Sports category, Page 482
U mad, bro?: Colin Holderman can’t pitch; Oneil Cruz can’t field; Steelers can’t get Brandon Aiyuk to Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Steelers can’t pull off a trade for Brandon Aiyuk, and fans can’t escape me discussing it. Colin Holderman can’t pitch, and Oneil Cruz can’t get out of his own way. Also, readers apparently can’t find our Olympics coverage, and I apparently can’t find my dictionary. It’s the dog...
If Steelers offer only picks and no players to 49ers for Brandon Aiyuk, ‘the deal is dead’
According to some reports out of Pittsburgh on Wednesday afternoon, a long-discussed trade that would send San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk to the Steelers was practically a done deal. John Lund of KNBR in San Francisco says that’s not the case, because the Steelers are only offering draft...
Pirates lefty Aroldis Chapman ties record for fastest recorded strikeout pitch at 104.7 mph
When Aroldis Chapman painted the inside corner with a sinker for a called third strike, all San Diego Padres star Manny Machado could do was stare back at the Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander in stunned silence. Chapman stood on the mound in his statuesque staredown pose before cracking a smile when...
Padres score 3 runs in 10th, hold on to hand Pirates their 3rd consecutive loss
Just after the Pittsburgh Pirates gave up the lead, Andrew McCutchen launched a home run to tie the score in the fourth inning, then added a two-run single in the sixth for the lead. With two runners in scoring position and the Pirates clinging to a one-run advantage, Aroldis Chapman...
Pirates farm report for Aug. 7, 2024: Indianapolis wins on Alika Williams sacrifice fly
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 50-56) beat Nashville (Brewers), 4-3, in 10 innings. SS Alika Williams (.315) went 1 for 4 and drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly. RHP Connor Sadzeck (3-2, 4.28) pitched a scoreless ninth and 10th to pick up the win. DH Billy Cook (.289) went 1...
Riverhounds play to scoreless draw in Detroit
Goalkeeper Eric Dick recorded his second straight shutout to lead the Pittsburgh Riverhounds to a scoreless draw with Detroit FC on the road Wednesday night. Dick made two saves to help the Riverhounds extend their unbeaten streak to five games (3-0-2). They’ve allowed a total of two goals during the...
Spencer Lee begins Olympic quest with early morning rematch
Wrestling fans who want to watch Spencer Lee in his Olympic debut on Peacock will have to set an early morning alarm. The men’s freestyle competition in the 57 kg and 86 kg weight classes will begin at 5 a.m. today with the Round of 16 and quarterfinals. The semifinals...
Bethel Park native Eric McElvenny to compete in his 2nd Paralympic Games
It was more than 10 years ago when Eric McElvenny lost part of his right leg when he stepped on an improvised explosive device while serving with the Marines in Afghanistan. He didn’t want to let that hold him back from staying in shape, so he decided to turn to...
A complete list of Paris Olympics medal winners
PARIS — List of medal recipients from Tuesday and Wednesday at the Olympics: Wednesday, Aug. 7 ARTISTIC SWIMMING TEAM GOLD: China Silver: United States Bronze: Spain BOXING MEN’S 63.5KG Gold: Erislandy Alvarez Borges, Cuba Silver: Sofiane Oumiha, France MEN’S 80KG Gold: Oleksandr Khyzhniak, Ukraine Silver: Nurbek Oralbay, Kazakhstan CLIMBING WOMEN’S...
Steelers inside the ropes: Running game takes center stage as O-line imposes will on defense
Be it the influence of new coordinator Arthur Smith, the culmination of two full years of the Omar Khan-Andy Weidl regime or just where the pendulum is swinging with these Pittsburgh Steelers, it’s become a trend that when the pads come on during training camp, so does an effective running...
Latest U.S. track comeback puts Quincy Hall atop medal stand in Olympic 400 metersVideo
SAINT-DENIS, France — Quincy Hall became the latest American to electrify Olympic track and field with an out-of-nowhere comeback, sprinting from far behind in the 400 meters Wednesday night to reel in three runners and capture another gold medal for the U.S. Hall, buried in fourth place as the sprinters...
Poland rallies to beat U.S. in men’s volleyball in 5th set and will play France for Olympic goldVideo
PARIS — Pawel Zatorski couldn’t feel a couple of fingers on his left hand. They were still numb more than an hour after the veteran libero went down for several minutes in the middle of third set of Poland’s remarkable comeback against the Americans. He got up and kept going,...
A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young help U.S. rout Nigeria to reach Olympic women’s hoops semifinalsVideo
PARIS — A’ja Wilson scored 20 points, and Jackie Young added 15 points to help the U.S. beat Nigeria, 88-74, on Wednesday night in the quarterfinals of the Paris Games, extending its record winning streak to 59 consecutive Olympic wins. Breanna Stewart also had 13 for the Americans, who haven’t...
Steelers camp report: Even after ruled out for game, several vets go through padded practiceVideo
Early Wednesday morning, coach Mike Tomlin announced that seven of his most established veteran players would not participate in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ preseason opener Friday. Ninety minutes later, though, six of those seven took part in a fully-padded, tackling-allowed practice at Saint Vincent College. Tomlin said that quarterback Russell Wilson,...
Greensburg Central Catholic baseball player Anthony Grippo commits to Penn State
A new NCAA recruiting rule kicked in earlier this month. It prevents college coaches from communicating with prospects until Aug. 1 of their junior year. When that day rolled around for Anthony Grippo, his cellphone “blew up.” The rising junior from Greensburg Central Catholic had more than 20 calls or...
West Point overcomes superstition at Little League Softball World Series
Superstitions have long been a part of sports. Tiger Woods always wore a red shirt when he walked onto a golf course on Sundays. Michael Jordan used to wear his college practice shorts from North Carolina under his Chicago Bulls uniform shorts. Wade Boggs had to eat chicken before every...
Penn State coaches, teammates continue to praise Zakee Wheatley, who has been the talk of the offseason
Penn State’s coaching staff identified Zakee Wheatley as a potential playmaker prior to the 2022 season. The reserve safety intercepted a pair of passes and forced a fumble that year, but his opportunities were minimal last season. This year is different. The breakout opportunity is real for the fourth-year Nittany...
Simone Biles thrived at the Paris Olympics, everything was amplified
PARIS — Every single thing Simone Biles has done at the Paris Olympics has been spotlighted: four medals, an online feud with a former teammate and a social media post that appeared to take a swipe at presidential candidate Donald Trump. Her TikToks regularly draw millions of views — 14.4...
For Wanda Durant, watching Kevin Durant will never grow old
PARIS — They gave Kevin Durant the game ball after he broke Lisa Leslie’s all-time U.S. Olympic basketball scoring record in the quarterfinals of the Paris Games. And, of course, he got plenty of congratulations afterward from his biggest fan. That fan — Wanda Durant, his mother — wasn’t surprised...
Ukrainian wrestler and member of parliament has a goal for Paris: ‘Show that Ukraine is still alive’
PARIS — Zhan Beleniuk’s focus wavered at times as he trained in hopes of winning a second Olympic gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling. The Ukrainian doesn’t just represent his country in international competition. He’s also a member of parliament. And since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, well, it’s been easy...
NCAA hands former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh a 4-year show cause order for recruiting violations
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The NCAA announced a four-year show-cause order for former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh on Wednesday for impermissible contact with recruits and players while access was restricted during the covid-19 pandemic, effectively banning him from college athletics until August 2028. The NCAA said Harbaugh, who left his...
U.S. women’s pursuit team wins Olympic gold after 12 years of silver and bronze medals
MONTIGNY-LE-BRETONNEUX, France — The U.S. women’s pursuit team of road race Olympic champion Kristen Faulkner, Chloe Dygert, Jennifer Valente and Lilly Williams held on through a ragged finish to beat New Zealand in the race for gold at the Paris Games on Wednesday night. The Americans led by more than...
U.S. Open player compensation rises to a record $65 million, with singles champs getting $3.6 million
Coco Gauff, Novak Djokovic and other players at the U.S. Open will be playing for a record total of $75 million in compensation at the year’s last Grand Slam tennis tournament, a rise of about 15% from a year ago. The women’s and men’s singles champions will each receive $3.6...
As Paris Olympics wind down, Los Angeles swings into planning for 2028
PARIS — From the City of Love to the City of Angels, planning for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics is well underway and organizers are paying close attention to what’s worked, and what hasn’t, so far in Paris. It will be LA’s third time hosting the Olympics — the last...
Tim Benz: Make the Brandon Aiyuk decision about Brandon Aiyuk, not Van Jefferson
Here’s a friendly exchange I overheard between a fan and a media member during Tuesday’s Steelers training camp practice. I didn’t want to jump into someone else’s conversation. But I will in my own column. Fan: “When are the Steelers going to get Brandon Aiyuk?” Reporter: “I don’t know. But...
