Sports category, Page 2101
Big Ten extends ban on organized team activitiesVideo
The Big Ten extended the suspension of all organized team activities through May 4. Big Ten officials said this is an additional measure to the previously announced cancellation of all conference and non-league competitions through the end of the 2019-20 academic year, including spring sports that extend beyond the academic...
No games, big losses: Money crisis faces U.S. Olympic sportsVideo
DENVER — The postponement of the Tokyo Games has catapulted the sports organizations that make up the backbone of the U.S. Olympic team into crisis. At least one has already started layoffs, and others are desperate to stay solvent. Some are expecting a major downturn in membership dues, while others...
Santa Anita ends live racing because of coronavirusVideo
LOS ANGELES — Santa Anita canceled live racing Friday because of the coronavirus pandemic after instructions from the Los Angeles County Health Department. The track in Arcadia, Calif., was preparing to stage eight races when the cancellation was announced about 30 minutes before the first race. It’s not immediately known...
Jim Rutherford thinks long layoff would help Penguins. Would it?
When Sidney Crosby was asked during an NHL-run video call which teammate he would want to be stuck in quarantine with, he was quick with an answer. “Kris Letang,” Crosby said during the Zoom call open to media. “He’s in the know. He’d get all the info. I’d have a...
ESPN’s Doris Burke reveals positive coronavirus testVideo
ESPN NBA broadcaster Doris Burke, a Curt Gowdy Award recipient by the Basketball Hall of Fame for excellence in her field, said she tested positive for the coronavirus. Burke made the announcement Friday on an ESPN podcast hosted by NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski. Burke said she started feeling extreme fatigue...
Former Pitt forward Samson George enters transfer portal
Samson George, who was honored as a departing member of the Pitt basketball team at the final home game Feb. 26, wants to continue his collegiate career. George, a native of Minna, Nigeria, who expects to graduate from Pitt this year, has entered his name in the NCAA transfer portal....
Olympic qualifiers get to keep spots for postponed gamesVideo
Good news for all those who have already qualified for the Tokyo Olympics: You’re in for 2021. Olympic officials confirmed the 6,200 or so athletes who had already punched their ticket for Tokyo will keep their spots for the rescheduled games next year. It resolves one of the key questions...
Penn-Trafford graduate, University of Chicago diver Logan Sherwin ‘thankful’ for future chances
Penn-Trafford alum and University of Chicago freshman diver Logan Sherwin looked on the bright side after this month’s NCAA Division III championship meet was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. “I’m just thankful I am not a senior,” he said. “I still have three more years to try and compete.”...
Robert Morris gets verbal commitment from 6-foot-9 forward Tyson Brown
Robert Morris received its first bit of good news since the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament when Tyson Brown, a 6-foot-9 forward from Virginia Beach, Va., pledged to enroll this year. Brown played at Kempsville High School before transferring to Massanutten Military Academy for his post-graduate year. 2020 Massanutten (VA)...
Penguins green jersey auction nets $20,000 for coronavirus aid charities
The Penguins were scheduled to wear green St. Patrick’s Day jerseys in warmups before a March 15 home game against the New York Islanders. While the game wasn’t played due to the coronavirus pandemic, some good came out of it anyway. The Pittsburgh Penguins foundation raised $20,000 from the auction...
Mock draft predicts Steelers take DL Gallimore, QB Eason with top 2 picksVideo
I began this mock draft in 2012 (for the 2013 NFL draft), and one of the first things I decided was I wouldn’t do trades. There are just too many variables, and I’m already projecting so much. I make up for it by discussing the possibility within the analysis of...
Jimmie Johnson prepares for future by entering IndyCar iRaceVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson joined the field for IndyCar’s inaugural online race as he contemplates driving in that series following his retirement from full-time stock car racing. IndyCar followed NASCAR, IMSA and Formula One in setting up a virtual racing series to give fans content during...
NCAA weighs more eligibility for sports cut short by virusVideo
The NCAA Division I Council is scheduled to vote Monday on whether to allow another year of eligibility for spring sport athletes such as baseball, softball and lacrosse players, who had their seasons wiped out by the coronavirus pandemic. Providing similar relief to winter sport athletes, such as basketball and...
The story of the NFL draft, from extravaganza to unadorned
An NFL draft handled remotely because of the coronavirus pandemic is the latest twist to an event that has become as popular as any pro football happening short of the Super Bowl. Roger Goodell alerted NFL teams in a memo Thursday night that the dates of this year’s draft would...
Chartiers Valley, Duquesne alum Christian Kuntz returns to Steelers roster
Christian Kuntz is getting a second chance to crack the Pittsburgh Steelers roster. Kuntz, the Chartiers Valley and Duquesne standout, became the fourth XFL player this week to agree to a contract with the Steelers. Kuntz, 25, played linebacker in college, but he served as the Dallas Renegades long snapper...
Stefen Wisniewski looking to crack Steelers lineup after Ramon Foster retirement
Stefen Wisniewski signed a two-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers last week with the intention of replacing Ramon Foster at left guard. If he ends up replacing B.J. Finney, he’s OK with that, too. Wisniewski, the team’s 31-year-old interior offensive lineman, chased playing time above all else when he entered...
2 Olympic champions among 4 Russians with new doping chargesVideo
MONACO — Two Olympic gold medalists were among four Russian track and field athletes charged with doping offenses. Andrei Silnov, the 2008 Olympic high jump champion, and Natalya Antyukh, the 2012 champion in the 400-meter hurdles, are facing charges of using a prohibited substance or method. The Athletics Integrity Unit...
Fantasy podcast: How MLB delay is impacting drafts; pitching injuries; Ebron vs. Eifert; QB draft slot
Major League Baseball’s commissioner has spoken, and it looks like Rob Manfred is waving the white flag on a full 162-game season because of the coronavirus delay. Not only is that a big deal for fans of the game but also for those who play fantasy baseball. In our weekly...
First Call: Bruce Arians destroys Antonio Brown rumors; former Pirate now a pro wrestler
In Friday’s “First Call,” Bruce Arians shuts the door on the Antonio Brown-to-Tampa Bay rumors. Hard. Former Pirates pitcher and “Million Dollar Arm” star Rinku Singh is making it big as a pro wrestler. Pirates pitcher Trevor Williams obviously misses opening day. A dangerous quote from an NFL star. And...
Tim Benz: J.J. Watt ‘envious’ of brothers Derek, T.J. playing together with Steelers
On the hockey front, the Penguins managed to get themselves only one of the four NHL Staal brothers. That worked out OK, though. Now, the Steelers have two Watt brothers. The club recently signed Derek Watt, a fullback formerly with the Los Angeles Chargers. He’ll join All-Pro linebacker T.J. Watt...
Three UPJ wrestlers from WPIAL win all-PSAC honors
Pitt-Johnstown’s wrestling team lost out on a legitimate chance at a team title when the NCAA Division II national championships were canceled due to coronavirus. Three of its top wrestlers, all WPIAL graduates, received some consolation Thursday in the form of a postseason award. Brendan Howard, Jacob Ealy and Chris...
LeBron James regrets missing out on Cleveland homecomingVideo
LeBron James wanted to look to the rafters at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Thursday night and gaze at the 2016 NBA championship banner again. But the Los Angeles Lakers superstar’s lone game in Cleveland might have been wiped out after the league suspended play more than two weeks ago because...
Bill Bartholomay, who moved Braves to Atlanta, dies at 91Video
ATLANTA — Bill Bartholomay, the former baseball owner who moved the Braves from from Milwaukee to Atlanta in 1966 to become MLB’s first team in the South, has died. He was 91. Bartholomay died Wednesday at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, according to his daughter, Jamie. Braves Hall of Famer Hank Aaron...
Cubs-Cardinals series in London reportedly canceled because of coronavirusVideo
MLB has made no formal announcement regarding the status of the London Series, but an England-based newspaper reported Thursday the two-game series between the Cubs and Cardinals has been canceled. The Sun reported organizers canceled the series, scheduled for June 13-14 at London Stadium, in the wake of the coronavirus...
NFL keeping draft in April as scheduledVideo
NEW YORK — Commissioner Roger Goodell told NFL teams Thursday that the draft will go on as originally scheduled for next month. The draft will still take place April 23-25. It was originally scheduled for a big outdoor production in Las Vegas, but those plans were scrapped because of the...
