Sports category, Page 546
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: JuJu Smith-Schuster shows life changes fast in NFL
JuJu Smith-Schuster very quickly went from litty to … well, not very good. It’s not a cautionary tale. Just a reminder of how quickly and decisively life in the NFL can turn. At 27, Smith-Schuster is no longer the Pizza Hut guy, or the stolen bike guy, or the high...
Court ruling could lead to Jordan Chiles losing her bronze medal
PARIS — Romania’s Ana Barbosu could replace American Jordan Chiles as the Olympic bronze medalist in gymnastics floor exercise after the Court of Arbitration for Sport voided an appeal from Chiles’ coach that vaulted her onto the podium. CAS ruled Saturday that the on-floor appeal by U.S. coach Cecile Landi...
France defends men’s volleyball Olympic gold medal, beating Poland in front of a wild home crowd
PARIS — Jean Patry and his jubilant French teammates locked shoulders, formed a circle, then jumped and danced. They kept bouncing on their side of the net for several minutes while the raucous home crowd joined right along and shook the stands. France defended its Olympic gold medal in men’s...
U.S. women net 5th Olympic gold medal in soccer with a 1-0 win over Brazil in final
PARIS — At just the right moment, Mallory Swanson yelled at teammate Sophia Smith not to go near the ball as it came through. Swanson knew Smith was offside. But Swanson wasn’t. “I was like, ‘Don’t touch it! Leave it, leave it, leave it!’” Swanson said. “And then it was...
Cringy moves and a white b-girl’s durag prompt questions about Olympic breaking’s authenticity
PARIS — From the Australian b-girl with the meme-worthy “kangaroo” dance move to the silver-medal winning Lithuanian in a durag, breaking’s Olympic debut had a few moments that raised questions from viewers about whether the essence of the hip-hop art form was captured at the Paris Games. Rachael Gunn, or...
With Hall of Famer in family, Isiah Kiner-Falefa embraces Pirates’ identity
Every time Isiah Kiner-Falefa visited PNC Park, he would make a point to look up at Ralph Kiner’s retired No. 4 or visit the bronze bust of his hands holding a Louisville Slugger bat. They share more than a surname. Kiner-Falefa’s maternal grandfather is Ralph’s cousin who attended the University...
Students from Allegheny Shotokan ‘Viola’ Karate Dojo headed to national team trials
Thirteen students from Allegheny Shotokan “Viola” Karate Dojo qualified to compete this fall in the World Karate Commission National Team Trials Oct. 26-Nov. 1 in Albufeira, Portugal. The local qualifiers are Cameron Klos, Gavin Bilinsky, Dryce Davis, Noelle Kravetz, Riley Evans, Aiden Johnson, Carter Griffith, Sammy Pietrzyk, Gabby Viola, Xander...
Hampton ties bond national champ Northern Steel U13 girls soccer
A national championship girls soccer team this summer had a lot of Hampton flavor to it. Northern Steel, coached by two former Hampton soccer stars and led by three Talbot middle schoolers, won the 2024 National Cup XXIII Premier Division U13 finals July 21-25, in Denver. A never-in-doubt 5-1 victory...
Deep group of defensive tackles looks promising for Penn State
Penn State should have strength in numbers at the defensive tackle position in the fall. At the very least. The Nittany Lions’ top edge rushers, led by Abdul Carter and Dani Dennis-Sutton, are the headliners and deservedly so. Both players, should they leave PSU after 2024, are projected to be...
Stock up, stock down among Steelers after preseason-opening loss
The final score of Friday’s preseason game at Acrisure Stadium read: Houston Texans 20, Pittsburgh Steelers 12. But the teams weren’t necessarily the real winners or losers. Here are some more specific of each for the Steelers as they reconvene for training camp at Saint Vincent College: Stock up Payton...
Pitt Take 5: Panthers reminded daily to put aside 2023, prove it was ‘a 1-year deal’
The words stare at Pitt’s players from the sidewalk every day when they leave their locker room for the practice fields. “PROVE IT.” What does it mean? “We got a lot to prove,” coach Pat Narduzzi said. “Every unit’s got something to prove, and, obviously, this team has something to...
Dodgers tag Mitch Keller for 5 runs in 3rd inning, hand Pirates 5th consecutive loss
The Pittsburgh Pirates were hoping that Mitch Keller could stop their losing skid. Instead, the anchor of their pitching staff delivered his worst start of the season. Keller surrendered a two-run home run to Shohei Ohtani in a five-run third inning and gave up seven runs in a 9-5 loss...
Pair of bad snaps mars QB Justin Fields’ Steelers debut
The final stat line from Friday night shows Justin Fields had a passer rating of 113.2. He had only one incompletion, and it, perhaps, should have counted if officials had ruled differently regarding an out-of-bounds call. But Fields recognizes that his raw numbers aren’t the full story for his Pittsburgh...
Belle Vernon coach confident former players set proper example for current groupVideo
Over the past two seasons, Belle Vernon accomplished what few football programs have. Heck, the Leopards accomplished something rare in any high school sport: back-to-back WPIAL and PIAA championships. Not that the standard wasn’t high before. In his decade at the helm, coach Matt Humbert has built the team into...
‘Feats of Strength/Airing of Grievances’ after Steelers’ scattered loss in preseason opener
If anyone is looking for a way to positively spin the performance of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-team offense in the preseason opener, look at it this way: In last year’s preseason debut, Kenny Pickett marched the first team right down the throats of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the opening...
Pirates farm report for Aug. 9, 2024: Bubba Chandler throws 7 scoreless, 2-hit innings in Triple-A debut
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 51-57) shut out Nashville (Brewers), 6-0. RHP Bubba Chandler was brilliant in his first Triple-A start, allowing two hits and a walk in seven scoreless innings. He fanned six. RHP Fineas De Bonta-Smith (4.05) and RHP Ryder Ryan (4.45) each pitched a scoreless inning without allowing a hit....
Troy Fautanu, Keeanu Benton suffer apparently minor injuries during Steelers preseason game
An important young lineman on each side of the ball suffered an injury during the Pittsburgh Steelers’ preseason opener. Defensive tackle Keeanu Benton left the Friday’s 20-12 loss to the Houston Texans during the second quarter because of an eye injury. Offensive tackle Troy Fautanu — the Steelers’ first-round pick...
Pirates promote controversial pitcher Domingo German, who threw perfect game last season
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected the contract of controversial right-handed pitcher Domingo German – who produced the most recent perfect game in major league history – before Friday’s game at the Los Angeles Dodgers. German had a 31-28 record with a 4.41 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 112 games (89 starts)...
Arthur Smith’s offense, Justin Fields sputter in preseason debut with Steelers
As far as debuts go, this one was deserving of a mulligan for Arthur Smith, Justin Fields and the Pittsburgh Steelers offense. With Smith calling the plays for the first time as offensive coordinator and Fields starting at quarterback, the Steelers sputtered for much of the first half in a...
Steelers notebook: Broderick Jones plays at both tackles, rookie O-linemen play extensively
Broderick Jones began Friday’s preseason game where he ended it last season for the Pittsburgh Steelers: at right tackle. But Jones spent much of the game against the Houston Texans on the left side of the offensive line, only to return to the right side. Last year’s first-round pick, Jones...
Greensburg’s West Point rides early runs to victory in Little League Softball World Series
GREENVILLE, N.C. — “We made it to Saturday.” For all the waiting to play again, for the delays in the schedule caused by all the rain and wind Tropical Storm Debby dropped on the area, West Point coach Matt Maiers kept the objective for his softball team simple. And effective....
Mon Valley Pony struggles for offense in losing opener of PONY League World Series
After a valiant effort from the Mon Valley Pony baseball team, it was Palmview (Texas) that pulled away to open the 2024 PONY League World Series with a 6-2 victory. The local squad, which twice took a lead early in the game, couldn’t overcome four errors that kept Palmview in...
U.S. men win volleyball bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, beating Italy in straight setsVideo
PARIS — As of this moment, Matt Anderson is planning to make another go at an Olympic gold medal in men’s volleyball four years from now. At age 41. If his body holds up. If his young family is all in on the idea. Four-time U.S. Olympians Anderson and David...
Helen Maroulis gets bronze, becomes 1st American woman to win 3 Olympic wrestling medalsVideo
PARIS — Helen Maroulis emphatically pushed her name back atop the list of U.S. women’s Olympic wrestling medalists. Maroulis pinned Canada’s Hannah Taylor in 24 seconds to claim bronze medal in the 57-kilogram freestyle category on Friday. She is the first American woman to claim three Olympic medals, following her...
Sha’Carri Richardson rallies U.S. women in Olympic 4×100 while men shut out againVideo
SAINT-DENIS, France — Sha’Carri Richardson made her first Olympic gold-medal moment memorable, giving the sprinters behind her the side-eye, then stomping her foot to the track on her final step across the finish line. Afterward, she moved aside to watch the U.S. men do what they do best in the...
