Sports category, Page 694
‘Good likelihood’ injured Embiid will be back before playoffs, 76ers’ Nurse says
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia 76ers coach Nick Nurse said Wednesday there is a “good likelihood” reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid will be back on the court before the postseason. “I think there’s a very good likelihood that he will return before the playoffs,” Nurse said before the Sixers took on the...
Top-seeded North Carolina, Clemson looking to move ACC beyond Sweet 16
LOS ANGELES — Armando Bacot and his North Carolina teammates heard the bashing about the ACC’s quality this season, and they’ve added it as a chip on their broad shoulders. Ever since Zion Williamson left Duke for the NBA in 2019 after one season, “I feel like the respect for...
UConn, San Diego State set for title-game rematch in Sweet 16
BOSTON — Connecticut coach Dan Hurley won’t shy away from the notion that his team has consistently been the best in college basketball this season. The Huskies’ 33-3 record and the dominant manner in which they’ve won along the way have proven that. He also knows that means next to...
Bob Uecker, 90, expected to broadcast Brewers’ home opener; workload the rest of season uncertain
MILWAUKEE — Bob Uecker will be back behind the microphone when the Milwaukee Brewers play their home opener Tuesday against the Minnesota Twins. How heavy a broadcasting workload the 90-year-old Uecker will have the rest of the season remains uncertain. “Bob Uecker calling the first pitch of the Brewers home...
Oakland outfielder Miguel Andújar has knee surgery
OAKLAND, Calif. — Oakland outfielder Miguel Andújar had surgery Wednesday to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, an operation that usually requires a month of rehabilitation. The team said Dr. Doug Freedberg performed a right knee lateral meniscectomy at Pima Surgical Center in Scottsdale, Ariz., and Andújar will...
Yankees get infielder Jon Berti from Marlins in 3-team trade
HOUSTON — Jon Berti could be at third base for the banged-up Yankees in their opener against Houston on Thursday after New York acquired the infielder as part of a three-team trade with Miami and Tampa Bay. New York sent catcher Ben Rortvedt to the Tampa Bay Rays and minor...
Dodgers, Will Smith agree to a long-term contract extension
LOS ANGELES — In what’s been a week of uncertainty and speculation surrounding the Dodgers, the team secured some important long-term clarity Wednesday afternoon. On the eve of their regular-season home opener, the Dodgers and catcher Will Smith agreed to a long-term contract extension for 10 years and $140 million,...
Pro Day gives 12 former Pitt players chance to tell their stories to the NFL
The 12 former Pitt players working out for the NFL on Wednesday had a variety of stories to tell: Here are some of them: A.J. Woods, cornerback Woods used his Combine snub from a month ago as motivation to run an unofficial 4.30-second 40-yard dash inside Pitt’s practice facility and...
MLB free agency: No 2-way stars, but All-Star sluggers and Cy Young winners could be in ’24-25 classVideo
Baseball’s next free agency class won’t have a two-way star such as Shohei Ohtani and almost certainly no deals like his record-shattering $700 million over 10 years to switch teams in Los Angeles this year. But there could be All-Star sluggers and Cy Young Award winners available. Big hitters Juan...
MLB owners unanimously approve sale of Baltimore Orioles to a group headed by David RubensteinVideo
David Rubenstein’s purchase of the Baltimore Orioles was approved Wednesday by Major League Baseball owners, clearing the way for the Angelos family to finalize the sale after over three decades running the team. Approval of 75% of all owners was required, and MLB said the vote was unanimous. It came...
NCAA President Charlie Baker urges states with legal wagering to ban prop bets on college athletesVideo
In the midst of March Madness, the NCAA is pushing for states with legal wagering on sporting events to ban prop bets on college athletes. “Sports betting issues are on the rise across the country with prop bets continuing to threaten the integrity of competition and leading to student-athletes getting...
MLB preview 2024: Splashy signings boost Dodgers as teams try to dethrone Rangers
As the Los Angeles Dodgers made splashy signings with Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto this offseason, other teams focused on modern baseball’s stark reality: pricey payrolls often don’t translate into titles. Baseball’s biggest spender has won the World Series just three times in the last 23 seasons: the 2009 New...
Younger players provide needed burst of energy for Penguins
Sam Poulin was shaking. Not out of a sense of cold or illness. But excitement. Approximately 15 minutes after he played his first NHL game of consequence in approximately 16 months, Poulin’s joy in being part of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ lineup for Tuesday’s 4-1 home win against the Carolina Hurricanes...
Carolina Panthers agree to terms with Jadeveon Clowney to bolster pass rushVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers bolstered their pass rush, agreeing to terms Wednesday with veteran free agent Jadeveon Clowney, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 draft. Terms of the deal were not immediately released. Clowney grew up in Rock Hill, S.C., about 20 minutes from where the...
Phillies-Braves and Brewers-Mets openers postponed a day to Friday due to rainy forecastVideo
NEW YORK — Opening Day will have to wait in a couple of major-league cities. Openers in New York and Philadelphia were postponed a day until Friday because of rainy forecasts in both cities. Pete Alonso and the New York Mets were scheduled to host the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday...
In Year 2 with new rules, stolen bases in MLB could keep piling up
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Trea Turner’s speed and instincts helped him go perfect on the bases. The Philadelphia Phillies’ star shortstop set a major-league record for most steals in a season without getting caught, going 30 for 30 on the basepaths last year. He wasn’t the only player who had a...
Column: Greatest team or biggest flop? The 2024 Dodgers will decide their place in history
They opened the season surrounded by strangers in a tiny, rattling dome in South Korea. They played two games witnessed in Los Angeles only by those fans willing to awaken in the middle of the night. By the time they embarked on the 6,000-mile flight home, all hell had broken...
As NFL meetings conclude, Steelers continue search for No. 2 wide receiver
ORLANDO, Fla. — Two weeks after trading Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers, the Pittsburgh Steelers still lack a bona fide No. 2 wide receiver. It hasn’t been for a lack of trying. General manager Omar Khan has added two veterans in free agency — Van Jefferson and Quez Watkins...
Mark Madden: Something seems sketchy with Shohei Ohtani, but does MLB want to know?
As MLB and the NBA face calamitous gambling scandals, one wonders how ESPN covers them without casting a bad light on ESPNBet, the company’s online sportsbook. Networks and leagues are sponsored so heavily by bookies. It’s everywhere. (My radio program, too.) Gambling and sports are directly and massively intertwined now,...
Be like Caitlin: Iowa’s Caitlin Clark is inspiring a younger generation of players
CHANDLER, Ariz. — Caitlin Clark makes pulling up from the midcourt logo look easy, routinely hitting shots most players would consider a heave. The Iowa star’s deep range has expanded the scope of possibilities for up-and-coming women’s basketball players, much the way NBA star Stephen Curry changed the men’s game...
Kentucky AD: John Calipari will return as coach, despite calls for his firing after early NCAA exit
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart confirmed on social media that John Calipari will return as men’s basketball coach despite calls for his firing following the Wildcats’ third consecutive early exit from the NCAA Tournament. Barnhart posted Tuesday night on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he and...
MLB’s new managers adjusting to jobs as Opening Day approaches
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Joe Espada has worked for an impressive group of managers. Espada was an assistant for three managers who have won a World Series in Joe Girardi, A.J. Hinch and Dusty Baker before becoming a skipper for the first time after the Houston Astros hired him...
Jake Guentzel discusses potential of re-signing in Pittsburgh
Carolina Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal could relate to what his new teammate was going through Tuesday night at PPG Paints Arena. He has stood in Jake Guentzel’s skates before. Coming back to play in Pittsburgh while wearing a Hurricanes jersey after having won a Stanley Cup as a Penguin. The...
Tim Benz: Credit where credit’s due. Steelers at least trying to act with the urgency they promised
After the Pittsburgh Steelers concluded their 2023 season — the seventh year in a row without a playoff win — owner Art Rooney II stated that the team was operating with a sense of urgency this offseason in an effort to end that drought. “I think there’s an urgency,” Rooney...
First Call: Bears GM praises Justin Fields; cornerback some Steelers fans wanted is going elsewhere; Jeff Capel still sore over snub
Wednesday’s “First Call” has some encouraging comments from the NFC North about new Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields. A cornerback some Steelers fans wanted to see come to Pittsburgh is heading to Los Angeles instead. There was a surprising vote against the NFL’s new kickoff rule. And Pitt’s Jeff Capel...
