Sports category, Page 1680
No Fun NHL? Restrictions help players appreciate hockey more
Instead of going out to dinner with his fiancee after coming home from practice, Brandon Carlo takes his dogs on long walks to get out of the house and enjoy some fresh air. “It’s nice that I can still do those things,” the Boston defenseman said. NHL players and their...
Fans from abroad unlikely for postponed Tokyo OlympicsVideo
TOKYO — The new president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee stopped short of saying there would be no foreign fans at this year’s games, but she certainly hinted at it Wednesday after online talks with IOC President Thomas Bach and others. The Japanese newspaper Mainichi reported Wednesday that the...
Mark Madden: Kasperi Kapanen’s effort, scoring a welcome sight in Penguins victory
When Sidney Crosby got put on the NHL’s covid list Tuesday with Philadelphia arriving in Pittsburgh for a three-game series, things looked ominous for the Penguins. A shaky season seemed teetering on the brink despite an 11-8-1 record that was more fluky than decent. But the Penguins stepped up and...
First Call: JuJu Smith-Schuster’s tug of war with a lion; spin on J.J.Watt’s signing; new home for ex-Steeler
Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster has an interesting new training partner. One of his ex-teammates has a new job. Perhaps some PR spin after J.J. Watt signed in Arizona. And the Cleveland Browns may swap out tight ends. It’s an all-NFL “First Call” for Wednesday morning. Watt do we think of...
30th anniversary of Penguins-Whalers trade: Why would Hartford ever give away Ron Francis?
As a Pittsburgh sports fan growing up in Connecticut, I wasn’t sure how to feel about the Penguins trade with the Hartford Whalers in March of 1991. I knew the players that the Penguins were getting were good and filled a need in Pittsburgh. But, man, John Cullen was fifth...
Pitt senior Nike Sibande embraces increased opportunities, takes brief look at 2021-22
Jeff Capel said he doesn’t worry about what people say about his team. There’s no need. “I don’t pay attention to what’s said or talked about or written because I’m in it. I know,” Pitt’s men’s basketball coach said. But he can’t expect his players to do the same. Young...
Tim Benz: Penguins plow through to-do list in Game 1 versus Flyers
I’d like to thank the Pittsburgh Penguins for being such loyal readers of “Breakfast With Benz.” Obviously, they are. Because based on Tuesday’s to-do list that we compiled for the team’s crucial three-game series against the Philadelphia Flyers, they took it very much to heart. And they checked every box...
Atlantic 10 Tournament sends Duquesne onto Richmond turf — to play Richmond
In an effort to minimize the effects of the coronavirus, the Atlantic 10 moved its tournament from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., to Richmond, Va., where two league schools — VCU and Richmond — this week will be the hosts for 12 of the 13 games. No. 9-seeded Duquesne...
JT Brubaker works to ‘unblend’ his pitches, stand out in Pirates’ starting rotation
After being asked to first buy into the bullpen then stretch out to become a starter for the Pittsburgh Pirates, JT Brubaker wants his breaking ball pitch path to follow that of his career arc. The right-hander spent his rookie season trying to blend in. Now, he wants to create...
This date in sports history: March 3Video
1920 — The Montreal Canadiens set an NHL record for most goals in a game with a 16-3 rout of the Quebec Bulldogs. 1951 — Temple’s Bill Mlkvy scores an NCAA-record 73 points in a 99-69 rout over Wilkes. 1966 — Buckpasser, ridden by Bill Shoemaker, wins the Flamingo Stakes...
Empty Thoughts: Penguins 5, Flyers 2Video
Observations from the Penguins’ 5-2 win against the Flyers: Bryan Rust seemed to appreciate the question. Either that or he thought it was stupid. Regardless, the Penguins’ do-everything forward gave a chuckle and smiled when it was pointed out that the team gets asked all the time about the penalty...
American Basketball Hall of Fame’s ‘greatest unsung players’ list includes local standouts
The American Basketball Hall of Fame out of Detroit prides itself on recognizing basketball stars of note who reached the doorstep but did not get into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. It is a tweeners’ delight. The new hall, which sprouted in 2019 due in large part to...
Penguins drop Flyers in first game with fans in attendance
Within the context of the past year, Tuesday was a great day for hockey. Fans, albeit a limited number of them, were allowed to enter PPG Paints Arena and cheer the Penguins while also booing the rival Philadelphia Flyers. It was the first time spectators who paid for entry were...
No. 4 Illinois makes statement, dismantles No. 2 MichiganVideo
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Andre Curbelo scored 11 of his 17 points in the first half, and No. 4 Illinois dismantled No. 2 Michigan with a smothering defensive performance, routing the Wolverines 76-53 on Tuesday night. Playing again without injured star Ayo Dosunmu, the Illini (19-6, 15-4) kept Michigan from...
Penguins fans eager to return to PPG Paints Arena
It was a great day for hockey — especially for Pittsburgh Penguins fans returning to PPG Paints Arena to enjoy the game in person. Tuesday night’s matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers marked the first hockey night in Pittsburgh with fans in attendance since last March. Gov. Tom Wolf eased some...
No. 6 WVU loses overtime thriller to No. 3 BaylorVideo
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Coach Scott Drew jumped on Mark Vital’s back after Baylor clinched the Big 12 championship, pointed a finger to the sky, then raced off the court ahead of his players to prepare for an even more raucous celebration. “I was able to beat them into the locker...
Pitt stops 5-game losing streak with victory against Wake Forest
Long before what remained of Pitt’s basketball team banded together to save what looked like a lost season, freshman William Jeffress did something that amazed coach Jeff Capel. And he did it days before the 70-57 victory against Wake Forest on Tuesday stopped Pitt’s five-game losing streak — away from...
Kevin Stefanski, Browns back at ‘square one’ after 2020 turnaround
CLEVELAND — Kevin Stefanski’s first season as an NFL coach was sublime, almost storybook. He ended Cleveland’s long playoff drought, won a postseason game — watching from his basement as he recovered from covid-19 — and guided his team around endless obstacles in a global pandemic to almost make the...
Penguins assistant coach Todd Reirden to miss game under covid-19 protocol
Pittsburgh Penguins assistant coach Todd Reirden will miss Tuesday’s home game against the Philadelphia Flyers at PPG Paints Arena because of protocol related to covid-19 protocol. No specifics on Reirden’s status beyond his absence from tonight’s game were provided. Reirden’s primary duties involve directing the team’s power play as well...
Cardinals’ all-out recruiting pitch brings J.J. Watt to the desertVideo
TEMPE, Ariz. — J.J. Watt didn’t lack for suitors when deciding where to continue his football career. The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year said there were four or five teams seriously in the hunt. But the more he looked at his options, the more the Arizona Cardinals made...
Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell rolls into Vegas on hot streakVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Michael McDowell was rolling along at Homestead-Miami Speedway when he saw another driver signal for a car to pass. When McDowell came upon the same driver, he wasn’t given the same courtesy. “I literally saw a driver wave another driver by, and then race me for the...
Wisconsin bills seek to ban transgender athletes
MADISON, Wis. — Transgender athletes would be banned from participating in girls and women’s sports in Wisconsin from kindergarten through college under bills introduced Tuesday by Republican lawmakers, proposals that come as more than a dozen other states consider similar measures. The Wisconsin proposal faces an almost certain veto from...
Big Ten confirms winning percentage to determine titleVideo
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Big Ten confirmed Tuesday its regular-season basketball championship will be determined based on winning percentage. Michigan, at 13-1 in conference play, is the current leader on the men’s side. Second-place Illinois, which is 14-4, played at Michigan on Tuesday night. The clarification from a league...
Braves’ Freddie Freeman celebrates his new baby ‘twins with a twist’Video
Freddie Freeman found a way to top the double honors of winning the NL MVP and Hank Aaron Award. The Atlanta Braves first baseman’s bigger thrill is having two new baby boys. He describes his babies, Brandon and Maximus Turner, as his “twins with a twist.” The twist is they...
Penguins recall forwards Josh Currie, Drew O’Connor
The Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday recalled forwards Josh Currie and Drew O’Connor from their taxi squad. Additionally, defenseman P.O Joseph was assigned from the NHL roster to the taxi squad, and forward Frederick Gaudreau was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League to the taxi squad. These transactions were...
