Sports category, Page 2416
After Pro Bowl season in Year 2, Steelers’ T.J. Watt finds new means of motivation
It was, on the surface, an early-practice position drill as part of the eighth of nine voluntary organized team activity sessions in early June. But T.J. Watt forced himself to perform with a fire as if it was the fourth quarter of a December game against New England. “We are...
First Call: Browns drama starts to emerge; bunt breaks up no-hitter
In “First Call” Wednesday, the Browns are dealing with some drama of their own. Arizona is still mad about Super Bowl XLIII. And a team broke up a no-hitter with a bunt. Browns drama The Steelers have had their share of drama in recent years while attempting to win the...
Tim Benz: Le’Veon Bell’s praise for Jets QB Sam Darnold a little much
So how was Le’Veon Bell’s first day at his new school? The former Steelers running back went through his first minicamp practice with the Jets on Tuesday. Bell says he can already tell that he is going to be more of a leader in New York than he was in...
High school coach dismisses arm worries for Pirates 1st-rounder Quinn Priester
The Pirates selected Quinn Priester in the first round of the MLB Draft on Monday. In this podcast, I interviewed his coach, Ryan Passaglia. Passaglia coached Priester at Cary-Grove High School in Illinois and has been working with the right-hander since he was in middle school. Priester has committed to...
Pirates draft Troy Polamalu’s cousin in 7th round
We haven’t seen Troy Polamalu at Heinz Field in quite some time. But maybe he’ll be at PNC Park soon. To watch his cousin. The Steelers legend has a second cousin named Blake Sabol, who’s a standout baseball player at Southern Cal. And he just got drafted by the Pirates....
Podcast part 3: Mike Ditka talks coaching 1980s Chicago Bears
The 1985 Chicago Bears offense couldn’t help but be good, having practiced daily against one of the NFL’s all-time great defenses, Mike Ditka said. “If we didn’t defense ourselves, we were going to get killed,” Ditka told Gus Frerotte in the third part of this week’s “Huddle Up with Gus”...
Aaron Rodgers, Packers looking to find options in passing gameVideo
GREEN BAY, Wis. — For most of his career, Aaron Rodgers has had plenty of good options at receiver. However, after going from Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, James Jones and Jordy Nelson at the start of his tenure as the Green Bay Packers’ starting quarterback to Nelson, Randall Cobb and...
Errors, shaky pitching lead to Pirates’ blowout loss vs. Braves
An optimist might say that three Pittsburgh Pirates errors that led to three unearned runs Tuesday night created an insignificant wrinkle that easily can be ironed out. A pessimist – and their numbers are growing – will note that the Pirates’ 12-5 loss to the Atlanta Braves before a crowd...
Raiders look to change story on defense after 2018 strugglesVideo
ALAMEDA, Calif. — The story line around the Oakland Raiders last season was a consistent and frustrating one. After trading away star pass-rusher Khalil Mack following a contract holdout, the Raiders never were able to fill that void on defense and were the worst in the league when it came...
Pirates minor league report: June 4, 2019
Pirates INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 32-23) lost 7-6 to Louisville (Reds). The Indians fell behind 5-0 after two innings and trailed 7-2 after five before scoring four runs in the seventh, falling a run short of the tie. SS Jung-Ho Kang (.476) went 4 for 5 with two doubles and three RBIs....
Sons of former MLB players highlight Day 2 of draft
NEW YORK — Grant McCray will get a chance to leave his mark on professional baseball, but he’ll have a tough time making one as dramatic as his famous father. The Florida high school outfielder, drafted in the third round by San Francisco on Tuesday, is the son of former...
MLB’s Rob Manfred doesn’t expect protective nets to change in season
SEATTLE — MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said he does not expect teams to make changes to the protective netting around ballparks during the season, although he expects conversations to continue about whether netting should be extended. Manfred’s comments Tuesday came less than a week after a young child was struck...
NHL announcer, Pirates superfan Doc Emrick not slowing down
BOSTON — The Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues’ morning skates are over, and Mike Emrick stops to take a picture with some folks who ask for one. A handful of broadcasters have taken the ice to re-enact a play from this bruising Stanley Cup Final. In the otherwise-empty stands...
UNC football coach Mack Brown has knee replaced by former player
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — North Carolina said football coach Mack Brown had his right knee replaced by one of his former players. Team spokesman Jeremy Sharpe said Tuesday that the 67-year-old coach underwent the surgery Monday that was performed by Dr. Michael Bolognesi, who played defensive back for Brown from...
West Virginia’s All-Big 12 safety Robinson etners NCAA transfer portal
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — All-Big 12 safety Kenny Robinson is looking to transfer from West Virginia less than three months before the start of the season. West Virginia football spokesman Mike Montoro confirmed Tuesday that Robinson has put his name into the NCAA’s transfer database. Robinson started 20 games in two...
Tim Benz: NFL preseason long overdue for change. Some Steelers agree.
I’ve long been an advocate of ditching the NFL’s preseason. Or at least cutting it back to two games. The risk associated with core roster players participating is massive, even if their reps are limited. By extension, their snaps are usually so few that the reward of playing a couple...
Pirates notebook: Reaching into Power 5 conferences on draft’s second day
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected eight college players Tuesday in Rounds 3-10 during the second day of the MLB Draft. Six came from Power 5 conferences. Clint Hurdle was too busy with game preparations to comment on those picks, but he spent part of his day watching video of the first...
Predicting college football’s HOF Class of 2020
A glance at the list of candidates eligible for selection to the College Football Hall of Fame is likely to produce the following reaction: How is that guy not in yet? Heisman Trophy winners Rashaan Salaam, Carson Palmer and Eric Crouch are still waiting. The late Jerome Brown, an anchor...
Amid NBA Finals and lawsuit, Kawhi Leonard remains unfazedVideo
OAKLAND, Calif. — Toronto star Kawhi Leonard has more than a few things on his mind these days. He’ll be a free agent in a few weeks and will decide where he wants to play next season. He apparently is headed to federal court to solve a disagreement with Nike....
Phillies outfielder Andrew McCutchen out for season with torn ACLVideo
SAN DIEGO — Andrew McCutchen tore his ACL in a rundown and will miss the rest of the season, causing the NL East-leading Philadelphia Phillies to again reshuffle their outfield. McCutchen hurt his left knee during Monday night’s game against San Diego and an MRI revealed the injury. “It’s not...
Le’Veon Bell talks trash, hits the practice field for Jets
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Le’Veon Bell couldn’t control himself. Well, mostly his mouth. The New York Jets running back was back on a practice field for the first time in 17 months and was downright giddy. And he let his new teammates on defense know all about it. “It...
Sunnehanna pro Jason Martin breezes to title at Tri-State PGA Open
Sunnehanna Country Club head professional Jason Martin was 1-over par through his first eight holes of the final round of the Tri-State PGA Open on Tuesday. But the first-round co-leader wasn’t getting pushed by amateur Jake Sollon, who was at 4-over par, or any other golfer in the field. Then,...
Tacitus favored in Belmont; Preakness winner 2nd choice
NEW YORK — Tacitus was made the slight favorite over Preakness winner War of Will in a Belmont Stakes that wraps up a wacky Triple Crown. Tacitus and War of Will got the outside No. 10 and 9 post positions, respectively, on Tuesday in the draw at Citi Field, but...
With Zdeno Chara hurt, Bruins could need help in Stanley Cup Game 5Video
BEDFORD, Mass. — The Boston Bruins reached the Stanley Cup Final despite a run of regular-season injuries that prevented anyone on the roster from playing all 82 games. Now comes the real test. The Bruins are preparing for Game 5 against the St. Louis Blues without captain and No. 1...
Pirates’ Josh Bell hopes to come back stronger after starting streak ends
True to his nature, Josh Bell took the news calmly and without much comment. Perhaps that’s because he didn’t know what to say or how to react to sitting and watching a baseball game. When you start every one of your team’s first 58 games for more than two months...
