Sports category, Page 2083
Steelers’ Mike Tomlin, Kevin Colbert: backup centers to benefit most from bigger rosters
The new collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and its players union expanded roster sizes from 53 to 55 per team. It upped active gameday squads by two, as well, to 48. Time will tell how teams fill those spots. But if the Pittsburgh Steelers coach and general manager are...
Mark Madden: Don’t underestimate NFL’s power, impact on economy
We don’t have sports. But we still have refreshing sports notes! (When these notes were prepared, they were positioned 6 feet apart and doused with hand sanitizer.) • If any sport can start on time with fans in the stands, it’s the NFL. Don’t underestimate the league’s power, political connections...
Despite ‘feeling good’ about Steelers’ QBs, Kevin Colbert won’t rule out drafting oneVideo
While he reiterated the Pittsburgh Steelers “felt good” about Ben Roethlisberger’s health and expressed satisfaction in Mason Rudolph as a backup, general manager Kevin Colbert did not rule out selecting another quarterback in the NFL draft later this week. “If any pick makes sense at any time, then of course...
Franklin Regional graduate Michael Kemerer granted another year of eligibility at Iowa
Positive news, in any form, is welcomed by college athletes in these uncertain times. Wrestler Michael Kemerer received an uplifting boost from the NCAA over the weekend as the Iowa senior and Franklin Regional graduate was granted a sixth year of eligibility. That means he will get another shot at...
Steelers’ Kevin Colbert, Mike Tomlin ready for ‘spectator’s view’ when NFL Draft beginsVideo
The NFL scheduled a trial run with owners, general managers and coaches Monday afternoon to work out the kinks of the league’s first virtual draft. The Pittsburgh Steelers, in essence, will conduct a second one Thursday night. With the Steelers being one of six teams without a first-round pick, team...
After investing 2 recent first-round picks at safety, Steelers likely to look elsewhere earlyVideo
Based on their record last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers were slotted as the No. 18 pick of the first round of the 2020 draft. Though the league’s annual selection meeting begins Thursday, the Steelers are already content with what that draft capital will reap — a versatile, athletic playmaker of...
Tim Benz, Mark Madden discuss how the draft may impact Steelers trades; Matt Murray’s future
In this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden and I focus on the NFL Draft. We both see the logic in the Steelers drafting a skill-position player in the second round. But what becomes of JuJu Smith-Schuster or James Conner if that happens? Could either of them be traded? If...
First Call: Should Steelers look at Leonard Fournette? Rare national praise for Ben Roethlisberger
Monday’s “First Call” starts the week with rare pre-NFL Draft praise of Ben Roethlisberger from the national media. Could the Steelers target running back Leonard Fournette in a trade? More Jameis Winston to the Steelers chatter. And it appears that the Chinese Professional Baseball League (Taiwan) doesn’t quite grasp the...
Pitt doctor leading covid-19 battle discusses lessons learned through sports, optimistic for football’s return
Not much has made me smile since the covid-19 shut-in. Tiger King. Bert Kreischer’s new comedy special. Oh, and this dog video. Good boy’s reaction...?pic.twitter.com/OK3t2x1VJU— Rex Chapman? (@RexChapman) April 15, 2020 C’mon! You gotta laugh every time, right? There was one other thing that gave me a chuckle. It was...
3 potential NFL starters unlikely to be picked in 1st roundVideo
The 2020 NFL Draft kicks off Thursday, with the first round making up the first day of the draft. While the biggest names likely will be called within the first 32 picks, there’s plenty of talent to be had in the later portion of the draft. Here are three prospects...
‘Pistol’ Pete Maravich was ‘in a league by himself’ in H-O-R-S-EVideo
As he waited last week in his car at a Whole Foods parking lot while his wife shopped, playing it safe during these times as a 68-year-old, Bob McAdoo laughed a knowing laugh. Because for all the trickery cobbled together by the contestants in ESPN’s H-O-R-S-E competition last week, the...
Hopewell grad Shatori Walker-Kimbrough embarks on new WNBA odysseyVideo
Like so many others, Shatori Walker-Kimbrough is making the best of being stuck at home during the covid-19 pandemic. The former Hopewell three-sport standout and three-year WNBA veteran is riding her exercise bike, doing core workouts and honing her ball-handling — in between jigsaw puzzles and reading. Being at “home”...
LB Micah Parsons 1st team for Penn State … at kick returnerVideo
Micah Parsons was Penn State’s first-team kick returner for less than a day, but the All-American defender from Harrisburg still is hoping to have the ball in his hands during the 2020 season. Those who have followed the linebacker’s time with the Nittany Lions have noted his rise to one...
Can Alex Ovechkin catch Wayne Gretzky? ‘The Great One’ rooting for himVideo
Wayne Gretzky sees a lot of himself in Alex Ovechkin, from the smile on his face each time he steps on the ice to his passion for scoring goals. There are also differences, like Gretzky’s sole focus on the NHL growing up in Brantford, Ontario, versus Ovechkin’s upbringing in Moscow....
William Byron wins 2nd NASCAR virtual race in a drama-free eventVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Nobody did anything to get fired or lose a sponsor in this week’s edition of NASCAR virtual racing. William Byron won his second consecutive NASCAR virtual race Sunday by holding off Timmy Hill — the driver who moved him out of the way to win an earlier...
John Steigerwald: Kudos to Jalen Green for choosing G League over college
Good for Jalen Green. He decided not to go to college. Instead, he’ll make $500,000 playing basketball in the G League. That’s the official minor league of the NBA. It used to be known as the D League for NBA Developmental League. It was changed to G League in 2017....
NFL Draft linebacker breakdown: Production galore from this classVideo
The NFL Draft is April 23-25. Each day leading up to the first round, the Tribune-Review is compiling a positional preview of the top draft prospects. 1. Isaiah Simmons Clemson, 6-4, 238 Simmons earned the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker in 2019 as a redshirt junior. He also...
Sports leagues seek return to play but with no guarantees
With no games being played, recent sports headlines have centered around hopes and dreams: namely, the uncharted path leagues and teams must navigate to return to competition in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic. Virtually all leagues talk publicly about their desire to return before summer. But behind closed doors,...
Steelers’ evolution at inside linebacker could include additions in NFL DraftVideo
About this time in 2019, the Pittsburgh Steelers were finishing up an eight-month process of spending four draft picks and $13.45 million in guaranteed money into fortifying the inside linebacker position. A year after those investments, the Steelers still seem to have work to do at the position. The release...
Scott Fowler: What sponsor would pay Kyle Larson?Video
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR driver Kyle Larson threw his job away by saying one word on Easter Sunday — the N-word. “What Kyle Larson did to himself in that one moment was like hitting the wall running at 300 mph,” Humpy Wheeler, the retired racing executive who ran Charlotte Motor...
ESPN, NFL Network ready to tackle challenges of remote draftVideo
The NFL Draft is annually one of the most ambitious productions ESPN does. Next week’s coverage might go down as THE most ambitious in the network’s 40-year history. With the NFL closing team complexes and canceling plans to hold the draft in Las Vegas, this year’s event is shaping up...
NFL following NBA’s lead in blurring traditional positionsVideo
The NFL is embracing dexterity for the first time since the 1960s, when expanded rosters and the age of specialization ushered out the last of the great two-way players such as Chuck Bednarik and Les Richter. For much of the last half-century, players who didn’t fit the mold essentially were...
Louisville adjusts to new date, season for Kentucky DerbyVideo
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Postponing the Kentucky Derby was jarring enough for a city that draws much of its identity from hosting horse racing’s marquee event. Canceling it, well, that’s unthinkable in the Bluegrass State. The move of the Triple Crown’s first leg to Labor Day weekend because of the coronavirus...
NFL Draft OLB/Edge rush breakdown: Talented position doesn’t end with Chase YoungVideo
The NFL Draft is April 23-25. Each day leading up to the first round, the Tribune-Review is compiling a positional preview of the top draft prospects. 1. Chase Young Ohio State, 6-5, 264 Young is the best athlete in the draft and almost assuredly will be property of the Redskins...
Mock NFL Draft predicts Steelers take Wisconsin RB Jonathan TaylorVideo
The only quarterback who definitely won’t fall Thursday night in prime time is Joe Burrow. Burrow’s is the first name we will hear regardless if the Bengals select him or a team such as the Dolphins pays a king’s ransom for the first overall pick. The situation remains fluid for...
