Brad Marchand reaches 1,000 career points, 102nd to hit milestone
SUNRISE, Fla. — Brad Marchand remembers a conversation he had with the Boston Bruins early in his days as a pro, and how some scouts there told him that getting to 400 games would signify having a pretty good career. He’s done far better than that. Marchand became the 102nd...
Robert Morris men dispatch Division III Pitt-Greensburg, but coach Toole unhappy with Colonials’ effort
Robert Morris made it two one-sided victories in three days against visiting Division III opponents, thumping Pitt-Greensburg, 81-57, on Thursday night at UPMC Events Center. The win — however uninspired it seemed to RMU coach Andy Toole — comes on the heels of a 93-47 rout of Geneva on Monday...
West Virginia charges back to beat Pitt men’s basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Basketball coaches always say the key to winning games is the end of the first half and the beginning of the second. West Virginia coach Ross Hodge walked away from Thursday’s Backyard Brawl pleased. The Mountaineers used a big run late in the first half and early...
Ohtani is unanimous MVP for 4th time in winning NL honor as Judge edges Raleigh for 3rd AL accolade
Two-way star Shohei Ohtani won his fourth MVP award in a unanimous vote for the National League honor on Thursday and Aaron Judge earned the American League accolade for the third time. Ohtani won a MVP for the third straight year, his second in the NL with the Los Angeles...
Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees hopes to help QB Dillon Gabriel become more accurate
BEREA, Ohio — Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees accomplished some of his goals in his first game calling plays last week, a 27-20 loss to the New York Jets. However, one area where Rees needs to make progress is helping Dillon Gabriel improve his accuracy. Ahead of Cleveland’s game Sunday...
Pitt great Aaron Donald to serve as guest picker on ‘College GameDay’ at Acrisure Stadium
ESPN’s “College GameDay” selecting Pittsburgh as its broadcast location this weekend highlighted the stakes of Saturday’s showdown between No. 22 Pitt and No. 9 Notre Dame at Acrisure Stadium. The GameDay crew, featuring host Rece Davis, analysts Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and Nick Saban plus Plum native Pat McAfee, will...
Jameis Winston to start at QB for the Giants in interim coach Mike Kafka’s first big decision
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Jameis Winston walked off the field Wednesday after his first practice as the New York Giants’ starting quarterback, including some extra work after it was over, and flashed a big smile. “We finally made it, huh?” Winston said. “We finally made it.” With Jaxson Dart in...
Steelers notes: Asante Samuel Jr. practicing as outside CB; Isaiah Hodgins lost to Giants
Two practices in to his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, veteran Asante Samuel Jr. has been working solely as an outside cornerback. Samuel was signed to the practice squad Wednesday in the wake of veteran Darius Slay leaving the Steelers’ most recent game because of a concussion and two weeks...
Rookie QB Will Howard ‘really thankful’ for Steelers activation, development at practice
When Will Howard took his first live snaps during team portions of Pittsburgh Steelers practice three weeks ago, it quickly became apparent to him that it had been about 2½ months since he had done so. “I was like, ‘Man, it feels like I haven’t played football in forever,’ ”...
Changes in secondary have Steelers optimistic they are better equipped to handle Bengals’ passing game
Four weeks ago, the Cincinnati Bengals produced numbers against the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense that looked like they were spit out by a Madden video game. Joe Flacco, barely a week after being traded by the Cleveland Browns, had 342 yards passing and three touchdowns. Ja’Marr Chase was targeted 23 times...
Broderick Jones limited at Steelers practice; Alex Highsmith, Darius Slay remain out
Pittsburgh Steelers starting left tackle Broderick Jones returned to practice Thursday, but it was on a limited basis because of a groin injury. Jones said it was “pretty much” the same ailment that caused him to miss practice time during training camp. Jones has not missed any game time this...
Baylor AD Mack Rhoades leaves role as CFP chairman and Hunter Yurachek replaces him
Baylor athletic director Mack Rhoades stepped down from his role as chairman of the College Football Playoff selection committee and is taking a leave of absence from the school while it investigates allegations against him. While not going into additional details, Baylor vice president Jason Cook said Thursday those allegations...
Lamar Jackson returns to practice for the Ravens after missing Wednesday’s session with a knee issue
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Lamar Jackson returned to practice for the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday after missing the previous day’s session because of a knee issue. Jackson played the last two games after missing three because of a hamstring injury. It was not clear what happened to his knee, but...
Cleveland pitcher Emmanuel Clase pleads not guilty to federal charges alleging he rigged pitches
NEW YORK — Cleveland Guardians star pitcher Emmanuel Clase pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges that he took bribes to help gamblers win bets on his pitches. The 27-year-old reliever was released on $600,000 bond after his appearance in Brooklyn federal court. Clase also surrendered his passport and was ordered...
Pat Narduzzi believes 5th time could be charm as Pitt tries to upset ranked Notre Dame
At 65 years old, defensive coordinator Randy Bates is the oldest of Pat Narduzzi’s assistants. Asked this week of his memories from the last time Pitt played Notre Dame, an October 2023 showdown in South Bend, Ind., Bates leaned into being the elder statesman on staff with the Panthers. “That’s...
Pitt signs trio of 4-star recruits in Class of 2026
Three recruits in the Class of 2026 put pen to paper and made things official with Pitt men’s basketball, the Panthers announced Thursday morning. Forwards Chase Foster and Anthony Felesi plus guard Jermal Jones, all ranked as 4-star prospects by 247Sports, signed national letters of intent, giving Pitt a recruiting...
Tim Benz: Don’t let Yankees trade chatter ruin the celebration of Paul Skenes’ Cy Young award
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes had a slightly more animated reaction to winning the National League Cy Young award Wednesday night than he did when he won the Rookie of the Year in 2024. Slightly. Paul Skenes winning Rookie of the Year: ????Paul Skenes winning Cy Young: ???? pic.twitter.com/hAymCO5Qxs—...
Penn State is ‘sharp and ready to write’ ahead of meeting with Michigan State
STATE COLLEGE — Interim head coach Terry Smith has continually talked about a “storm” Penn State must continue to push through to see the other side of a six-game losing streak. That matches what junior safety King Mack said Wednesday night. Smith — even in his days as the cornerbacks...
Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves made the most out of a bad situationVideo
It was an impressive play that led to offense. It just didn’t lead to any recordable offense for the subject of this story. During the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 5-3 home win against the Washington Capitals on Thursday, forward Anthony Mantha scored the hosts’ third goal of the contest by cleaning up...
First Call: Asante Samuel Sr. gives opinions on Steelers after son signs; DK Metcalf wants rematch with Bengals’ DJ Turner
Thursday’s “First Call” has a Lamar Jackson health update from Baltimore. DK Metcalf talks about his looming matchup with Cincinnati’s DJ Turner. Asante Samuel Sr. had some interesting quotes about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense after the franchise signed his son. And Jameis Winston is replacing Russell Wilson as the quarterback...
‘That’s the goal’: After winning Cy Young, Paul Skenes eyes a World Series title for Pirates
As Paul Skenes reflected on the historic season that resulted in winning the National League Cy Young Award, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ ace couldn’t help but look forward to the future. For someone who prefers to talk about the why, Skenes admits that awards and accolades are not his motivation. From...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans don’t hold back on Art Rooney II, Mike Tomlin, Aaron Rodgers
Despair about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ recent 1-3 stretch knows no limits. The frustration is pulsating with our readers when it comes to Art Rooney II, Mike Tomlin, Aaron Rodgers, the offense and even our coverage of the team. In this week’s “U mad, bro?,” fans express their displeasure with help...
Joe Flacco’s last stand? Bengals QB faces uncertain future as Joe Burrow returns to practice
CINCINNATI — Joe Flacco might have more starts for the Cincinnati Bengals under his belt than he has ahead of him. And it has nothing to do with the quarterback’s injured right shoulder. The move Monday to open the 21-day window Joe Burrow’s return from a September turf-toe injury means...
Pirates ace Paul Skenes completes historic season as unanimous NL Cy Young winner
On a day when Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington dismissed trade talk about his ace with the declaration that “Paul Skenes is going to be a Pirate in 2026,” he has some additional incentive: For the first time in 35 years, the Pirates now have a Cy Young Award...
Broncos to rely on several backups at key positions vs. Chiefs
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos are a hurting bunch as they prepare for their showdown with the nine-time defending AFC West champion Kansas City Chiefs this weekend. They’re still without their best defensive player with cornerback Pat Surtain (strained pectoral) about to miss his third straight game. Their leading...