Sports category, Page 1487
Sun Belt Conference sees opportunity as AAC looks into rebuildingVideo
The American Athletic Conference, a league born from the fall of Big East football eight years ago, is in rebuilding mode again. This time, it could find some competition in the market from the Sun Belt when it starts courting new members. Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston, three of the...
Pirates starter Steven Brault leaves game with left arm discomfort
Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Steven Brault was removed after two innings from Friday night’s game because of left arm discomfort. Facing the Washington Nationals in the opener of a three-game series at PNC Park, Brault allowed two runs and two hits. He walked two and struck out one. Cody Ponce replaced...
Red Sox left Chris Sale tests positive for covid, will miss next startVideo
CHICAGO — Boston ace Chris Sale has tested positive for covid-19 again, sidelining the left-hander while the Red Sox fight for positioning in the crowded AL playoff picture. Sale was scheduled to start Sunday in Chicago against the AL Central-leading White Sox. The seven-time All-Star also had a a mild...
No. 2 Daniil Medvedev into 3rd Grand Slam final at U.S. Open
NEW YORK — Daniil Medvedev twice was a point from finding himself tied at a set apiece in his U.S. Open semifinal against Felix Auger-Aliassime. The No. 2-seeded Medvedev surged out of that tight spot, beat a mistake-prone Auger-Aliassime, 6-4, 7-5, 6-2, on Friday and is headed to his third...
Denny Hamlin hopes to carry momentum into NASCAR playoffs stop at RichmondVideo
RICHMOND, Va. — Denny Hamlin has run up front all season, and he figured luck eventually would be on his side and a return to victory lane would follow. His first victory of the season came last weekend in the playoff opener at Darlington and now he is looking to...
Ravens’ Gus Edwards, Marcus Peters headed to IR; Latavius Murray signedVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens are putting running back Gus Edwards and cornerback Marcus Peters on injured reserve with knee injuries. Coach John Harbaugh announced the moves Friday, describing the injuries as season-ending, noncontact ligament tears from practice. “Gus made a cut — left-to-right cut — and landed...
Browns’ Odell Beckham Jr. questionable, Jadeveon Clowney back for openerVideo
BEREA, Ohio — Odell Beckham Jr.’s playing status for Sunday’s opener at Kansas City remains up in the air. Jadeveon Clowney’s good to go. Beckham, who has mounted a quicker-than-projected comeback from knee surgery, was limited in practice Friday and coach Kevin Stefanski said the star wide receiver is questionable...
Pirates notebook: Nationals first baseman Josh Bell returns to PNC Park
Like so many other fan favorites before him, Josh Bell had his first PNC Park homecoming. Bell was back in Pittsburgh on Friday for the first time since the Pirates traded the switch-hitting first baseman to the Washington Nationals on Christmas Eve for right-hander Wil Crowe and a prospect. The...
Dak Prescott, Cowboys show promise, but have to change history
If Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys are going to see Tom Brady again this season, as the star quarterback boldly told the seven-time champ, they’re going to have to change recent history. Some older stuff, too. Those were Prescott’s parting words after Brady led the Buccaneers to the winning...
Penguins hire new goaltending development coaches
The Penguins have hired Charles Grant and Kain Tisi as goaltending development coach. They replace Andy Chiodo who was promoted to goaltending coach at the NHL level in August. Grant and Tisi will work with the organization’s goaltending prospects while also serve as scouts for draft-eligible goalies and college free...
Pirates GM Ben Cherington: ‘Unlikely’ new hitting coach will be hired until after season
Ben Cherington said it’s “unlikely” that interviews for a new hitting coach will begin until after the conclusion of the season, though the Pittsburgh Pirates general manager has an idea of what he wants. The Pirates fired hitting coach Rick Eckstein after three seasons on Aug. 30, when they ranked...
Judge encouraged by Barkley’s practices for Giants openerVideo
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Roughly a year after tearing his right ACL, indications are Saquon Barkley is going to play for the New York Giants in the season opener against the Denver Broncos on Sunday. Coach Joe Judge said the 2018 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year had a good...
With pro debut on tap, Steelers’ Najee Harris knows NFL is a different level than SEC
Najee Harris is eager to fulfill his dream of playing in a meaningful NFL game. About 48 hours away from that becoming a reality, the Pittsburgh Steelers rookie running back was opining about the step up in competition. Arguably, dealing with bigger, better, stronger and faster defenders isn’t even the...
Alex Highsmith practices fully, questionable for Steelers’ opener
The good news in regards to outside linebackers wasn’t limited to one player for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday. On the day a lucrative contract extension for T.J. Watt was announced, the Steelers’ other starter at the position was back to full participation in practice. Alex Highsmith officially was listed...
17th game puts some NFL records within reach
Derrick Henry now has an extra game to help him surpass Eric Dickerson’s 37-year-old rushing record. The quest for the first 2,000-yard receiving season just got a little bit easier for big-play threats like Stefon Diggs and DeAndre Hopkins. And who knows what Patrick Mahomes can do to the record...
Big 12 welcomes BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston
With Oklahoma and Texas on the way out, the Big 12 announced Friday that it has invited BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston to join the Power Five conference and said it has not ruled out further expansion in the future. The eight continuing members of the Big 12 unanimously...
Trevor Bauer won’t pitch again this season, leave extended by MLB
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer will miss the rest of the season. Major League Baseball and the players’ association extended his administrative leave through the end of the World Series on Friday. Bauer was placed on seven days’ paid leave July 2 under the joint domestic violence, sexual assault...
Lost amongst higher-profile rookies, Tre Norwood could make early impact for Steelers
Much has been made about the four Pittsburgh Steelers rookies on offense who sit atop their positional depth charts. The curiosity surrounding the big leg of punter Pressley Harvin has made him a relatively high-profile rookie, too. But there’s a draft pick on defense who’s flown under the radar and...
Mark Madden: Pirates great Dave Parker is one of Hall of Fame’s many absurd absences
It’s so much more fun to talk about the Pirates as they used to be. I went to Wednesday’s game against Detroit. (I had Club Cambria tickets. I always go first-class.) The announced attendance was 8,382. But I’d bet there weren’t more than 2,000 people in the stands. There were...
Cam Newton believes covid testing mishap contributed to Patriots’ release
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Former Patriots quarterback Cam Newton says he was caught by surprise by his release in New England and believes his weeklong absence near the end of training camp due to a mishap related to covid-19 testing protocols contributed to coach Bill Belichick’s decision. In a 45-minute video...
Pitt basketball assistant Milan Brown promoted to associate head coach
With his three top assistants returning to Pitt for a fourth consecutive season, coach Jeff Capel on Friday announced that Milan Brown has been promoted to associate head coach. Brown has more than 25 years of coaching experience, including 12 seasons as a head coach at Holy Cross (2010-15) and...
T.J. Watt relieved mega contract is signed, vows Steelers won’t regret it
In a deliberate show of support, Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert were conspicuous in representing the Pittsburgh Steelers organization by standing and watching silently throughout the full 12 minutes of T.J. Watt’s news conference Friday afternoon. Colbert and Tomlin did not speak. Instead they flanked a makeshift dais near midfield...
Jonas Shaffer: Ravens built dynamic offense on the cheap, and now they’re having to foot the bill
Two years ago, the Ravens had the best quarterback, best left tackle and one of the best tight ends in the NFL. They were the motors in their Maserati of an offense, finely tuned and high-speed, prone to the occasional breakdown but still a sight to behold. And what did...
No. 11 Penn State anticipating tough matchup with Ball State
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Weeks like this are why Penn State coach James Franklin tries to keep his messaging focused on the opponent at hand. If he talks about a weeks-away SEC foe or a looming Big Ten road trip, it may appear that Franklin is overlooking Penn State’s more...
West Virginia’s Sam James focuses on mental health, solid 2021
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia wide receiver Sam James used the offseason to focus on his mental well-being and put a tough stretch in the past. With a reputation for some great moments as well as mistakes, James is looking to return to the form that saw him catch 69...
