Sports category, Page 662
Pirates announce spring training broadcast schedule for Grapefruit League games
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced Thursday that SportsNet Pittsburgh will televise a dozen Grapefruit League home games, as well as their March 11 game against the Boston Red Sox in Fort Myers, Fla. The inaugural Spring Breakout game between prospects from the Pirates and Baltimore Orioles at 7 p.m. March 14...
Isiah Pacheco’s ‘angry’ running style could help lift Chiefs past 49ers in the Super Bowl
HENDERSON, Nev. — Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco was relaxed Wednesday as reporters peppered him with questions, the opposite of his running style that has commonly been described as angry. When asked how he would describe his style, Pacheco deferred to the experts, or in this case the media. Kansas...
Coaching carousel adds intrigue to college football recruiting’s February signing period
College football’s busy recruiting calendar created a particularly hectic first few weeks on the job for all the head coaches who switched schools over the last month. When Nick Saban announced his retirement last month, it set off a chain reaction that resulted in head coaching changes at Arizona, Washington...
First Call: J.J. Watt considered NFL return in Pittsburgh; Steelers look for a pass-game coaching specialist
Thursday’s “First Call” has J.J. Watt’s quotes about considering a comeback to the NFL with the Steelers or Texans. A passing game coordinator is apparently in the future for Pittsburgh. The NFLPA isn’t on board with the hip-drop tackle ban. And a pair of Duquesne Dukes hit some milestones on...
Tim Benz: How are we to believe Art Rooney II is feeling ‘urgency’ when he’s already walking back his ‘impatient’ statements?
Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II continues to preach the same message. We all continue to wait for a different result. During his season-ending press conference, Rooney II said, “I think there’s an urgency. I think everybody, myself, Mike (Tomlin), guys that have been on the team for a while,...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans pop off about Arthur Smith’s interview, Mason Rudolph’s situation
The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t played a game in 24 days. But there still have been plenty of reasons to write about them. Therefore, there have been plenty of reasons for you to get angry about what I have written or things they have said and done. Let’s work through all...
Pirates by Position: Rowdy Tellez hoping to make ‘big impact’ in possible platoon at 1B
When the Pittsburgh Pirates were dissatisfied with their play at first base in 2022, they signed veteran Carlos Santana to a one-year contract worth $6.725 million to shore up the position last season. When the Milwaukee Brewers were dissatisfied with their play at first base last season, they traded for...
Auriemma reaches 1,200 wins, joining exclusive group of coaches
HARTFORD, Conn. — Geno Auriemma allowed himself to get a bit nostalgic after becoming just the third coach in Division I basketball history to reach 1,200 wins. With UConn’ s 67-34 rout of Seton Hall on Wednesday, Auriemma joined former Duke men’s coach Mike Krzyzewski (1,202 wins) and Stanford’s Tara...
NFLPA’s Lloyd Howell tackles field issues, gambling and more in 1st state of the union address
LAS VEGAS — The San Francisco 49ers’ issues with their practice fields at the Super Bowl gave the NFL Players Association an opportunity to highlight players’ desire for grass fields across the league. NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell emphasized the importance of installing grass fields, discussed modifications to the league’s...
Duquesne’s winning streak snapped at hands of Davidson
Usually a seeker of postgame cheer, Keith Dambrot to an extent is known even for uttering a light-hearted word in defeat. Wednesday night, however, Duquesne’s basketball coach was in no mood to mince words following a 72-59 loss to Davidson at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse that short-circuited the Dukes’ recent surge....
Pitt beats N.C. State to inch closer to NCAA Tournament bubble
Two years ago, Pitt had lost 12 games in a row to N.C. State, a period spanning most of the Panthers’ time in the ACC. Now, after a 67-64 victory Wednesday night at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., the streak is going the other way. Pitt has won the past...
Pitt notebook: Changes in college football could make NFL a welcome oasis for coaches
Over the past week, the ACC lost two important coaches to the NFL. Former Boston College coach Jeff Hafley jumped to the Green Bay Packers as their defensive coordinator. Charlie Partridge, who had been Pitt’s assistant head coach and defensive line coach since 2017 and was part of the collegiate...
Pitt’s Kade Bell on being an offensive coordinator: ‘It’s what I feel I was put on this earth to do’
At one point Wednesday during his first news conference as Pitt’s offensive coordinator, Kade Bell’s voice cracked, his emotions trickling out noticeably. He was talking about how his father, Kerwin Bell, believed in him as a 24-year-old assistant coach at Valdosta (Ga.) State. “You’re 24 years old and you’re a...
49ers tackle Trent Williams savors 1st Super Bowl trip in 14th season
HENDERSON, Nev. — Trent Williams’ accomplishments are already worthy of a Hall of Fame career with 11 Pro Bowl bids, three first-team All-Pro selections and near universal recognition as the best left tackle of his generation. All that was missing for the San Francisco 49ers star was something he never...
Mariners claim former Pirates OF Canaan Smith-Njigba off waivers
The Seattle Mariners claimed former Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba off waivers Wednesday, reuniting him in the same city with his brother. Smith-Njigba, 24, started in right field for the Pirates on Opening Day in Cincinnati last season. The Pirates designated him for assignment Jan. 31 to make room on...
Imani Christian 4-star junior Dayshaun Burnett makes verbal commitment to Penn StateVideo
Dayshaun Burnett received his first college offer from Penn State almost two years ago, but the Imani Christian junior had a Nittany Lions connection that went back way further. As a youngster, he lived in Churchill near current Penn State assistant coach Terry Smith, and that relationship played a role...
NFL’s 1st Super Bowl in Las Vegas has plenty of storylines plus an interesting football matchup
LAS VEGAS — The first Super Bowl in Las Vegas has everything the imaginary NFL scriptwriters could’ve wanted. There’s Patrick Mahomes and the underdog Kansas City Chiefs (14-6) aiming to become the first repeat champions in 19 years and trying to solidify their claim to a dynasty with a third...
Russian skater’s strawberry dessert excuse was rejected by judges in Olympic doping case
PARIS — A strawberry dessert contaminated by her grandfather’s heart medication might have caused Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva’s positive doping test, her lawyers argued at sport’s highest court, which rejected the explanation and banned her for four years. The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Wednesday published the 129-page...
Pro Picks: Purdy will lead the 49ers to another comeback win, ruining Chiefs’ repeat bid
LAS VEGAS — The underdog Kansas City Chiefs are playing for history against the San Francisco 49ers. No team has been the underdog in consecutive Super Bowls and won both games. The two previous defending champions to return as an underdog both lost. But the Chiefs (14-6) have been defying...
Las Vegas, where the party never ends, prepares for its biggest yet: Super Bowl 58
LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas proposed to the NFL in December 2021. “Let’s just marry these brands, and let’s bring the Super Bowl here,” Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, recalled telling a room of NFL franchise owners. They said yes. The betrothal...
Jets defenseman Brenden Dillon suspended 3 games for hit on Penguins forward Noel AcciariVideo
Winnipeg Jets defenseman Brenden Dillon was suspended three games by the NHL as a result of a hit he delivered to the head of Pittsburgh Penguins forward Noel Acciari. The league announced the suspension Wednesday evening. During the Penguins’ 3-0 win at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday, Dillon’s left shoulder...
Mark Madden: Caitlin Clark is a unicorn, so the WNBA should treat her like one
Caitlin Clark is a legit phenomenon. The 6-foot senior guard for the University of Iowa is impacting her sport like nobody before her. Never mind her considerable skills, which have her 66 points away from becoming the all-time leading scorer in NCAA women’s basketball. Clark moves the needle. That’s what...
Tim Benz: Duquesne players, staff rally around Keith Dambrot during his wife’s cancer battle
Duquesne point guard Kareem Rozier said he could see the strain affecting his head coach after the team’s win Wednesday against Chicago State. “Right after the game, you could tell he was hurt,” Rozier said. “He knew what he had going on the next couple of days with his wife....
First Call: Art Rooney II leaves door open to a QB trade; Oilers fail to match Penguins’ record win streak
Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II is commenting on the team’s quarterback landscape. One national media pundit is projecting that Russell Wilson will land in Pittsburgh. Patrick Peterson is standing by his early season comments about the San Francisco 49ers in advance of the Super Bowl. The Edmonton Oilers come...
Pirates by Position: Starting job at second base could be biggest battle of spring training
Since Adam Frazier was traded amid an All-Star season in 2021, second base has been something of a misnomer for the Pittsburgh Pirates. It’s more like a short stop. The Pirates have tried 24 players at the position over the past two-plus years, and not one has started even half...
