Sports category, Page 891

SECAUCUS, N.J. — The Chicago Blackhawks won the NHL draft lottery and the chance to select Connor Bedard long before Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly revealed it on national television. The process to determine who got the No. 1 pick and Bedard, considered hockey’s top prospect since Connor McDavid, actually wrapped...

The deaths of seven horses at the home of the Kentucky Derby has intensified the debate over the safety of horse racing. Two of the deaths occurred as the result of race injuries on Derby day, when more than 150,000 people jammed Churchill Downs. “While each incident reported has been...

Tuesday’s “First Call” has quite a personal conversation about Pittsburgh Steelers history between Ben Roethlisberger and Bill Cowher. We have a positive report about one of the Steelers draft choices. The Brewers keep in line with the Pirates atop the NL Central. Duquesne is in the hunt for a big-conference...

For even the most competitive marathoners, some runs are far more challenging than others. Oftentimes it’s not the races. It’s the training. North Hills graduate Margo Malone can speak to that. A cross-country runner at Syracuse University from 2012-16, Malone remembers the early wake-up calls and brutal cold of the...

When Rodolfo Castro hit Kyle Freeland’s belt-high fastball, he knew that it had a chance. Then again, the Pittsburgh Pirates infielder hit the ball to left-center, the deepest part of PNC Park. So there was a moment of uncertainty as it sailed toward the bullpen and just over the outstretched...

There was never a conversation about taking Mitch Keller out of the game, not with the way the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander was dealing against the Colorado Rockies with confidence and pinpoint control. The pressure of pitching in a scoreless game was relieved when Rodolfo Castro hit a line drive over...

As expected, the Pittsburgh Penguins will have the 14th overall selection in the NHL Draft next month. The league held its draft lottery Monday, and the Penguins, who finished tied with the Buffalo Sabres for the 13th-fewest points (91) in the NHL during the regular season, wound up with their...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky racing officials have placed scratched Kentucky Derby favorite Forte on a mandatory 14-day veterinary list that may require the colt to pass a soundness test in Maryland in order to race in the Preakness. The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission announced the update on Monday, two days...

The University of Iowa announced Monday that 26 athletes across five sports are suspected of wagering on sports in violation of NCAA rules, and more than 100 people have been linked to an investigation. In addition, Iowa State acknowledged that some 15 of its athletes across three sports also are...

After West Virginia basketball coach Bob Huggins used an anti-gay slur twice during a Cincinnati radio interview Monday morning, the university said the situation is under review. In an interview on 700-AM WLW, Huggins used the expression “Catholic (expletives)” to refer to some Xavier fans while recalling a matchup in...

Searching for stability at shortstop and a starting pitcher, the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday turned to Triple-A Indianapolis for a pair of roster moves made in hopes of stopping their seven-game losing streak. The Pirates selected the contract of 31-year-old Chris Owings and immediately inserted him into the starting lineup...

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic was fined $25,000 by the league Monday for making improper contact in the stands with Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia. No suspension, though. The two-time NBA MVP is all set for Game 5 on Tuesday night in Denver, with the second-round series tied 2-2. It...

There is no offseason in the NFL — the league’s marketing machine wouldn’t allow that to happen. For a sport in which most teams are playing the game meaningfully for roughly just 51 of the 8,760 hours available in each calendar year, just about anything can be turned into an...

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Ross Chastain used to be known primarily as the driver with the family roots in watermelon farming, and whose victory lane celebrations usually involved standing on the roof of his car and smashing a melon to pieces on the pavement. Now, he’s becoming known for an...

A $30 million legal battle between Tiger Woods and his ex-girlfriend has escalated, with Erica Herman accusing the golf superstar of beginning their sexual relationship when she was his employee and threatening to fire her if she didn’t sign a nondisclosure agreement she now wants voided. Herman, in court documents...

A Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division title that came with a 12-0 record earned the Seton Hill women’s lacrosse team a number of awards. The accolades start with senior Makayla Kintner, who was named the division’s defensive player of the year. Mila Udovicic, meantime, was picked for the rookie...

Pitt athletic director Heather Lyke continued to weed out the unsuccessful coaches in her department Monday when softball’s Jodi Hermanek was dismissed after five seasons. In the past two months, women’s basketball coach Lance White and gymnastics’ Samantha Snider were fired. Hermanek was hired at the end of the 2018...

The Brozeski house in North Huntingdon was always lively. With four girls following the lead of parents who were college athletes, there was always some “sporting event” going on in the back yard, even football and wrestling. “Not your average ‘girl’ things, I guess,” said Emily Brozeski, 22, noting she...

Going through a period of adjustment is not unusual for a freshman college athlete. There’s the speed of the game, the amount of work required away from regular practices, not to mention juggling school work and all the other trappings of college life. But on a team with plenty of...

If refreshing sports notes are wrong, you don’t want to be right! Something for everybody! • Pro Football Focus projects the Pittsburgh Steelers as a possible landing spot for free-agent veteran edge rusher Kyle Van Noy. Sounds like a good idea. Fourth-round draft pick Nick Herbig isn’t a known commodity....