Sports category, Page 411
‘Hunting the ball’ helps Steelers defense rank among league leaders in turnovers
At each Pittsburgh Steelers practice, defensive players know the drill. Or drills, as the case may be. “We do turnover circuit’” cornerback Donte Jackson said, “every day.” The turnover circuit? “You’re gonna have a ‘punch-out’ (drill), you’re gonna have a ‘tip-pick’ drill, you gonna have a ‘rip’ (out the ball)...
WPIAL bracketology: Don Rebel, Chris Harlan forecast 2024 football playoff pairings
The 2024 WPIAL football playoff field is taking shape with 35 teams having already clinched a spot entering Week 9. But this year’s qualifying process is a little different. There are more wild card teams than ever: 16. And the WPIAL will no longer use tiebreaking formulas such as Gardner...
Rookie Beanie Bishop keeps smiling even with anticipated return of Cam Sutton to Steelers secondary
With an assist from Pat McAfee, rookie cornerback Beanie Bishop’s wish for Aaron Rodgers’ signature on a pair of game balls is coming true. After intercepting Rodgers twice Sunday night in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 37-15 victory against the New York Jets, Bishop kept the balls so he could commemorate his...
New Pitt athletic director Allen Greene understands reality of college athletics: Money matters
Pitt introduced Allen Greene as its next athletic director Wednesday morning, and the theme was as clear as a bank statement. Money. Blunt, honest and to the point, Jeff Capel said as much when asked what he might ask of Greene if the two men sat down to discuss what...
Hines Ward, James Harrison, Gary Anderson advance to latest round of Hall of Fame balloting
Three former Pittsburgh Steelers players have advanced to the next stage of voting for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s modern-era candidates. Surviving the reduction from 167 to 50 players is wide receiver Hines Ward, outside linebacker James Harrison and kicker Gary Anderson. Former Penn State guard Steve Wisniewski and...
Pirates fill front-office opening, hire Kevin Tenenbaum as VP of research and development
The Pittsburgh Pirates filled one of their two front-office openings by hiring Kevin Tenenbaum as vice president of research and development, a source confirmed to TribLive. Tenenbaum, 32, comes to the Pirates after seven years with the Cleveland Guardians, where he spent four years as assistant director of baseball research...
Mark Madden: Penguins remain stuck in the past, too stubborn to see what they are
After the Pittsburgh Penguins lost at home to Carolina last Friday, coach Mike Sullivan and center Lars Eller bemoaned what they considered a subpar effort. There was nothing exceptionally wrong with the effort. The Penguins are slow. The Penguins aren’t slumping. They’re bad. You would have to be delusional not...
Former Penguins defenseman Justin Schultz signs in Switzerland
Former Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Justin Schultz has signed with HC Lugano of Switzerland’s National League. That team announced the transaction via a release on Wednesday. A native of Kelowna, British Columbia, Schultz spent the past 12 seasons in the NHL. Last season, the 34-year-old played in 70 games for the...
New coach Darian DeVries, son Tucker tasked with turning things around at West Virginia
West Virginia (9-23, 4-14 Big 12) New West Virginia coach Darian DeVries brought his son, Tucker, with him from Drake to try to establish some cohesiveness for a team that lost nearly its entire roster. Darian DeVries led the Bulldogs to six straight 20-win seasons and three NCAA Tournament appearances....
Ohtani’s historic 50-50 ball sells at auction for nearly $4.4M amid ongoing dispute over ownership
Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball has sold at auction for nearly $4.4 million, a record high price not just for a baseball, but for any ball in any sport, the auctioneer said Wednesday. Ohtani became the first player in baseball history to hit 50 homers and steal 50 bases...
LeBron and Bronny James make NBA history by playing together in Lakers’ win over Minnesota
LOS ANGELES — LeBron James and Bronny James became the first father and son to play in the NBA together Tuesday night during the Los Angeles Lakers’ 110-103 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The 39-year-old superstar and his 20-year-old son played almost 2½ minutes together late in the first half...
Chiefs acquire 3-time All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins from Titans, AP source says
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs are acquiring three-time All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins from the Tennessee Titans, replenishing a position group that has been ravaged by injuries, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The person spoke...
Lamar Jackson’s 5-TD game fell just short of a perfect passer rating
Lamar Jackson couldn’t have performed much better as a passer when he threw five TD passes, only five incompletions and no interceptions while throwing for 281 yards in a victory for Baltimore over Tampa Bay. It just wasn’t perfect, according to the NFL’s arcane passer rating formula. Jackson fell two-tenths...
Jack St. Ivany aims to continue growing into steady presence on Penguins’ blue line
When Jack St. Ivany made his NHL debut last year, the margin for error for the Pittsburgh Penguins was extremely low. St. Ivany first suited up March 22 and went on to play in the Penguins’ final 14 games of the season, with the club desperately trying to jump into...
Tim Benz: Plenty of reasons why being better wasn’t good enough in Calgary for slumping Penguins
For the Pittsburgh Penguins (3-4-1) on Tuesday night, quite a lot went right in Calgary against the Pacific Division-leading Flames (5-0-1). • The Pens outshot their hosts 38-25. • Pittsburgh won 63% of the faceoffs and blocked 21 shots. • The power play scored one goal and posted another just...
Joey Porter Jr. gets high praise from Steelers legend Mel Blount
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. had one of his best games of the season Sunday night during the team’s 37-15 win over the New York Jets. According to the Pro Football Focus numbers, he yielded just one reception for 9 yards over the course of 57 defensive snaps. That...
First Call: Cooper Kupp latest WR trade candidate; Aaron Rodgers agrees to sign Beanie Bishop’s intercepted footballs
In Wednesday’s “First Call,” we have praise for the Pittsburgh Steelers defense from New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers. A familiar Steelers opponent is joining an AFC North team. Another high-profile trade prospect at wide receiver may be up for grabs. And we check in on a pair of local...
Pitt, Louisville volleyball teams set to add next chapter to growing rivalryVideo
A curious thing, this burgeoning volleyball rivalry between Pitt and Louisville. It’s isn’t a product of geography like Pitt-West Virginia or Duke-North Carolina. Nor is it steeped in history, such as Yale-Princeton football, which dates to 1873. It isn’t even a result of bad blood. “We don’t even, like, hate...
Pitt Take 5: With Larry Fitzgerald and college football world watching, Panthers put unbeaten record at risk
Pitt’s game against Syracuse on Thursday night marks the Panthers’ last game before the crucial month of November, and everyone knows this is the time of year when the best teams emerge to claim their place among the sport’s elite. Is Pitt among them? The College Football Playoff committee, which...
Penguins fall to Flames in shootout, lose 3rd consecutive game
A game-tying goal by Nazem Kadri in the final minute of regulation and shootout goals by forward Anthony Mantha, defenseman Rasmus Andersson and Justin Kirkland gave the Calgary Flames a 4-3 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on Tuesday. Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic made 22...
Fernando Valenzuela, Mexican-born pitcher whose feats for Dodgers fueled ‘Fernandomania,’ dies at 63
LOS ANGELES — Fernando Valenzuela, the Mexican-born phenom for the Los Angeles Dodgers who inspired “Fernandomania” while winning the NL Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year in 1981, has died. He was 63. The team said he died Tuesday night at a Los Angeles hospital, but did not...
State legislators support in-depth study of PIAA policies, structure, finances
State legislators have voted to launch a comprehensive review of the PIAA. The “current status, management, structure, policies and finances” of the high school athletic association will be studied by the state Legislative Budget and Finance Committee under a House resolution passed Tuesday. The legislation instructed the committee to issue...
Former Duquesne standout Dae Dae Grant signs pro contract with KK Feniks
Dae Dae Grant, Duquesne’s leading scorer in men’s basketball last season while leading the Dukes to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 47 years, has signed a professional contract with KK Feniks 2010 Skopje of the First League North Macedonia. The 6-foot-2 guard is the sixth former Duquesne player to...
Unbeaten, rested Penn State facing stiff test against resurgent Wisconsin: Early storylinesVideo
Penn State will put its unbeaten record on the line against Wisconsin on Saturday night in Madison. James Franklin’s Nittany Lions (6-0, 3-0), off on Saturday, last played on Oct. 12 when they edged USC, 33-30, in overtime at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Wisconsin (5-2, 3-1) has been on a...
Pitt opens basketball season with 93-62 exhibition victory against Point Park
Pitt’s game against Point Park on Tuesday night was only an exhibition. There were more empty seats inside Petersen Events Center than those that were filled, the arena lacked most of the energy it has generated for ACC games the past two seasons and the decision — a 93-62 Pitt...
