Sports category, Page 861
Washington Capitals sign power forward Tom Wilson to a 7-year extension worth $45.5 million
Tom Wilson is staying with the Washington Capitals for the long term after getting a new contract that could keep the homegrown power forward with the team for his entire NHL career. Wilson signed a seven-year extension worth $45.5 million on Friday, a deal that keeps him from hitting free...
Yakety YAC: Yards after catch ‘a major point of emphasis’ for Steelers in 2023
There has been no greater talking point this offseason surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers than the conversation about how to make the offense more explosive. Coordinator Matt Canada’s 2022 unit was fifth in the NFL when it came to time of possession at 31:18 per game, fifth in most offensive snaps...
Pat Narduzzi’s plea to reporters: Please, don’t ask about injuries
There is a running joke among Pat Narduzzi and reporters who cover Pitt football. Don’t ask about injuries. Of course, reporters often break the rule, causing Narduzzi to drop his eyes, shake his head and say, “(insert reporter’s name here), you know better than that.” So, when LSU coach Brian...
Mark Madden: Women’s sports deserve equal opportunity, but equal acceptance can’t be mandated
It’s an era of forced equality for women’s sports. For example, the WNBA’s average attendance is almost exactly that of the American Hockey League, hockey’s AAA loop. The WNBA plays in major cities and big arenas. It’s nationally televised. The AHL has none of the above. Yet the WNBA is...
Penguins forward Jake Guentzel sidelined following ankle surgery
With more than nine weeks before the opening of the campaign, the Pittsburgh Penguins still have plenty of time to finalize the composition of their season-opening roster. This week, that alchemy became a bit more complex. On Friday, the team announced forward Jake Guentzel underwent surgery on his right ankle...
Underwhelming U.S. team slumps into Women’s World Cup knockout game against familiar foe
MELBOURNE, Australia — Frequent rivals Sweden and the United States will meet once again at the Women’s World Cup, but this time the stakes are tremendously higher. The two-time defending champion Americans are struggling heading into the round of 16 match Sunday against the Swedes, who they have played often...
Westmoreland County college football notes: Hempfield grad Justin Sliwoski trades in cleats for scrubs
With the transfer portal calling his name again, Justin Sliwoski had to reluctantly plug up his ears. He decided it was time to put everything into his career. No, not his football career. The former standout quarterback at Hempfield and St. Francis (Pa.) is hanging up his cleats and stepping...
First Call: Pitt alum scores in Hall of Fame game; Steelers working out DBs; ex-WPIAL standout returns to action
Friday’s “First Call” showcases a Pitt alum opening eyes in the Hall of Fame game. The Steelers need a little help at defensive back. Austin Hedges still has some ties back to Pittsburgh. And a former WPIAL standout is getting back to practice in the NFL. Izzy to the Hizzy...
Pitt assistant Dave Borbely assembles another set of seasoned offensive linemen
Dave Borbely prefers experienced offensive linemen as opposed to those who need to be taught how to take the first step off the line of scrimmage. Yes, something as simple as that matters when 300-pound defensive tackles are tying up traffic in the trenches. Pitt’s offensive line coach has a...
Tim Benz: Bob Nutting’s wallet better back up Ben Cherington’s comments
It could’ve been just a throw-away line from Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington after a long day of working the phones in advance of Tuesday’s trade deadline. Maybe he didn’t even know the significance of what he said. Significant, that is, if we are to take him at his...
Pirates farm report for Aug. 3, 2023: Miguel Andujar homers again in Indianapolis win
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 50-54) took care of Gwinnett (Braves), 7-4. LF Miguel Andujar (.365) went 3 for 6 with his 15th homer and two runs scored. 3B Domingo Leyba (.435) went 2 for 3 with two runs scored, an RBI and two walks. 1B Mason Martin (.211) went 2 for 4...
Zach Wilson solid as backup as Jets begin Aaron Rodgers era with loss to Browns in Hall of Fame gameVideo
CANTON, Ohio — Zach Wilson showed he can move New York’s offense as a backup quarterback, but the Jets kicked off the Aaron Rodgers Era with a 21-16 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night in the Hall of Fame game. It was a battle of rookies and reserves...
Bears, Yannick Ngakoue agree on 1-year, $10.5 million contractVideo
Veteran edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue has agreed with the Chicago Bears on a one-year, $10.5 million contract, his agent Drew Rosenhaus told the Associated Press on Thursday night. Ngakoue, a Pro Bowl pick in 2017 with the Jaguars, bolsters the league’s worst pass rush. The Bears had only 20 sacks...
Mitch Keller blasted for 8 runs in Pirates’ blowout loss to Brewers
For Pittsburgh Pirates starter Mitch Keller, July was a frustrating month, as he went 0-4 with a 6.28 ERA in five starts. He didn’t fare any better during his first start in August. The Milwaukee Brewers got to Keller early Thursday, scoring five runs in the first two innings, en...
Zach Thomas ran through blocks, doubt during Hall of Fame careerVideo
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The sun was already out the morning of Zach Thomas’ first NFL training camp 27 years ago. It was 8:45 a.m. — back when the Miami Dolphins held two practices a day. A gentle breeze wafted the smell of wet grass through the air. Thomas, a...
Seahawks QB Geno Smith won’t face charges after 2022 arrest for investigation of DUIVideo
SEATTLE — The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said Thursday it will not pursue charges against Seattle Seahawks quarterback and former WVU star Geno Smith, who was arrested in January 2022 for investigation of driving under the influence and reckless driving. Prosecutors said Smith’s blood alcohol level was at .038,...
Jim Brown remembered as ‘man among men’ during tribute in CantonVideo
CANTON, Ohio — On the last of his many visits to Jim Brown’s home in Los Angeles, Ray Lewis recalled the legendary running back being as powerful as ever. As a feeble Brown, in the final months of his life, slowly approached the Hall of Fame linebacker, Lewis braced himself....
Russell Henley’s strong finish gives him a 62 and a 1-shot lead at WyndhamVideo
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Russell Henley still thinks about a poor finish from two years ago at the Wyndham Championship. He had no complaints about his start Thursday, an 8-under-par 62 that gave him the lead in the final tournament before the PGA Tour’s postseason. Henley hit his approach to 6...
Verlander is back with the Astros after a ‘whirlwind’ few days following his trade from the MetsVideo
NEW YORK — The Houston Astros hat and T-shirt were familiar to Justin Verlander. But the chaotic process that landed him at Yankee Stadium on Thursday was unlike anything the three-time Cy Young Award winner has experienced in an 18-year career. “It was just a whirlwind, man,” Verlander said in...
Steelers inside the ropes: Rookies Joey Porter Jr., Darnell Washington make big plays
Ever the psychological protagonist eager to push buttons, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin made sure he walked past George Pickens late during Thursday’s training-camp practice. Pickens vs. Joey Porter Jr. has been the unofficial headliner among practice battles through a week at Saint Vincent. The second-year Pickens has mostly gotten...
Cape Cod Baseball League celebrates 100 years as pathway from college to majorsVideo
BOURNE, Mass. — Pete Alonso didn’t hit a home run the summer he played in the Cape Cod Baseball League. He made a different kind of connection. On a day off during his time with the Bourne Braves during the summer of 2015, Alonso headed out to Provincetown, at the...
Steelers daily camp report: Several veterans sit out on non-padded eve of Friday Night Lights
Mike Tomlin likes to use the term “varsity reps” for when his proven, high-profile players are taking part in a drill. Borrowing that phraseology, Thursday’s Pittsburgh Steelers training-camp practice was a lot of “JV.” T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward, Alex Highsmith, Allen Robinson, Isaac Seumalo, Keanu Neal and Diontae Johnson were...
Bills secondary in safe hands with Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer together for 7th seasonVideo
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Bills safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer have been essentially inseparable since arriving in Buffalo and signing their free-agent contracts mere hours apart March 10, 2017. With a nod of the head, one has come to instinctually know where the other is going before the ball is...
Defeats from long ago still weigh on Pitt’s Phil Jurkovec as he carries ‘grit, moxy’ into his final collegiate season
Through two transfer decisions, three schools, a few injuries and eight years of ups and downs, Phil Jurkovec said he has no regrets. Actually, maybe a few. But they aren’t what you think. When a reporter asked what 23-year-old Phil Jurkovec would tell his 16-year-old self, Pitt’s quarterback was quick...
DeMarcus Ware’s Hall of Fame celebration will be part Dallas, part DenverVideo
DALLAS — DeMarcus Ware won a Super Bowl as a Denver Bronco after setting a storied franchise’s sacks record with the Dallas Cowboys. There’s little question the outside linebacker’s Pro Football Hall of Fame celebration will be part Denver, part Dallas. “He accomplished what he accomplished as a Cowboy,” said...
