Sports category, Page 30

Caleb Junko would not be offended to learn that at times over the last few years on fourth down, when he’d be sent on the field to punt, some Pitt fans were crossing their fingers and hoping for a good result. Junko, primed to serve as the Panthers’ full-time punter...

Organizers of the Los Angeles Olympics will sell naming rights for a handful of its venues in deals expected to bring multiple millions of dollars to the 2028 Games while breaking down the International Olympic Committee’s long-sacrosanct policy of keeping brand names off its arenas and stadiums. The organizing committee...

Cameron Heyward and Chris Boswell were holding-in during Pittsburgh Steelers training camp. Mike Tomlin is talking tough about a Steelers’ defense that hasn’t been tough enough for years. And the Pirates continue to be extremely tough to watch at all. So in the dog days of August, all you pups...

Thursday’s “First Call” plays connect-the-dots between Odell Beckham Jr. and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Shedeur Sanders and a former Pitt wide receiver are dealing with training camp injuries. Plus, we check in on Najee Harris’ recovery from that scary eye injury in Los Angeles. OK with OBJ? A social media post...

Mark DeRosa thought he got screened by Paul Skenes. When the Team USA manager called the Pittsburgh Pirates ace to pitch him on playing in the World Baseball Classic next spring, Skenes didn’t answer. But Skenes called right back and readily accepted. “I had this pitch I was going to...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 67-48) lost 6-5 to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Yankees) when RHP Eddy Yean (6-5, 3.06) gave up two runs in the bottom of the ninth. LHP Hunter Barco (3.70) started and pitched four scoreless innings, allowing three hits and no walks with five strikeouts. RHP Jack Little threw 1⅓ scoreless innings...

Washington County finished just a few innings short of a crowd-pleasing win at the PONY League World Series championship game Wednesday night at EQT Park. Washington took a three-run lead into the bottom of the fifth inning but fell 6-4 to Chinese Taipei, which won its 11th World Series crown....

OXNARD, Calif. — Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones credited an experimental trial drug for successfully treating advanced melanoma as he disclosed his cancer diagnosis publicly for the first time. Jones revealed his illness in a documentary series, “America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys,” which will debut on Netflix next...

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Maxx Crosby kept running into star athletes over the summer, from NBA great Kevin Garnett to former NFL wide receiver Steve Smith Sr., and the instant connection they shared made the Las Vegas Raiders’ star pass rusher think about another athlete he keeps coming across a...

There’s no slowing down the Milwaukee Brewers. The Pittsburgh Pirates can attest to that. The Pirates lost their fifth straight game and were swept for the ninth time this season Wednesday afternoon at American Family Field in Milwaukee as the Brewers punished Mitch Keller and the Pirates’ bullpen on the...

PHILADELPHIA — Cleveland rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders sustained an oblique injury during drills ahead of practice Wednesday and is considered unlikely to play in the Browns’ preseason game against the Eagles. Sanders did not play the remainder of the practice session after he was hurt and was ruled out of...

Competitors from Caliguri’s Academy of Martial Arts in Lower Burrell marched into the USAMA world karate championships looking to add some hardware. Grandmaster Frank Caliguri, Master Nancy Caliguri and their daughter and instructor Kelli Caliguri helped coordinate the tournament, which was held in Chicago. They guided four students to first-place...

Officials will be cracking down on college football players who feign injuries, the number of overtime timeouts will be reduced and referees will use different verbiage when announcing the results of video reviews. Those are among the changes for the 2025 season, the National Football Foundation announced Wednesday in its...

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — A year ago, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields were the top two quarterbacks at Pittsburgh Steelers training camp vying for the starting role. This week, they were back on the same field together in the same market but with different teams, with Wilson installed as the...

STATE COLLEGE — Every great team needs young players to step up. If Penn State is to reach its national championship hopes, some freshmen will have to produce. James Franklin, at Tuesday night’s practice, named three players who are pushing for playing time midway through fall camp: cornerback Daryus Dixson...

Broderick Jones had a matter-of-fact response when he was asked what he and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ young offensive line accomplished in training camp and during the first preseason game. “Nothing yet, honestly,” Jones said Tuesday as the Steelers prepared for their final practice at Saint Vincent. Jones meant no disrespect...

Two years? Three years? No, new Saint Vincent women’s basketball coach Kam Gissendanner doesn’t want a grace period for the Bearcats. She wants to win immediately. “We’re going to hit the ground running, quickly,” Gissendanner said Wednesday from Carey Center on SVC’s campus. “Like, we want it right now.” SVC...

PORTLAND, Ore. — A group led by Carolina Hurricanes owner Don Dundon has reached a tentative agreement with Paul Allen’s estate to buy the Trail Blazers and keep the team in Portland. Dundon confirmed the agreement in a text exchange with The Associated Press on Wednesday. His group includes Portland-based...

The Pittsburgh Pirates will be without Oneil Cruz for at least a week but lost Endy Rodriguez for the remainder of the season. The Pirates placed Cruz on the seven-day concussion injured list Wednesday after the center fielder left Tuesday’s game to be evaluated for a head injury following a...

During training camp, new Pittsburgh Steeler Juan Thornhill said the team’s 2025 defense could be “one of the best of all time.” When that quote was presented to head coach Mike Tomlin during a radio interview Monday morning, he was asked if he wanted to “cushion it” at all. What...

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins are no longer for sale, executive chair Joe Pohlad announced Wednesday on behalf of his family. After exploring a variety of options over the past 10 months, the Pohlad family will remain the principal owner of the club and add new investors instead. Carl Pohlad,...

Unless it’s garbage time and Pitt is leading by a considerable margin, Pat Narduzzi doesn’t want to think of a scenario in which he would have to replace Eli Holstein at quarterback. That situation arising at any point this fall would be an ominous development for the Panthers, who saw...

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Bills running back James Cook has ended his contract standoff by signing a four-year deal, Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane said Wednesday. Cook’s deal will pay him $48 million over the four years, two people with knowledge of the agreement confirmed to The Associated Press. The...

Kenny Pickett can’t catch a break. But he’d have trouble catching anything with those small hands. Pickett is continuing his path to obscurity with the Cleveland Browns, his third NFL team in four years. It’s a further reminder of how absurd it was for the Pittsburgh Steelers to select him...