Sports category, Page 1494
Steelers acquire veteran CB Ahkello Witherspoon via trade with Seahawks
When the Pittsburgh Steelers’ initial 53-man roster was revealed this week, there were hints it wouldn’t be the group that took the field for the regular-season opener Sept. 12. Friday became the latest proof. The Steelers acquired veteran cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon via a trade with the Seahawks, sending a 2023...
Mark Madden: When it comes to NFL and vaccines, ‘dependability is more important than ability’
New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick says he didn’t cut quarterback Cam Newton because Newton declined to get a covid vaccination. But absolutely, he did. Belichick just wasn’t dumb enough to say it out loud like Jacksonville Jaguars coach Urban Meyer. Belichick doesn’t necessarily appear to be pro- or anti-vaccine,...
NHL reaches agreement to send players to Olympics in Beijing
NHL players are set to return to the Olympics in Beijing this winter after reaching an agreement with international officials. The league, its players’ union, the International Olympic Committee and the International Ice Hockey Federation struck a deal Friday that will put the best players in the world back on...
Wilmer Difo’s Wrigley Field pop-up mishap comically foreshadowed by ex-Pirate Sean Casey
During a radio appearance on WDVE on Thursday, former Pirate and Upper St. Clair native Sean Casey told a laugh-out-loud story about playing at Wrigley Field. Little did he know that the punchline would be recreated by his hometown team later that night. The Pirates are in the middle of...
No. 12 Wisconsin, No. 19 Penn State eager for fresh starts
MADISON, Wisc. — Wisconsin and Penn State believe they are ready to contend for Big Ten titles again after struggling through uncharacteristically inconsistent seasons amid unusual circumstances last year. Both should have plenty of motivation heading into Saturday’s season-opening Big Ten matchup between the 12th-ranked Badgers and 19th-ranked Nittany Lions....
UCF rallies to beat Boise State 36-31
ORLANDO, Fla. — Isaiah Bowser rushed 172 yards, including the the go-ahead touchdown with a little over four minutes remaining, and UCF rallied to beat Boise State 36-10 on Thursday night in a game that began almost three hours late because of lightning-caused delays. Boise State stormed out to a...
No. 24 Utah pulls away to beat Weber State 40-17 after delay
SALT LAKE CITY — Charlie Brewer threw for 233 yards and two touchdowns in his Utah debut to help the No. 24 Utes beat Weber State 40-17 on Thursday night. Dalton Kincaid caught four passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns in the opener for both teams. Tavion Thomas ran...
No. 4 Ohio State outlasts Minnesota 45-31 in Stroud’s debut
MINNEAPOLIS — C.J. Stroud’s mind was not right as he sparred with first-game jitters, feeling “kind of all over the place” in his debut as Ohio State’s starting quarterback. Playing for the Buckeyes comes with plenty of pressure. It also brings plenty of help. Stroud passed for 294 yards and...
First Call: Jordan Berry finds new team; Steelers will like this ESPN prediction; Bills’ Josh Allen ripe for regression?
Ex-Steelers punter Jordan Berry already has a new job. It comes with an ironic twist. Steelers fans will like one bold prediction from ESPN.com but probably will hate a second one. Also, a statistical warning for the Steelers’ opening opponent. And those who remain from the Robert Morris hockey program...
Pitt Take 5: Pat Narduzzi says his flavor of the week is not vanilla
With no preseason games to test their training wheels, college football teams march right into the action with a real game that counts. Sometimes, it’s against an obviously weaker opponent. Sometimes, it’s a Power 5 team that generates buzz. Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi is 5-1 in season openers, but the...
Tim Benz: Adam ‘PacMan’ Jones calls Steelers ‘dirtiest’ team in the NFL during hilarious rant
The rivalry between the Steelers and Bengals may not be as bloodthirsty as it was five or six years ago. But you’d never know that by listening to former Bengal Adam “PacMan” Jones. The former Cincinnati defensive back has made no bones about continuing his disdain for the Steelers into...
Cubs win in 11th inning walk-off when Pirates 2B Wilmer Difo misses pop fly
The Pittsburgh Pirates had blown a three-run lead, rallied to tie the game in the ninth inning and put the Chicago Cubs in a spot where they had run out of position players in extra innings. Somehow, the Pirates found a new way to lose. Second baseman Wilmer Difo turned...
This date in sports history: Sept. 3Video
1921 — The U.S. defeats Japan in five straight matches to win the Davis Cup. 1932 — Ellsworth Vines wins the men’s singles title in the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association championships with a three-set victory over France’s Henri Cochet. 1944 — Frank Parker wins the men’s singles title with a...
Pirates farm report for Sept. 2, 2021: Quinn Priester spins 6 scoreless for Greensboro
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 50-54) handled Iowa (Cubs), 6-2. Newly promoted SS Diego Castillo (.667) went 4 for 4 with a walk, an RBI and three runs scored. Castillo was acquired from the Yankees in the Clay Holmes trade at the deadline. LF Jared Oliva (.264) went 2 for 4 with a...
Colts’ Carson Wentz still weighing options after return from covid listVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Carson Wentz spent three days attending Zoom meetings and rehabbing his injured left foot at home. The Indianapolis Colts quarterback also used the time to think about how to avoid another trip to the reserve/covid-19 list. On Thursday, Wentz returned to practice still unvaccinated but with a stronger...
Novak Djokovic eyeing calendar-year Slam at U.S. Open
NEW YORK — Novak Djokovic missed an overhead along the way to getting broken for the only time Thursday night and stared at a man in the Arthur Ashe Stadium stands who made noise during the point. After breaking right back in the next game of his second-round victory at...
Seton Hill football dodges bullet, beats Wheeling in opener
Playing for the first time in almost two years, Seton Hill caught a break and opened its season with a 16-14 victory over Wheeling University on Thursday night at Offutt Field. Wheeling missed a potential game-winning, 26-yard field goal with 1:17 to play because of a botched snap. Seton Hill...
Le’Veon Bell, Todd Gurley, Adrian Peterson among unsigned big namesVideo
NEW YORK — They were once at the top of the NFL — league MVPs, All-Pros, Pro Bowlers and faces of franchises. With the regular season about to kick off, they’re now at the front of the unemployment line. Cam Newton, Adrian Peterson, Le’Veon Bell, Todd Gurley and Richard Sherman...
5 things to watch in WPIAL football Week 1: Teams roll with covid cancellations
If high school football teams were hoping covid shutdowns were left behind in 2020, this week shows they’re not gone yet. In all, four Week 1 matchups were canceled. Scheduled games between Riverview and Chartiers-Houston, Beaver and Central Valley, Hopewell and Blackhawk, Butler and Erie High, and Westinghouse and Kirtland...
Trib HSSN don’t-miss high school football matchups for 2021 Week 1
In what we hope is not a flashback to last year, five area high school football games slated for this holiday weekend have been postponed due to covid-19 related issues. Beaver at Central Valley, Hopewell at Blackhawk, Riverview at Chartiers-Houston, Kirtland (Ohio) at Westinghouse and Butler at Erie have been...
Cantlay starts with lead and keeps his distance after 1st round of Tour ChampionshipVideo
ATLANTA — Patrick Cantlay met his goal in the first round of the Tour Championship on Thursday, and it had nothing to do with the score on his card or the size of his lead. As the top seed in the FedEx Cup, he started with a two-shot lead over...
Ex-NFL player Keith McCants, 53, found dead in Florida home
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Former NFL player Keith McCants was found dead Thursday at his home in Florida after a suspected drug overdose, investigators said. He was 53. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said in an email that deputies were called to a St. Petersburg home about 5:10 a.m. Thursday....
After long days, short nights, Pat Narduzzi says Pitt prepared for opening day
College and NFL coaches might be the only people who won’t get offended or embarrassed if you ask where they sleep at night. “In the couch, over there,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said Thursday afternoon in a conference room adjacent to his office. But he emphasized he hasn’t done so...
Penguins add to goalie depth, sign journeyman Louis Domingue
The Penguins signed a goaltender who figures to slot in at No. 3 on the organizational depth chart, adding Louis Domingue on a one-year deal Thursday. Domingue, 29, signed a two-way contract that will pay him $750,000 when at the NHL level and $300,000 when he’s in the minors. He...
Former Chartiers Valley, Duquesne star Christian Kuntz relishes making Steelers rosterVideo
Told he had recently become the second-highest paid active professional athlete from Chartiers Valley High School, new Pittsburgh Steelers long snapper Christian Kuntz revealed he had plans to go out to lunch with the one former Colts star who maintains a sizable financial lead on him. “He’s paying,” Kuntz said...
