Mark Madden: Penguins need to simplify power play, keep stars where they fit bestVideo
Mike Sullivan is the most accomplished coach in Pittsburgh Penguins history and very arguably the franchise’s best. But even ABBA had their Waterloo, and Sullivan’s may be the Penguins’ power play. The Penguins rarely got rhythm with the man-advantage during the regular season because of injury. The unit’s components were...
Players, coaches kneel before NBA’s re-opening night
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Black players were next to white players. Coaches from one team were next to their compatriots from the opposing side. Many locked arms with the man next to them, some shut their eyes tightly, a few including LeBron James briefly raising a fist into the...
Game On: NHL restart a small step toward return to normalcy
TORONTO — NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman took a short break from watching the final few exhibition games Thursday to ponder the significance of awarding the Stanley Cup some two months from now — should all go as planned. The magnitude of the task it took to simply reach the cusp...
Health will play vital role in Steelers using 2 tight ends more frequently this seasonVideo
Playing on separate teams in 2018, tight ends Vance McDonald and Eric Ebron combined for 116 catches, 1,360 yards and 17 touchdowns. With Ebron leaving Indianapolis and joining McDonald on the Pittsburgh Steelers this season, it gives the team one of the best tight end duos in the NFL. And...
