Sports category, Page 877
Robert Morris matched against Big Ten foes Wisconsin, Penn State during nonconference basketball schedule
Robert Morris’ nonconference men’s basketball schedule features games against Wisconsin of the Big Ten and Xavier of the Big East, following a special exhibition against Penn State to support the American Cancer Society. The Colonials open their 48th season of NCAA Division I competition Oct. 27 at the UPMC Events...
Suspended Shady Side Academy coach Jonna Burke files lawsuit against PIAA
Shady Side Academy girls basketball coach Jonna Burke, who’s facing a one-year suspension for an alleged recruiting violation, has sued the PIAA seeking an injunction that would let her coach. In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court, Burke’s attorney, Kendra Smith, said the WPIAL violated due process rights during...
James Harrison gives realistic view of Hall of Fame chances; says Steelers Hall of Honor ‘good enough for me’
Retired Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison is being realistic about his long-shot chances of getting into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But he also seems at peace with the likely outcome of being left off the induction list. Harrison was among 10 former Steelers to recently be nominated for...
Penn State’s James Franklin cites possession advantage as key stat against Iowa
STATE COLLEGE — Penn State’s preparations for 2-2 Northwestern are just getting started and the last few days have been good for James Franklin’s 4-0 program. Penn State’s 2025 recruiting class is much stronger after three recent additions — New Jersey linebacker DJ McClary, Aliquippa running back Tiqwai Hayes and...
Mark Madden: Power play will dictate Penguins’ success, so where do the pieces fit?
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ power play will be discussed ad nauseam all season. It will either produce up to its talent level and be in the NHL’s top five, or it will underachieve and cause the team to do the same. These Penguins will be that dependent on the power play....
No more mojo?: Why Mike Tomlin is really walking back his evaluation of the Steelers’ offense
Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin took Pittsburgh reporters down a bit of a wandering path during his weekly press conference Tuesday afternoon. In that setting last week, coming off two lousy offensive performances to open the season in games against the San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns, Tomlin offered up...
First Call: Mike Tomlin on facing Kendrick Green in Houston; Joe Namath bashes Zach Wilson
Wednesday’s “First Call” has some interesting sidebars heading into the Steelers-Texans game on Sunday. We look at the curious case of Josh Dobbs’ jersey in Arizona. And a former New York sports legend with Western Pa. ties is ripping Jets quarterback Zach Wilson. Plus, the injury-addled Baltimore Ravens are making...
Mitch Keller caps career year by setting Pirates record for strikeouts by right-handed pitcher
Mitch Keller was flirting with a no-hitter when he got Nick Castellanos looking at a called third strike to end the fifth inning for a strikeout that separated him from all other Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed pitchers. With his 210th strikeout, Keller passed A.J. Burnett for the most strikeouts in a...
Pitt’s Jeff Capel hopes ‘positive things’ happen for dismissed guard Dior Johnson
Freshman guard Dior Johnson never played for Pitt, but he practiced with the team last season and even accompanied teammates on their trip to Spain in August. He was expected to be a significant part of coach Jeff Capel’s young guard rotation this season. But after being charged with misdemeanor...
David Gravel grabs Commonwealth Clash winner’s check in Lernerville’s richest race
When the Commonwealth Clash A-Main rolled to green Tuesday night at Lernerville Speedway, it looked as if brothers-in-law and co-owners of the High Limit Sprint Car series, Brad Sweet and Kyle Larson, were going to have a duel for the win. But David Gravel and a treacherous cushion in turn...
Pitt basketball opens ACC competition in December against Clemson, Syracuse
The ACC revealed its men’s basketball schedule Tuesday night, and it includes Pitt meeting two conference opponents before the calendar turns to 2024. With coach Jeff Capel in his sixth season, Pitt will play seven nonconference games before opening its ACC schedule Dec. 3 against Clemson with a 2 p.m....
Penguins fall to Red Wings in preseason play
Forwards Valtteri Puustinen and Radim Zohorna each had a goal and an assist for the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 4-3 preseason loss to the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena Tuesday. Zohorna opened the scoring 6 minutes, 23 seconds into regulation with his first goal of the preseason. Accepting...
Johan Rojas delivers RBI single in 10th as Phillies beat Pirates to clinch playoff berth
The Philadelphia Phillies couldn’t buy a hit through the first five innings but ended up punching their ticket to the postseason in extra innings. Johan Rojas delivered a one-out RBI single off All-Star closer David Bednar to score automatic runner Cristian Pache in the 10th inning to lift the Phillies...
Dale Earnhardt Jr. draws crowd to Lernerville Speedway
With a large group of people around him, hoping for a picture or an autograph, Dale Earnhardt Jr. walked along the front of the grandstands at Lernerville Speedway. It was a major moment in the long, storied history of the Buffalo Township racetrack, and it brought out a standing-room-only crowd....
Brooks Robinson, Orioles 3rd baseman with 16 Gold Gloves, dies
BALTIMORE — Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson, whose deft glovework and folksy manner made him one of the most beloved and accomplished athletes in Baltimore history, has died. He was 86. The Orioles announced his death in a joint statement with Robinson’s family Tuesday. The statement did not...
Mike Tomlin sees Steelers ‘getting better in all areas’ through 3 weeks of season
It wasn’t just that the Pittsburgh Steelers went on the road last weekend and won for second consecutive time that impressed coach Mike Tomlin. It was the way the Steelers played in a 23-18 victory against the Las Vegas Raiders that grabbed his attention. The offense scored two touchdowns —...
Perhaps he can’t shoot free throws, but Pitt’s Kenny Johnson creates another type of ‘adventure’ on the football field
Levi Murphy laughed while remembering the rare moments when Kenny Johnson struggled with a ball in his hands. It was Johnson’s junior season at his new school, Dallastown in York County, and he wanted to play basketball after two seasons as a wrestler at York Suburban High School. “He had...
Pirates recall infielder Nick Gonzales, option SS Alika Williams
After a strong September at Triple-A Indianapolis, middle infielder Nick Gonzales will finish the season with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates recalled Gonzales, their 2020 first-round pick, Tuesday before the start of their three-game series at the Philadelphia Phillies. To make room on the active roster, they optioned shortstop Alika...
James Franklin hints at using Penn State QB Beau Pribula more: ‘He’s a weapon’
If you were told that Beau Pribula would be in the game with 13 minutes left against Iowa, the natural reaction would have been: What happened to Drew Allar? But last Saturday wasn’t a repeat of the 2021 debacle in Iowa City. Allar was healthy when he ceded the field...
Penguins defenseman Ty Smith is ready to face more time in the NHL
Ty Smith has had some rough luck with his face. To be clear, the Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman is a perfectly handsome fellow. But his face has taken a beating over the past two years. At the end of the 2021-22 season, as a member of the New Jersey Devils, he...
Penguins notebook: Defenseman Mark Pysyk out ‘longer term’
Mark Pysyk’s attempt at a comeback with the Pittsburgh Penguins encountered a significant impediment. The veteran right-handed defenseman, in training camp on a professional tryout contract (PTO), will be out “longer term” because of an undisclosed injury he suffered during a 4-3 overtime road preseason loss to the Columbus Blue...
North Catholic junior Brady O’Hara commits to Penn State: ‘White Out sold it for me’
North Catholic junior Brady O’Hara has visited Penn State’s campus enough times that he’s almost lost count. Maybe seven? Maybe eight? His latest visit came this past weekend to see a stadium “White Out” when Penn State hosted Iowa, and soon afterward he was ready to commit. O’Hara, a 6-foot-6,...
Mike Tomlin calls emergency stop in Kansas City a ‘non-issue’ for Steelers
Although the Pittsburgh Steelers had an unexpected diversion on their trip home from Las Vegas on Monday morning, coach Mike Tomlin doesn’t want it to be a distraction as his team prepares for another road journey. The Steelers’ charter flight spent about eight hours on the tarmac in Kansas City...
One of game’s characters, Guardians manager Terry Francona, a New Brighton native, set to end career defined by class, touch
CLEVELAND — At some point in the next few days, Terry Francona will hop on his celebrated scooter, zip along the underground concrete concourses of Progressive Field and leave the ballpark he’s called home the past 11 seasons for the final time. His ride is nearly over. Although he hasn’t...
Philadelphia Eagles’ ‘tush push’ is becoming the NFL’s most unstoppable play
TAMPA, Fla. — The most unstoppable play in the NFL was on full display under the bright lights Monday night. When the Philadelphia Eagles need a yard, they often resort to the “tush push.” Quarterback Jalen Hurts lines up under center with two or three players behind him. He takes...
