Sports category, Page 1507
Browns TE David Njoku happy with role, wants to stay in Cleveland
BEREA, Ohio — Browns tight end David Njoku has changed his mind — again. After asking to be traded by Cleveland a year ago, Njoku now says he is happy and comfortable with the Browns and has asked his agent to try and work out a contract extension with the...
WVU tries to escape Big 12’s bottom half in coach Neal Brown’s 3rd year
Coach Neal Brown pushed for patience as he took West Virginia through a rebuilding first season, then made a bit of progress in his second. The challenge in Year 3 is getting more noticeable results. The Mountaineers are going to need marked improvement on offense to challenge No. 2 Oklahoma,...
Minority coaches coalition works to put words into action
Maryland coach Mike Locksley launched the National Coalition for Minority Football Coaches a little more than a year ago, during a tumultuous summer of racial reckoning in the United States. The timing wasn’t necessarily part of Locksley’s plan. Long before the death of George Floyd sparked protests across the country,...
ACC volleyball coaches pick Pitt to win conference
The Pitt women’s volleyball team was picked to win the 2021 ACC championship, finishing first for the fourth consecutive year in the conference’s Preseason Coaches Poll, released Friday. When the ACC poll was released in 2013, Pitt was picked 13th, but its reputation grew steadily with ninth-, seventh-, fifth- and...
‘It’s time’: Star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist retires at 39
WASHINGTON — Henrik Lundqvist, one of the greatest goaltenders of his generation, announced his retirement Friday less than nine months after heart surgery. The 39-year-old Swede starred for years for the New York Rangers, where he piled up 459 wins along with a a 2.43 goals-against average and 64 shutouts...
Mark Madden: How would Roberto Clemente have fared in a few more seasons with Pirates?
Roberto Clemente’s birthday was this past Wednesday. If Clemente were still alive, Gregory Polanco would be his superior in right field, but only marginally. Keep in mind Clemente would be 87. Clemente’s birthday sparked debate over how the Pirates might have fared had Clemente not been killed in that New...
MLB to end 70-year partnership with Topps trading cards
Major League Baseball is ending a 70-year relationship with trading card company Topps after signing a new partnership with a rival company. The loss of the MLB partnership immediately scuttled a deal announced earlier this year that would have made Topps a publicly traded company. The special-purpose acquisition company Mudrick...
5 things to watch in Steelers preseason game vs. Lions
There hasn’t been an announced crowd of more than 5,909 paid patrons for a home Pittsburgh Steelers game since Dec. 15, 2019. In the 20 months since, a total of 15,949 officially have viewed the Steelers play at Heinz Field. Probably more than three times that number will be in...
Mookie Betts feeling ‘really good,’ eyes return soon to Dodgers
LOS ANGELES — Mookie Betts says he’s feeling “really, really good” and is eager to return soon to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ lineup from a stint on the injured list with right hip inflammation. The All-Star outfielder has been on the IL since Aug. 8. He was diagnosed with a...
Could John Calipari be on the verge of an incredibly rare recruiting achievement?
LEXINGTON, Ky. — For all of John Calipari’s massive recruiting success in the past decade-plus at Kentucky, there’s something the UK coach has never been able to pull off. In fact, it’s something that has been accomplished only once over a span of 25 recruiting cycles. Calipari could make it...
Nadal out of U.S. Open, ends season to heal injured foot
MADRID — Rafael Nadal pulled out of the U.S. Open on Friday and said he will not play tennis again this year because of a nagging foot injury. The Spaniard sat out both Wimbledon and the Olympics because of fatigue after losing to Novak Djokovic in the French Open semifinals....
First Call: Under-the-radar Steelers pass rushers draw national praise; Antonio Brown’s practice fight; Pirates’ familiar foe
Friday’s “First Call” puts stats behind some impressive Pittsburgh Steelers pass rushing efforts so far this preseason. Antonio Brown gets into a practice fight with a Tennessee Titans player. The Pirates try to find some solid ground in St. Louis. More news on Robert Morris ice hockey transfers. And Pittsburgh’s...
U mad, bro?: Readers express doubts about Dwayne Haskins, Joe Schobert; the Pirates’ rebuilding plan
If you were mad that this week’s “U mad, bro?” was delayed by a day, I apologize. I was at a work function in Las Vegas for two days. However miffed you may have been doesn’t even approach my level of anger with some of the cards I got on...
Pitt Take 5: Pat Narduzzi speaks of War Daddys, running backs and freshmen
The phrase pre-dates Pat Narduzzi’s coaching career by about three decades, but you can bet the Pitt coach knows a War Daddy when he sees one. War Daddy? It doesn’t take much research to discover that the phrase first was used by coach Harold “War Daddy” White at Perkinston Junior...
Pirates farm report for Aug. 19, 2021: Miguel Yajure strikes out 6 in Indy rehab start
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 43-49) lost to Toledo (Tigers), 5-2. RHP Miguel Yajure (.343) is continuing a rehab stint in the minors for a forearm injury and got the start after being reinstated from the 60-day IL. He allowed one run on two hits with six strikeouts and a walk in four...
This season will be last for CMU football coach Rich Lackner
Who knows how far the Carnegie Mellon football team will go this season, but the Tartans’ 2021 run will be the last chapter in the long career of coach Rich Lackner. CMU announced Thursday that Lackner, who has the most wins in program history, will retire at the conclusion of...
Mike McCarthy finally feels at home as Cowboys coach, but to stay, he must winVideo
FRISCO, Texas — North Texas finally feels like home for Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy. His family has relocated to Allen after spending much of last year in Green Bay because of the covid-19 pandemic. His stepson just started college at SMU. It all has given McCarthy, a Greenfield native,...
Thomas, Rahm open with 63s to share lead at Liberty NationalVideo
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Jon Rahm returned from a month off and played like he was never gone. Justin Thomas took the advice of a 15-year-old and had his lowest score of the year. Both opened with an 8-under-par 63 on Thursday at The Northern Trust as the PGA Tour’s...
Wazzu’s Nick Rolovich says he intends to follow vaccine mandate
PULLMAN, Wash. — Washington State coach Nick Rolovich said Thursday that he intends to follow a new state mandate requiring covid-19 vaccinations for all those working at the state’s colleges and universities, including coaches. Rolovich had said previously that he was not going to get the vaccine for personal reasons...
Pitt linebacker John Petrishen shows signs of growth
More than six years have passed since John Petrishen last roamed the halls of Central Catholic. So what was the deal Thursday with this 25-year-old man apologizing to anyone at the school who might be offended by his appearance? “I wouldn’t be allowed in there today,” Petrishen said. Do you...
Will Stephon Tuitt be ready for the regular-season opener for Steelers?
Cameron Heyward didn’t miss a beat Thursday. He answered the final question of an 11-minute conversation with media with conviction. Is there any concern his longtime running mate on the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive line, Stephon Tuitt, would be ready for the regular-season opener Sept. 12? “No,” is all Heyward said...
Penn State plans to use versatility on defense to maximize players’ potential
Penn State football long has prided itself on high-level defenses, and that hasn’t changed in the five years with defensive coordinator Brent Pry leading the way. The program frequently produces top-end talent — including two first-round picks in the 2021 NFL Draft — and finds its way near the top...
Ben Roethlisberger embraces chance to play in front of fans at Heinz Field after dismal end to 2020 season
The lasting memory of Ben Roethlisberger’s previous game at Heinz Field was of him sitting on the bench with Maurkice Pouncey, the two teammates soaking in the bitter disappointment of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 48-37 loss to the Cleveland Browns in an AFC wild-card game. Pouncey retired a month later. Roethlisberger...
Inside the ropes: Steelers’ Mason Rudolph the 2nd QB in, Dwayne Haskins with scout team
Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin indicated many of the other first-teamers would stay in the game Saturday after Ben Roethlisberger exited it. When that happens, it appears highly likely it again will be Mason Rudolph getting those reps with the projected starters. During a practice at Heinz Field that began...
Biles: Mental health advocacy part of post-Olympic tour
Simone Biles didn’t plan for her second Olympics to become a flashpoint in the evolving conversation about the role proper mental health plays in all levels of sports. Then again, she’s hardly complaining. If anything, she’s leaning into it. The American gymnastics star has no regrets about her decision to...
