Sports category, Page 867
Braves face Phillies in NLDS looking for payback after shocking playoff loss a year agoVideo
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves walked off the field a year ago a thoroughly beaten team, their defense of the World Series championship wiped out in less than a week. Now, they’ve got another shot at the team that delivered the playoff heartache. The 104-win Braves romped to their sixth...
Clayton Kershaw overcomes shoulder injury to will himself into another Dodgers postseasonVideo
LOS ANGELES — Clayton Kershaw has never been one for making excuses. Whether it’s his health or velocity, both of which have taken hits in recent years, he would rather gut out whatever is going on in silence. “He’s a survivor. He’s a competitor,” Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts...
Correa leads Twins in ALDS against his former team the Houston AstrosVideo
HOUSTON — Houston manager Dusty Baker admitted Carlos Correa is one of his favorite players. That goodwill toward the former Astros star turned Minnesota mainstay won’t extend into this weekend, when Houston hosts the Twins in the AL Division Series. “Personally, I don’t care if it’s my brother or my...
The Orioles and Rangers took different paths to recover after losing over 100 games in 2021Video
BALTIMORE — In two years, the Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers went from triple-digit losses to the postseason. That’s about the extent of their similarities. Baltimore rebuilt through high draft picks and a loaded farm system. Texas was aggressive in free agency. The Orioles have the lowest payroll of any...
Steelers mostly have contained Ravens’ Lamar Jackson in short history against him
Including the playoffs, Lamar Jackson has played in 78 NFL games. He has started at quarterback for 69 of those. Since Jackson entered the league as a first-round draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens, his team has faced the Pittsburgh Steelers 10 times. But, because of injury and other quirks,...
Penguins look for better results after rebuilding penalty kill
It’s probably a little over the top to think of Chad Ruhwedel as a designated survivor. After all, he’s not the Secretary of the Interior being asked to skip the State of the Union address. He’s just an NHL defenseman. But he is one of the scant returnees to the...
Pirates All-Star pitchers David Bednar, Mitch Keller projected for big raises in arbitration
Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star pitchers David Bednar and Mitch Keller are set up for significant raises next season, based on the annual arbitration projections by MLB Trade Rumors. Bednar, who tied for the National League lead with 39 saves, is projected to make $4.7 million in his first year of arbitration...
Steelers QB Kenny Pickett cleared to start vs. Ravens; DeMarvin Leal, Pressley Harvin out
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett went through a second consecutive full day of practice, per the injury report, and carries no status designation headed into Sunday’s divisional home game against the Baltimore Ravens. Pickett suffered a bone bruise in his left knee late during last week’s loss at the Houston...
Bears trade former Steelers WR Chase Claypool to DolphinsVideo
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Chicago traded former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool to the Miami Dolphins on Friday, ending the fourth-year player’s brief and disappointing tenure with the Bears. The Dolphins will also receive a 2025 seventh-round pick in the trade in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round pick, the...
New Penguins forward Jansen Harkins makes strong 1st impressionVideo
Jansen Harkins didn’t waste much time getting acclimated to his new team. On Wednesday, a little more than 48 hours after the Pittsburgh Penguins claimed him off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets, Harkins appeared in his first game with the Penguins, a 2-1 preseason loss to the Detroit Red Wings...
Steelers’ Alex Highsmith officially questionable, vows to go vs. Ravens
The injury report classifies Alex Highsmith’s status for Sunday’s game as “questionable.” The veteran outside linebacker, though, presented a more optimistic view when asked if he would be able to play in the AFC North showdown against the Baltimore Ravens. “Absolutely, yeah,” Highsmith said Friday. “Feel good.” Highsmith, part of...
Penguins assign 3 to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
The Pittsburgh Penguins assigned forwards Andreas Johnsson, Joona Koppanen and Alex Nylander to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL) on Friday. All three went unclaimed after being placed on waivers Thursday. Last season, Nylander appeared in nine NHL games and scored two points (one goal, one assist) for the...
Tim Benz: Robert Morris hockey players embrace emotions surrounding Saturday’s return to the ice
Butler’s Paul Maust remembers exactly where he was in May 2021 when he found out that the Robert Morris hockey teams were getting cut from the school’s athletic department. The Mercyhurst player was working out at the Baierl Ice Complex in Warrendale with two members of the Colonials team —...
Expanding Big Ten weighs competition, rivalries, TV ratings and road trips to make football schedule
Weighing competitive balance, traditional rivalries, television ratings and some very long road trips, the Big Ten produced 262 versions of a football schedule to find the one that best fit its soon-to-be 18-team, bicoastal conference. The Big Ten released five seasons’ worth of football opponents for each of its schools...
Former Penguins coach Kevin Constantine fired by WHL’s Wenatchee Wild
WENATCHEE, Wash. — Former NHL coach Kevin Constantine was fired as coach of the Wenatchee Wild on Thursday, a day after he was suspended indefinitely by the Western Hockey League for making “derogatory comments of a discriminatory nature.” In its first season in Washington after moving from Winnipeg, Manitoba, the...
‘Outside of the box’ defense has Peters Township ranked No. 1 in WPIAL 5A
Peters Township’s T.J. Plack is an offensive-minded head coach of a high-scoring team that averages five touchdowns a week, yet he raves about a defense he calls special. “They do something a little bit different than what other teams do in Western Pennsylvania,” Plack said. “They think a little outside...
11-time Pro Bowl receiver Larry Fitzgerald now helping young players maximize earning potential
Larry Fitzgerald is attacking the board room the same way he took on cornerbacks during a sensational NFL career. The 11-time Pro Bowl wide receiver who caught more passes for more yards than every player in league history other than Jerry Rice has transitioned smoothly to the corporate world since...
Report: Pitt moves Phil Jurkovec to tight end, promotes Christian Veilleux to No. 1 quarterback
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi wasn’t kidding when he said there were “a lot of things that need changing” with his team. Quarterback Phil Jurkovec was benched and moved to tight end in practice this week, leaving Christian Veilleux in line to start the next game Oct. 14 against Louisville, ESPN...
First Call: An ex-Steeler just bought a hockey team; Aaron Donald’s plan to stop Eagles QB sneak
For Friday’s “First Call,” we’ve got a surprising career choice for a former Steeler. An ex-Raven is stirring the pot when it comes to the Steelers rivalry. Aaron Donald thinks he may be able to combat the Philadelphia Eagles’ allegedly unstoppable play. And the internet is having a field day...
Pitt Take 5: He’s done it before, but can Pat Narduzzi guide Panthers out of their malaise?
There are a few historical trends that may foretell how the remainder of Pitt’s season evolves. Critics and doomsday fans might prefer the word “unravels,” but let’s allow the remaining seven games to play out before slapping on labels. In coach Pat Narduzzi’s eight previous seasons, he has compiled an...
Friday Football Footnotes: An all Steelers-Ravens rivalry edition
Neither the Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2) nor the Baltimore Ravens (3-1) are playing like they were in 2010 when they were both 12-4. But the rivalry between the clubs is still strong. And with the entire AFC North already beating itself up and a bye looming in Pittsburgh, refusing to let...
5 things to watch in Week 6: As NFL mourns, WPIAL remembers ‘coach’ Dick Butkus
Dick Butkus became legendary as one of the fiercest linebackers in NFL history, but folks around the WPIAL might remember him as “Coach” Butkus. Long after his playing days with the Chicago Bears were over, Butkus spent one season as a made-for-TV coach at Montour in 2005. It was the...
Fields, Moore lead the Bears to their 1st win of the seasonVideo
LANDOVER, Md. — Music blared from the Chicago Bears locker room after a victory for the first time in almost a year, and players danced and jumped around with joy. All thanks to Justin Fields and DJ Moore being perfectly in tune. Fields and Moore connected eight times for 230...
Browns running game spinning its wheels since losing Nick Chubb
CLEVELAND — Moments before the season kicked off, Nick Chubb trotted on to the field inside a roaring Cleveland Browns Stadium while toting a No. 32 flag to honor Jim Brown, the legendary running back who died in May. Chubb ran to the opposite end zone and handed it to...
Joe Lunardi visits Duquesne, crows that bracketology now accepted in Merriam-Webster
Joe Lunardi proudly puffed out his chest and, suddenly, he felt like the tallest man inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse, which was populated at the time by several tall Duquesne basketball players. What was the trigger? Bracketology has been accepted into the Merriam-Webster dictionary. JOEY BRACKETS is IN THE DICTIONARY! @ESPNLunardi...
