Sports category, Page 465
Penn State prepares for hostile environment as quest for CFP begins at West Virginia
Penn State coach James Franklin is under no illusion about the environment that awaits the No. 8-ranked Nittany Lions in Morgantown for their season opener at noon Saturday against West Virginia. In what marks Penn State’s return to the Mountain State for the first time since 1992, Franklin expects a...
Rookie Beanie Bishop regains 1st-team status at nickel DB
After a two-week reprieve related to an undisclosed injury, Beanie Bishop was back with the first-team defense as the nickel back Monday. “It’s always great to be able to get those first-team reps,” Bishop said after practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “Obviously, missing as many practices as I...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Area players set for Mercyhurst debut in Division I
Mercyhurst will open its first season as an NCAA Division I football program Thursday at Wheeling. The Lakers are not short on local talent. Eight players from Westmoreland County will suit up in green and white for the team’s D-I debut season. Several are part of the Lakers’ deep linebacker...
Tim Benz: Ben Cherington’s response to Paul Skenes-Barry Bonds question should remind Pirates fans how time flies
One of the prevailing sentiments from those in attendance at Barry Bonds’ induction into the Pirates Hall of Fame this weekend was, “Wow! Did he really leave 32 years ago? Has it really been that long?” Another was, “Wow! Was he really only here for seven years?” Fast forward to...
Joe Rutter’s 53-man roster projection for the Steelers
Initial 53-man roster projections are a risky proposition as NFL teams prepare to reach that limit by 4 p.m. Tuesday. It is called the “initial” roster for a reason. Much can change between the cutdown deadline and when the regular season begins next week. Like every other NFL team, the...
3rd-year coach has high expectations for Pitt-Greensburg women’s volleyball team
Coaches generally are hesitant to heap too much praise on their teams. Preseason, in season, postseason, doesn’t matter. Most coaches would prefer not to inflate their players’ collective ego. That’s why Kevin Conroy’s assessment of his women’s volleyball team at Pitt-Greensburg is eyebrow-raising. Especially considering that, over his first two...
Penn State New Kensington men’s soccer team full of confidence after PSUAC title-game berth in ’23
The Penn State New Kensington men’s soccer team has experienced a considerable amount of success in recent years. In the three seasons since the covid-19 pandemic wiped out the 2020 schedule, the Lions are 34-16-2, including 22-3-2 in the Penn State University Athletic Conference. Last fall, for the first time...
Penn State signs athletic director Patrick Kraft to 8-year extension
Penn State athletic director Patrick Kraft was inked to an eight-year extension that keeps him under contract through June 30, 2032, the university announced Monday. The deal was approved by Penn State’s Board of Trustees and by the university’s Committee on Equity and Human Resources in a unanimous vote. Kraft,...
Steelers begin cutting roster, undrafted free agent RB Daijun Edwards among 11 let go
The process of reducing the roster to the 53-man limit began Monday for the Pittsburgh Steelers, as they cut 11 players. After trimming the roster by eight players before practice, they cut three more in the afternoon: kicker Matthew Wright, offensive lineman Anderson Hardy and defensive back Kyler McMichael. In...
Analysis: Big 12 must ask not only why UConn, but why now as commissioner remains open for business
As Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark steps up discussions in the conference about adding UConn, the question isn’t so much why invite the Huskies as why do it now. “There has never been a better time than right now to be part of the Big 12,” Yormark said in July...
Pirates veteran catcher Yasmani Grandal finally finds footing, gets in a groove at the plateVideo
There was a heightened level of concern for Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton when Yasmani Grandal came to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning against Cincinnati Reds closer Alexis Diaz. With Joey Bart leaving the game in the first inning with left hamstring discomfort, Shelton had no choice...
First Call: More injury concerns along Steelers offensive line; big betting money still coming in on SteelersVideo
The Steelers are absorbing more injury news along the offensive line. However, lots of betting money is coming in on the Black and Gold. A former Steelers wide receiver is looking for a new team. And a big name in the AFC North is returning to practice. All that in...
Matt Williamson on Nick Herbig: Steelers ‘have to figure out a way to turn 8 snaps into 20’
Mark Madden is on his way back from England. So, my Steelers Audio Network pregame show partner, Matt Williamson, is filling in for the “Madden Monday” podcast this week. A former NFL and college scout, Williamson hosts “The Drive” with Dale Lolley on Steelers Nation Radio. You’ve also heard him...
Ravens OL coach, Sewickley native Joe D’Alessandris dies
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Joe D’Alessandris, whose nearly half-century of coaching offensive linemen eventually brought him to four different NFL teams, has died. He was 70. The Baltimore Ravens, D’Alessandris’ employer since 2017, announced that he died Sunday. He was hospitalized earlier this month with an unspecified illness, and that...
Even players aren’t sure who will be at their best for U.S. Open
NEW YORK — Tennis fans unable to decide who has the best shot at doing well at the U.S. Open have company as the year’s last Grand Slam tournament is set to begin Monday. Even the players themselves aren’t sure what to expect. “We’ve seen people, all the time, surprise...
Other than Martin Truex Jr., NASCAR playoff field is shaky
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Martin Truex Jr. should feel safe heading to Darlington Raceway for the Cup Series’ regular-season finale. The 2017 series champion has a 58-point cushion in the playoff standings, likely enough considering the most any driver could make up is roughly 60. Thirteen of the 16 postseason...
Keegan Bradley goes from last man in to BMW Championship
CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — Keegan Bradley went from the last man in the BMW Championship to a winner Sunday, closing with an even-par 72 for a one-shot victory that opened up all sorts of possibilities he never imagined possible a week ago. Bradley pulled away from mistake-prone Adam Scott early...
Pirates farm report for Aug. 25, 2024: Omar Alfonzoz, P.J. Hilson lead Grasshoppers to win
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 59-63) lost to Columbus (Guardians), 5-2. C Dylan Shockley (.250) was 2 for 4 with an RBI. 2B Nick Gonzales (.356), CF Joshua Palacios (.253), LF Billy Cook (.287), DH Jack Suwinski (.185) and RF Matt Gorski (.241) all had singles. RHP Luis Cessa (4-5, 4.58) took the...
Florida team rallies to beat Taiwan, win Little League World Series title
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT — Lathan Norton scored from second base on an overthrow at first as Lake Mary, Fla., rallied Sunday to beat Taiwan, 2-1, in eight innings and claim the Little League World Series championship. Taiwan clung to a 1-0 from the first inning until Florida’s last at-bat. The team...
Michigan receives notice of allegations from NCAA related to sign-stealing investigation
Michigan has received the final version of a notice of allegations from the NCAA related to an investigation into an in-person scouting and sign-stealing operation being run by a football staffer, the NCAA and the school said Sunday. Michigan previously received a draft of the NOA that included allegations of...
Analysis: Examining Pitt’s degree of difficulty in each of its 12 games
A popular query from local college football fans over the past month has been, “How is Pitt looking?” Beyond the unoriginal, not-funny-anymore answer — “big and sweaty” — it’s difficult to come up with a definitive response. The most consequential moments of practice, plus two scrimmages, are closed to the...
Lydia Ko wins Women’s British Open soon after Olympic gold
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — Lydia Ko covered her face with her hands and cried tears of joy. An Olympic gold medal. Entry into the Hall of Fame. And now another major championship title — at the home of golf, no less. Summers don’t come much better than that. Ko completed...
Babe Ruth’s ‘called shot’ jersey sells at auction for over $24 millionVideo
DALLAS — The jersey Babe Ruth wore when he called his shot during the 1932 World Series, hitting a home run to center field, sold at auction early Sunday for over $24 million. Heritage Auctions said the New York Yankee slugger’s jersey went for a record-breaking $24.12 million after a...
Yasmani Grandal honors son’s request with 2-run walk-off homer to lift Pirates past Reds
Yasmani Grandal has received repeated requests from the youngest of his three children, son Ryatt, and has answered with the same result. “My 3-year-old keeps telling me to hit homers,” Grandal said with a smile. “Every time he’s said that, I’ve hit a homer, so he needs to keep telling...
Former Franklin Regional standout Hudock recovering nicely after scary motorcycle accident
He doesn’t remember much from the night he almost died, but Ayden Hudock uses words such as “lucky” and “blessed” a lot more since he wrecked his motorcycle. From what those who reconstructed the accident scene have told him, both of those words are appropriate. It was May 25 when...
