Sports category, Page 324
The revamped Superdome is set to host its 8th Super Bowl after half a century of memorable moments
NEW ORLEANS — NFL coach Sean Payton remains a fan of the nearly 50-year-old Superdome, where he paced the home sideline for 15 seasons. “I challenge any venue to age like this one has,” Payton, now with the Denver Broncos, said while visiting New Orleans for Super Bowl-related festivities this...
Nielsen says Christmas had more viewing on streaming services than any day ever
NEW YORK — Christmas marked a milestone in media history: more streaming than any day ever before, according to the Nielsen company. Netflix streamed two NFL games on that day, with Beyonce appearing as the halftime entertainment when the Houston Texans hosted the Baltimore Ravens in addition to the Pittsburgh...
Penguins’ Sidney Crosby ruled out vs. Rangers, will miss 1st game in nearly 3 years
Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has been ruled out for Friday night’s contest at the New York Rangers. Coach Mike Sullivan revealed to reporters in New York following the Penguins’ Friday morning skate that Crosby, who’s nursing a suspected arm injury, won’t suit up. Of note, Crosby did participate in...
Mark Madden: A brief history of highs, lows of international hockey ahead of 4 Nations Face-Off
With the 4 Nations Face-Off beginning Wednesday, here’s a brief, informal history of international hockey. Disclaimer: Hockey players do not “represent their country.” The armed forces do. Grab a gun, not a hockey stick. Pre-1972 Canada dominated. Then the Soviet Union took over. Canada claimed that was because NHL players...
Penguins recall winger Emil Bemstrom from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of AHL
The Pittsburgh Penguins recalled forward Emil Bemstrom from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League ahead of Friday’s game at the New York Rangers. Bemstrom, through 37 AHL games, is Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s leading scorer, with 19 goals and 22 assists. This season, the 25-year-old was named an AHL All-Star. The Penguins reassigned...
Steelers to play game in Ireland during 2025 seasonVideo
The Pittsburgh Steelers will be heading overseas for the first time in 12 seasons. To no surprise, given the franchise’s family roots, the destination is Dublin. The NFL announced Friday the Steelers will play a game at Croke Park in Ireland’s capital city during the 2025 season. The Steelers will...
First Call: Matt Stafford’s wife on board with move if trade happens; Steelers legend presses need for QB improvement
If the Pittsburgh Steelers really have an interest in acquiring Matthew Stafford, it appears his wife is willing to move from Los Angeles if needed. A Steelers legend is encouraging the team to make a move at QB as soon as possible. We preview the Penguins weekend ahead, potentially without...
Pirates by Position: Bounce-back year by closer David Bednar could be key to bullpen success
Ben Cherington will be the first to admit the Pittsburgh Pirates expected their bullpen to be dominant last season, and their general manager is the first to acknowledge its shortcomings. Adding seven-time All-Star Aroldis Chapman to a back end that featured two-time All-Star closer David Bednar was supposed to deliver...
Pitt Take 5: When Panthers meet Tar Heels, loser faces uphill climb
If Pitt/North Carolina looks like an elimination game, that’s because the loser is in serious trouble. Each team will have more than a month to recover, but a loss Saturday at Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill would be North Carolina’s 11th and Pitt’s ninth. What’s left of the...
Robert Morris looks to follow path of fellow mid-major Duquesne to NCAA Tournament
Remember last season? Who could forget when Duquesne won the Atlantic 10 Tournament in men’s basketball and surged to its first NCAA Tournament in something like a million years? Remember that? It had been 47 seasons — the year was 1977, to be exact — since the Dukes made The...
Football Footnotes: Gambling tips for Super Bowl LIX
This Friday’s “Football Footnotes” is our annual “Super Bowl Bets” edition as we get ready for Sunday’s Showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. Last year was a rough one. On the plus side, I went 3 for 4 with bets on the Chiefs and their players....
Bills’ Josh Allen wins AP NFL MVP over Ravens’ Lamar JacksonVideo
NEW ORLEANS — Josh Allen edged two-time winner Lamar Jackson for the AP NFL MVP award in the closest race since Matt Ryan beat out Tom Brady in 2016. Allen, who led Buffalo to a fifth straight AFC East title, got 27 first-place votes to Jackson’s 23 and finished with...
Who dat finding new life in Philly? It’s All-Pro Eagles LB Zack Baun
NEW ORLEANS — Jason Kelce stood on stage during a taping of his late-night talk show when he spotted his former boss and Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman hanging out in the balcony. Kelce turned the cameo into a Q&A and asked what every fan in Philadelphia — heck,...
Antonio Gates, Jared Allen, Eric Allen, Sterling Sharpe make Pro Football HOFVideo
NEW ORLEANS — Antonio Gates, Jared Allen, Eric Allen and Sterling Sharpe were voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the smallest induction class in 20 years after offseason rule changes meant to make it harder to get inducted. Sharpe got in as a seniors candidate in voting...
Baseball star Shohei Ohtani’s ex-interpreter sentenced to nearly 5 years in sports betting case
SANTA ANA, Calif. — The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani was sentenced Thursday to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly $17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between...
Wyndham Clark shoots 7-under 64 to take 1st-round lead in Phoenix OpenVideo
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — A rough start to the season had Wyndham Clark digging through past notes, listening to old books, anything to get his mind out of the negative. The mindset reset paid off in the opening round of the Phoenix Open, particularly after a late tee shot into the...
Fox officiating analyst Mike Pereira dismisses ‘myth’ of pro-Chiefs favoritismVideo
NEW ORLEANS — Mike Pereira walked out to his spot during Fox’s media day and was greeted by a larger contingent of reporters than usual for an officiating expert when there were Super Bowl-winning coaches and players around the room. “You know there’s something wrong,” he said. For the past...
The Chiefs gave Kareem Hunt and Matt Araiza another chance. Both players are making the most of itVideo
NEW ORLEANS — There were moments not long ago when Kareem Hunt wondered whether he would ever carry a football in an NFL game again. There were times when Matt Araiza wondered whether he would ever punt one. Yet through a combination of need and want, the Chiefs provided both...
PIAA to follow Trump’s order barring transgender athletes from girls sports
The PIAA, which has allowed transgender high school athletes to compete in its state championships, will heed a presidential executive order barring them from women’s and girls sports. “We are tracking and assessing the law as it evolves and encourage all member schools to do the same,” PIAA executive director...
Ex-Pitt safety McMillon hopes his passion for football came across in pre-NFL Draft interviews
Questions ranged from girlfriends to youth wrestling, but Donovan McMillon answered them all with his ultimate goal in mind: to one day cash an NFL paycheck. McMillon, a Peters Township graduate and former Pitt safety, spent the past month training in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and traveling between Florida and Texas...
New kickoff rule gets chance on Super Bowl stage after last year’s game had no returnsVideo
NEW ORLEANS — Last season’s Super Bowl featured just about everything. There were trick plays, clutch performances and plenty of high drama as Kansas City rallied for a 25-22 overtime win against San Francisco. The one thing missing — a single kickoff return. All 13 kickoffs went for touchbacks, marking...
Bears owner Virginia McCaskey, daughter of George Halas, dies at 102Video
Virginia McCaskey, who inherited the Chicago Bears from her father, George Halas, but avoided the spotlight during four-plus decades as principal owner, has died. She was 102. McCaskey’s family announced through the team that she died Thursday. She had owned the Bears since her father’s death Oct. 31, 1983. “While...
NCAA changes transgender policy to limit women’s competition to athletes assigned female at birthVideo
The NCAA changed its participation policy for transgender athletes Thursday, limiting competition in women’s sports to athletes assigned female at birth only. The move came one day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order intended to ban transgender athletes from participating in girls and women’s sports. The order gives...
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred says some fans concerned over lack of salary cap
PALM BEACH, Fla. — Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says he is getting emails from fans concerned over the sport’s lack of a salary cap following an offseason spending spree by the Los Angeles Dodgers that sparked increased attention over the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement in December 2027. “This...
With Sidney Crosby’s status uncertain, the Penguins consider their options at center
For a few minutes, at least, fears were allayed. Sidney Crosby, who means as much to a professional sports franchise as any athlete on this planet, stepped onto the ice as the Pittsburgh Penguins’ practice session in Cranberry was about to open Thursday, and all seemed right with the world....
