Sports category, Page 2412
Kevin Gorman: Pirates’ Gregory Polanco learns value of patience
Gregory Polanco knows he isn’t 100 percent healthy — and likely won’t be this season — and that has become the biggest challenge for the Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder. If only he could practice as much patience with himself as the Pirates have. Polanco was playing his best baseball before...
Starling Marte’s sudden success at plate for Pirates all part of plan
Starling Marte’s sudden hitting surge might coincide with his drop to the third spot in the batting order, but the Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder isn’t crediting that switch for his success. Instead, it’s a behind-the-scenes move. “What’s working out for me is working with the hitting coach and going to...
T.J. Watt settles into role as a focal point on Steelers defense
Only 17 months ago, T.J. Watt still was, by definition, a rookie. Nowadays, he’s an accomplished veteran who is among the established leaders of the Pittsburgh Steelers defense. Life comes at you fast in the NFL. “It’s just a gradual kind of feeling-out process of where you are in your...
Brentwood Firecreacker 5K readies for 36th edition
It’s back, and it returns with much anticipation and fanfare. The 36th annual Brentwood Firecracker 5K Run, which begins and ends at Brentwood Towne Square and annually kicks off Brentwood’s Fourth of July holiday festivities, takes place at 9 a.m. on July 4. The 3.1-mile race course runs on Brownsville...
After turning around season, CCAC-Boyce baseball reached Region XX finals
When members of the CCAC-Boyce baseball team look back on the 2019 season, they are quick to notice a definite shift in fortunes. After a 4-10 start had the squad looking for answers, the team righted the ship and embarked on a winning streak that took them to a Western...
Quaker Valley Legion team returns strong, winning core
Expectations are “relatively high” for Quaker Valley’s American Legion baseball team — and for good reason. The team is led by veteran pitchers Jake Commens and Isaiah Piatt — recent graduates — and has a core of juniors and sophomores that has won more than a dozen tournaments in Western...
Pine-Richland’s Joey Bolick helps W&J baseball to College World Series
The Washington & Jefferson baseball team had a season to remember, and Pine-Richland graduate Joey Bolick was there for every milestone as a starting infielder. The Presidents’ season ended June 2 when they lost to eventual champion Chapman, 8-4, in the NCAA Division III World Series in Cedar Rapids, Iowa....
Franklin Regional grad Jon Stickel leaves Hamilton hockey at head of the class
Jon Stickel stuck with a steadfast in-season rule: no “heavy-lifting study sessions” after practice. If that meant the Franklin Regional graduate and hockey player at Division III Hamilton — a prestigious liberal arts college located in Clinton, N.Y. — hit the books at 7 a.m., Stickel knew what worked best...
Norwin PAL Junior Legion baseball team to rely on pitching depth
It has been a slow start for the Norwin PAL Junior Legion baseball team. The squad opened the summer season with a 1-4 record. But the more time the team sees on the field, the more good things coach Ken Lindsay is seeing. “We are young and trying to get...
Brewers hand Pirates beating, chase Rookie Davis earlyVideo
MILWAUKEE — Brandon Woodruff struck out 10 in six innings and Ryan Braun hit a three-run homer, helping the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 10-4, on Friday night. Eric Thames also connected for Milwaukee, and NL MVP Christian Yelich had three hits. Travis Shaw walked twice and scored two...
Raptors win on road, push Warriors to 3-1 brink in NBA FinalsVideo
OAKLAND, Calif. — Kawhi Leonard’s hot hand is sending the Raptors home to Toronto on the cusp of a startling upset for Canada. Leonard outdueled the Splash Brothers for 36 points and 12 rebounds, and the Raptors moved within one victory of the franchise’s first championship by winning a second...
Pirates minor league report: June 7, 2019
Pirates INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 34-24) lost 3-1 to Toledo (Tigers) despite outhitting the Mud Hens, 9-4. RHP Dovydas Neveruaskas (1-1, 2.37) recorded the loss after allowing the tying and winning runs in the eighth inning — the lone inning he pitched — with a strikeout, a walk and two hits. RHP...
Fajt, Jackson set for busy weekend
It will be a busy weekend for Murrysville’s Palmer Jackson and Greensburg’s Kevin Fajt. They will be teamed together in the Westmoreland County Better-Ball tournament, which will begin at noon Saturday at Hannastown Golf Club. There are 16 two-man teams competing for the title. Some of the other teams include:...
Hempfield East American Legion looking for another big season
The Hempfield East American Legion baseball team is on a mission. The 2018 season had its great moments — winning the District 31 and Region 7 tournaments — and it’s not so great moments — barely having enough players to compete in the Pennsylvania Legion State Tournament. The 2019 team...
Craig Kimbrel on Cubs: ‘I’m happy where I am’
CHICAGO — After missing more than one-third of a season while waiting for the right offer, Craig Kimbrel found a home with the Chicago Cubs. “Am I disappointed at where I am? No. not all at all. I’m very happy where I am,” Kimbrel said Friday after the Cubs finalized...
Special team: Blues penalty kill has them on verge of Stanley Cup winVideo
Something is missing from the Boston Bruins power play. The uninterrupted puck movement and cross-ice passes to a wide open David Pastrnak aren’t there anymore. Torey Krug isn’t getting the chance to fire away from the top. Patrice Bergeron isn’t dominating between the faceoff circles like before. Boston rode its...
Tim Dahlberg: Equal treatment in NBA means more than just suspensionVideo
Mark Stevens will have to watch on TV when the arena he and his fellow investors are building in San Francisco opens next season with what they hope will be another championship-ring ceremony for the Golden State Warriors. The billionaire venture capitalist’s yearlong punishment for shoving Toronto’s Kyle Lowry courtside...
Mark Madden: Blaming refs is bad look for Bruins
Can one poor officiating decision decide a game? Sure, if the losing team lets it. The New Orleans Saints couldn’t overcome a pass interference no-call in the NFC championship game. But the St. Louis Blues lost Game 3 of the NHL’s Western Conference Final to San Jose when the Sharks...
Mickelson going for elusive U.S. Open title at Pebble Beach, where he has 5 wins
There was the hospitality tent at Winged Foot. There was Payne and the pager at Pinehurst. There was a near-miss at Merion. To list all of Phil Mickelson’s close calls, meltdowns and shortfalls at the U.S. Open is to peer into a particularly tortured chapter of the history of one...
Like the NFL, its uniforms have evolved over 100 years
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tex Schramm often called Gil Brandt into his office to look at the fabric swatches draped all over his furniture, wanting another opinion on the right jersey and pants combination for the Dallas Cowboys. He hit on a winning combination. Decades later, Cowboys jerseys remain among the...
Belmont will cap bizarre Triple Crown
NEW YORK — There has been a buzz about thoroughbred racing since the Kentucky Derby and it just might increase when the “What if?” Triple Crown comes to an end with the Belmont Stakes. Think about it. What if Maximum Security, the first colt across the finish line, had not...
Knoch graduate Jordan Geist using 3rd-place finish at NCAAs as ‘learning experience’
A third-place finish in an event at the NCAA Division I outdoor track and field championships is quite the accomplishment for most people. But most people aren’t Jordan Geist. The Knoch graduate and Arizona sophomore took bronze Wednesday in the shot put in the national competition at the University of...
Kevin Gorman: In musical outfield, Pirates should save Bryan Reynolds a seat
The Pittsburgh Pirates have dealt with so many injuries to their outfielders this season that they have been forced to play a game of musical chairs, starting nine players. When Corey Dickerson returns from a 60-day stint on the injured list, however, the Pirates will have a crowded outfield. It’s...
Fishing report: Lake Arthur offering hybrid striped bass
• Despite the heavy rain last week, anglers at Lake Arthur are seeing a good deal of hybrid striped bass populating the deeper water. Meanwhile, in the shallow areas of the lake, the crappie are hitting well on nightcrawlers. Anglers also are using jigs and tube jigs in their setup...
Unlike 2018, Steelers escape OTAs with healthy rosterVideo
Five things we learned about the three-week organized team activities that the Pittsburgh Steelers wrapped up Thursday: 1. Good health Ask any coach, and he or she likely will tell you the most important thing about OTAs is getting through it without incurring any significant injuries. Unlike last season, the...
