Sports category, Page 894
First Call: Bills will play their 1st-teamers vs. Steelers; Browns-Eagles slopfest
The Pittsburgh Steelers will see some of the Buffalo Bills’ starters on Saturday. It would have been nice to watch some starters at quarterback in the Browns-Eagles game Thursday. The Pirates play the streaky Twins this weekend. And we remember a hockey play-by-play favorite. All that in Friday’s “First Call.”...
Tim Benz: Steelers offensive line better suited to endure injuries it managed to avoid a year ago
Throughout the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2022 preseason, the offensive line was such a concern that it almost equaled the scuttlebutt surrounding who would replace Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback. That continued into the regular season where, slowly but surely, the Steelers offensive front managed to gain a little traction. Familiarity eventually led...
Pitt 5 things: ACC Network analyst, ex-Miami coach Mark Richt misses game, just not ‘wildly dramatic’ changes
Mark Richt stopped coaching five years ago after 171 victories in 18 seasons, 15 at Georgia, three at Miami. Yet the sights and sounds — even smells — of the game he loves linger. Now an analyst for the ACC Network, Richt visited Pitt practice this week. The stage set...
Legendary voice of Buffalo Sabres Rick Jeanneret dies at age 81
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Rick Jeanneret, who will always be regarded as the voice of the Buffalo Sabres after a 51-year broadcasting career and the Hockey Hall of Fame’s 2012 Foster Hewitt Award recipient, died Thursday. He was 81. The Sabres released a statement from Jeanneret’s family saying he died with...
Pirates farm report for Aug. 17, 2023: Andres Alvarez homers in Altoona win
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 54-61) managed five hits in a 4-1 loss to St. Paul (Twins). RF Canaan Smith-Njigba (.251) went 1 for 4 with a double and an RBI. C Grant Koch (.236) went 1 for 2 with a walk and a run scored. LHP Cam Allred (7-6, 5.30) started and...
Cook says his role in Jets’ talented backfield is simple: ‘Just be Dalvin’Video
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Dalvin Cook joined the Jets knowing they already were stacked at running back. The former Minnesota Vikings star intends to make New York’s backfield even better — no matter what his role might be. “Just be Dalvin,” Cook said Thursday, a day after signing a one-year...
Aaron Donald avoids fights, stays focused on preparation during Rams’ joint practice
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — The most recent time Aaron Donald participated in a joint NFL preseason practice before Thursday, he ripped the helmet off a Cincinnati player and swung it at a few Bengals during a big brawl last year. A few years before that, the Penn Hills and Pitt...
Rory McIlroy, Brian Harman share BMW Championship lead on a soft Olympia FieldsVideo
OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. — Rory McIlroy didn’t mind being in the rough at rain-soaked Olympia Fields, except for having trees and a bunker between him and the 17th green. And even that didn’t matter Thursday in the BMW Championship. McIlroy found the short grass only six times with 18 tee...
Bengals RB Joe Mixon found not guilty of aggravated menacing during traffic disputeVideo
CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon was found not guilty Thursday of aggravated menacing in a January traffic dispute. Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge Gwen Bender acquitted Mixon of the misdemeanor charge after a four-day bench trial. A woman had accused the 27-year-old of pointing a gun at...
Steelers inside the ropes: Cody White a playmaker in lackluster final practice of campVideo
After serving as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ No. 6 receiver during the 2021 season, Cody White spent all of 2022 on the practice squad. But the 24-year-old has put himself firmly in contention to make the 2023 active roster during a training camp at Saint Vincent College in which he has...
Steelers WR Calvin Austin ready to see what he can do for encore in 2nd preseason game
Calvin Austin checked off one box last weekend in his return from a lost rookie season when he made his NFL preseason debut for the Pittsburgh Steelers and caught a 67-yard touchdown pass in a 27-17 victory at Tampa Bay. The next order of business for Austin will take place...
Plum youth football community mourns, honors Keegan ClontzVideo
Keegan Clontz’s No. 40 football jersey hung from one of the goalposts during the Plum Little Mustangs 12U scrimmage Wednesday evening against Franklin Regional at the Plum Midget Football Association fields along Ross Hollow Road. His initials also were painted on the field at the 40-yard line. They were two...
Bills QB Josh Allen tries to balance football, celebrity statusVideo
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — In the five years since arriving in Buffalo, where his celebrity status shows no sign of cresting, Josh Allen has become accustomed to having most every step of his public life picked over and documented. It’s not as if the Bills quarterback has much to hide...
In high-stakes season for Greek soccer Panathinaikos sees path to Champions League with AEK AthensVideo
GENEVA — Success in Greek soccer is often weighed down by off-the-field controversy. This time, it’s the killing of a fan in Athens. Panathinaikos owner Giannis Alafouzos missed being in France to see his team eliminate former European champion Marseille from the Champions League on Tuesday, its biggest game in...
NBA releases its schedule for the coming season, with an eye on player rest and travelVideo
Maximizing player rest and limiting travel demands were again part of the NBA’s formula for the upcoming regular season, the league indicated Thursday when announcing the schedule for 2023-24. Teams have an average of 14 instances of back-to-back games this season, up slightly from last year’s rate of 13.3 per...
U.S. Open switching tennis balls for women’s matches so they’re the same ones the men useVideo
NEW YORK — Men and women will use the same tennis ball this year at the U.S. Open, satisfying some women who complained last year they were hitting an inferior product. Top-ranked Iga Swiatek — who eventually won the tournament — was among the women who felt their lighter ball...
Mike Tomlin: Kenny Pickett, first-teamers will ‘play more’ in Steelers’ 2nd preseason game
After playing one series and getting 10 snaps in the preseason opener, quarterback Kenny Pickett will get more work Saturday night when the Pittsburgh Steelers play the Buffalo Bills at Acrisure Stadium. How much more work? Stay tuned, coach Mike Tomlin said, referring not just to Pickett but the team’s...
Twila Kilgore tapped as interim coach for U.S. women’s national soccer team
Twila Kilgore will serve as interim coach of the U.S women’s national soccer team following the resignation of coach Vlatko Andonovski. U.S. Soccer formally announced Andonovski’s resignation on Thursday. Kilgore, the first American-born woman to earn U.S. Soccer’s top-level Pro License, was an assistant under Andonovski and will lead the...
Pitt notebook: Some starting spots solid on offensive line, but keep an eye on 330-pound redshirt freshman Ryan Baer
There’s plenty of vocalized optimism surrounding Pitt’s offensive line that returns four players with significant experience. Yet there has been no definitive word on the makeup of certain positions along the line. All-ACC preseason tackle Matt Goncalves can play on the left or right side. If he is left —...
Deion Sanders builds and rebuilds roster in 1st season at Colorado
BOULDER, Colo. — Deion Sanders cleaned house when he first arrived at Colorado. Not satisfied, the coach of the Buffaloes carried on with the extreme makeover after the spring game. His lavish use of the transfer portal to build, scrape and rebuild his roster has drawn the wrath of some...
Penn Hills grad Daequan Hardy playing key role in Penn State’s deep cornerback room
When Penn State’s defense forces opponents into long-yardage situations this season, the spotlight will fall on veteran corners Kalen King and Johnny Dixon. King is a potential first-round pick next year, and Dixon intercepted two passes and was credited with 10 pass breakups in 2022. PSU corners coach Terry Smith...
First Call: Steelers vet backs Ryan Clark’s claim about George Pickens; injury concerns at corner for Ravens
Thursday’s “First Call” has quite a comparison for Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens. We track some news and notes about the Steelers’ season opener against the San Francisco 49ers. And the Baltimore Ravens are getting depleted at one specific position. Is Ryan right? Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings...
Tim Benz: Former Steelers nemesis offers high praise, big predictions for a specific player
A former Pittsburgh Steelers-killer is all in on the Black and Gold for 2023. Also rookie tight end Darnell Washington is getting high praise from one of the best ever at his position. All of that is coming from the same guy. It’s former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay...
U mad, bro?: While Steelers look good after preseason opener, there’s still plenty to make Pittsburgh sports fans angry
When the Pittsburgh Steelers win their first preseason game, the first-team offense looks smooth, the defense makes a few plays, and none of the stars get hurt, there is very little to complain about. Because we had plenty of angst and agitation from readers this week, but very little of...
Steelers’ Hawaiian, Samoan players plan efforts to aid Maui following tragic wildfires
Shortly after his eye-opening debut in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first preseason game, rookie linebacker Nick Herbig got on Instagram to celebrate the win and his 1.5 sack, three-tackle performance. But Herbig also made sure to subtweet the NFL’s efforts to raise funds for wildfire relief on Maui. Please help my...
