Sports category, Page 753
Jackie Robinson statue stolen from Kansas park
WICHITA, Kan. — A prized statue of Jackie Robinson was stolen from a public park in Kansas, spurring a police search Friday and outrage across the city of Wichita. The statue honors the first player to break Major League Baseball’s color barrier, in 1947. Surveillance video was released of two...
Panthers part ways with coaches Chris Tabor and James Campen, AP source says
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers are parting ways with former interim head coach and special teams coordinator Chris Tabor, as well as offensive line coach James Campen, a person familiar with moves told the Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Friday night because...
Keith Dambrot, Duquesne forge ahead amid emotional season
During their recent five-game losing streak, a torturous stretch that saw the Duquesne Dukes drop three of their first five Atlantic 10 men’s basketball games by no more than five points, the team says it has remained locked in solidarity. Despite what others may think. “Adversity is always going to...
Michigan promotes offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore to replace Jim Harbaugh as head coachVideo
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan hired Sherrone Moore on Friday to replace coach Jim Harbaugh, giving the 37-year-old offensive coordinator an opportunity to lead college football’s winningest program. The school made the move two days after Harbaugh bolted to lead the Los Angeles Chargers with a five-year deal that gives...
Egyptian soccer officials sacrifice cow for better fortune at Africa CupVideo
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — Egyptian soccer officials sacrificed a cow in a bid to bring the national team more luck at the Africa Cup of Nations. Team spokesman Mohamed Morad told the Associated Press on Friday the Egyptian Football Association killed the cow and distributed the meat to needy people...
After 53 years, Baltimore again serves as AFC championship game host
BALTIMORE — The last time Baltimore hosted an AFC championship game, the city was enjoying quite a sports renaissance. The Orioles had won the World Series a few months earlier. Then the Colts followed with a Super Bowl title. Even the local basketball team made an appearance in the NBA...
Ravens activating TE Mark Andrews ahead of AFC championship game
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens are activating Mark Andrews from injured reserve, and coach John Harbaugh said he expects the star tight end to play in this weekend’s AFC championship game against Kansas City. Andrews injured his ankle in a Nov. 16 win over Cincinnati. Although he was...
Flyers sign Owen Tippett to 8-year, $49.6M million extension
PHILADELPHIA — Forward Owen Tippett and the Philadelphia Flyers agreed to terms Friday on a $49.6 million, eight-year contract, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the contract had not yet been announced. The extension carries...
Unique skill set leads to unique rookie season for Steelers 7th-round pick Spencer Anderson
A backup guard? Swing tackle? Emergency center? Eligible tight end? What, exactly, was Spencer Anderson’s role as a rookie for the Pittsburgh Steelers? The answer, of course, is “all of the above.” Like all players, Anderson would love to earn a starting spot and stick to one position. But for...
Chiefs-Ravens matchup features star quarterbacks, stingy defenses and potential Hall of Fame coachesVideo
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs took a different route to face the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC championship game. They’re going on the road. After hosting this game five straight seasons, the No. 3 seed Chiefs had to beat Josh Allen and the Bills in Buffalo and now...
Steelers interview Texans QB coach Jerrod Johnson for offensive coordinator job
Houston Texans quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson became the second person to interview for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ vacant offensive coordinator position, the team announced Friday. Johnson, 35, spent an offseason and training camp with the Steelers as their No. 4 quarterback in 2012. He was briefly part of five other NFL...
NFL reaches ‘major milestone’ with record 9 minority head coaches in place for the 2024 season
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The National Football League has urged teams for years to hire more minority head coaches. That mission finally seems to be paying off. Four minority head coaches have been hired this year, including Atlanta’s Raheem Morris, New England’s Jerod Mayo, Las Vegas’ Antonio Pierce and Carolina’s Dave...
Mark Madden: PIAA officials clearly insensitive to Aliquippa’s reality
There are usually two sides to every story. But not in the case of Aliquippa High School football being forced to play at the 5A level despite having 2A enrollment. The Quips are getting railroaded by the PIAA. Consider Southern Columbia, a school in Central Pennsylvania that has won the...
Penguins scheduled to start goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic against Panthers
The Pittsburgh Penguins are scheduled to start goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic in Friday’s home game against the Florida Panthers at PPG Paints Arena. Coach Mike Sullivan announced Nedeljkovic’s status following an optional morning skate. In 15 games this season, Nedeljkovic has an 8-3-2 record, a 2.66 goals against average, a .916...
Sinner ends 10-time champion Novak Djokovic’s Australian Open streak, faces Medvedev for the title
MELBOURNE, Australia — Jannik Sinner ended one of Novak Djokovic’s perfect streaks in an Australian Open upset and then got to relax while Daniil Medvedev rallied from two sets down to beat Alexander Zverev after midnight to secure the other place in the final. For a self-described tennis fan, just...
Football Footnotes: The ideas of ‘Chiefs fatigue’ and Steelers fans adopting the Lions
For “Football Footnotes” this week, we explore the concept of “Chiefs fatigue” and why it’s time for Steelers fans to become a part of #OnePride from Detroit the rest of the way in the NFL playoffs. “Chiefs fatigue” is something that has been talked about in the NFL ether since...
First Call: Falcons’ coaching hire could impact Steelers’ OC plans; ex-Steeler wants to join Mike Tomlin’s staff
Friday’s “First Call” sees how some things falling elsewhere in NFL coaching circles may impact the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive coordinator hire. A former Steeler may want to rejoin the team on the coaching staff. We examine the local college basketball scene this weekend, and the Penguins’ contest against Florida Friday...
Pitt Take 5: Panthers’ road less rocky away from The Pete
Home games are supposed to generate comfort and confidence. Players sleep in their own beds. There’s no need for 7-foot centers to fold themselves into airplane seats. Students looking to get on TV don’t hurl insults at foul shooters. None of that has been enough to deter the Panthers, who...
Final 4 NFL playoff teams not afraid to invest at less-coveted positions
In a season full of satisfying moments for Detroit Lions fans, an amusing one occurred in mid-December, when coach Dan Campbell had a chance to gloat a bit about the team’s most recent draft. The players in question were running back Jahmyr Gibbs and tight end Sam LaPorta, both of...
Playoffs give Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown chance to shine
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown wrote goals in a notebook before the season started and reads them daily. How’s he doing on the list? “Good,” St. Brown said Thursday. “Great, actually.” He accomplished at least two goals, having at least 1,500 yards receiving and...
Stephan Jaeger eagles final hole for lead in Farmers Insurance Open
SAN DIEGO — Stephan Jaeger of Germany made a 35-foot eagle putt on his final hole for an 8-under-par 64 and a one-shot lead over Nicolai Hojgaard of Denmark after the second round of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines on Thursday. Jaeger was at 12-under halfway through the...
LeBron James makes NBA All-Star team for record 20th time
LeBron James joined yet another exclusive club, and he’ll have plenty of familiar faces alongside him at this season’s NBA All-Star Game. James is now an All-Star — and an All-Star starter — for the 20th time, with the league unveiling the results of this season’s starter balloting Thursday night....
Just 58 single-team players among 273 in Hall of Fame after addition of Todd Helton and Joe Mauer
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Todd Helton and Joe Mauer will become only the sixth pair of players inducted together into the Hall of Fame after spending their big league careers with one organization. “A lot of things had to go right,” Helton said Thursday during a news conference in the Hall’s...
2nd wave of college football’s hiring cycle produces some unprecedented movement
After a relatively quiet primary hiring cycle in college football in November and December, the coaching carousel revved up again in January, starting with the sudden retirement of maybe the greatest head coach of all time. Since Nick Saban stepped down at Alabama on Jan. 10, seven major college football...
49ers out to avenge title game losses; Lions seek 1st Super Bowl spot
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers have been waiting a year to get back to the NFC championship game after last season’s disappointing loss. The wait for the Detroit Lions and their fans has been far longer, with the success-starved franchise one step away from its first Super...
