Sports category, Page 400
James Franklin cautions No. 4 Penn State not to take Purdue lightlyVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — It’s been a rugged season for coach Ryan Walters and the Purdue Boilermakers. They endured the most lopsided loss in school history 66-7, haven’t won a game since August and still don’t have a victory over an FBS team. Half of their eight losses have come by 35...
Football Footnotes: Steelers-Ravens part of top-heavy NFL viewing slate full of AFC playoff implications
Sunday’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2) and Baltimore Ravens (7-3) is one of a few excellent contests across the NFL this week. A few. Things are kind of top-heavy in the NFL these days. There are 11 teams with only two or three wins. Then, a big, mushy middle...
Pitt Take 5: Panthers get chance to keep alive streak of beating ranked teams
In the midst of Pitt’s two-week stretch of misery, a streak of positivity could emerge Saturday at Acrisure Stadium when the Panthers meet No. 20 Clemson. Every year from 2016-23, Pitt has defeated at least one nationally ranked opponent, ranging from second-ranked Clemson and Miami in 2016 and 2017 to...
Quarterback’s quick return boosts No. 1 Pine-Richland for WPIAL semifinal vs. high-scoring Bethel Park
There were concerns Aaron “Oobi” Strader had broken his collarbone late in the regular season, an injury that would’ve cost top-seeded Pine-Richland its quarterback. The injury was painful but proved less severe than first feared, letting the dual-threat sophomore return for a limited role in last week’s quarterfinal win. Strader...
First Call: Russell Wilson wants to play at least 5 more years; framework disclosed for NFL’s 18-game scheduleVideo
Friday’s “First Call” has Russell Wilson’s projection for how much longer he wants to play in the NFL. There’s a road map for how — and when — the NFL plans to get to an 18-game season. We examine the basketball version of the Backyard Brawl as well as the...
Saquon Barkley, Eagles spring to life in 2nd half to beat Commanders
PHILADELPHIA — Jalen Hurts rolled over, face down, and grabbed his helmet. The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback’s head was spiked into the turf by Washington linebacker Frankie Luvu in the second quarter and bounced off the ground. Hurts was evaluated for a concussion — “I guess I beat the protocol,” he...
Ravens receiver Rashod Bateman rewards team for contract extensionVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens showed confidence in Rashod Bateman, and so far he’s delivered. For most of his career, Bateman has taken one step forward and one step back, struggling to be the type of consistent receiving threat the Ravens were looking for when they drafted him...
Mike Tyson concedes role of villain, still slaps Jake Paul at weigh-in
ARLINGTON, Texas — Friendship is at the heart of how a fight came together between 58-year-old former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and much younger YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul. Friction helped build the hype for a bout that is testing the formula for how boxing is delivered to the masses, a first-ever...
Pirates rookie Paul Skenes selected All-MLB 1st-team starting pitcher
After electrifying baseball as a rookie pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Paul Skenes now officially can say he’s one of baseball’s best. The 6-foot-6, 260-pound right-hander was selected an All-MLB first-team starting pitcher Thursday night during an award show in Las Vegas televised on MLB Network. Skenes was joined on...
Pitt signs 6-foot-4 guard Omari Witherspoon to letter of intent
Jeff Capel ventured into a fertile area for basketball talent and was rewarded when Omari Witherspoon signed a letter of intent to play for Pitt. Witherspoon, a 6-foot-4, guard, plays at St. John’s College Prep in Washington D.C. “That’s an area that we want to try and recruit,” Capel said...
‘Basketball Brawl’ at The Pete provides charged atmosphere that will test Pitt, WVU
When Jeff Capel accepted the Pitt coaching job in 2018, he turned to some trusted friends in the Pittsburgh professional sports scene to get a sense of what to expect. “People … would tell me when (Pitt basketball) had it going (under former coaches Ben Howland and Jamie Dixon), this...
Eli Holstein not cleared medically while Pat Narduzzi prepares for ‘a game-time’ decision on Pitt quarterback’s availability
Pat Narduzzi walked inside the big conference room adjacent to his office Thursday afternoon and correctly read the minds of the assembled reporters. “Probably the big question is how is Eli doing, right?” Pitt’s coach said of quarterback Eli Holstein, who has left two of the past three games with...
Women in Western Pennsylvania sports gather to recognize impact of Title IX
Whether referring to it by its long title or its nickname, nationwide advocates of Title IX — the landmark civil rights law enacted as part of the Education Amendments of 1972 — recognize its impact. Closer to home, the birth of Title IX some 52 years ago, as well as...
Steelers believe they have firepower to keep up with NFL’s best offense in Ravens
Winners of four consecutive, riding the wave of a new veteran starting quarterback and deploying the firepower to make a pair of recent two-score comeback wins, the Pittsburgh Steelers offense should be feeling pretty good about itself. But even as these Steelers shed a recent handful of seasons of mediocre,...
‘A different ballgame’: Limiting Lamar Jackson the secret to Steelers’ success against Ravens
That Mike Tomlin has taken to referring to the Baltimore Ravens quarterback with the honorific — “Mr. Jackson,” the Pittsburgh Steelers coach calls him — is a show of respect for a two-time MVP who appears to be on his way to winning the award for a third time. It...
Rays to play 2025 season at Yankees’ spring training field in TampaVideo
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays will play their 2025 home games at the New York Yankees’ nearby spring training ballpark amid uncertainty about the future of hurricane-damaged Tropicana Field, Rays executives told the Associated Press. Stuart Sternberg, the Rays’ principal owner, said in an interview that Steinbrenner...
Jaylen Warren added to Steelers’ injury report, Donte Jackson returns to practice
Jaylen Warren sat out Thursday’s Pittsburgh Steelers practice, a surprise addition to the injury report because of a back ailment. The complementary running back to Najee Harris, Warren sat out three games earlier this season because of a knee injury. Warren joins veteran cornerback C.J. Henderson — who has not...
Penn State QBs working well under 1st-year position coach Danny O’Brien
Danny O’Brien’s title at Penn State may have changed this season, but how he goes about his business and his relationship with players has not. O’Brien, 34, was promoted to quarterbacks coach in the offseason after spending last year as an offensive graduate assistant and two seasons prior to that...
CB Cory Trice returns to Steelers practice, ramping up to come off IR
Cornerback Cory Trice returned to Pittsburgh Steelers practice Thursday, opening up a window during which he must be activated off the injured reserve list. Trice played in the first three games of this season — having an interception in the end zone during a Week 2 victory at the Denver...
Penguins recall forwards Matt Nieto, Vasily Ponomarev from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
The Pittsburgh Penguins recalled forwards Matt Nieto and Vasily Ponomarev from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. In a corresponding transaction, rookie goaltender Joel Blomqvist was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Nieto was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Saturday for conditioning purposes. The 32-year-old winger has not played any NHL games since Nov....
Chicago State transfer making immediate impact at Duquesne
Almost immediately after Jahsean Corbett entered the NCAA transfer portal during college basketball’s latest offseason, Duquesne came calling. “They actually hit me up 5 minutes after I entered,” Corbett said. Luckily for the Dukes, the versatile, 6-foot-6 senior guard/forward, who played three seasons at Chicago State, was receptive and eventually...
Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn is ending her retirement at age 40 to make a skiing comeback
PARK CITY, Utah — Lindsey Vonn is coming out of retirement to rejoin the U.S. Ski Team, she announced Thursday, intending to race again at age 40 — and six years after her last Olympics. Vonn is a three-time Olympic medalist, including a downhill gold and super-G bronze at the...
First Call: Steelers reportedly found a snake in their Washington locker room; DeShon Elliott jabs Ravens, Dolphins
Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Mike Williams is clearing up a perceived shot at former teammate Aaron Rogers. The Steelers apparently had to deal with a pregame locker room distraction in Washington. Safety DeShon Elliott is taking swipes at multiple AFC teams at the same time. And a former Steelers receiver is...
Steelers CB Donte Jackson provides health update, funny interaction with refs after blatant missed holding callVideo
Donte Jackson provided a health update after practice Wednesday as the Pittsburgh Steelers prepare for this weekend’s pivotal AFC North game against the Baltimore Ravens. The former Carolina Panther has provided a significant upgrade at the cornerback position since coming on board via trade for wide receiver Dionate Johnson in...
U mad, bro?: Failed fake punt debate; criticism of Steelers media; putrid Penguins failures adding up
What a difference a year makes! Right about this time in 2023, the Steelers were 6-3, but no one was happy because we were all in full-blown “FIRE CANADA” mode. Now the Steelers are a mere one game better at 7-2, yet it feels 180 degrees different around the city....
