Sports category, Page 1825
Steelers brace for ‘height, weight, speed’ of bruising Titans RB Derrick Henry
They faced a former Pro Bowl running back during each of the first three weeks of the season, and the Pittsburgh Steelers emerged with the NFL’s No. 1 rushing defense. But in Week 4, the Steelers’ defense is faced with its biggest challenge yet. Literally. The 6-foot-3, 247-pound Derrick Henry...
James Franklin, Penn State ready to embrace the ‘new normal’
It rained Tuesday in State College. James Franklin didn’t mind. In fact, Penn State’s football coach enjoyed it. “I would actually say it was even positive (Tuesday),” Franklin said via video conference Wednesday. “We had bad weather. We had rain, and we were able to get wet-ball work, which I...
Plum grad Alex Kirilloff becomes 1st position player in MLB history to record 1st big-league hit in postseason
First he got the call. Then he got the hit. Former Plum standout Alex Kirilloff recorded his first Major League hit Wednesday afternoon in the Minnesota Twins’ wild card matchup with the Houston Astros at Minnesota’s Target Field. Kirilloff delivered in the bottom of the fourth, scorching a pitch from...
Pitt, linebacker Phil Campbell prepare for strong N.C. State ground game
Phil Campbell III is a senior communications major who has moved from safety to two distinctly different outside linebacker positions in his five seasons at Pitt. He has adapted well. Now, he has other important tasks to complete, such as minimizing the complications inherent to playing in a pandemic, getting...
Titans’ Mike Vrabel remembers life, coaching lessons gleaned from NFL start with Steelers
Long before he became an NFL All Pro or won three Super Bowl rings or even became an NFL starter — and certainly long before he became head coach of the Tennessee Titans — Mike Vrabel was a draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Long remembered and known now for...
Pitt-Greensburg women’s basketball coach resigns
Pitt-Greensburg is looking for a new women’s basketball coach after Hayley Schaetzle resigned Tuesday. Schaetzle stepped down to join her husband Thurman, who is an assistant coach at Canisius College, and is moving with him in Buffalo. She was named the 2019-20 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year...
Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger sharing the wealth among pass-catchers
Last season, only four Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers or tight ends caught touchdown passes. This season, it took only three games to eclipse that mark. Furthermore, in 2019 only four Steelers wide receivers or tight ends were targeted by an average of at least two passes per game. This season,...
Penn State product Mike Gesicki hopes to polish TD celebrations with DolphinsVideo
MIAMI — Miami Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki concedes his latest touchdown celebration was too slow to develop. After Gesicki made a leaping catch at the goal line last week in Jacksonville, there were fist pumps and hugs before he pushed two teammates away to simulate playing cards with Durham...
Clairton’s Lamont Wade among contenders to serve as return man for Penn StateVideo
Coach James Franklin’s program is still waiting to learn a time and television designation for this year’s opener at Indiana on Oct. 24, but there is still plenty to talk about. The topic we’re diving into this week is the return game, especially now that KJ Hamler is a Denver...
Pirates GM reiterates support for Oneil Cruz, expects him to be available for spring training
Despite being involved in an accident that killed three people in the Dominican Republic, the Pittsburgh Pirates are expecting top prospect Oneil Cruz to be able to play next season. “No reason to believe he wouldn’t be available for spring training, full participant,” Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said...
Pirates GM Ben Cherington starts search for new farm director, says other changes coming
Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Wednesday that changes are coming to the player development system, indicating that farm director Larry Broadway will be taking on a new role within the organization. Broadway, 39, oversaw the Pirates’ farm system, ranked No. 16 by MLB.com, for nine years, serving as...
Dining renovations planned for PPG Paints Arena
The Penguins and Aramark announced a series of renovations related to dining at the decade-old PPG Paints Arena. According to a release from the team, these changes are purported to create a contactless experience in a post-coronavirus environment. Some of the changes include self-checkout scanners, self-ordering kiosks, mobile ordering, a...
NFL postpones Steelers-Titans game until Monday or Tuesday
A Week 4 matchup between division leaders and unbeaten AFC teams could take place Monday night. Tuesday is a possibility, too. What is certain is the Pittsburgh Steelers’ game at the Tennessee Titans won’t happen Sunday afternoon as scheduled. The NFL announced Wednesday the game was postponed “to allow additional...
Pitt women’s soccer team off to best start in program historyVideo
As the coronavirus pandemic continued to alter the status quo, athletes spent much of their spring and summer wondering what would become of their seasons. Members of the Pitt women’s soccer team were no different. Sophomore forward Amanda West called the wait “anxiety-inducing” — mostly because the Panthers were so...
Mark Madden: Titans need to treat covid like an injury; game against Steelers should be played
At Monday’s media session, coach Mike Tomlin said the Steelers were told to proceed as if Sunday’s game at Tennessee will be played despite the Titans’ covid outbreak. It may yet take place. But it will be played Monday or Tuesday, not Sunday. Further postponement via juggling bye weeks seems...
Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger to unable-to-practice Titans: Deal with it
The Tennessee Titans might be forced to play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday without the benefit of a practice in the week leading up to it. Some have suggested this puts the Titans at an unfair disadvantage, but Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger sent a subtle yet unmistakable message for his...
Seattle, Las Vegas set for WNBA Finals matchup
For the fourth time in five seasons the best two teams in the WNBA will square off for the championship when Seattle and Las Vegas play in the finals. The best-of-five series begins Friday night. Las Vegas needed to beat Connecticut in a decisive fifth game of the semifinals Tuesday...
Curses! Postseason losses continue for long-suffering teams
It was not a good start to the Major League Baseball postseason for those who don’t believe in curses. The Minnesota Twins and Oakland Athletics extended their string of postseason futility Tuesday with losses in the openers of their respective best-of-three, wild-card series. If they don’t win Game 2 on...
Offensive numbers off the charts 3 weeks into NFL season
The NFL has never had a start to a season like this one when it comes to offensive production. Through three weeks, teams have combined for 51 points per game, 738.2 yards per game and a 96.3 passer rating, the most ever at this juncture of an NFL season. Only...
Serena Williams pulls out of French Open with hurt Achilles
PARIS — Saying she is “struggling to walk,” Serena Williams ended her latest bid for a 24th Grand Slam title and withdrew from the French Open before her second-round match Wednesday because of an injured Achilles heel. Williams hurt herself during her semifinal loss at the U.S. Open three weeks...
Even if Titans’ game is delayed, Sunday could still be impactful for Steelers
Even if their game against the Tennessee Titans is rescheduled because of coronavirus concerns, there are lots of key AFC games Sunday with direct implications for the Steelers. With or without the local team in action, it’s going to be an NFL-viewing buffet. If they do move the Steelers’ 1...
First Call: T.J. Watt’s historic pace, John Harbaugh not happy after K.C. loss, Gerrit Cole in playoff form
Wednesday’s “First Call” puts T.J. Watt’s hot start in a statistical perspective. John Harbaugh doesn’t have answers for his team’s defeat versus the Kansas Chiefs. Gerrit Cole is off to a hot start in the playoffs. And some unbelievable numbers about sports gambling. What’s Watt? How good has T.J. Watt...
Tim Benz: Covid-19 infection may not be Titans’ fault, but it’s also not the Steelers’ problem
Unless we find evidence to the contrary, Steelers fans shouldn’t blame the Tennessee Titans for being the first NFL team to become a covid-19 hotspot. Even if that news results in Sunday’s game between the clubs getting postponed or forfeited. At least three players and five others within the Titans...
No debate: Aaron Judge, Yankees pound Bieber, Indians in openerVideo
CLEVELAND — Aaron Judge smashed a tone-setting, two-run homer on Shane Bieber’s fourth pitch, Gerrit Cole struck out 13 and the New York Yankees opened the AL playoffs with a resounding 12-3 win over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night. Just a few miles from where the Trump-Biden presidential debate...
LeBron James, Heat together again at the NBA FinalsVideo
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — LeBron James wants to beat the Miami Heat. The Miami Heat want to beat LeBron James. These shouldn’t be surprising notions to anyone, not with a title at stake. Those looking for more acrimony than that, well, they may be disappointed. The NBA Finals start...
