Sports category, Page 508
Penn State’s heralded 2022 recruiting class ready to make a College Football Playoff push
Drew Allar remembers Penn State football’s highly-rated 2022 recruiting class being a “super-tight group” from the very beginning. Allar, the five-star quarterback and headliner of the class, verbally committed three years ago, back in March 2021. He and the rest of the commits formed a “close connection,” one they used...
On Sports: Penguins lacking on list of best NHL players; Steelers’ practice squad still a mystery
Today’s “On Sports” highlights a list of the NHL’s top players, which has a lack of Pittsburgh Penguins, as well as practice squad news from around the NFL, but not with the Steelers. Lacking Penguins After consecutive non-playoff seasons, maybe the problem with the Pittsburgh Penguins isn’t special teams or...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Pirates stunned by collapse against Cubs, Cruz’s position switch
There was a stunned silence in the home clubhouse as Pittsburgh Pirates players packed their equipment into travel bags Wednesday afternoon following a shellacking of a sweep by the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs didn’t just win a three-game series at PNC Park. They poured it on in every way imaginable,...
U mad, bro?: Oneil Cruz’s move to CF and Steelers’ 0-3 preseason have fans riled up
Two Pittsburgh topics dominated my social media interactions and my inbox this week: • Concern over the Steelers 0-3 preseason. • Oneil Cruz’s move to center field. I assume Penguins fans will start fretting about Sidney Crosby’s lack of a contract extension soon enough. But today is not that day....
Pirates farm report for Aug. 28, 2024: Termarr Johnson hits 1st Double-A homer in Altoona win
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 62-63) swept a doubleheader from Louisville (Reds), winning both games by a 2-1 score. In the first game, RHP Bubba Chandler (2-0, 1.17) started and went five innings, allowing one unearned run on three hits with two walks and five strikeouts. RHP Isaac Mattson (3.14) worked two perfect...
QB Ryan Tannehill, former Steeler Patrick Peterson among NFL’s notable free agentsVideo
Joe Flacco watched football from his couch last season before joining the Cleveland Browns in November, leading them to the playoffs and earning the AP Comeback Player of the Year award. Several accomplished free agents are in a similar position waiting for a call this season. Ryan Tannehill, who went...
Report: Northwestern plans to hire Villanova’s Mark Jackson as AD, passing on Pitt’s Heather Lyke
Pitt athletic director Heather Lyke was one of three candidates to become the next AD at Northwestern, but ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Wednesday night that Villanova’s Mark Jackson has emerged from a field of three candidates. A deal between Jackson and Northwestern could be finalized soon, Thamel reported. The Chicago...
Wimbledon champion Krejcikova out of U.S. Open; Shelton and Tiafoe set to meet in 3rd roundVideo
NEW YORK — Frances Tiafoe is getting the rematch he wants, a second shot at Ben Shelton at the U.S. Open. But there won’t be a second straight Grand Slam title for Barbora Krejcikova. The Wimbledon champion was knocked out of the U.S. Open in the second round Wednesday, defeated...
Browns cornerback Denzel Ward is back practicing after suffering 5th known concussion in NFLVideo
BEREA, Ohio — Denzel Ward has almost moved past another concussion. Cleveland’s three-time Pro Bowl cornerback returned to practice Wednesday for the first time since suffering at least his fifth documented concussion while playing in the NFL. Ward remains in the league’s concussion protocol, but he has entered the final...
Trib 10: Quips stand atop 1st edition of football power rankings
Last year, only two teams sat atop the Trib 10 power rankings throughout the season. Central Catholic was No. 1 from Week Zero through Week 6, and then Aliquippa took over the top spot and remained there the rest of the 2023 campaign. It’s a new season, but the Quips...
Duquesne begins title defense with another FBS test in Toledo
Duquesne’s football team is getting an early start on the season as it prepares to defend its Northeast Conference title. The Dukes open the 2024 campaign with a nonconference game at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Toledo. Led by two returning all-conference players and 11 starters overall, the Dukes again are...
49ers star receiver Brandon Aiyuk misses practice despite being cleared by team doctorsVideo
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — San Francisco star receiver Brandon Aiyuk wasn’t at the start of practice on Wednesday despite the team saying he was cleared by doctors to participate, raising the temperature of a contract “hold in” that has been a cloud over the 49ers since the offseason. Aiyuk had...
1st-round pick Troy Fautanu to return to full practice when Steelers reconvene Monday
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-round pick will be available for their first practice day of the regular season. Offensive tackle Troy Fautanu has been gradually ramping back up during practices this week, he confirmed Wednesday, as the training staff preps his injured left knee to allow Fautanu to practice fully after...
West Virginia RB Jahiem White has Penn State alum to thank for finding his wayVideo
Jahiem White’s ascension as one of the nation’s top freshman running backs at West Virginia had its origins in the kindness of a new school teacher and her family. White grew up in Miami, raised by a single mom simply trying to make ends meet. He wasn’t happy when La’Doria...
Pitt offensive coordinator Kade Bell has been immersed in quarterback competitions as player, coach
If you believe the old dictum that if you have two quarterbacks you really have none, perhaps you think Pat Narduzzi is wrong to take his two-headed quarterback derby into the season. After all, scrimmages are finished, experimentation is for training camp and game outcomes will matter starting Saturday when...
Pirates blow 7-run lead, as Cubs rally late to sweep series in Oneil Cruz’s debut in center field
The Pittsburgh Pirates hit a new low — one they are hoping is rock bottom — by blowing a seven-run lead over the final three innings against the Chicago Cubs. Their decision to make a late-August position switch by moving Oneil Cruz to center field backfired when Christian Bethancourt hit...
Once teammates, wrestler Bill Goldberg and Deion Sanders reunite at Colorado through Goldberg’s sonVideo
BOULDER, Colo. — Hall of Fame pro wrestler Bill Goldberg isn’t just another celebrity whom coach Deion Sanders has walking along the Colorado sideline. He’s not just another big name brought in to deliver motivational speeches. Goldberg’s got a vested interest in the program with his son, Gage, a freshman...
Steelers’ Isaac Seumalo leaves practice with pec injury, though reportedly not season-ending
Isaac Seumalo left Wednesday’s Pittsburgh Steelers practice early because of injury, but reportedly the ailment is not season-ending. The team’s veteran starting left guard, Seumalo suffered an apparent pectoral injury, according to an ESPN report. Initial testing, though, suggest the injury is not severe. Seumalo being spotted leaving practice early...
Despite no guarantee of cracking NHL roster, Rutger McGroarty excited to get going with Penguins
Last week, Rutger McGroarty was a member of the Winnipeg Jets organization and weighing a potential return to Michigan for his junior college hockey season. Much has changed for the 20-year-old forward, who was introduced by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday in Cranberry after a blockbuster trade of top prospects...
Penn State’s Anthony Donkoh, Nolan Rucci continue to battle at right tackle
Everyone knows who will replace Olu Fashanu, Penn State’s first-round left tackle. Drew Shelton, a player with experience and upside, is eager to protect Drew Allar’s blindside. But who starts opposite Shelton is still a mystery ahead of Saturday’s opener at West Virginia. Anthony Donkoh and Nolan Rucci are the...
Mike Tomlin officially names Russell Wilson as Steelers’ starting quarterbackVideo
Mike Tomlin confirmed Wednesday what was apparent since the Pittsburgh Steelers started revamping the quarterback position in March: Russell Wilson will be the starter heading into the season opener Sept. 8 in Atlanta. Wilson got the nod over Justin Fields, who will serve as the backup to start the season....
Cameron Heyward: ‘No news’ on quest for new contract from Steelers
Since he reported to offseason workouts after missing the first two weeks of organized team activities, Cameron Heyward has awaited a contract extension from the Pittsburgh Steelers. With the preseason in the rear-view mirror and the regular season looming in 10 days, the 35-year-old defensive tackle is still waiting. “No...
Pirates DH Andrew McCutchen close to returning, 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes still up in the air
The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the verge of getting designated hitter Andrew McCutchen back and remain cautiously optimistic third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes will play again this season. Where McCutchen tested his left knee by running the bases and taking batting practice Tuesday, when he became eligible to come off the...
Mark Madden: Justin Fields’ upside is higher, but does potential reward justify risk for Steelers?
Justin Fields was never going to start when the Pittsburgh Steelers open their season Week 1 at Atlanta. There was no competition at quarterback. Russell Wilson was not only in pole position to start training camp, but the checkered flag was predetermined. But perhaps Fields should start. Not Week 1,...
Tim Benz: Refuting the idea that Mike Tomlin created an ‘unnecessary distraction’ with his QBs
I recently saw a headline that said Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has created an “unnecessary distraction” by not naming a starting quarterback to open the 2024 season as of yet. Near as I can tell, the players on offense don’t seem distracted. “It’s not my decision to make. We’ll find...
