Sports category, Page 2104
NHL doctor warns of patchwork protocols across 31 marketsVideo
The NHL’s chief medical officer said Wednesday he expects the coronavirus pandemic to get worse before it gets better in North America and differences across 31 markets are likely to affect when players might get back on the ice. Dr. Winne Meeuwisse said it is difficult to predict when cases...
Penguins GM Jim Rutherford sets priorities while running team in age of coronavirus
Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford has some of the same thoughts many Western Pennsylvanians do as the coronavirus pandemic has kept people holed up in their homes for extended periods of time. Not macaroni and cheese again. Rutherford spoke with reporters on a conference call Wednesday afternoon shortly after...
MLB ballparks sit empty as Opening Day remains on holdVideo
ARLINGTON, Texas — There will be no hot dogs on the grill, no beer on tap, no vendors in the stands selling peanuts and Cracker Jacks. The shiny new stadium deep in the heart of Texas will still be waiting for its first Rangers game. Instead of warming up for...
Roger Goodell orders all NFL team facilities closed for 2 weeksVideo
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has instructed the 32 teams to close their facilities to all but a select few employees by 6 p.m. Wednesday. In a memo to the teams, Goodell said the restrictions meant as a safeguard against the new coronavirus will be in force until at least April...
US Justice Department: Don’t treat transgender athletes as girlsVideo
HARTFORD, Conn. — The U.S. Justice Department is getting involved in a federal civil rights lawsuit that seeks to block transgender athletes in Connecticut from competing as girls in interscholastic sports. Attorney General William Barr signed what is known as a statement of interest Tuesday, arguing against the policy of...
All England Club to decide Wimbledon’s fate next weekVideo
The All England Club said it still is evaluating whether to postpone or cancel Wimbledon because of the coronavirus pandemic and plans to make a decision next week when the club’s main board is scheduled to hold an emergency meeting. Main-draw play at Wimbledon is scheduled to start June 29,...
Steelers agree to deal with XFL sack leader Cavon Walker, add OT Jarron Jones
While Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said Wednesday the organization was putting free agency on the back burner, that edict apparently didn’t apply to XFL players. Defensive lineman Cavon Walker, the XFL sacks leader with the New York Guardians, agreed to terms on a one-year contract with the Steelers,...
Penguins’ Jake Guentzel’s ‘rehab going well’; could return after play resumes
When the time frame associated with Jake Guentzel’s recovery first was announced after he underwent shoulder surgery Dec. 31, it didn’t leave much margin for him to return this season. With the season pushed back indefinitely, Guentzel’s potential for an impact on the Pittsburgh Penguins’ chase of the 2020 Stanley...
Mark Madden: ‘Dark Side of the Ring’ brought back memories of Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero
I watched the season premiere of VICE’s “Dark Side of the Ring” pro wrestling series Tuesday. There was a scene from WWE TV where Chris Benoit was weeping hysterically over the death of Eddie Guerrero. I started crying, too. Benoit was the program’s subject. It was difficult to watch. Guerrero...
Game Zero: Spread of coronavirus linked to Champions League match
ROME — It was the biggest soccer game in Atalanta’s history and a third of Bergamo’s population made the short trip to Milan’s famed San Siro Stadium. Nearly 2,500 fans of visiting Spanish club Valencia also traveled to that Champions League match. More than a month later, experts are pointing...
In 2nd week, free agency taking backseat to draft preparation for Steelers
After being active in the first week of free agency, the Pittsburgh Steelers have turned to preparations for the NFL Draft next month. In a video interview with the team’s website, general manager Kevin Colbert said the Steelers are on “pause” in the free agency process. The Steelers agreed to...
3 assistant coaches from 1970s Super Steelers die inside a 3-month span
One man helped the Pittsburgh Steelers win four Super Bowls before leading Michigan State to two Big Ten titles. Another was the only coach hired twice by Chuck Noll. And the third coached Pro Football Hall of Fame linebackers Jack Ham and Jack Lambert during his four championship seasons in...
Tampa Bay radio host endorses Jameis Winston to Steelers, dismisses Antonio Brown to Bucs with Tom Brady
No move during free agency was as big of a deal as Tom Brady going to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so we talked to Jay Recher of WDAE Radio about how it transpired. It sounds like it was a slow boil that started in January. “We’ve been talking about this...
First Call: A forgotten great game from Penguins covid-19 replay series
The NHL Network and AT&T SportsNet are replaying a slew of old Pittsburgh Penguins games to occupy the hearts and minds of idle Penguins fans frustrated by a lack of hockey due to the coronavirus shutdown. On Wednesday, the NHL Network will air the Penguins’ Stanley Cup clinching games from...
U mad, bro? ‘Anti-social’ distancing edition: Readers vent about Steelers, MLB, even… the U.S. Senate?
Pent-up “Breakfast With Benz” readers are angry “Breakfast With Benz” readers. It appears some of you who click on this page daily are not taking the pandemic shutdown well. You are lashing out at the Steelers backup quarterbacks, Antonio Brown, baseball, and… …the U.S. Senate? That’s a new one. Hey,...
Tom Brady looking forward, not behind with BuccaneersVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — Tom Brady said one day he’ll have time to reflect on a historic 20-year stint with the New England Patriots. Right now, the six-time Super Bowl champion and newest member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is focused on his next challenge. It’s a big one. “I don’t...
Iowa’s Spencer Lee named NCAA’s most dominant wrestler
By any measure, Iowa’s Spencer Lee has been one of the most dominant athletes in college wrestling this season. On Tuesday, the NCAA made it official. Lee, a Franklin Regional graduate, was named winner of the Most Dominant Wrestler award for Division I. Lee went 18-0 in matches against Division...
Column: Cam Newton’s legacy with Panthers comes down to one 3-letter wordVideo
What I will miss most about Cam Newton carrying the Carolina Panthers through so many dozens of games boils down to one word: Joy. Newton did a lot of things differently. But his joy for the game and for life blanketed all of it through his nine years as a...
NHL extending isolation period for players and staffVideo
The NHL is extending its recommendation for players and staff to self-isolate and stay away from team facilities during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Deputy commissioner Bill Daly on Tuesday confirmed the NHL asked players and staff extend their self-quarantine 10 days beyond the original March 27 timeline to April 6...
Chargers unveil updated lightning bolt and logotypeVideo
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Chargers updated their logo and unveiled new logotype ahead of their move into their new home. The franchise is keeping the lightning bolt as its primary logo, but it has become sleeker and streamlined. There is not as much of a curve to the...
Aliquippa graduate Dravon Askew-Henry joins New York Giants
Aliquippa’s Dravon Askew-Henry made history Tuesday when he became the first player to move from the XFL to the New York Giants, agreeing to terms on a two-year contract, according to the New York Post and other outlets. During his time with the New York Guardians of the upstart league,...
Jim Litke: The ‘no-win’ Olympics gets another chanceVideo
Money talks, which is the short answer for why it took this long for the swells at the International Olympic Committee to listen to reason. For weeks, IOC leaders framed their refusal to shut down Tokyo 2020 as a noble cause instead of a cash grab. But that’s because they...
Olympians face uncertainty with Tokyo delay because of coronavirusVideo
Would-be Olympians and their coaches have gone from days and weeks of mulling one sort of uncertainty raised by the coronavirus pandemic — are the Tokyo Games going to be held as scheduled? — to a whole other set of questions now that an indefinite postponement is official. To begin...
Newcomer Derek Watt expected to centerpiece Steelers’ new-look special teams
Among the departures from the Pittsburgh Steelers roster over the past 13 months have been L.J. Fort, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Tyler Matakevich, Anthony Chickillo and Roosevelt Nix. Insignificant? In the context that the five combined to play an average of only 8.65% of the Steelers offensive or defensive snaps over their...
USA Basketball’s next move hinges on new Olympic scheduleVideo
USA Basketball is hoping the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics will be held around the same time next year as they would have been this year. Otherwise, an already-complicated situation could get even tougher for coaches and players. USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo said Tuesday he has “hit the pause button”...
