U.S./World Sports category, Page 351
Tim Benz: How Alison Riske nearly seized opportunity at Wimbledon
There was no raising of the Jolly Roger at Wimbledon’s Centre Court. No one waved a Terrible Towel. And “Renegade” was never played. London ain’t ready for that much Pittsburgh n’at, anyway. Peters Township product Alison Riske gave it her best against Serena Williams during the Wimbledon quarterfinals. But the...
Peters Township’s Alison Riske falls to Serena Williams in Wimbledon quarterfinals
WIMBLEDON, England — A day after toppling the top seed at Wimbledon, Peters Township’s Alison Riske couldn’t pull off what would’ve been the next-biggest win of her life. Serena Williams, the No. 11 seed and seven-time Wimbledon champion, defeated Riske, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, on Tuesday to advance to the semifinals....
U mad, bro? Readers blast Tim Benz over USWNT opinions
People are so mad at me over my recent columns about the United States Women’s National Team, I thought we should have a special edition today of “U mad, bro?” And because the vast majority of the responses I got were negative ones from women or on behalf of women,...
World Cup champion U.S. women embrace off-the-field activist role
NEW YORK — Setting itself apart from other great American sports teams, the U.S. women’s soccer team is embracing a front-line role in social justice causes even as it savors a fourth world championship. The players are world leaders in the push for gender equity in the workplace, having sued...
Maddy Grimm having MVP-type season for moh-BEEL! USA softball team
Maddy Grimm set a long list of records at Kent State. She earned Tribune-Review Athlete of the Year honors while at Ligonier Valley. She played professional softball for a season in Akron, Ohio, and spent the past year as a volunteer assistant at Pitt. The sport has provided Grimm with...
Women’s players hope World Cup success turn into greater support
LYON, France — As the U.S. players celebrated their Women’s World Cup title by dancing on the field, a chant rose from the crowd in Lyon: “Equal pay! Equal pay!” It was a fitting tribute after the team’s monthlong march to a fourth title in the sport’s premier tournament, where...
Coco Gauff’s magical Wimbledon run ended by Simona Halep
WIMBLEDON, England — Out of escapes, out of surprises, Coco Gauff knew her captivating Wimbledon ride at age 15 was nearing its conclusion. The thousands of spectators Monday at Court No. 1 realized it, too, so they made sure to show their appreciation for the youngest qualifier at the All...
Breeders’ Cup to add to safety measures at Santa Anita
LOS ANGELES — The Breeders’ Cup will increase the number of veterinarians on site during its world championships this fall at Santa Anita, where 30 horses died during the racing meet that recently concluded. That’s according to Craig Fravel, president and chief executive of the Breeders’ Cup, who said reaction...
Mark Madden: Women’s soccer, especially in the U.S., worthy of more attention
The U.S. women’s national team won the World Cup, as expected. Now, we forget about women’s soccer until the 2023 World Cup. Perhaps there will be a little interest for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. That’s a shame. Women’s soccer is worthy of more attention. The nine-team National Women’s...
Column: Spire played game right and recorded a NASCAR win
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — When Furniture Row Racing decided to fold, team owner Barney Visser enlisted an industry agency to help him sell off his assets. Visser wanted Spire Sports and Entertainment to sell the charters he owned that guaranteed entry into the top racing series in the United States....
W.Pa. soccer leaders support U.S. women’s team in pay disparity fight
The winners of the Women’s World Cup not only are inspiring Western Pennsylvania soccer players with their footwork, but they’re also showing players on boys and girls teams that it’s important to stand up for yourself. The United States Women’s National Team’s win in France on Sunday was met with...
Ex-WPIAL champ Alison Riske on tennis’ biggest stage in Wimbledon quarterfinals
When Alison Riske joined the Peters Township girls tennis team in 2006, she already was one of the country’s highest-ranked players for her age group. It would be her only season of high school tennis, typically not a domain for the elite of the sport. Riske would go on to...
Justin LaBar: WWE again grappling to remain pro wrestling’s top dog
For the first time since 2001, WWE will have weekly pro-wrestling competition live in prime time on a major television network. Eighteen years ago, Vince McMahon’s WWE bought WCW. This ended an era known as the “Monday Night Wars,” when the two competed head-to-head beginning in 1995. Eighteen years later,...
Peters Township’s Alison Riske ousts top-seeded Ash Barty at Wimbledon
Alison Riske has a new “biggest win of her career.” The Peters Township native defeated top-seeded and world No. 1 Ash Barty, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, in a fourth-round match at Wimbledon, propelling her to the quarterfinals of a major for the first time in her career. Riske didn’t overpower Barty,...
Tim Benz: USWNT won the World Cup and lost a dumb argument
The United States Women’s National Team won the World Cup. And it lost one stupid argument. The first thing is more important. The second thing is their own fault. Prior to her team’s 2-0 victory over the Netherlands to win the World Cup, American star Megan Rapinoe complained that her...
U.S. men lose Gold Cup final to Mexico
CHICAGO — The U.S. men failed to follow the example of the American women, showing how far they are from success. Jonathan Dos Santos scored in the 73rd minute, and Mexico beat the United States, 1-0, on Sunday night to win its record eighth title in the CONCACAF Gold Cup....
Tim Benz, Mark Madden talk USWNT, Mike Sullivan, Pirates, Twitter suspension
Mark Madden may be suspended from Twitter (#FreeMarkMadden), but he isn’t suspended from the “Breakfast With Benz” podcast page. We talk at great length about the United States Women’s National Team. They won the World Cup. Have the politics and self-generated sidebar stories surrounding this team outweighed their accomplishments? It...
Shanshan Feng wins shootout on LPGA Tour
ONEIDA, Wis. — Shanshan Feng set a high target for such low scoring at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic, and she figured she had done enough. Three birdies in a four-hole stretch had taken her from three shots behind to one shot ahead Sunday, or so she thought. It was...
Marcus Hayes: How the U.S. World Cup team made millions of fans
OK, I’m in. In for life. The U.S. women’s national soccer team, with its skill, talent and professionalism, made me the kind of fan I haven’t been since Doc and the Sixers. To be clear: They don’t need me. I need them. I am sure I am not alone in...
Big rain, big wreck at Daytona lead to Justin Haley’s 1st NASCAR Cup win
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Teeth chattering, hands shaking, stomach churning, Justin Haley anxiously waited for NASCAR to pull the plug on a rain-wrecked weekend at Daytona International Speedway. A 500-1 longshot making just his third career Cup start, Haley won the rain-postponed, rain-shortened race at Daytona on Sunday. He inherited...
Megan Rapinoe fuses World Cup win with politics, equality and VAR
LYON, France — A Women’s World Cup stirred by heated debates on politics, pay and technology saw the narratives fused in Sunday’s final by the undisputed and outspoken star of the tournament: Megan Rapinoe. By opening the scoring with a penalty awarded after a video review, Rapinoe claimed a sixth...
15-year-old Coco Gauff savoring the moment at WimbledonVideo
WIMBLEDON, England — Mom and racket-holding Dad joined two coaches and a hitting partner at Coco Gauff’s practice session on a cloudy Sunday afternoon at the All England Club as the 15-year-old American prepared for what could be the toughest test yet of her hard-to-believe Grand Slam debut. Gauff, a...
U.S. tops Netherlands to win 4th Women’s World Cup title
LYON, France — The United States women’s soccer team was as good as American players promised — maybe even better. Especially Megan Rapinoe, the pink-haired captain who emerged with the Golden Ball as top player, the Golden Boot as top scorer and a world-wide stature as a champion for gender...
Remember them? U.S. men play Mexico for CONCACAF Gold Cup
CHICAGO — Remember the U.S. men’s soccer team? It also is playing for a trophy Sunday, taking on Mexico at Soldier Field in the final of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the championship of North and Central America and the Caribbean. Gone from the national sports consciousness since its October 2017...
Rain dampens NASCAR’s final holiday visit to Daytona; race postponed
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Rain spoiled one of NASCAR’s last great traditions when Saturday night’s race at Daytona International Speedway was postponed because of persistent poor weather. The race will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, which helps NBC avoid a head-to-head conflict with the final game of the Women’s...
