Sports category, Page 405
New Jersey fines sports betting firms for taking bets after games had already ended
ATLANTIC CITY — It doesn’t happen all that often, but when it does, it can seem like a dream come true for sports gamblers: being able to bet on a game after it has already ended. And it has happened again in Atlantic City, where a sportsbook has been fined...
Having regained his health, Terry Francona excited to return to dugout with Cincinnati RedsVideo
DALLAS — Terry Francona remembered the specific moment that sparked his return to the dugout. “My girls went to Europe for 10 days, and I watched the grandkids,” he said. “That was the one day I thought maybe I’ll go back to baseball.” A three-time manager of the year who...
Analysis: Browns sticking with QB Jameis Winston down stretch as INTs pile upVideo
CLEVELAND — Jameis Winston didn’t throw a pick-6 on Sunday in Pittsburgh. There’s progress. In this lost season for the disappointing and shockingly bad Cleveland Browns, the small victories matter. Winston, who has been entertaining if not always effective in six starts, did have a pair of interceptions. But the...
Bill Belichick says he’s had ‘good conversations’ with North Carolina amid coaching searchVideo
Former New England Patriots coach and six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick said Monday he had “a couple of good conversations” with North Carolina Chancellor Lee Roberts amid his discussions about the Tar Heels’ head-coaching job. Speaking on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show,” Belichick said he had spent the 11...
Juan Soto’s record $765M, 15-year contract with Mets reverberates through MLB
DALLAS — Shortly after striking a record $765 million, 15-year contract for Juan Soto with the New York Mets, agent Scott Boras walked into Nick & Sam’s, a restaurant near the winter meetings hotel, with about a dozen of his staff. They were given a bottle of celebratory champagne and...
Andy Kotelnicki hints at staying with Penn State despite head-coaching interviews
Penn State fans, and James Franklin, can take a deep breath. Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki posted on social media Monday night to hint that he plans to stay with Penn State moving forward. “Beyond lucky to be a part of the Penn State Football Family,” he wrote on X. “Still...
Oregon’s Gabriel, Colorado’s Hunter, Boise State’s Jeanty, Miami’s Ward are named Heisman finalistsVideo
Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, Colorado’s Travis Hunter, Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty and Miami’s Cam Ward were announced as the Heisman Trophy finalists Monday night. The Heisman has been given to the nation’s most outstanding college football player since 1935. This year’s winner will be announced Saturday in New York. The top...
Steelers welcome grueling 3-game stretch as proving ground
Pear trees aren’t indigenous to the greater Philadelphia area. In lieu of a partridge awaits a flock of high-flying Eagles. But for the Pittsburgh Steelers, a trip across the state this weekend represents the first day of a Christmas stretch that could define their season. On Saturday, the Steelers will...
Analysis: Eagles WRs DeVonta Smith, A.J. Brown complain about offense entering Steelers gameVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Let’s get the good news in Philadelphia out of the way first. The Eagles are riding a nine-game winning streak, Saquon Barkley is making a serious run at the NFL season rushing record and a playoff berth was clinched for the fourth straight year under coach Nick Sirianni....
Penn State viewing College Football Playoff as brand-new season
As a team, Penn State kept a relatively low profile Sunday while awaiting the College Football Playoff’s 12-team field to be revealed. The Nittany Lions, fresh off a shootout loss to Oregon in the Big Ten title game, returned to State College, where they eventually got word of their No....
Tennessee grabs No. 1 in AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll; Pitt falls out of rankingsVideo
Tennessee is the new No. 1 in men’s college basketball after a massive shakeup in the AP Top 25. The Vols received 58 first-place votes from a 62-person media panel Monday to reach No. 1 for the first time since the 2018-19 season. Tennessee climbed two spots from last week...
Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves works his way back into the lineup
Anytime the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche cross paths, as will be the case Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena, it is appointment viewing on the eastern edge of North America. Forwards Sidney Crosby of the Penguins and Nathan MacKinnon of the Avalanche are proud sons of Cole Harbour, a small...
Injured Penguins winger Philip Tomasino rejoins club at practice in non-contact capacity
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Philip Tomasino, who did not play Saturday vs. the Toronto Maple leafs due to injury, rejoined the club for practice Monday in Cranberry. Tomasino, who is nursing an unspecified upper-body injury, did so in a non-contact capacity. Per coach Mike Sullivan, Tomasino’s status has not changed and...
Pitt defensive linemen David Ojiegbe, Thomas Aden enter NCAA transfer portal
The number of departing players from the Pitt football roster climbed to 12 on Monday, the first day the NCAA transfer portal officially opened. The two most recent players to announce their intentions to leave are reserve defensive linemen David Ojiegbe and Thomas Aden. Ojiegbe, a redshirt freshman, will be...
No. 19 Tennessee back in women’s AP Top 25 after year out of poll; UCLA, UConn remain 1-2
Tennessee has returned to The Associated Press Top 25 at No. 19, ending the school’s longest drought in the 48-year history of the women’s basketball poll. The Lady Vols (7-0) had not been ranked since Nov. 27, 2023, a span of 22 polls. Since the rankings began in 1976, Tennessee...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Seton Hill coach Ben Wilkins earns Division II honors
Third-year men’s basketball coach Ben Wilkins and his Seton Hill Griffins are finding ways to win again, and people are noticing. Wilkins recently was named the HoopDirt.com Division II Coach of the Week. The Griffins (9-2, 2-2 PSAC West) picked up wins over Pitt-Greensburg and Glenville State, the latter on...
Mark Madden: Steelers lack an exploitable weak spot, which goes a long way
If you hear any noise, it’s just me and refreshing sports notes boppin’. Well deserved, Cobra. • The Steelers’ biggest strength may be that nothing about them stinks too bad. The defensive line isn’t great, but it’s got Cameron Heyward. The offensive line is OK, not terrible. There’s isn’t a...
Southmoreland grad Faryn Dewitt makes history for new Waynesburg women’s wrestling program
Regardless of what else she accomplishes as a college wrestler, Faryn Dewitt already has her name etched in Waynesburg history. On Nov. 3 against Cedar Crest’s Leilani Martinez at the East Stroudsburg Women’s Open, the Southmoreland grad registered the first victory in program history. Dewitt earned a 9-6 decision in...
Highlands grad Cameron Reigard finds new home, path to college basketball success in northern IowaVideo
Cameron Reigard’s journey in college basketball began a little later than most, and it has taken him from Natrona Heights halfway across the country to a little town in Iowa. But for the chance to fulfill his dream of playing at the college level, the time and distance have been...
What are the matchups in the College Football Playoff?
After a chaotic end to the regular season in college football, the matchups are set for the first 12-team version of the College Football Playoff. The first-round games are Dec. 20-21 on campuses before the games shift to bowl games for the quarterfinals and semifinals. Here is what to know:...
Rust vs. rest: Extra time off or potentially losing edge brings another worry for CFP coaches
CLEMSON, S.C. — The expanded College Football Playoff brings something new for coaches who are used to planning for one game, maybe two: rust vs. rest. The 12-team bracket released Sunday features four teams — Oregon, Georgia, Boise State and Arizona State — with first-round byes, whose games will take...
Steelers vs. Browns: What they’re saying in Cleveland after the loss
Nick Camino can’t wait for the Cleveland Browns’ season to be over. The sports anchor for WKYC-TV 3 in Cleveland lambasted his home team after the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated them 27-14 at Acrisure Stadium Sunday. “How many more weeks of the season do we have left?” Camino wrote. “We are...
First Call: Myles Garrett, Browns family member snipe back at Steelers’ crowd; Steelers underdogs vs. EaglesVideo
Monday’s “First Call” has some complaints from Cleveland after the Browns lost to the Steelers on Sunday. The Steelers are underdogs in Philadelphia this week. The Chiefs pulled another rabbit out of the hat on “Sunday Night Football.” This time, an ex-Steeler was involved. We also recap the weekend that...
5 things we learned in Steelers’ win over the Browns: NT Keeanu Benton has ‘ball skills’Video
Five things we learned from Steelers 27, Browns 14: 1. Benton’s big play It wasn’t that the Pittsburgh Steelers were so stunned to see Keeanu Benton get his first career interception against the Cleveland Browns, but more so the manner in which he did. The 6-foot-4, 309-pound nose tackle stayed...
Madden Monday: Steelers’ victory over Browns ‘was a necessary evil of a game’
The Steelers’ victory over the Cleveland Browns Sunday certainly felt good from an emotional standpoint. The Browns are a hated division rival. They won the first matchup of the year. They got pretty mouthy about it. And they haven’t swept the Steelers since 1988. So why let that happen now?...
