Sports category, Page 2103
MLB ballparks will remain eerily empty on ‘opening day’
ARLINGTON, Texas — There will be no hot dogs on the grill, no beer on tap, no vendors in the stands selling peanuts and Cracker Jack. The shiny new stadium deep in the heart of Texas will still be waiting for its first Rangers game. Instead of warming up for...
First Call: Steelers embracing Watt Bros. fun, Jameis Winston chatter continues, MLB unlikely to play 162
Thursday’s “First Call” makes the Watt brother era official with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Jameis Winston chatter won’t stop. Major League Baseball is accepting that a shortened year can’t be avoided. Can Tom Brady still throw a decent deep ball? And Obi Toppin is off to the NBA. As much...
Eric Ebron: ‘Ego,’ ‘enigma,’ ‘can’t rely on him.’ So how is he still ‘a good fit’ with Steelers?
On the surface, the Steelers’ signing of Indianapolis Colts tight end Eric Ebron is either going to be a home run or nothing. It looks that way on the surface, because that’s exactly the case. Although, at tight end, I’d settle for a hard single up the middle. That’ll be...
Tim Benz: NHL ‘consolation bracket’ for No. 1 pick? That’s just trying way too hard
Whenever — if ever — the NHL reboots its 2019-20 season out of the coronavirus shutdown, it appears league owners have three targets. 1. Award a Stanley Cup after a representative version of a playoff 2. Play as many remaining scheduled home dates as possible 3. Don’t truncate the 82-game...
Valley News Dispatch wrestlers of the year: Burrell’s Ian Oswalt and AJ Corrado
Ian Oswalt Burrell, jr., 132-pounds 2019-20 record: 45-7 Through the first three years of his high school career, Burrell’s Ian Oswalt has set the bar high. Each year, he seems to clear that bar. For the third straight season, Oswalt cleaned house at the sectional and WPIAL tournaments, becoming a...
Trib HSSN wrestler of the year: Canon-McMillan’s Gerrit Nijenhuis
Gerrit Nijenhuis is a dynamic performer and two-time state champion who added another sparkling chapter to Canon-McMillan’s storied wrestling history this season, so it probably is not fair to boil down his high school career to just one number. Then again, it’s a really impressive number. Nijenhuis’ 6-0 victory over...
Source: Cowboys resume contract talks with QB Dak PrescottVideo
DALLAS — As the clock slowly ticks on a contract-extension deadline, the Dallas Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott don’t appear to be wasting time. The sides resumed discussions on a long-term deal, a source said Wednesday evening. Last week, Dallas placed the exclusive franchise tag on Prescott, keeping him from...
IOC’s Thomas Bach invokes Trump in defense of Olympic decisionVideo
GENEVA — A day after officially postponing the Tokyo Olympics, IOC president Thomas Bach invoked comments by President Donald Trump to defend himself from criticism Wednesday. Bach spoke to about 400 reporters on a conference call and was quizzed why, despite growing concern from athletes, it took so long to...
Even if there is no MLB season, players still can be free agentsVideo
NEW YORK — Mookie Betts and all the players set to be free agents after the 2020 season still would get that chance if there is no baseball this year, part of a broad deal being negotiated by the commissioner’s office and the players’ association. If there is no season...
Patriots’ Devin McCourty ready for post-Tom Brady era in New EnglandVideo
BOSTON — Don’t minimize the New England Patriots. Devin McCourty warns the NFL that in the post-Tom Brady era, forgetting about New England is not a wise move. The safety, defensive captain and three-time Super Bowl champion is entering his 11th season in New England after recently agreeing to a...
Nona Blues: Graeme McDowell concerned with restaurants and his golfVideo
Graeme McDowell finds motivation in short supply as he tries to keep his golf game sharp without knowing when the next tournament will be played. In that respect, he’s no different from most players. His concern goes beyond golf during the shutdown from the spread of the new coronavirus. McDowell...
Without spring practice, football coaches try to fill voidVideo
Since taking over as Florida State coach in December, Mike Norvell has spent seemingly endless hours laying the foundation of his program. Winter is time for coaches to deliver a consistent message, build the culture they want and get players to buy into a way of going about their business...
Penn State’s James Franklin deals with coronavirus reality
The problems presented by the shutdown of the football program at Penn State stretch all the way from James Franklin’s condo, back to campus and onto the front lawns of every player who is home at a time when he expected to be at practice. Still, they pale in comparison...
How paths might have changed under expanded NFL playoffsVideo
Lovie Smith’s coaching tenure in Chicago might not have ended had the Bears made the playoffs his final three seasons instead of missing out by one spot his last two years. Playoff droughts in Cleveland and Tampa Bay wouldn’t be nearly as long or painful had the Browns and Bucs...
NHL’s top draft prospect staying patient amid uncertaintyVideo
Alexis Lafreniere never could have envisioned ending his prolific junior hockey career in such an anticlimactic setting. There was no final buzzer, and the NHL’s projected top draft prospect was nowhere near an ice rink Wednesday. Lafreniere instead was sitting at home in suburban Montreal as he opened a conference...
Karl-Anthony Towns says mother hospitalized, in coma with covid-19Video
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns says his mother is hospitalized and in a medically induced coma after contracting the coronavirus. Towns talked about the condition of his mother, Jacqueline Cruz, early Wednesday on his Instagram page and urged his followers to take covid-19 seriously and practice social distancing....
Analysis: Tom Brady over Jameis Winston easy decision for BuccaneersVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — The decision to pursue Tom Brady in free agency was a no-brainer for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That’s not to suggest a lot of thinking and planning didn’t go into it. In snaring the six-time Super Bowl winner, who signed a two-year, $50 million contract that’s fully...
MLB 7-inning doubleheaders? Baseball open to considering new ideasVideo
TORONTO — If Major League Baseball needs to squeeze more games into a condensed season without exhausting pitching staffs, perhaps this idea could get tossed into play: seven-inning doubleheaders. “Maybe that’s something we have to consider,” Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said on a conference call Wednesday. Opening...
Olympic delay leaves athletes uncertain about sponsorshipsVideo
Aside from figuring out how to maintain their health and fitness for an additional year, athletes such as Ryan Crouser suddenly faced another concern when the Olympics were postponed until 2021. They also have to make the money stretch that far. Crouser still hopes to defend his shot put gold...
Injured Pirates pitchers Steven Brault, Clay Holmes ‘progressing, improving’
If Opening Day had gone on as scheduled Thursday, Steven Brault and Clay Holmes would have began the season on the Pittsburgh Pirates injured list. But the pitchers are progressing in their rehabs from injuries suffered during spring training, according to director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk. Brault was shut...
Shut out by the Pittsburgh Marathon, three friends plan after-hours run near North Park
Jeff Gleason anticipated the first question — “How stupid are you guys?” — before it could be asked. Perhaps that’s a bit harsh, until you’re made aware that Gleason and his buddies, Wayne Kurtz and Bill Thompson, are planning to run a self-styled Pittsburgh Marathon, starting out at 1 a.m....
NHL postpones its draft and related events
The NHL announced Wednesday the postponement of its upcoming draft and related events, adding another sports event casualty to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic. The 2020 draft was scheduled for June 26-27 in Montreal. But with league play suspended indefinitely, at this point it is near-certain the playoffs still will be...
Tiz the Law set as favorite for Saturday’s Florida DerbyVideo
MIAMI — The Florida Derby is set to have a full field and empty stands. A field of 12 has been entered for Saturday’s Florida Derby, typically one of the biggest Kentucky Derby prep races and the crown jewel of the Championship Meet at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla....
Even if season extends late, Pirates won’t change Jameson Taillon’s timeline
As rumors swirl about the Major League Baseball season perhaps extending as late as Christmas, some of the unintended benefits of the awful coronavirus situation could be injured players whose rehabs are progressing while no one else is playing. Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jameson Taillon is not one of the players...
Getting home: Hockey players travel scrambled by coronavirusVideo
Ryan Stanton would pull off the highway every few hours to give his pregnant wife, Kirsten, a chance to stretch her legs. That’s usually when Kirsten and her mother-in-law would switch places to tend to the Stantons’ 18-month-old daughter in the backseat of the pickup truck during a 27-hour drive...
