Sports category, Page 293
First Call: Steelers look to land a free agent corner; Mike Williams leaves for former team
Thursday’s “First Call” looks at a depth signing by the Pittsburgh Steelers on the defensive side of the ball. Mike Williams is heading west in free agency. We get introduced to a mid-round running back who seems to be intriguing the Steelers as the draft approaches. We also preview Thursday...
U mad, bro?: Steelers already defensive about Aaron Rodgers, still defensive about Justin Fields
It appears that Aaron Rodgers already has his sycophants within Steelers Nation. Some Steelers fans think I was too hard on Justin Fields this week. Others feel I’m too hard on the team in general. And then there are folks who are just waiting for the other shoe to drop...
Working with mental strength coach paying off for Pirates middle infielder Alika Williams
After making the Opening Day roster only to endure a season best described as difficult, Alika Williams wanted to address the doubts that drifted through his mind. Williams noted that baseball players are typically active for only about 18 minutes of a three-hour game, and he was drowning in his...
NFL free agency roundup: Vikings sign DL Javon Hargrave; 49ers add QB Mac JonesVideo
The NFL league year kicked off Wednesday with a flurry of moves as teams continued to fill holes: • The Minnesota Vikings made another major move on interior redesign, agreeing to terms with two-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Javon Hargrave on a two-year, $30 million contract with $19 million guaranteed,...
After latest injury, has golf seen the last of Tiger Woods?
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Golf without Tiger Woods was inevitable simply because of age. He turns 50 at the end of this year and once leaned on the adage that “Father Time remains undefeated.” But for Woods, it has been the mother lode of injuries that is keeping him...
Minor league report: Sergei Murashov remains undefeated with PenguinsVideo
Goaltender Sergei Murashov made 31 saves on 35 shots in regulation and overtime for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 5-4 shootout win against the rival Hershey Bears at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday. Denying all five attempts he faced in the shootout, Murashov remained undefeated in the American...
Former NFL running back Le’Veon Bell denies raping cousin after jury awards $25M
NEW YORK — Former NFL running back Le’Veon Bell has denied raping a woman who was awarded a $25 million default judgment after accusing the 33-year-old athlete of sexually abusing her when she was a child. The woman filed a lawsuit in March 2024 alleging the defendant began forcing her...
Steelers still without a quarterback as Russell Wilson plans visits with Browns, GiantsVideo
Still without a quarterback when the first official day of NFL free agency kicked off, the Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t the only party exploring other options. Their starter for most of the 2024 season is doing the same thing. Russell Wilson, who started the final 11 games of the regular season...
Robert Morris coach, players ready for NCAA Tournament, but many already know what awaits
Andy Toole knows what the next several days will feel like for his Robert Morris players. They’re headed to the NCAA Tournament as Horizon League champions for the first time as a team, and Toole understands the enormity of it all. “They’ll have the best week of their lives,” he...
Copeland leads as McNeese goes back-to-back in Southland
LAKE CHARLES, La. — Quadir Copeland scored 18 points, and McNeese defeated Lamar, 63-54, in a cold-shooting, defensive battle Wednesday, giving the Cowboys back-to-back Southland Tournament championships. The top-seeded Cowboys (27-6) will be making their fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Cowboys led wire-to-wire. The gap was 31-22 with...
Duquesne ready for St. Bonaventure rubber match in A-10 tourney
Duquesne begins defense of its Atlantic 10 Tournament men’s basketball championship Thursday with an early-bird matchup against a familiar foe. The ninth-seeded Dukes (13-18) and No. 8 St. Bonaventure (21-10) will meet for the 137th time dating to 1920 in a first-round game at 11:30 a.m. at Capital One Arena...
West Virginia’s NCAA Tournament hopes take hit with Big 12 loss
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Elijah Malone scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half, helping No. 16 seed Colorado deal No. 8 seed West Virginia’s at-large NCAA Tournament hopes a massive blow with a 67-60 victory in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament on Wednesday. RJ...
Penguins forward Boko Imama seeks ways ‘to be relevant here’Video
The energy was easy to recognize. Or just hear. When Pittsburgh Penguins forward Boko Imama threw three checks in the span of 17 seconds midway through a 3-2 overtime home win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday, it captivated a rapt audience that offered plenty of hoots and hollers...
Terms of Darius Slay’s contract revealed; Steelers add depth cornerback
Darius Slay will earn $10 million this season after he agreed to terms on a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers following his release Wednesday from the Philadelphia Eagles. Slay agreed verbally Monday to join the Steelers, but he had to wait until the Eagles released him at 4 p.m....
Rams officially release Super Bowl 56 MVP Cooper KuppVideo
The Los Angles Rams cut Super Bowl 56 MVP Cooper Kupp after being unable to find a trade partner for their former No. 1 wide receiver. The Rams officially moved on from the 2021 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year at the start of the league year Wednesday. Kupp...
Former Steelers Larry Ogunjobi, Van Jefferson agree to contracts in free agency
Two more starters for the Pittsburgh Steelers from the 2024 season have found new homes. Defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi signed a one-year contract with the Buffalo Bills on Wednesday, two days after the Steelers released him in a salary-cap move. The contract is worth $8.3 million, with $8 million guaranteed....
Report: Free-agent Steelers QB Russell Wilson to visit with Browns, GiantsVideo
The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t the only ones exploring their options at quarterback. Their starter for most of the 2024 season is doing the same thing. Russell Wilson, who started the final 11 games of the regular season and wild-card playoff game against Baltimore, has visits scheduled with the Cleveland Browns...
7 WPIAL teams set for Friday’s PIAA basketball quarterfinals
That big thump sound you heard was a lot of WPIAL teams hitting a permanent stop on the season Tuesday and being forced to exit the Road to Hershey. District 7 had 19 teams entering the second round of the PIAA boys 5A, boys 4A, boys A, girls 6A, girls...
Mark Madden: Give Penguins’ rebuild time, and watch Kyle Dubas become the hero
The “2025 trade deadline” phase of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ rebuilding project is complete. President of hockey ops/GM Kyle Dubas did well. But then the players fouled it up by winning their last two games, and against good teams, too. You can’t tell Sidney Crosby to not be Sidney Crosby. Fewer...
After 2020 NCAA berth was lost to pandemic, hoops alumni celebrate RMU’s return to March Madness
Robert Morris basketball coach Andy Toole was preparing to coach his team in Tuesday night’s Horizon League Championship game. He couldn’t ignore the irony of the date: March 11. “I was getting ready to get on the bus. I saw on Twitter that five years ago today was when Rudy...
First Call: Brett Favre wants Aaron Rodgers to choose Vikings; Steelers reportedly sign Eagles RB Kenneth Gainwell
In “First Call” for Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers are adding a running back. A third team may be in the mix for Aaron Rodgers. Some former Steelers are part of moves in the AFC North. We will also look at what lies ahead for Robert Morris in the NCAA Basketball...
Tim Benz: 2 reasons Steelers fans should want Aaron Rodgers — and you’re going to hate both
Aaron Rodgers is an aging, declining, narcissistic distraction of a quarterback who is asking for too much money. And I desperately hope the Pittsburgh Steelers sign him. For two reasons. Neither of which you will want to hear. First of all, regardless of who becomes the starting quarterback of the...
Buried in Baltimore, Billy Cook embracing 1st base in his 1st spring training with Pirates
Billy Cook couldn’t help but smile in recognizing the rarity that he made his major-league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates before attending his first big-league camp at spring training. “It is kind of crazy,” Cook said. “I don’t know how uncommon it is, but I would think more people would...
Vladislav Kolyachonok earns promotion to Penguins’ top defense pair
Vladislav Kolyachonok was inches away — probably centimeters, actually — from scoring his first goal as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday. Late in the second period against the Vegas Golden Knights, the Penguins established some extended offensive zone time ahead of intermission, and Kolyachonok fired a close-range...
Important tasks that Pitt’s Jeff Capel must get right lie ahead after deflating loss in ACC Tournament
If you thought life has been tough for Pitt coach Jeff Capel since the first days of the new year, even more difficult issues are on the way. And we’re not talking about unhappy fans. After Pitt lost to Notre Dame on Tuesday in the first round of the ACC...
