Sports category, Page 880

EAGAN, Minn. — The NFL has pushed the kickoff return further toward irrelevance with a priority on player safety. League owners voted Tuesday for a one-year trial of an enhanced touchback rule that will give the receiving team the ball at its own 25 with a fair catch of a...

As he awaits a new contract from the Pittsburgh Steelers, outside linebacker Alex Highsmith apparently has no plans to conduct a hold-in — an approach taken by teammates T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick the past two seasons. Watt didn’t take part in team portions of practice at the 2021 training...

With a $1 million prize at stake, it’s no wonder The Zoo Crew is making a comeback. The Zoo Crew, a group of former Pitt basketball players, will compete this year in The Basketball Tournament (TBT), a 64-team, single-elimination event. The first game will be July 25 in the West...

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Wearing shorts and his familiar No. 3 blue practice jersey, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin began easing his way back into football during the team’s voluntary minicamp on Tuesday, some five months after having a near-death experience on the field. The only thing missing was his...

When he wasn’t seeing playing time right away at Coastal Carolina, Andrew Muraco began to take inventory on his college baseball future. The former Franklin Regional star redshirted his first year and started browsing for another opportunity. It didn’t have to be at a Division I program, but it had...

LOS ANGELES — LeBron James questioned retirement after his Lakers were swept by the Denver Nuggets despite the highest-scoring postseason half of James’ matchless NBA career. James set a personal record with 31 points in the first half of Game 4 on Monday night, but he missed two potential tying...

When he left Penn-Trafford to begin a college golf career, Cade Patterson never could have imagined he would have his name etched in a program’s record book. Patterson, a sophomore at Washington & Jefferson, made school history when he carded the best finish by a Presidents’ player at the NCAA...

Tuesday’s “First Call” features a former Pittsburgh Steeler who is trying to get his career in gear out west. Antonio Brown’s return to the field is set. We know some future Super Bowl and draft locations. And dispute Art Rooney II’s best efforts, Thursday night flex scheduling is coming to...

A Pittsburgh Penguins-related item we dropped into “First Call” last week has really stayed with me through the weekend. Tony Androckitis of Inside AHL Hockey posted these notes about the Penguins on both the NHL level in Pittsburgh and the AHL level in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. • “There are big changes coming...

To me, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ quest to fill their vacant general manager and president of hockey ops jobs has been pretty boring. HBO’s “Succession” has been much more interesting. By the end of the upcoming holiday weekend, both succession plans may be finalized. So forget everything you’ve heard about the...

Austin Hedges learned a long time ago that a catcher’s best friend is often the pitcher he’s entrusted to shepherd through a game. The relationship works both ways, of course, but for Hedges learning to build trust with the pitchers is one way to enter the starting lineup. “Some of...

Luis Ortiz had been hit-or-miss in his first two starts for the Pittsburgh Pirates, so to change it up the 24-year-old rookie right-hander turned to the newest addition to his pitch repertoire against the hottest-hitting team in baseball. Ortiz used a changeup to complement his fastball/slider combination against the Texas...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — LSU junior outfielder Dylan Crews is the first consecutive winner of the Southeastern Conference player of the year award while Tigers junior right-hander Paul Skenes is pitcher of the year. The teammates, projected as the top two picks in Major League Baseball’s amateur draft, were honored Monday...

Tom Brady has reached a deal to become a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, according to reports. The seven-time Super Bowl champion’s agreement with Raiders owner Mark Davis now is pending approval by the NFL, CBS Sports reported Monday. Brady, 45, retired from the NFL in February after...

Pitt coach Jeff Capel sent a message — in a big way — that he wasn’t finished recruiting the high school class of 2023 when he received a commitment Monday from 6-foot-10 four-star center Papa Kante of South Kent, Conn. Kante, who signed with Michigan in November, requested and received...

Despite losing its final three games and four of the last five regular-season contests, Pitt baseball built up enough equity to earn a berth in the ACC Tournament — thanks to Florida State’s victory against Louisville last Saturday. Starting Wednesday in Durham (N.C.) Bulls Athletics Park, Pitt (23-30, 10-18) will...

EAGAN, Minn. — NFL owners approved a rule change Monday that allows teams to play an emergency quarterback from the inactive list if the first two are injured during a game, a decision that stems from San Francisco’s depth-chart challenge in the NFC championship game. The bylaw initially was proposed...

Zach Kokoska is burning up the Northwest League as he makes inroads to his dream of playing in the majors. The former Latrobe and Kansas State baseball star has been on an offensive tear of late, hitting safely in 14 of his last 18 games for the High-Class A Spokane...

Football — at least the version that is played in shorts and sans shoulder pads — returns for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday when they conduct the first of 10 scheduled organized team activities at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. The workouts, which are voluntary yet heavily attended, represent the first...

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced Monday that Casamigos Tequila will serve as the sponsor of a new premium club area at PPG Paints Arena. Renovations at the 12-year-old building are ongoing this summer, and the club is slated to open in the fall. The club spans almost 4,000 square feet per...