Sports category, Page 1660
Justin Champagnie will look into NBA Draft process, leave door open for return to Pitt
Justin Champagnie is taking the first step toward the NBA while leaving room for his return to Pitt for the 2021-22 season. Coach Jeff Capel announced Tuesday that Champagnie, who was an honorable-mention All-American and first-team All-ACC as a sophomore this season, will test the NBA Draft process. The process....
NCAA President Mark Emmert agrees to meet protesting players after March Madness
The National College Players Association said Tuesday that NCAA President Mark Emmert has informed a group of basketball players who started a social media campaign to protest inequities in college sports that he will meet with them after March Madness. NCPA executive director Ramogi Huma said in a statement he...
Steelers terminate contract of CB Steve Nelson
Unable to find a trade partner for cornerback Steve Nelson, the Pittsburgh Steelers terminated his contract Tuesday afternoon. The decision, which cleared $8.25 million in salary-cap space, came four days after reports surfaced the Steelers were giving permission to Nelson to seek a trade and less than an hour after...
Pirates Rule 5 pick Luis Oviedo confident he can make leap from Class A to major leagues
Luis Oviedo can laugh now, but on that December day, it was mostly confusing. His agent called to tell the right-hander the New York Mets had selected him from the Cleveland Indians in the Rule 5 Draft, telling Oviedo he was free to contact family and share the news. “And...
Pitt pauses scheduled spring drills because of covid protocols
Pitt football hit a roadblock in its spring drills Tuesday when all in-person activities were paused because of covid-related protocols. Players and coaches will continue to meet virtually, the university announced. The university said last week it has seen an 83% spike in new covid cases. Campuses in Oakland, Greensburg,...
Jim Litke: March was bound to be mad; NCAA tourney hasn’t disappointed
Considering how everything else has gone this past year, March was bound to be mad. So far, it hasn’t disappointed. The last perfect NCAA Tournament bracket was busted before the first round was over. The second round just wrapped with an even dozen upsets already in the books — a...
In terms of chaos, this year’s NCAA Sweet 16 field is historic
By at least one measure, this is the most chaotic Sweet 16 field to date. The seed numbers of the 16 remaining teams add up to 94, the highest total since the NCAA Tournament expanded in 1985. The previous record of 89 was set in 1986. This year’s regional semifinals...
Trio of upsets mark 2nd day of women’s NCAA Tournament
After an opening day of top seeds holding serve, the women’s NCAA Tournament became a little less predictable Monday as double-digit seeds BYU, Belmont and Wright State advanced. No. 11 BYU got things started with a 69-66 victory over sixth-seeded Rutgers for the tournament’s first upset. Wright State, seeded 13th,...
First Call: Steelers in touch with 2 draft targets; tempers flare after former Penguins goalie prospect gets 1st win
Tuesday’s “First Call” features some national media types who aren’t high on the Steelers offseason. We track some Steelers scouting efforts in advance of the draft. The Baltimore Ravens aren’t giving up on their quest for a free-agent wide receiver. And a new definition of “puck battle” emerges to help...
Penguins need sweep of woeful Sabres after yielding points to Devils last week
As the 2021 Penguins know by this point, you can’t take goals out of your own net. Just ask goalie Tristan Jarry following that overtime wrap-around score by the New Jersey Devils Sunday afternoon, courtesy of Jesper Bratt. Jesper Bratt’s beautiful OT winner #NJDevils: @NJDevils pic.twitter.com/zSKfFVodeU— SiriusXM NHL Network Radio...
This date in sports history: March 23
1939 — Long Island University finishes the season undefeated after a 44-32 victory over Loyola of Chicago in the NIT championship. 1948 — Alex Groza and Ralph Beard combine for 26 points to lead Kentucky to a 58-42 win over Baylor in the NCAA basketball championship. 1956 — Bill Russell...
Tim Benz: Holes on Steelers roster only outnumbered by questions about how to patch them
The latest Steelers free-agent departure is reserve outside linebacker Ola Adeniyi. Like fellow pass rusher Bud Dupree, he went to the Tennessee Titans. Of all the offseason defections thus far, Adeniyi’s pinch will probably be felt the least. He only participated in 14% of the defensive snaps. His 63% of...
Column: Love him or hate him, Gragson has NASCAR talking
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Oh, Noah Gragson, what have you done now? Nothing, according to NASCAR, which went with a no-call by not penalizing Gragson for backing into Daniel Hemric’s car on pit road at Atlanta Motor Speedway over the weekend. Nobody was fined, either, for the post-race scuffle after that...
Penguins assign forward Sam Miletic to Wilkes-Barre/ScrantonVideo
The Penguins have assigned forward Sam Miletic from their taxi squad to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL). Miletic, 23, has appeared in six AHL games this season and has two points (one goal, one assist). During the 2019-20 season, Miletic appeared in 62 AHL games, scored 32 points...
Texans QB Deshaun Watson facing 6 more sexual assault lawsuitsVideo
HOUSTON (AP) — Six more women filed lawsuits Monday accusing Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual assault and harassment, bringing the total number of such lawsuits against the NFL player to 13. The claims in the six new suits, which were filed in a Harris County state district court,...
Another ugly stat line for Mitch Keller, but this time Pirates see progress
The line in the box score for Mitch Keller’s fourth start of spring training wasn’t significantly better than it was for any of the previous three. Monday, eight of the 17 batters he faced reached base. But the precocious Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander and his manager insist that the 71-pitch outing...
Westmoreland campus clippings: GCC grad Stowovy enters NCAA transfer portal
Brittany Stawovy is on the move. After completing a four-year playing career at West Virginia Wesleyan, the senior basketball player has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal. Stawovy, a Greensburg Central Catholic graduate, is unable to continue with a post-grad program, so she is looking to play one more season somewhere...
Roger Penske bullish on large crowd for Indianapolis 500
A fully vaccinated Roger Penske is hard at work at Indianapolis Motor Speedway preparing for a full season of racing that will include spectators at his showcase event. There will be fans at this year’s Indianapolis 500, Penske said Monday, but how many remains a moving target based on covid-19...
Pirates knuckleballer Steven Wright unafraid to confront his ‘dark past’
Steven Wright can talk at great length about the knuckleball. • How he doesn’t recommend it for a young pitcher: “Ain’t nobody going out there trying to draft a knuckleball guy,” he said. • How it saved his career: “I was 26 years -old, in Double-A for the fifth year....
Jared Oliva, Edgar Santana among those removed from Pirates’ spring roster
After entering spring training viewed as sleepers for roles for the Pittsburgh Pirates’ regular-season roster, Jared Oliva and Edgar Santana were among those officially dropped from consideration Monday. Outfielder Oliva and right-hander Santana were optioned to the minor leagues and infielder Kevin Kramer and right-hander Shea Spitzbarth were reassigned to...
Duquesne gets commitment from Division II forward R.J. Gunn
Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot’s venture into the NCAA transfer market led to a verbal commitment Monday from 6-foot-7, 245-pound forward R.J. Gunn. Next chapter ?✍️ pic.twitter.com/ZqkY5rb9Ef— RJ Gunn (@gunn_rj) March 22, 2021 Gunn, who spent the past four seasons at Division II Lenoir-Rhyne in Hickory, N.C., announced on Twitter his...
NCAA Tournament roundup: Oregon routs second-seeded IowaVideo
Chris Duarte scored 23 points, and Oregon showed no signs of rust after a long layoff, beating No. 2 seed Iowa, 95-80, on Monday to reach the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in the past five NCAA Tournaments. The seventh-seed Ducks (21-6) were put in an unprecedented spot, advancing...
Los Angeles Lakers legend, Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor dies at 86Video
LOS ANGELES — Elgin Baylor changed the very direction of basketball when he joined the NBA and brought his vertical feats of athletic brilliance to a largely horizontal game. He filled scoresheets and sparked young imaginations with his trailblazing aerial style, and every high-flying player of the past 60 years...
Lawyers battle over ‘race-norming’ in NFL dementia tests
PHILADELPHIA — The class counsel for thousands of retired players suing the NFL pledged Monday to try to remove race as a factor in dementia testing, but lawyers for Black players demanded he release the data on payouts by race in the $1 billion concussion settlement. They argue that Black...
Former Steelers OLB Ola Adeniyi signs 1-year contract with Titans
Continuing their raid on former Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebackers, the Tennessee Titans on Monday agreed to terms with Ola Adeniyi on a one-year contract. NFL Network, citing Adeniyi’s agent as the source, reported the signing. This deal, of course, pales in comparison to the five-year, $82.5 million contract that the...
