Sports category, Page 721
Flacco makes himself at home in Cleveland. Browns going with QB as their starter for playoff driveVideo
CLEVELAND — For months, Joe Flacco waited patiently for a phone call, wondering if his NFL career was over after 15 seasons. Nobody wanted him. Nobody needed him. But as he stood in the middle of Cleveland’s locker room celebration Sunday, surrounded by new teammates, some to whom he’s barely...
‘They want me to start’: Newly acquired LHP Marco Gonzales provides Pirates rotation depth
When the Seattle Mariners sent Marco Gonzales to the Atlanta Braves as part of a trade package, the timing took him by surprise. After a couple of days in limbo, the 31-year-old left-hander was pleased that he wound up with the pitching-needy Pittsburgh Pirates. With All-Star right-hander Mitch Keller the...
Chiefs’ Andy Reid still incensed that flag was thrown with no warning for costly offside penaltyVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Chiefs coach Andy Reid was still baffled Monday by an offside penalty called on his offense that wiped out a go-ahead, 49-yard touchdown pass against the Buffalo Bills, taking the officiating crew from Sunday’s game to task for throwing a flag rather than issuing a customary...
For Penguins president Kyle Dubas, the only stats that matter are wins
Few people in the NHL are synonymous with the influx of advanced metrics that revolutionized front offices and roster construction in the 2010s to the degree Kyle Dubas is. Regardless of the validity, Dubas is seen by many as an “analytics guy” in his current role as president of hockey...
Former Pirate Vic Davalillo, a 2-time World Series champion in 16 major league seasons, dies
Vic Davalillo, a two-time World Series champion who spent 16 seasons in the major leagues and became the first Venezuelan-born player to win a Gold Glove, died Dec. 6. He was 84 or 87, depending on conflicting sources. Davalillo died in Caracas after an emergency surgery due to an intestinal...
Mike Tomlin hopes Steelers understand urgency at hand after back-to-back losses to 2-win teams
As historic as the back-to-back losses to two-win teams were for the Pittsburgh Steelers, it wasn’t devastating to their chances of making the AFC playoffs. In fact, it had little impact. Despite becoming the first team in NFL history with a winning record to lose consecutive games to teams at...
Greece-born Dimitrios Sklavenitis adapts quickly to college basketball with Seton Hill men
The Seton Hill men’s basketball team made a quantum leap in coach Ben Wilkins’ first season. After winning only three games during the 2021-22 season, the Griffins went 16-13 (11-11 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) in 2022-23. If Wilkins wanted to keep his team on that trajectory, he knew one of...
Knoch grad Ryan Lang improves all-around game as Allegheny men’s basketball adjusts to new coach
For most athletes, the first year of college is a big adjustment period. The schedule demands, the faster pace of play, juggling academics, etc. Knoch grad Ryan Lang seemed to handle both with aplomb last year. As a freshman on the Allegheny men’s basketball team, Lang averaged 14.8 points while...
Valley youth wrestling built on family, community
Valley youth wrestling had meek beginnings when Moe Quin started the program in 1968 at a local YMCA. Today, the growth of the program has led it to be a feeder system for Valley’s middle school and high school wrestling teams. “Consistency and communication have helped drive our increase in...
Peach Bowl CEO Gary Stokan on Penn State-Ole Miss: ‘Styles make great fights’
STATE COLLEGE — Gary Stokan’s relationship with Penn State head coach James Franklin goes back more than 20 years. Stokan, the 68-year-old CEO of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, was in town Monday morning to officially invite Penn State to the game. The No. 10 Nittany Lions (10-2) will face No....
Former NHL player and Penguins assistant coach Tony Granato diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma
CHICAGO — Former NHL player and coach Tony Granato said on social media Sunday night that he has been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and is taking a leave of absence from TV work for NBC Sports Chicago and the NHL Network. The 59-year-old Granato posted on X that he will...
AP All-America team loaded with 5th- and 6th-year players; Penn State pair honored
Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels from LSU was one of seven players in either their fifth or sixth season of college football selected to The Associated Press All-America team announced Monday. Daniels, a fifth-year quarterback, won the Heisman and AP player of the year honors last week after accounting for...
Arizona, Kansas, Purdue lead AP Top 25 poll; Oklahoma, Clemson make big jumps; Northwestern debuts
Arizona strengthened its place atop The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll Monday, setting up a showdown this weekend against Purdue, the former No. 1 team in the nation. The Wildcats earned all but one first-place vote from a panel of 63 voters, no doubt impressing them with...
Penguins forward Bryan Rust sidelined on week-to-week basis due to injury
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Bryan Rust will be sidelined on a “week-to-week” basis because of an undisclosed injury. Coach Mike Sullivan announced Rust’s status after a practice session in Cranberry on Monday. Rust, typically deployed on the right wing of the team’s top line, was injured during a 3-1 road loss...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Former Jeannette standout Anthony Johnson draws offers in portal
Remember Anthony Johnson? He was only at Jeannette for a short time after transferring from Allderdice and left for Cleveland Heights (Ohio) before his senior season. Johnson, enticed by friends to play football when he came to Jeannette after not playing since middle school, ended up playing at Youngstown State....
Mike Tomlin says T.J. Watt was cleared to return for Steelers against Patriots
Mike Tomlin believes the Pittsburgh Steelers took the necessary steps to ensure that All-Pro outside linebacker T.J. Watt didn’t return to their game last Thursday night with concussion symptoms. Watt was placed in concussion protocol on Saturday, two days after he played 52 of a possible 57 defensive snaps in...
Mark Madden: Shohei Ohtani is a phenomenon, but $700 million baseball return is unlikely
Shohei Ohtani’s 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers is the biggest expenditure on an athlete in sports history. But there will, ultimately, be a bigger one. There always is. It’s hardly shocking. You could have predicted his destination and (roughly) the amount even before Ohtani hit free...
Pitt wrestling upsets No. 5 Ohio State
The Pitt wrestling team’s sixth victory of the season proved to be a signature win Sunday afternoon, as the Panthers upset No. 5-ranked Ohio State, 21-13. The Panthers (6-1), ranked No. 19 in the nation, picked up six bout victories to secure the win over the Big Ten powerhouse Buckeyes...
West Mifflin’s Logan Cooley is ready for his 1st game against the PenguinsVideo
Over the summer, New York Rangers forward Vince Trochek helped round up a group of NHLers with ties to the Pittsburgh region for some informal skates at Bairel Ice Complex in Warrendale. It has been a common occurrence in the decade-plus since Trochek, of Upper St. Clair, and others such...
PIAA football playoffs recap: Western Pa. teams finish 2-4 in MechanicsburgVideo
The March to Mechanicsburg is history as the six WPIAL and City League schools playing for a PIAA title finished 2-4 overall. Aliquippa captured its first PIAA title with an undefeated record by winning a second Class 4A state championship in three years. Belle Vernon rolled to victory in the...
Pirates A to Z: Canaan Smith-Njigba started Opening Day, but played only 15 MLB gamesVideo
During the offseason, the Tribune-Review will offer Pirates A to Z, an alphabetical, player-by-player look at the 40-man roster. Player: Canaan Smith-Njigba Position: Outfielder Bats: Left Throws: Right Age: 24 Height: 6-foot Weight: 230 pounds 2023 MLB statistics: Batted .125/.216/.219 with one double, one triple and five RBIs in 15...
Dak Prescott, Brandon Aubrey help Cowboys pull even with Eagles in NFC East with 33-13 victory
ARLINGTON, Texas — Mike McCarthy was nervous for an NFC East showdown with Philadelphia after the Dallas coach missed two days during the week after an emergency appendectomy. Not to worry, thanks to his quarterback, kicker and opportunistic defense. Dak Prescott threw for two touchdowns, Brandon Aubrey made four field...
Dodgers gave Shohei Ohtani $700 million to hit and pitch — but also because he can sell
PHOENIX — Shohei Ohtani’s jaw-dropping $700 million, 10-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers has some similarities to other contracts for the world’s biggest sports stars, including soccer icons Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, along with NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes. In terms of his marketability, experts point to another name....
First Call: Steelers open as underdogs in Indy, somehow still in playoff spot; Joe Flacco shining in Cleveland
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a train wreck right now. But, somehow, in the wake of all the other NFL results in Week 13, they are still in a playoff position. In Monday’s “First Call,” we get into how that’s possible. Plus, we look at the Steelers’ opponent next week. We...
Tim Benz: Steelers’ back-to-back losses made history, but we’ve seen this before
It felt stupid, didn’t it? Tracking all those AFC games Sunday to see how they would impact the Steelers and the playoff standings. What a fruitless endeavor after how the Steelers performed in their last two games, losing both at home against teams (the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots)...
