Sports category, Page 2431
Pirates’ Clint Hurdle reaches managerial milestone
Clint Hurdle reached a career plateau Wednesday night occupied by only 32 other managers in baseball history. He managed his 2,500th game. Hurdle, who will turn 62 on July 30, is third among active managers with 1,224 victories, trailing the San Francisco Giants’ Bruce Bochy (1,947) and the Cleveland Indians’...
One-off drivers hope to use Indy 500 as launching pad
INDIANAPOLIS — Sage Karam carried the burden of an entire team into his final four-lap qualifying attempt last weekend. He could extend his season by putting Dennis Reinbold’s No. 24 car into the Indianapolis 500 starting grid. Or he could go home and wait 12 months for another chance. Karam...
Chiefs’ Tyrann Mathieu target of alleged extortion attempt by relative
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A distant relative of Tyrann Mathieu is free on bond after a recent arrest for suspicion of trying to extort more than $1 million from the Chiefs safety. According to a criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of Louisiana, Geourvon Sears is accused of threatening...
Gregory Polanco returns to Pirates lineup, ignoring pain to shoulder, fingerVideo
Gregory Polanco felt pain Tuesday night when an injured middle finger on his left hand kept him out of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 5-0 loss to the Colorado Rockies. The pain wouldn’t permit him to grip a baseball or bat properly, so he had no choice. Truth be told, Polanco is...
Accelerated development from Teddy Blueger could be good news for Penguins
Before he made his NHL debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins at the end of January, the story of Teddy Blueger’s career was slow and steady improvement. His two-way game was always a point of strength, but his offensive game took some time to come around. As a freshman at Minnesota-Mankato,...
Former NHL heavyweight John Scott holds no grudge against Phil Kessel
The only suspension of Phil Kessel’s 13-year NHL career came when he delivered a series of two-handed chops to former Buffalo Sabres heavyweight John Scott in a 2013 preseason game. In an appearance on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast this week, Scott said he has no hard feelings. Thinking one of...
Bruins, Blues to meet in Stanley Cup Final 49 years in makingVideo
Seeing the famous photo of Bobby Orr scoring the 1970 Stanley Cup-winning goal to beat his St. Louis Blues doesn’t bring back bad memories for Scotty Bowman. “Not really,” the legendary coach said. “Because we didn’t have a big opportunity to win that series.” Orr and the big, bad Boston...
Make no mistake, Cleveland awarded NFL Draft in 2021
Fans who want to see the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-round draft pick being selected in two seasons will need to make a short drive up the turnpike. At the NFL spring meeting in Key Biscayne, Fla., commissioner Roger Goodell announced that Cleveland has landed the 2021 NFL Draft. The timing coincides...
Kevin Gorman: Vince Williams welcomes Steelers’ new inside linebackersVideo
If you expected Vince Williams to sound insecure or insulted about the Pittsburgh Steelers signing a free-agent inside linebacker and selecting another inside linebacker with their top draft pick, you don’t know Vince Williams. Williams never is at a loss for words, but he directed his vitriol toward what he...
Another interception for Steelers 1st-team defense at OTAs
One of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ priorities for this season was to increase their takeaways. It’s extremely early — but so far, so good in that department. For the second consecutive day at organized team activities, the Steelers first-team defense intercepted Ben Roethlisberger during the “seven shots” drill that traditionally opens...
Rookie Matthew Wright given shot to unseat Chris Boswell as Steelers kicker
Matthew Wright took an internship in his chosen field of studies – aerospace engineering – as a senior, and he got a job after his December graduation at Lockheed Martin. Just in case this whole football thing didn’t work out. But the Pittsburgh Steelers called during the draft, and there...
JuJu Smith-Schuster ready to lead young group of Steelers receivers
When JuJu Smith-Schuster joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2017, he was the youngest player in the NFL and trailed Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant on the depth chart. When Smith-Schuster stepped onto the fields at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex this week for the start of organized team activities, he still...
Pitt adds graduate transfer linebacker Kylan Johnson to roster
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi added experience to his linebacker group Wednesday when graduate transfer Kylan Johnson officially joined the team from the University of Florida. Johnson earned three letters for the Gators, starting a total of nine games over three seasons (2016-18). His career totals include 83 tackles, 5 1/2...
CB Mike Hilton unsigned but present at Steelers OTAs
He’s officially not under contract, but Mike Hilton is holding down his customary spot at Pittsburgh Steelers organized team activities. After Wednesday’s session at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, Hilton confirmed both that he has yet to sign the exclusive-rights free agent tender the Steelers have presented him with and...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Seton Hill’s Stevenson earns berth in NCAA shot put
Seton Hill senior Lexi Stevenson will make a second consecutive trip to the NCAA Division II track and field championships Thursday through Saturday at Javalina Stadium at at Texas A&M Kingsville. Stevenson will compete in the shot put after qualifying with a throw of 14.79 meters at the PSAC championships....
Vince Williams ‘excited’ to see Steelers plug top pick Devin Bush into defenseVideo
Vince Williams wouldn’t say he was impressed, but Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Devin Bush certainly has made a strong first impression on the veteran inside linebacker. Bush has lined up next to Williams in the Steelers’ first-team defense in the first two days of organized team activities at UPMC Rooney...
Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster plans to be more approachable, talkative this season
JuJu Smith-Schuster initially declined to speak with the media Wednesday, telling reporters he would be available the next day. About 10 minutes after he ducked into the locker room, the Pittsburgh Steelers third-year receiver returned to the practice field at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex with a team spokesman in tow....
Fans who spent thousands on Women’s World Cup tickets irate to learn seats are not together
Victoria Amira convinced three friends to take what they’re calling the trip of a lifetime by promising that if they attended a match at the FIFA Women’s World Cup next month, she’d drive them to every vineyard in the south of France for the following two weeks. Amira, a government...
New Robert Morris athletic director discusses return to alma mater
In Wednesday’s “Breakfast With Benz” podcast, I’m joined by new Robert Morris Athletic Director Chris King to discuss his return to his alma mater. King, an Apollo native, assumes the job on June 1. He talks about how to best utilize the new UPMC Events Center. We also get into...
Check out the best hidden-ball trick in sports history
Get ready to see the best hidden-ball trick of all time. A tip of the cap to the crew at Deadspin for referencing the inspiration for the maneuver. Do you remember the baseball movie “Little Big League?” Pfft! That was nothing. First of all, it was the middle of a...
First Call: Jon Gruden discusses Antonio Brown’s OTA absence; a comical Pirates mishap
In “First Call” Wednesday, Jon Gruden responds to Antonio Brown’s absence in Oakland. A comical Pirates mishap. The Blues win the Western Conference finals with more help from a former Penguin. And someone in Buffalo has O.J. Simpson’s number. No A.B.? No big deal That seems to be the reaction...
Tim Benz: New Steelers already pressed for jobs they were just hired for
Welcome to town. Now go fight for the job opening you just thought you were hired to fill. That is the message being sent by the Steelers to each of their three significant free-agent signees this offseason. Inside linebacker Mark Barron, formerly of the Rams, inked a two-year, $12 million...
Montana DuRapau again will get the call as the Pirates’ opener
The Pittsburgh Pirates have only three healthy starters remaining from the five who normally make up the rotation, but Clint Hurdle figures the best way to solve the problem for now is to turn to the bullpen. After the 5-0 loss to the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday, Hurdle said he...
Balanced Raptors even Eastern Conference Finals versus Bucks
TORONTO — Kyle Lowry scored 25 points, Kawhi Leonard had 19 and the Toronto Raptors beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 120-102, on Tuesday night to even the Eastern Conference finals at two games apiece. Serge Ibaka had 17 points and 13 rebounds for the Raptors, who improved to 7-2 at home...
Blues beat Sharks, advance to Stanley Cup Final versus Bruins
ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Blues are marching into the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in decades. David Perron had a goal and an assist, Jordan Binnington picked up his franchise-record 12th playoff win and the Blues beat the San Jose Sharks, 5-1, in Game 6 of...
