Sports category, Page 411
Tim Benz: Lots to complain about with new College Football Playoff, but let’s pick the right things
There’s plenty to complain about following the first round of the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. But let’s be sure we are complaining about the right things. One of those things is not that Alabama “deserved” to be in the CFP instead of Indiana or Southern Methodist. Alabama lost three...
‘It’s still there’: Franchise icon Andrew McCutchen re-signs with Pirates for 2025
Andrew McCutchen made no secret of his hope to return to the Pittsburgh Pirates, so the franchise icon only had to put a finger on his pulse to check to see if he still had the desire. That was never in question as McCutchen made it clear he intends to...
Penguins place Owen Pickering on injured reserve, recall Nate Clurman
The Pittsburgh Penguins placed rookie defenseman Owen Pickering on injured reserve Monday and recalled defenseman Nate Clurman from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. After a morning skate Monday in Cranberry, coach Mike Sullivan revealed Pickering was diagnosed with a concussion. Pickering, a left-handed shot, was injured during a 3-0...
Mark Madden: With the Steelers showing familiar faults, is another collapse underway?
Whatever is happening with the Pittsburgh Steelers isn’t good. Their 10-3 mark of a few weeks back seems like fool’s gold. They’ve been dominated in consecutive weeks by upper-echelon teams Philadelphia and Baltimore, making it clear that the Steelers are a class below. The opposition’s physical superiority made the gap...
First Call: Kenny Pickett plays and injures ribs; Mason Rudolph starts; James Conner shines, but hurts knee
Monday’s “First Call” gets us up to date on the injury front for Steelers-Chiefs on Christmas Day. We have details on Kenny Pickett’s first extended snaps in Philadelphia. Mason Rudolph gets another start in Tennessee. James Conner has a mixed day for the Arizona Cardinals. Plus, we look at some...
Madden Monday: Losses to Eagles, Ravens makes you wonder if Steelers’ hot start was ‘fool’s gold’
On the surface, back-to-back losses by scores of 27-13 and 34-17 to the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens look bad enough. But as Mark Madden of 105.9 The X and TribLive said during this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, things were actually worse than that. “I think both the Philadelphia and...
Minor league report: Filip Larsson, Penguins shut out BearsVideo
Goaltender Filip Larsson made 21 saves for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 1-0 win against the rival Hershey Bears at the Giant Center in Hershey on Sunday. The result was Larsson’s third shutout this season (tied for most in the American Hockey League) and improved his record to 4-3-1. Forward...
Former Penn State QB Beau Pribula commits to Missouri via the transfer portal
Former Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula has found his new school. Pribula, Penn State’s backup quarterback who entered the transfer portal ahead of the College Football Playoff, has committed to Missouri, according to a report from on3. Pribula also took visits to Iowa, UCF and Ole Miss and called off...
Javon Small, Toby Okani help West Virginia men beat Mercyhurst
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Javon Small scored 19, Toby Okani added a double-double and West Virginia breezed to a 67-46 victory over Mercyhurst on Sunday. Small made 6 of 14 shots with a 3-pointer and 6 of 7 free throws for the Mountaineers (9-2), who upped their win streak to five...
Dorian Thompson-Robinson doesn’t settle any Browns QB questions in 1st start of seasonVideo
CINCINNATI — Dorian Thompson-Robinson didn’t put to rest any questions about the Browns’ long-term future at quarterback with his performance Sunday. Making his first start of the season and fourth of his career, the second-year player was sacked five times and threw two interceptions in Cleveland’s 24-6 loss to the...
Penn State beats Louisville to make Katie Schumacher-Cawley 1st female coach to win volleyball titleVideo
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Katie Schumacher-Cawley took in her milestone moment with a big smile, hugging confetti-covered players and supporters before hoisting the championship trophy that sets her apart from other volleyball coaches. Other than one focus lapse, the Nittany Lions made sure she would get it. Jess Mruzik had 29...
NFL Week 16: Michael Penix wins debut as Atlanta QB as Falcons drill hapless Giants
ATLANTA — Michael Penix Jr. won his debut as Atlanta’s starting quarterback, thanks largely to a defense that returned a pair of interceptions for touchdowns, and the Falcons bolstered their playoff hopes by handing the hapless New York Giants their franchise-record 10th straight loss, 34-7 on Sunday. Jessie Bates and...
Burrow throws 3 TD passes and Bengals keep playoff hopes alive with 24-6 victory over BrownsVideo
CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow threw three touchdown passes, including one as he was falling to the turf, and the Cincinnati Bengals kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a 24-6 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. The Bengals (7-8) need to win their last two games and get some...
Rangers forward Matt Rempe suspended 8 games for elbow on HeiskanenVideo
NEW YORK — New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe was suspended for eight games by NHL’s Department of Player Safety on Sunday for boarding and elbowing Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen on Friday night. Rempe had an in-person hearing via Zoom on Sunday, as opposed to a phone call, which...
Texans WR Tank Dell released from hospital
HOUSTON — Houston Texans receiver Tank Dell was released after an overnight stay in the hospital and was traveling back to Houston on Sunday after suffering a severe knee injury in Saturday’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Coach DeMeco Ryans provided the update Sunday but didn’t have many details...
Joe Burrow throws 3 TDs, Bengals keep playoff hopes alive
CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase keep putting up extraordinary numbers, but the Cincinnati Bengals still need help to reach the playoffs. Burrow threw three touchdown passes, including one as he was falling to the turf, and the Bengals kept their slim postseason hopes alive with a 24-6 victory...
With Patrick Mahomes awaiting, Cory Trice could be next up at CB in injury-riddled Steelers secondary
His first NFL start might come against a two-time NFL most valuable player and the MVP of the past two Super Bowls. That test against Patrick Mahomes could come in front of a global audience in the league’s first foray into a Netflix telecast. It could happen in a game...
Jalen Hurts leaves with a concussion as the Eagles’ winning streak ends at 10
LANDOVER, Md. — Jalen Hurts was concussed minutes into the game and ruled out after evaluation, Kenny Pickett played like a backup quarterback and the Philadelphia Eagles’ winning streak is over. Hurts was ruled out early in a 36-33 loss at the Washington Commanders on Sunday after his head slammed...
Tiger’s son Charlie comes up aces in PNC Championship with a hole-in-oneVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — Tiger Woods isn’t the only member of his family that can produce big moments. His 15-year-old son Charlie made his first ace Sunday in the PNC Championship. Woods was more excited than if he had made the hole-in-one himself. Charlie Woods hit 7-iron from 175 yards on...
Getting healthy is Mike Tomlin’s objective as Steelers prepare to face 14-1 ChiefsVideo
Five players who missed the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 34-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday could return this week against the Kansas City Chiefs. Time, though, isn’t on their side with the Steelers facing the Chiefs in a Christmas matchup at Acrisure Stadium. The quick turnaround also is a reason...
College playoffs looks for good matchups after snoozy first round of blowouts
For those who dozed through it, or flipped to more compelling fare in the NFL, here’s a brief recap of the rollout of the much-anticipated College Football Playoff. Average final score: Winners 36, Losers 17. In four games, not a single one was closer than a 10-point margin, and even...
Penguins’ depth among left-handed defensemen being tested
Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas traded for defenseman P.O Joseph on Wednesday and brought him back to the team for a simple reason. Perhaps the most simple of reasons in hockey. They needed a defenseman. With Marcus Pettersson suffering an undisclosed injury during a 3-2 overtime road loss...
5 things we learned: Depleted Steelers defense wilting in stretch run
Five things we learned from Ravens 34, Steelers 17: 1. Disappointing defense Russell Wilson’s two turnovers, which led to 14 points, were the chief culprit in the loss, but the play of the defense was occupying the next rung on the podium. Playing short-handed as three starters watched from the...
When 2025 arrives, so will the end of the amateur athlete in college sports
When the page turns on 2024, it will be time to say goodbye, once and for all, to the amateur athlete in college sports. In theory, the concept held on stubbornly via the quaint and now all-but-dead notion that student-athletes played only for pride, a scholarship and some meal money....
Steelers vs. Ravens: What they’re saying in Baltimore after win
By soundly defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, the Baltimore Ravens achieved two goals, head coach John Harbaugh told reporters after the game. The first goal — win the game, which they did with a score of 34-17 before 71,313 fans at M&T Bank Stadium. The second goal — make...
