Sports category, Page 618
Pitt notebook: Rain or cold, Pat Narduzzi exposes his team to the elements
Tuesday morning was cold and rainy, but Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi didn’t care. Pitt practiced outside, rather than work in the indoor facility. “Beautiful day out there,” he said after Pitt’s eighth practice of the spring. “You don’t often get that nice, cold rain. Kind of went (outside) on purpose.”...
Steelers agree to contract with former Falcons return specialist Cordarrelle Patterson
ORLANDO, Fla. — On a day when the NFL adopted a radical new kickoff rule aimed at boosting the number of returns, the Pittsburgh Steelers acquired one of the best returners in the business. The Steelers agreed to terms with Cordarrelle Patterson, formerly of the Atlanta Falcons, on a two-year...
Steelers have change of heart on kickoff rule, vote in favor of radical conceptVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — Initially opposed to the NFL’s new hybrid kickoff rule, Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II was swayed by popular opinion Tuesday at the league’s annual meetings. The Steelers were one of 29 teams that approved the rule change that was adopted at the NFL annual meeting. Three...
Art Rooney II sees Steelers on path to getting better ‘as quickly as possible’
ORLANDO, Fla. — Art Rooney II didn’t openly tell Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan to change the way he constructs the team’s roster. Judging by the way Khan has conducted business in his second season on the job, it just looks that way. For an organization that generally is...
Jake Guentzel’s bonds with the Penguins remain strongVideo
Once upon a time, Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust were the future. Each was drafted in the third round by the Pittsburgh Penguins during the early 2010s — Rust was No. 80 overall in 2010, and Guentzel went No. 77 in 2013 — and first met at an offseason development...
Injury to Le’Veon Bell in 2015 contributed to Steelers voting to eliminate hip-drop tackle
ORLANDO, Fla. — Nine years after the fact, the sight of Le’Veon Bell writhing in pain on the sideline is one Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II hasn’t forgotten. The Steelers lost Bell, their star running back, to a season-ending injury after he was tackled awkwardly by Cincinnati Bengals linebacker...
Penguins’ Noel Acciari out week-to-week with injury; Alex Nedeljkovic to start vs. Carolina
Noel Acciari’s season is likely over. After leaving Sunday’s contest against the Colorado Avalanche with a lower-body injury, the 32-year-old winger in his first year with the Pittsburgh Penguins was placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) Tuesday morning in advance of his club’s home game vs. the Carolina Hurricanes. Per...
Penguins recall forward Sam Poulin from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
The Pittsburgh Penguins summoned one of the organization’s top prospects Tuesday when forward Sam Poulin was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL). In a corresponding transaction, forward Noel Acciari was placed on long-term injured reserve. A first-round pick (No. 21 overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft, Poulin...
NFL owners approve a radical overhaul to kickoff rules, adopting setup used in XFL
ORLANDO, Fla. — Kickoff returns are returning to the NFL. Team owners on Tuesday approved a new rule that will take what essentially had become “a dead play” and make it an integral part of the game again, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press. The person...
Penn State beats Belmont, stays alive in WBIT
UNIVERSITY PARK — The Lady Lions are moving on to the quarterfinals. Facing Belmont for the first time in program history, Penn State women’s basketball handled the Bruins at the Bryce Jordan Center on Monday with a 74-66 victory to keep its season — and Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament run...
First Call: Omar Khan on Cam Heyward’s future; Mike Tomlin explains team’s defensive area of need, praises departing players
Tuesday’s “First Call” features Omar Khan’s stance on Cam Heyward’s future with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mike Tomlin comments on some of his departing players. He also bids farewell to Aaron Donald and identifies an important need on his team’s defense. Plus, the Duquesne women’s basketball team survives a nail-biter in...
49ers GM douses rumors of potential Brandon Aiyuk trade to Steelers
For those in Pittsburgh who have been intrigued by the idea of the Steelers acquiring wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, don’t hold your breath. On Monday, San Francisco general manager John Lynch was asked about Pittsburgh media reports stating that the Steelers are investigating a potential trade for the 49ers second-team...
Previewing the Pirates: Adding Aroldis Chapman boosts bullpen led by David Bednar
The Pittsburgh Pirates had the most efficient closer in baseball last season, as two-time All-Star David Bednar led the majors by converting 93% of his save opportunities. What stood out about their bullpen, however, was how many relievers thrived in high-leverage situations: Sinkerballer Colin Holderman ranked ninth in MLB in...
Iowa, Caitlin Clark fend off West Virginia upset bid
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Caitlin Clark scored 32 points and No. 1 seed Iowa survived one of its worst offensive performances of the season to beat No. 8 seed West Virginia, 64-54, on Monday night in a women’s NCAA Tournament second-round game. The Hawkeyes (31-4) advanced to play No. 5...
NFL owners unanimously vote to ban hip-drop tackle
ORLANDO, Fla. — The NFL is eliminating the hip-drop tackle. NFL team owners on Monday unanimously approved a rule that bans players from using a swivel technique to tackle an opponent. A violation will result in a 15-yard penalty and could ultimately result in fines for players. NFL executive Jeff...
Duquesne women outlast Monmouth in 2nd round of WNIT
Lauren Wasylson hit three free throws with 29 seconds left to send the game into overtime, then hit two more late in OT as the Duquesne women advanced in the WNIT with a 69-65 win over Monmouth on Monday . Amaya Hamilton’s layup with 21 seconds left in OT broke...
All top 8 seeds advance to NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in chalky March Madness
March Madness arrived with visions of chaos. Based on last year’s bracket, there was little reason to doubt it. The only surprise so far has been the lack of pandemonium. The top two seeds from each region are headed to the Sweet 16 for just the fifth time. One double-digit...
Big East remains unbeaten in NCAA Tournament after only 3 bids
NEW YORK — Since a disappointing Selection Sunday for the Big East, when all its bubble teams got left out of the NCAA field, the conference has not lost a game in the tournament. Defending national champion UConn, Marquette and Creighton advanced to the Sweet 16, the Huskies rounding out...
Shohei Ohtani says he never bet on sports, interpreter Ippei Mizuhara stole money, told liesVideo
LOS ANGELES — Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani said Monday he never bet on sports, and interpreter Ippei Mizuhara stole money from him and told lies. Ohtani held a news conference at Dodger Stadium, five days after Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers in the wake of reports from the Los...
Stolen Jaromir Jagr bobbleheads have been found
The case of the stolen Jaromir Jagr bobbleheads has been solved, Penguins president Kevin Acklin announced Monday. On March 14, the team said a truckload of 18,500 Jagr bobbleheads it planned to hand out to fans at a game later that night had been stolen after being shipped from China...
Previewing the Pirates: Michael A. Taylor cements CF, Edward Olivares adds OF depth
The Pittsburgh Pirates played a game of musical chairs in their outfield in spring training, trying multiple players in center field in an effort to improve their defense before settling on one with a Gold Glove. The late-spring signing of Michael A. Taylor cemented center field but caused more movement,...
Stanford hires Washington State’s Kyle Smith to take over men’s basketball programVideo
STANFORD, Calif. — Stanford hired Kyle Smith away from Washington State to take over its struggling men’s basketball program. Athletic director Bernard Muir announced Monday that Smith had agreed to take over the Cardinal after Jerod Haase was fired earlier this month. “The opportunity to serve as the head men’s...
Another Byron win has Hendrick on a roll heading toward NASCAR team’s 40th anniversary partyVideo
AUSTIN, Texas — Hendrick Motorsports has a lot to be happy about as the team barrels toward its big 40th anniversary celebration in two weeks. William Bryon dominated Sunday in his second win of the NASCAR season, which came at the Circuit of the Americas. Alex Bowman earned his third...
Washington lands Danny Sprinkle as head coach with family ties and Big Ten futureVideo
Washington hired Utah State’s Danny Sprinkle as its men’s basketball coach Monday hoping his success at smaller schools and lineage to the university can revitalize the program as it moves into the Big Ten starting next season. Sprinkle’s hiring came one day after Utah State was eliminated from the NCAA...
Robert Morris loses 4 players to transfer portal, plus 2 assistants
Significant change is coming to the Robert Morris men’s basketball program after four players, including three who started at least 19 games this season, and two assistants left the program. In the wake of a 10-22 record (6-14 in the Horizon League), players Josh Corbin, Stephaun Walker, Jackson Last and...
