Sports category, Page 661
Football Footnotes: A slew of under-the-radar bets to make on Super Bowl Sunday
Our annual Super Bowl betting edition of “Football Footnotes” has been hit or miss the past two years. When the Rams beat the Bengals two years ago, I went 4-3 and made money. When the Eagles lost to the Chiefs last year, I went 2-4 and lost money. So, essentially,...
First Call: Art Rooney II on the future of Acrisure Stadium, Mason Rudolph; Bill Cowher’s status at CBS uncertain
Friday’s “First Call” has comments from Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II on the status of the quarterback position and Acrisure Stadium. Bill Cowher’s future with CBS is being brought into question. Marc-Andre Fleury is being honored in Minnesota as the Penguins stop in to play. And we look at...
49ers’ Javon Hargrave recalls when Patrick Mahomes shined vs. Steelers in 3rd career start
Sunday’s Super Bowl will be the fourth time Javon Hargrave has faced Patrick Mahomes. By now, Hargrave joins the rest of the NFL world in recognizing Mahomes’ future Hall of Fame bona fides. Things were quite different the first time Hargrave played against Mahomes — and not just because at...
Pirates by position: Spring training could see competition at center in a crowded outfield
The Pittsburgh Pirates are poised to begin spring training with six outfielders on their 40-man roster — along with several other possibilities — and two names already penciled into the starting lineup. Pirates manager Derek Shelton shared in late September that Jack Suwinski had joined 2021 All-Star Bryan Reynolds in...
Ravens’ Lamar Jackson near-unanimous pick for 2nd AP NFL MVP
LAS VEGAS — Lamar Jackson was a near-unanimous choice for his second AP NFL MVP award announced at NFL Honors on Thursday night. Baltimore’s All-Pro quarterback received 49 of 50 first-place votes from a nationwide panel of voters that includes media members who regularly cover the NFL, former players and...
Julius Peppers headlines defensive-focused Pro Football Hall of Fame class
LAS VEGAS — First-time candidate Julius Peppers headlines a 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame class that has a distinctive defensive feel. The star defensive end was joined by another elite pass rusher in Dwight Freeney and do-everything linebacker Patrick Willis in the modern era category announced Thursday night. Prolific...
Ace Baldwin Jr.’s hot finish sends Penn State over Iowa for 3rd straight win
UNIVERSITY PARK — Ace Baldwin Jr. scored 13 of Penn State’s final 18 points and finished with 22 in an 89-79 victory over Iowa on Thursday night for the Nittany Lions’ third straight win. Baldwin hit a 3-pointer to give Penn State (12-11, 6-6 Big Ten) its final lead. Qudus...
Robert Morris men fall to conference-leading Green Bay in OT
How many times can Andy Toole say it? How many times can the longtime Robert Morris basketball coach explain the process of becoming a consistent winner? “We’ll say it as many times as we have to,” said Toole, whose Colonials are deep into their fourth season in the Horizon League...
Steelers’ Cam Heyward named Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year; T.J. Watt edged in DPOY voting
Cameron Heyward’s hard work on the field and dedication to improving the Pittsburgh community off it was rewarded Thursday night when the Steelers defensive lineman was named the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year. Heyward was announced as the winner out of 32 finalists — one from each team...
Steelers add new WR, QB coaches to offensive staff
The Pittsburgh Steelers are moving closer to completing their offensive coaching staff, agreeing to a deal with former New York Jets assistant Zach Azzanni as wide receivers coach, according to a source. The Steelers also are hiring former Los Angeles Chargers assistant Tom Arth as quarterbacks coach, a move that...
Sahith Theegala takes early lead in weather-delayed Phoenix Open with a 65Video
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Sahith Theegala spent time with his parents in the players’ dining room and grabbed a bite to eat during what ended up being a long weather delay. With no room to sit in the clubhouse at TPC Scottsdale, Theegala went out to his car to get warm,...
Kobe Bryant immortalized with 19-foot bronze statue outside arena
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers unveiled a statue of Kobe Bryant on Thursday, honoring their late superstar with a 19-foot bronze likeness outside their downtown arena. The 4,000-pound statue depicts Bryant in his white No. 8 jersey with his right index finger raised as he walked off the...
Harold Varner III goes from worst to first in a week. He shares LIV Golf Vegas lead with Paul CaseyVideo
LAS VEGAS — Harold Varner III made an impressive turnaround in one week, going from last place in the LIV Golf season opener to a 7-under-par 63 on Thursday to share the first-round lead with Paul Casey. LIV Golf Las Vegas is being held the same week as the Super...
Chiefs still feel void after death of their matriarch, Norma Hunt
HENDERSON, Nev. — There is much that Clark Hunt will never forget about that night four years ago in Miami, when five decades of futility had finally ended, and the Kansas City Chiefs — the team his late father Lamar Hunt had founded — raised another Lombardi Trophy. The most...
Knicks take big swing at busy NBA trade deadline
Bojan Bogdanovic left Detroit to join a now even-more-formidable contender in New York. Gordon Hayward is leaving Charlotte for one of the NBA’s best surprise stories this season in Oklahoma City. Doug McDermott was once traded by Indiana to San Antonio, and now, the Spurs have traded him back to...
What does Pitt need to do to earn an NCAA Tournament berth?
To gauge Pitt’s — or any team’s — chances to reach the NCAA Tournament, you must accept the first commandment of Bracketology: All victories count one in the standings but are not equal. It’s true the Panthers (15-8, 6-6 ACC) have won five of their past six games, six of...
Chiefs, 49ers should provide heavy dose of pre-snap motion in Super Bowl
LAS VEGAS — When the Super Bowl was in the balance in the fourth quarter a year ago, coach Andy Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs put a twist on their frequent pre-snap motion. The result? Two wide-open touchdown passes that helped the Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 38-35, for a Super...
Clayton Kershaw says he’s staying with Dodgers for 17th season
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Clayton Kershaw says he will return for his 17th season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Kershaw said Thursday he will be back with the team as part of an agreement that includes a player option for 2025. The three-time Cy Young Award winner spoke as the big-spending...
ACC sets future basketball tournaments, championships for North Carolina amid coast-to-coast expansionVideo
The ACC will hold five straight men’s basketball tournaments in North Carolina starting in 2025, and the women’s tournament that has had a longtime home in Greensboro as the city of the league’s founding will split time between there and Charlotte. The ACC announced future sites for championships in 14...
Cristobal Del Solar shoots 57 to set Korn Ferry Tour recordVideo
BOGOTA, Colombia — Cristobal Del Solar of Chile set the Korn Ferry Tour record on Thursday with a 13-under-par 57 in the Astara Golf Championship, the lowest round in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event and matching the record on tours that are part of the Official World Golf ranking. Del Solar,...
Browns looking to buy land as potential future site for new stadium as talks with Cleveland continueVideo
CLEVELAND — Other than a few years after they moved to Baltimore, the Cleveland Browns have always played their games on the shores of Lake Erie. That could change in the future. The team reportedly is nearing a deal to buy 176 acres in a suburb south of Cleveland, a...
Penguins forward Jesse Puljujarvi is happy to be back in the ‘big league’Video
With forward Evgeni Malkin absent from the Pittsburgh Penguins’ practice session Thursday in Cranberry for what was termed as a “maintenance day,” forward Jesse Puljujarvi filled in on the second power-play unit. Considering he didn’t formally join the NHL roster until Sunday after signing a two-year contract, Puljujarvi still is...
Noel Acciari’s absence creates holes for Penguins on 4th line, penalty kill, faceoff circleVideo
The absence of Pittsburgh Penguins center Noel Acciari creates a larger hole in the club’s nightly lineup than probably is appreciated by many. That prospect became reality for the Penguins on Thursday at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, when coach Mike Sullivan revealed after practice that Acciari had suffered a concussion...
Next on the Tee: Former Champions Tour Player of the Year Scott McCarron delves into talk of worldwide game
On this episode of Next on the Tee, host Chris Mascaro is joined by PGA professional and director of golf at Alpine Country Club John Mascari, 2019 Champions Tour Player of the Year Scott McCarron, two-time winner on Tour and now top instructor Rick Fehr, plus 2008 Minnesota Teacher of...
Pitt’s Jorge Diaz Graham has ankle surgery, will miss remainder of season
Pitt sophomore forward Jorge Diaz Graham, who hasn’t played since Jan. 16, is lost for the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery on his left ankle Thursday afternoon. He is expected to return for the 2024-25 season. Diaz Graham was a significant part of coach Jeff Capel’s rotation before...
