U.S./World Sports category, Page 305
Joey Chestnut, Miki Sudo repeat as champs at Nathan’s hot dog eating contest
NEW YORK — The coronavirus outbreak moved the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest from the Coney Island boardwalk to an undisclosed indoor location but the results were familiar: Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo repeated as men’s and women’s champions of the annual gluttony fest on Saturday. Chestnut downed 75...
NASCAR races on at Indy after Jimmie Johnson contracts coronavirusVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — NASCAR’s extravagant weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway — where the back-and-forth battle between Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin should continue — has been rocked by its first driver testing positive for the coronavirus. Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson will miss what was supposed to be his final Brickyard...
Chip Ganassi driver Scott Dixon wins IndyCar race at Indianapolis Motor SpeedwayVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Scott Dixon finally made his second trip to Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s victory lane. Twelve years after winning his only Indianapolis 500 on the Brickyard’s historic 2.5-mile oval, the five-time series champion added a second title Saturday — this one by a dominant 19.9469 seconds over Graham Rahal in...
MLS postpones match after players test positive for coronavirusVideo
The MLS is Back Tournament match between FC Dallas and the Vancouver Whitecaps set for Thursday was postponed after eight players tested positive for the coronavirus. The group-stage game will be rescheduled, the league said Saturday. FC Dallas announced earlier this week six players had tested positive for the virus...
Bucks, Lakers look to shed rust, be healthy for playoffsVideo
MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers have all but guaranteed themselves the top two playoff seeds and face a balancing act when the NBA returns to action. While other teams will be fighting for a postseason berth or playoff seedings when they play the final eight regular-season...
Jimmie Johnson 1st NASCAR driver to test positive for virusVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson tested positive for the coronavirus and will miss this weekend’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The 44-year-old Johnson is the first driver in any NASCAR series to test positive and the news Friday evening cast a shadow over the historic NASCAR-IndyCar doubleheader races...
Chris Kirk, Webb Simpson share Rocket Mortgage Classic leadVideo
DETROIT — Webb Simpson and Bryson DeChambeau were expected to be contenders at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, taking advantage of a relatively weak field and course by PGA Tour standards. Chris Kirk was not. A year after taking a leave of absence from the PGA Tour to address alcohol abuse...
On biggest stage, local UFC fighter Khama Worthy gives recognition to training partners
Moon native and local UFC fighter Khama Worthy showed his true colors last Saturday after earning his seventh straight victory and winning a second consecutive UFC fight. After defeating Luis Pena by submission with 2 minutes, 7 seconds left in their lightweight bout, Worthy took to the microphone in his...
NASCAR, IndyCar collide for racing extravaganza at IndyVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — The once-frosty schism between the two biggest racing series in the United States has finally thawed, and the result is a blockbuster event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway — even without fans. NASCAR’s elite Cup Series will share a venue with IndyCar on the same weekend for the first...
Zion Williamson confident in his health, Pelicans’ prospects
NEW ORLEANS — Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson credits his mother’s wisdom with helping him manage life’s unanticipated twists and inevitable assortment of successes and setbacks. It has served the NBA’s top overall draft choice well during a highly unusual debut season that has gone nothing like he imagined, yet still...
Column: Fans may not like what they see on return to standsVideo
Don’t be too eager to sit in the stands if your favorite team is lucky enough to open play over the next few months. Going to the game will be risky all by itself. Once there, the experience won’t be the same. No food. No drink. No cuddly mascot to...
Pittsburgh Riverhounds eager to open season with revenge game
After six weeks of preseason training, three season postponements and a few weeks to get back into playing shape, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds are finally ready to take the field in a competitive game for the first time in 2020. They begin their season July 11 against Louisville City FC for...
NASCAR meets with minister pushing for racial equalityVideo
As the Rev. Greg Drumwright watched members of his ministry crowd the fence at Talladega Superspeedway to cheer for Black driver Bubba Wallace, he realized his first NASCAR race was the start of his immersion into stock car racing. Less than three weeks later, Drumwright has a seat at NASCAR’s...
Teenage racing phenom Heim comes to Western Pa. for 1st time
More than a decade ago, Ray Heim tore it up on the asphalt racing track at Lanier National Speedway in Braselton, Ga., and the Pittsburgh area native, who lived in West Deer and Verona and graduated from Riverview, enjoyed numerous top finishes. His son, Corey, watched on at the track...
Upper St. Clair native Abby Matheny collects swimming honor at Williams College
Upper St. Clair graduate Abby Matheny earned her first honor as a member of the Williams women’s swimming team, and it was a big one. Matheny, 20, a sophomore, was named a Division III All-American in the 500-yard freestyle by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America. Matheny...
Schenley alumni D.J. Kennedy, DeAndre Kane in search of 5th title at The Basketball Tournament
Since they were kids, Schenley alumni D.J. Kennedy and DeAndre Kane have felt at home on the basketball court. From winning a state championship in high school to creating a career for themselves overseas on the hardwood, basketball has taken the duo a lot of places. But over the past...
Utah defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley to keep job after reviewVideo
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley will remain on staff but take a pay cut and must undergo diversity training after being suspended for using a racial slur in a 2013 text message. Utah announced Wednesday that Scalley will participate in diversity and inclusion education and have...
Those around NBA say this title will be toughest to winVideo
The 2020 NBA champion, if one is crowned, will have emerged as the ultimate winner from a season that lasted more than a full year from start to finish. A season that saw political unrest between the NBA and China, the deaths of David Stern and Kobe Bryant, racial issues...
Webb Simpson back on PGA Tour after family coronavirus scareVideo
DETROIT — Webb Simpson is competing on the PGA Tour again after his family had a coronavirus scare. One of Simpson’s daughters tested positive for covid-19, leading to him withdraw from last week’s tournament as a precaution. “The first test was positive, but (she) got tested again by the more...
What rust? PGA Tour players going low in return to competitionVideo
Three tournaments is hardly a reasonable sample size. Even so, the numbers have been jarring since the PGA Tour returned to competition. Mackenzie Hughes opened with a 60 at the Travelers Championship. Rory McIlory twice has posted rounds of 63, and he still hasn’t cracked the top 10 in the...
On The Fringe: Dustin Johnson continues to show he can win on variety of courses
It only looks as though Dustin Johnson barely has a pulse on the golf course. One moment made him a little nervous. It wasn’t the tee shot that rolled toward the railroad tracks and barely crossed the out-of-bounds line, right after he had taken a two-shot lead in the final...
Unique softball league ready to hit field in AugustVideo
CHICAGO — Victoria Hayward would have been in Japan right about now, preparing for the Olympics as captain of Canada’s softball team. The coronavirus pandemic pushed the Summer Games back a year. But she won’t have to wait much longer to get back on the field. Hayward is one of...
All is silent on Wimbledon’s would-be Day 1Video
WIMBLEDON, England — When the clock struck 11 a.m. at the All England Club, there was silence. Not because a player dressed all in white was about to whack a serve on one of Wimbledon’s many perfectly kept grass courts, but because there is no tennis this year at the...
Column: NASCAR rolls on, through crisis and controversyVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The one thing NASCAR has always gotten right is its ability to keep the wheels turning. In crisis or coronavirus, the show finds its way to a race track and keeps plugging along. That has never been in doubt, at least not since 2001 when Dale Earnhardt...
Nick Watney bored in isolation, nervous about how he got virusVideo
Monday marked the 10th day of self-isolation for Nick Watney, the minimum required for PGA Tour players who test positive for the new coronavirus. He said he is feeling good except for some minor fatigue, perhaps brought on by a major case of boredom, and except for the distinction of...
