Sports category, Page 254
North Allegheny grad Cole Young hits 1st MLB homer, but Mariners fall to YankeesVideo
NEW YORK — Seattle Mariners rookie Cole Young, a North Allegheny graduate, hit his first home run in the majors, but the New York Yankees beat the Mariners, 9-6, on Wednesday night. Young, the No. 9 hitter, hit a two-run blast on an 0-2 count in the seventh inning. Promoted...
Tim Benz: Pirates have no one to blame but themselves for newest chapter of ESPN Paul Skenes trade chatter
There were a couple of rounds of media-created Paul Skenes trade talks earlier this season. They were driven by a number of national outlets, baffled by how little the Pittsburgh Pirates had done to surround Skenes with any offensive talent to speak of. Thus, the presumption was that instead of...
U mad, bro?: Pirates fans fume over criticism of Paul Skenes’ pitch count, Steelers fans say, ‘Pay T.J. Watt!’
There are very few reasons to watch the Pittsburgh Pirates these days. One of them is Paul Skenes. So, when he is pitching great and gets pulled early, I get mad. As I wrote on Tuesday, in the wake of that occurrence happening in Seattle over the weekend, I was...
First Call: Rooney family member pans Steelers roster and rips idea of paying T.J. Watt big money; Reds honor Dave Parker
Thursday’s “First Call” has some harsh words about the Pittsburgh Steelers from someone within the Rooney family. Dave Parker is honored by one of his former teams. We’ve also got Pirates’ draft speculation and roster building from the Duquesne football team. Family matters If someone named Rooney is unloading their...
Isaac Mattson’s back-to-back tough outings belie a much stronger seasonVideo
Isaac Mattson was the man on the mound when Kansas City won in walk-off fashion Tuesday night, with Nick Loftin delivering the winning RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning. But it wasn’t all on Mattson, inserted into the game in a tough spot in relief of Dennis...
Steelers A to Z: Joey Porter Jr. looks to diminish penalties, increase number of splash plays in 3rd season
Editor’s note: From now until reporting day to training camp at Saint Vincent College, TribLive is running through the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 90-man roster, looking at each player and assessing his outlook for the 2025 season. The breakdown will run in alphabetical order with at least two players each day between...
Salvador Perez’s 8th-inning homer lifts Royals to sweep over Pirates, who lose 6th straight
For all their ongoing struggles, the Pittsburgh Pirates deserved to take some pride in their recent six-game win streak, which saw the club put together a perfect homestand ahead of nine straight on the road. But whatever modicum of momentum that stretch crafted since has been spoiled by a frustrating...
Pirates farm report for July 9, 2025: Ronny Simon walks it off for Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 52-36) scored one in the eighth and two in the ninth to get past Gwinnett (Braves), 3-2. In the ninth, SS Tsung-Che Cheng (.222) hit a tying RBI single and DH Ronny Simon (.316) followed with a walk-off RBI double. CF Ji Hwan Bae (.281) hit an RBI...
John Calipari heads into his second season at Arkansas trying to balance old and new
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — John Calipari admits he is still navigating the “new” college basketball, a world in which the 66-year-old’s traditional recruiting style is no longer the norm. But Calipari made it work last season, his first with the Razorbacks, and proved naysayers wrong. But the Arkansas basketball coach isn’t...
Zach McKinstry picked as AL All-Star sub as Tigers tie Dodgers for most picks for Midsummer Classic
The Detroit Tigers have the best record in the majors. Now they are tied for having the most All-Stars, too. Zach McKinstry was picked Wednesday to replace Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña, who has been dealing with a rib injury. The infielder-outfielder will join Detroit second baseman Gleyber Torres and outfielders...
Report: NFL players union appealing ruling in collusion caseVideo
The NFL Players Association is appealing an arbitrator’s ruling regarding collusion by owners over quarterback salaries, according to multiple reports Wednesday. The appeal was filed Tuesday and the union has been having ongoing discussions with its executive council about the matter, AP reported. There’s no timeline for a decision that’ll...
Reports: Chet Holmgren, Thunder agree on 5-year contract extensionVideo
Chet Holmgren agreed on a five-year contract extension worth nearly $240 million to remain with the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, according to multiple reports Wednesday. ESPN, which first reported the deal, citing agent Bill Duffy, said it could eventually be worth $250 million because of various contract escalators. It...
Iga Swiatek’s first Wimbledon semifinal comes against Belinda Bencic. Djokovic to face SinnerVideo
LONDON — Iga Swiatek reached the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over 19th-seeded Liudmila Samsonova that went from a stroll to a bit of a struggle in the late stages Wednesday. “Even though I’m in the middle of the tournament, I already got goosebumps...
Reports: 3-time MVP Nikola Jokic will delay signing extension with NuggetsVideo
DENVER — Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic has decided to delay a contract extension with the Denver Nuggets this summer, according to multiple reports Tuesday night. It doesn’t affect Jokic’s status in Denver in the short term: He has at least two years remaining on his deal — $55.2 million...
NBA hires James Jones as executive vice president and head of basketball operationsVideo
NEW YORK — James Jones is joining the NBA front office as executive vice president and head of basketball operations, replacing Joe Dumars in that role. Jones spent 14 years as a player in the NBA, winning two championships with the Miami Heat and another with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He...
MLB plans to use robot umpire challenge system in All-Star Game next weekVideo
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball plans to use its robot umpire technology for ball-strike challenges in Tuesday’s All-Star Game at Atlanta, another step toward possible regular-season use next season. MLB said Wednesday it intends to make the All-Star announcement Thursday. Teams won 52.2% of their ball/strike challenges during the...
Livvy Dunne, girlfriend of Pirates’ Paul Skenes, denied purchase of Babe Ruth’s apartmentVideo
Gymnast and social media influencer Livvy Dunne was all set to buy her first home. And it wasn’t just any home. Dunne, the girlfriend of Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, had a contract in place to buy a $1.6-million apartment that was once owned by baseball great Babe Ruth on...
Colorado coach Deion Sanders declines to address health issues at Big 12 media days
FRISCO, Texas — Deion Sanders declined to address his health at Big 12 football media days Wednesday, which came during his extended absence from Colorado. “I’m not here to talk about my health,” said Sanders, who is going into his third season as the Buffaloes coach. “I’m here to talk...
Rich Rodriguez ‘blessed, fortunate’ to be back at West Virginia despite unclear QB picture
Nearly seven months after he was hired, Rich Rodriguez is still beaming about his return to West Virginia. Rodriguez originally coached for the Mountaineers from 2001-07, leading them to three straight AP top-10 finishes from 2005-07. “I’m blessed, and I’m fortunate because this doesn’t happen very often,” Rodriguez said at...
Cooper Flagg, Bronny James headline opening night of NBA Summer League in Las Vegas
Opening night at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas has turned into an annual spectacle, and this year will be no different. Cooper Flagg’s debut is coming — against Bronny James, no less. Flagg, the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, and the Dallas Mavericks will open summer play...
Championship women’s basketball coach Jimmy Petruska steps down at Saint Vincent
Referencing his legacy, Jimmy Petruska said he wants to be remembered as a coach who taught life lessons to his players. “I hope I inspired each one of them through the game that I love,” Petruska said in a news release Wednesday announcing his resignation as Saint Vincent women’s basketball...
Steelers A to Z: Like a bad penny, James Pierre keeps finding a way to stick with Steelers
Editor’s note: From now until reporting day to training camp at Saint Vincent College, TribLive is running through the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 90-man roster, looking at each player and assessing his outlook for the 2025 season. The breakdown will run in alphabetical order with at least two players each day between...
Mark Madden: Steelers have no good reason to give in to T.J. Watt’s contract demands
The T.J. Watt contract extension saga seems stuck in neutral. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Steelers and Watt are “far apart.” It seems unlikely that negotiations are taking place, or that Watt is willing to negotiate. Watt wants to top what Myles Garrett gets from Cleveland, specifically more than $40...
Tim Benz: Debate over Oneil Cruz’s Home Run Derby invitation is unnecessary
Oneil Cruz has been named to the roster for the Major League Baseball All-Star Home Run Derby on Monday night. That seems to have stirred a debate on sports talk radio and in social media circles as to whether Cruz “deserves” to be in the competition. Personally, I’m not sure...
Theories why the Steelers and T.J. Watt are so ‘far apart’ in contract talks
The Pittsburgh Steelers and disgruntled outside linebacker T.J. Watt still have a lot of ground to cover on contract renegotiations, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. “They’re far apart right now, and there have been other teams that have mulled the idea that maybe they would approach the Pittsburgh Steelers about...
