Sports category, Page 423
QB struggles and injuries prove to be a tough obstacle for FSU, UNC and NC State
The plan seemed straightforward for Florida State: Find a veteran quarterback in the transfer portal, then plug him in for the reigning Atlantic Coast Conference champion and preseason favorite to win it again. N.C. State and North Carolina made similar bets to bolster their offenses. Yet things have gone awry....
Giancarlo Stanton hits go-ahead HR as Yankees beat Royals in Game 3 of ALDSVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Giancarlo Stanton hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning amid a battle of the bullpens, and the New York Yankees beat the Kansas City Royals, 3-2, on Wednesday night in Game 3 of their AL Division Series at Kauffman Stadium. Stanton finished with three hits,...
Penguins shut out by Rangers in ugly season opener
Evgeni Malkin has plenty of perspective as an NHLer. Like 19 years’ worth of perspective. So he knows how much gravity one contest out of an 82-game schedule should command. And he’s fully aware the Penguins will have 81 more chances to correct all of what went wrong in their...
Penguins ownership remains confident in Kyle Dubas, Mike Sullivan
Tom Werner wasn’t happy. Neither was Sidney Crosby. With the Pittsburgh Penguins floundering in the standings late in the 2023-24 campaign, the chairman of the franchise’s ownership group had a chat with the team’s captain. “We’re all disappointed last year that we didn’t make the playoffs,” Werner said. “I was...
Deshaun Watson under siege as QB’s dismal play leads to criticism, calls for benching
BEREA, Ohio — Deshaun Watson is taking hits from all sides, and not just on the field. Everyone seems to be coming after the polarizing quarterback, whose poor play through five games — he hasn’t passed for 200 yards in a game — has prompted calls for the Browns to...
Francisco Lindor’s grand slam sends Mets into NLCS over Phillies
NEW YORK — Francisco Lindor hit a grand slam in the sixth inning, his latest clutch swing in an extraordinary season full of them, and the New York Mets reached the National League Championship Series with a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday. Edwin Diaz struck out Kyle...
Pitt women’s volleyball team sweeps No. 15 SMU
The Pitt women’s volleyball team finally dropped a set. That happened Oct. 4, when the top-ranked Panthers, who won their first 12 matches of the year via 3-0 sweeps, lost the opener at Boston College. The unbeaten streak, however, remains intact. The Panthers (15-0, 5-0 ACC) took care of 15th-ranked...
Penguins fans excited for hockey season, cautiously optimistic about club’s prospects
Two seasons ago, when the Pittsburgh Penguins missed the playoffs by a single point, ending a 16-year streak, Stan Chapp took the setback to his beloved franchise hard. Chapp didn’t exactly feel motivated to attend any games the following year given the club’s decline. “We’ve been fans for years,” said...
Pitt linebacker crew will confront stiff test when speedy California running backs come to town
Like his head coach two decades before him, Pitt linebackers coach Ryan Manalac played middle linebacker to some distinction. A walk-on when he first enrolled at the University of Cincinnati, he ended up with a scholarship, four letters, a starting job for two seasons and nearly 200 tackles. Manalac has...
Tigers blank Guardians in Detroit, take 2-1 in ALDS lead
DETROIT — Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson each drove in a run, and six pitchers combined to lift the Detroit Tigers to a 3-0 win over Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday and a 2-1 lead in their AL Division Series. The Tigers, baseball’s hottest team the past two months, will have...
Steelers notebook: Warren, Pruitt return to practice field
Two of the three players that coach Mike Tomlin characterized as “doubtful” to play in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ next game were on the practice field Wednesday. Running back Jaylen Warren and reserve tight end MyCole Pruitt were deemed limited participants at practice, per the league-mandated injury report. Each has missed...
Tatis homers again as the Padres beat the Dodgers for a 2-1 NLDS leadVideo
SAN DIEGO — Fernando Tatis Jr.’s towering two-run home run highlighted a six-run second inning, and the San Diego Padres held on to beat Shohei Ohtani and the rival Los Angeles Dodgers 6-5 on Tuesday night to take a 2-1 lead in a tense NL Division Series. The Padres moved...
Pat Freiermuth exercises ‘right to speak up’ on issues involving Steelers offense, George Pickens
Without referencing any teammate by name, tight end Pat Freiermuth appeared to criticize George Pickens on Sunday for the frustrations the wide receiver displayed during the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 20-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Asked Wednesday about making his feelings known in a public forum, Freiermuth believes he is permitted...
Jets QB Aaron Rodgers denies allegations he played role in Robert Saleh’s firingVideo
Aaron Rodgers insisted he played no role in the firing of Robert Saleh as the New York Jets coach and called such allegations “patently false.” The star quarterback made his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday, a day after Jets owner Woody Johnson fired Saleh after the...
NFL leading WR Nico Collins to miss at least 4 games after Texans place him on IRVideo
HOUSTON — Nico Collins, the NFL’s leading receiver, will miss at least four games after the Houston Texans placed him on injured reserve with a hamstring injury Wednesday. Collins left Houston’s 23-20 victory over the Bills on Sunday after scoring on a 67-yard reception late in the first quarter. Coach...
Patriots name top pick Drake Maye starter at QB
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Jacoby Brissett won only one game as the New England Patriots’ starting quarterback. Now we’ll find out if he was any better as a mentor for first-round draft pick Drake Maye. The Patriots are going with Maye as the starter for Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans,...
Jaylen Warren, MyCole Pruitt return to Steelers practice, Damontae Kazee remains out
Two of the three players that coach Mike Tomlin characterized as “doubtful” to play in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ next game were on the practice field Wednesday. Running back Jaylen Warren and reserve tight end MyCole Pruitt were deemed as limited participants at practice, per the league-mandated injury report. Each has...
Raiders bench QB Gardner Minshew, will start Aidan O’Connell vs. SteelersVideo
During his weekly news conference previewing Sunday’s game in Las Vegas, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin spoke highly of the then-Raiders quarterback. “I got a lot of respect for (Gardner) Minshew, man,” Tomlin said. “…I’ve just always appreciated his moxie and in-game savvy.” Tomlin will not have an opportunity to...
Rangers winger Reilly Smith reflects on year with Penguins, prepares to face former club
Reilly Smith will play his first game of the 2024-25 season in a familiar building. Only he’ll be doing so for a new employer, with different colors and a No. 91 sweater. Smith, acquired via trade by the Pittsburgh Penguins two summers ago to add top-six scoring punch, navigated a...
Belle Vernon’s Quinton Martin makes impact in Penn State offense
Some parts of Penn State’s win over UCLA jump off the page immediately. While the score finished 27-11, it wasn’t that close. Drew Allar threw the ball well, and Liam Clifford showed up big with his first career 100-yard game. The defense allowed minus-9 yards in the third quarter, continuing...
Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry scheduled to start season opener
The Pittsburgh Penguins are scheduled to start goaltender Tristan Jarry on Wednesday in their season-opening contest against the New York Rangers at PPG Paints Arena. This will mark the fifth consecutive campaign Jarry has been the team’s starting goaltender in a season-opener. Only Marc-Andre Fleury (12) and Tom Barrasso (10)...
If Mike Sullivan wants to change ‘narratives’ about using young players, Rutger McGroarty provides that chance
In a recent interview with TribLive, Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan adamantly pushed back against the suggestion he doesn’t trust young players enough. He did so by citing the amount of faith he put in the likes of Jake Guentzel, Conor Sheary and Bryan Rust when he first took over...
Tim Benz: There are gaping holes in Mike Tomlin’s ‘snap management’ explanation for George Pickens’ reduced workload
During his weekly press conference, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin doubled down on his postgame explanation about why George Pickens saw a reduction in playing time during Sunday night’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys. The wide receiver only played 59% of the offensive snaps during the game. That’s the...
First Call: Micah Parsons calls George Pickens ‘sick’; Davante Adams update; important Raider injured
Wednesday’s “First Call” has an update on potential Pittsburgh Steelers trade target Davante Adams. The Steelers will avoid seeing an important member of the Las Vegas defensive front when they play the Raiders on Sunday. Micah Parsons has thoughts on George Pickens’ behavior. And it was a chippy start to...
For Penguins’ Rutger McGroarty, quest to prove he belongs is only just beginning
Cracking the Pittsburgh Penguins’ opening-night roster represents a massive accomplishment for Rutger McGroarty. General manager Kyle Dubas, in trading Brayden Yager, considered the Penguins’ top prospect, for McGroarty, wagered the 20-year-old forward might be more NHL-ready and capable of helping the club now. That McGroarty, who joined the Penguins in...
