Sports category, Page 643
Super Bowl champion, former Steelers linebacker Andy Russell dies at 82
Andy Russell, the seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker who won two Super Bowl rings with the Pittsburgh Steelers, has died. Russell, a 16th-round draft pick who played 12 seasons with the Steelers, was 82. A source confirmed Russell’s death to TribLive. A cause of death was not immediately known. News partner...
Mark Madden: Pittsburgh is lucky to have had all-time great sports announcers
Bill Hillgrove retired. Kind of. He will cease doing Pittsburgh Steelers radio broadcasts after 30 years. But Hillgrove will continue to do Pitt football and basketball. It says a lot about Hillgrove’s limitless energy when, at 83, he wants to slow down gradually. And continue to serve as the midnight mayor...
Retiring Steelers voice Bill Hillgrove: ‘If it’s not for the fans, we don’t have a game’
After 30 years of doing radio play-by-play for Pittsburgh Steelers games, Bill Hillgrove announced Thursday that he would be retiring from that position. However, he will continue to do play-by-play for Pitt football and basketball. “You can’t completely stop,” Hillgrove said during Thursday’s “Breakfast With Benz” podcast. “I think people...
Tim Benz: Omar Khan already has 1 different approach than Kevin Colbert
In the 21 months since Omar Khan took over for Kevin Colbert as the Pittsburgh Steelers general manager, we have spent a lot of time trying to figure out ways the two men might be different. Khan may be a little more aggressive in free agency and moving up the...
First Call: Omar Khan talks about Steelers’ need at ILB, Diontae Johnson’s future
Friday’s “First Call” examines Omar Khan’s statements about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ inside linebacker situation and Diontae Johnson’s future. Plus we look at a busy weekend for local college hoops and the Robert Morris hockey playoff game. Inside out If you are looking for comfort when it comes to the Steelers’...
Pitt Take 5: Final 3 games before ACC Tournament should not be overlooked
Interest in Pitt’s final three regular-season games isn’t the same as it would have been if the Panthers had defeated either Wake Forest or Clemson. At this point, no one wants to hear the initials N-I-T when N-C-A-A are the only letters that really matter in March. Nonetheless, Pitt has...
Jack Suwinski wants to hit in the middle of the order, improve play in center field for Pirates
BRADENTON, Fla. — When the Pittsburgh Pirates played their Grapefruit League home opener, Jack Suwinski found his name in the same spot of the batting order as he was at the end of last September. Pirates manager Derek Shelton had Suwinski hitting cleanup, behind Oneil Cruz, Bryan Reynolds and Ke’Bryan...
Penguins shut out by Kraken, winning streak snapped
The Pittsburgh Penguins had a modest three-game winning streak halted as they were shut out for the third time this season, losing to the Seattle Kraken, 2-0, at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on Thursday. Kraken goaltender Philip Grubauer unofficially made 33 saves to record his first shutout of the...
Penn State veteran defensive lineman no longer with the program
As spring camp nears, Penn State will be without a veteran defensive lineman. Defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg is no longer on the roster, a team spokesperson confirmed to PennLive on Thursday night. The news of his exit was first reported by on3. Van den Berg, who was not...
Pitt’s Jeff Capel says ‘smarter’ nonconference scheduling could clear smoother path to NCAA Tournament
Before the start of the season, Jeff Capel felt good about Pitt’s nonconference schedule. There was a trip to Morgantown, W.Va., where the Mountaineers are usually tough to beat. Plus, Capel scheduled a home date with a Missouri team from the SEC that was in the NCAA Tournament last season....
Analysis: Big Ten and SEC power play undermines credibility of playoff
The College Football Playoff unveiled a 12-team format in the spring of 2021 that looked like an exciting step in the evolution of the postseason, with potential to lift the sport’s national profile even further while boosting all five power conferences and keeping the other five relevant. Three years later,...
Ramey, Kim each shoot bogey-free 64s at PGA National, grab early lead at Cognizant ClassicVideo
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Chad Ramey’s first two trips to PGA National as a professional were largely forgettable. He might have a chance to change that this week. Ramey shot a bogey-free round of 7-under-par 64 on Thursday in the opening round of the Cognizant Classic in the Palm...
Stacy Wakefield had a passion for service that continued after husband Tim Wakefield’s deathVideo
Stacy Wakefield had somewhere she needed to be. Two months after her husband — longtime Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield, died from cancer — and with the disease wreaking havoc inside her own body, she was back at Boston’s Dana Farber Children’s Hospital, delivering presents and some cheer to...
Phillies are scrapping $1 hot dog nights as a result of unruly fan behavior
PHILADELPHIA — For more than a quarter-century, Phillies fans considered dollar hot dog night among the best ballpark promotions — but the team has now decided it was the wurst. Those dog days of April — when the Philly weather is cold and the wieners are a steal — are...
Steelers GM Omar Khan sees ‘good players’ available to fill thin center position
INDIANAPOLIS — If the 2024 NFL season started today, Nate Herbig would be the starting center for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Given that Herbig has taken just 47 career snaps at the position and none since 2021, he is the replacement for recently released two-year starter Mason Cole on paper only....
Iowa star Caitlin Clark declares for WNBA Draft, will skip final season of college eligibility
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa star Caitlin Clark, who is on the verge of becoming the all-time NCAA scoring leader in college basketball, announced Thursday she will leave the Hawkeyes after this season and enter the WNBA draft. “While this season is far from over and we have a lot...
Steelers GM Omar Khan has ‘full faith’ in QB Kenny Pickett, also hoping to retain Mason Rudolph
INDIANAPOLIS — While he has “full faith” in Kenny Pickett resuming his role as the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, general manager Omar Khan is committed to providing competition for the starting job. And he hopes it involves Mason Rudolph. Khan said Thursday at the NFL Combine that he has begun negotiations...
Paul Skenes shines in 1st spring start for Pirates, retiring Orioles’ No. 1 overall picks
SARASOTA, Fla. — As baseball’s top overall and pitching prospects, they needed no introductions to the diehards. They got them from the public address announcer anyway. Now pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Paul Skenes. Leading off for the Baltimore Orioles, Jackson Holliday. The highly anticipated showdown marked the beginning of...
For some, Pete Maravich’s NCAA scoring mark cannot be eclipsed by Caitlin Clark or anyone elseVideo
BATON ROUGE, La. — LSU’s dome-roofed basketball stadium, the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, is named for a supremely crafty, skilled and mesmerizing player who has been known since 1970 for scoring more career points than any man or woman in NCAA history. That could change within days. Those who played...
Some of the top Steelers plays called by Bill HillgroveVideo
After 30 years as the voice of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bill Hillgrove announced his retirement from that gig Thursday. Here are 10 of the most memorable plays (listed chronologically) for which Hillgrove provided the soundtrack on the Steelers radio network: Jan. 14, 1996: ‘The Steelers are headed to Phoenix!’ An...
Penguins place Bryan Rust on injured reserve, recall then return Jonathan Gruden
The Pittsburgh Penguins placed forward Bryan Rust on injured reserve Thursday afternoon, several hours ahead of their 10 p.m. puck drop in Seattle vs. the Kraken. In a related transaction, fellow forward Jonathan Gruden was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. Shortly before the start of Thursday’s game...
Tim Benz: Art Rooney II and Steelers must do better, but fans should take NFLPA grades with a huge grain of salt
The Pittsburgh Steelers, specifically team owner Art Rooney II, are taking a beating when it comes to the release of the 2024 NFL Players Association report cards. As posted by our Joe Rutter Wednesday, the Steelers ranked No. 28 overall out of 32 teams in a survey of 1,706 players....
Stacy Wakefield dies less than 5 months after her husband, World Series champion Tim Wakefield
Stacy Wakefield, the widow of former Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher and two-time World Series champion Tim Wakefield, has died. Her family said in a statement released through the Red Sox that she died Wednesday at her Massachusetts home, less than five months after her husband died at...
Longtime play-by-play man Bill Hillgrove retires from Steelers
A man known for exquisite preparation in his professional dealings, Bill Hillgrove didn’t necessarily plan for Thursday to play out the way it did. But it was impossible not to recognize how perfectly fitting the way the day in which Hillgrove announced his partial retirement was going to end. “I’m...
U mad, bro?: Backhanded compliments, slaps to the face, fears of Pittsburgh teams slipping into the 1980s
Have you ever heard the phrase “backhanded compliments”? This week’s “U mad, bro?” hits me with a couple of those backhands right across the face. Mark Madden gets one too. So do the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterbacks and Penguins coach Mike Sullivan. At least I’m in good company. Let’s start with...
