Sports category, Page 574
Disgruntled Marlins fans protest team after Luis Arraez trade
MIAMI — As a sparse crowd headed into loanDepot Park to watch the Miami Marlins face the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday evening, a handful of disgruntled Miami fans remained on the outskirts of the ballpark, yelling passionately in hopes their message would be heard. The small demonstration of no more...
Judge strikes down N.Y. county’s ban on female transgender athletes after roller derby league sues
EAST MEADOW, N.Y. — A New York judge on Friday struck down a Long Island county’s order banning female transgender athletes after a local women’s roller derby league challenged it. Judge Francis Ricigliano ruled Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman didn’t have the authority to issue his February executive order, which...
Pirates farm report for May 10, 2024: Eddy Rodriguez delivers walk-off win for Bradenton
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 17-17) lost 3-0 to Louisville (Reds). Indy managed six singles. 2B Ji Hwan Bae (.361) and SS Liover Peguero (.293) each went 1 for 3 with a walk. DH Henry Davis (.154) went 1 for 4. RHP Wily Peralta (4.50) started and pitched three scoreless innings, allowing two...
Cody Bellinger’s 4-hit game leads Cubs past Pirates as offense continues to struggle
The Pittsburgh Pirates have avoided some of the game’s biggest stars because of injuries, which sidelined the likes of Christian Yelich, Kris Bryant, Mike Trout and Dansby Swanson. Cody Bellinger, however, returned in time to torture the Pirates. After missing two weeks with a fractured rib cage, the Chicago Cubs...
Orioles owner takes turn spraying fans with hose
BALTIMORE — New Orioles owner David Rubenstein turned out to be quite a rally starter at Camden Yards. Rubenstein made a guest appearance Friday night in the “Splash Zone” in left field, where fans are sprayed with a hose in celebration after big plays. Rubenstein was put in charge of...
Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. says he’s ‘super blessed’ to learn from Kirk Cousins
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Michael Penix Jr. insists he’ll have no difficulty adjusting to his role as the backup to new Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback Kirk Cousins. Before taking the field Friday for rookie minicamp, Penix was greeted by Cousins at the team’s practice facility. Others have speculated there could...
Bears coach Matt Eberflus says top pick Caleb Williams will open season as No. 1 QB
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Caleb Williams is the Chicago Bears’ starting quarterback. Just in case there was a shred of doubt the No. 1 overall draft pick is the team’s No. 1 QB, coach Matt Eberflus erased it on Friday. “No conversation. He’s the starter,” he said. Eberflus’ comment was...
49ers counting on new defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers’ experiment of bringing in a defensive coordinator from the outside didn’t work out, with the team firing Steve Wilks after just one season. Now they’re counting on the internal promotion of Nick Sorensen into that role — with a dose of outside...
Man pleads guilty in theft of bronze Jackie Robinson statue from Kansas park
WICHITA, Kan. — A 45-year-old man has pleaded guilty in the theft of a bronze Jackie Robinson statue that was cut off at the ankles and found days later smoldering in a trash can in a city park in Kansas. Ricky Alderete entered the plea during his arraignment Thursday. A...
Xander Schauffele shoots 67, leads by 4 over Rory McIlroy, Jason Day at Wells Fargo ChampionshipVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Xander Schauffele has been a mainstay near the top of the leaderboard most of the year. Now he’s hoping to close the door. Schauffele shot a 4-under-par 67 on Friday after opening with a 64, leaving him at 11-under 131 and four shots ahead of Rory McIlroy...
Michigan’s Edwards, Texas’ Ewers, Colorado’s Hunter among 6 on college football video game cover
Michigan running back Donovan Edwards, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter are among the six players displayed on the cover of EA Sports College Football 25, which is set to return after being discontinued 11 years ago. The cover for the deluxe edition of the popular...
Steelers sign draft picks Mason McCormick, Logan Lee to rookie contracts
Fourth-round selection Mason McCormick and Logan Lee, one of two sixth-round selections, became the first two draft picks to sign rookie contracts with the Pittsburgh Steelers. McCormick, a guard from South Dakota State, and Lee, a defensive end from Iowa, signed their four-year deals on Friday, the first day of...
Pirates acquire pitcher Daulton Jefferies from San Francisco for minor-league OF
Amid the buzz of introducing top overall prospect Paul Skenes at PNC Park on Friday, the Pittsburgh Pirates orchestrated a minor trade, acquiring right-hander Daulton Jefferies from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for minor-league outfielder Rodolfo Nolasco. Jefferies, 28, was designated for assignment by the Giants on Monday. Upon...
Pirates recall 2B Nick Gonzales, option INF Alika Williams to Triple-A Indianapolis
While the attention was on the arrival of 2023 No. 1 overall pick Paul Skenes, it was another former first-round pick that was added to the Pittsburgh Pirates’ active roster. The Pirates recalled Nick Gonzales from Triple-A Indianapolis, and manager Derek Shelton said the hot-hitting second baseman would be in...
Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes has high expectations for his major-league debut
Paul Skenes had been waiting patiently for the Pittsburgh Pirates to promote him to the major leagues, so the 2023 No. 1 overall draft pick was surprised to be sleeping when the call finally came. After Skenes threw a bullpen session Wednesday morning before Triple-A Indianapolis’ game, he went home...
Steelers rookie minicamp notes: Pitt’s Marquis Williams leaving nothing to chanceVideo
As one of the players attending on a tryout basis and without a contract, Marquis Williams had no guarantee he will be back with the Pittsburgh Steelers after the conclusion of rookie minicamp Sunday. Williams, apparently, wants to make the most of the time he has available. And he might...
Former WVU CB Beanie Bishop feels at home in slot — and with SteelersVideo
Barely recruited out of high school, not invited to the NFL Combine and not selected with any of the 257 picks in the recent NFL Draft, Beanie Bishop knows about overcoming underwhelming expectations. Setting out to make the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted rookie defensive back is just the next...
Troy Fautanu unfazed by switch to right tackle on 1st day of Steelers rookie minicamp
Troy Fautanu wasn’t sure if he was breaking protocol by revealing the gaffe he made Friday on the first snap of rookie minicamp. Lined up at right tackle, a noteworthy achievement in itself, Fautanu marked his indoctrination to an NFL workout by committing a false start. Nerves admittedly got the...
Missouri State moves up to Conference USA in 2025 from FCS, becoming 12th football member
Missouri State will move up to the highest tier of Division I college football and join Conference USA in 2025, the league announced Friday. Missouri State will become the 12th full member of CUSA and the third school to move up from the Championship Subdivision to the Bowl Subdivision and...
Penguins sign forward Valtteri Puustinen to contract extension
Even as a pending unrestricted free agent, Valtteri Puustinen spoke about returning to the Pittsburgh Penguins for next season as if it was a certainty. On Friday, that notion became reality as the team signed the forward to a two-year contract extension with a salary cap hit of $775,000. The...
The day Payne Stewart shot a record 62 at Westmoreland Country Club — and how it was nearly broken
When someone approaches Barry Snyder to ask about the grandest round of golf in the 120-year history of Westmoreland Country Club, he likes to have a little fun with his answer. After all, Snyder, formerly of Squirrel Hill, was among the foursome at the Penn Township course that day about...
Scottie Scheffler takes aim at another major at Valhalla course favorable to No. 1
Only 31 days separate that moment from when Scottie Scheffler slipped on the Masters green jacket to when the world’s No. 1 player embarks on the second leg of the Grand Slam at the PGA Championship. And yet it seems so much has transpired in such a short period of...
WNBA set to tip off with spotlight on rookie class led by Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Aces’ quest for 3-peat
While conversations about the WNBA’s growth may start with Caitlin Clark, any talk about the 2024 championship begins with the star-studded Las Vegas Aces led by A’ja Wilson and their quest to three-peat. The Aces have been dominant on the court the past two seasons, becoming the first team to...
Mark Madden: All aboard the Paul Skenes hype train
As we count down the minutes (seconds!) to Paul Skenes’ MLB/Pirates debut Saturday, I’m rooting for no middle ground. I don’t want six innings, five hits, two earned runs and six strikeouts. That’s pretty good, but you can’t hype that. I want six innings, one hit, no runs and 12...
Steelers’ Cameron Heyward appears on Seth Meyers’ show, jokes about his brother Connor
Steelers veteran Cameron Heyward got in some good-natured, national television-sized digs Thursday against his little brother and teammate Connor Heyward during an appearance on “Late Night With Seth Meyers.” While the elder Heyward and Meyers discussed their families getting dinner together, Meyers said about Connor Heyward: “He also seems, I...
