Sports category, Page 2084
Pitt basketball looks to carry momentum to Miami
For all the cranky comments about the progress of the Pitt basketball team, or the perceived lack of it, the fledgling Panthers find themselves with a golden opportunity Sunday to win over some of those “Doubting Thomases.” Or “Debbie Downers,” as coach Jeff Capel referred to his team’s detractors Friday...
Former Titans see game vs. Ravens as chance to avenge lossesVideo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Chris Johnson’s rookie season ended at Baltimore with his ankle so injured he missed the Pro Bowl. To Eddie George, a divisional-round loss to the Ravens after the 2000 season ranks as possibly his most painful. The Titans playing the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round Saturday...
Paul Newberry: Long layoff, regional dominance tarnish CFP title gameVideo
NEW ORLEANS — Gloomy clouds were lingering over the Big Easy as the contestants were scheduled to arrived for the so-called national championship game. The weather conditions Friday were an appropriate mood-setter. The tedious, 16-day-long break since the semifinals has largely stifled the momentum of the college football season, turning...
Pitt-Greensburg hoops building to historic season
A smile crawled across Matt Johnson’s face as he talked about his basketball team and its inner workings. “It’s been a lot of fun,” the junior point guard at Pitt-Greensburg said. “What we’re doing hasn’t happened by accident. It’s nice to see the whole team commit to the same thing...
How freshman Maceo Austin sets the tone for Duquesne men’s basketballVideo
There are a variety of reasons Duquesne will carry a 13-2 record into George Washington on Saturday. Among them: • Six players average at least nine points, led by junior forward Marcus Weathers (14.4), who is converting 60.6% of his shots. • Point guard Sincere Carry willingly guards the other...
Kyle Shanahan, Kirk Cousins on opposite sides for playoff meetingVideo
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Kirk Cousins starting the 49ers’ first playoff game at Levi’s Stadium was how coach Kyle Shanahan planned it when he took over in San Francisco in 2017. The surprise is Cousins is starting for the Minnesota Vikings instead of the Niners when the teams meet in...
Pirates avoid arbitration with Josh Bell; All-Star lands big raise
Josh Bell followed an All-Star season with a big bump in pay. The Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman agreed to a $4.8-million contract Friday for the upcoming season. That represents an 817% increase over his $587,000 salary of last year. Spurring Bell’s salary growth is the fact he had the necessary...
Penguins’ Dominik Kahun embracing role of 1st-line winger
DENVER — The Pittsburgh Penguins are approaching two weeks without All-Star forward Jake Guentzel, who likely is out for the season after surgery on his right shoulder following a violent crash into the boards during a Dec. 30 victory over Ottawa. In the aftermath of the Penguins being down their...
Saint Vincent adds men’s bowling
Men’s bowling is back at Saint Vincent. The college announced the addition of the sport, which was part of the Bearcats’ athletic program until 1982 but has been absent for 38 years. The club team will begin play in the fall and will be coached by Jeff Zidek, who also...
Strength coach Dave Andrews leaving Pitt for Iowa State
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi has described strength and conditioning coach Dave Andrews as “a highly disciplined coach who instills toughness in our entire program.” Now, Andrews will attempt to do the same for the Iowa State football program. Iowa State coach Matt Campbell announced Friday that Andrews will join the...
McKeesport’s Swin Cash named finalist for Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame
Former McKeesport basketball standout Swin Cash-Canal, who went on to star in college at Connecticut, in the WNBA and for Team USA in the Olympics, is one of 12 finalists for induction into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. The list of finalists, announced Thursday evening during the ESPN broadcast...
Mark Madden: Having 2 starting goalies not a bad situation for Penguins
Tristan Jarry leads the NHL in all three significant goaltending categories. Matt Murray’s stats are his career worst in goals-against average and save percentage. Yet the story of the Penguins’ goaltending situation is far from written. Murray is playing better. He has won three of his last four starts. He...
Pirates sign catcher John Ryan Murphy to minor-league contract
The catcher’s position was an offseason concern for the Pittsburgh Pirates, especially after they decided not to bring back Elias Diaz. The new management team addressed that personnel shortage by signing two free-agent catchers, including the most recent addition, John Ryan Murphy, 28. He signed a minor-league contract and will...
RB Kerrith Whyte shows worth to Steelers sought him, but will he be back in 2020?Video
The first time Kerrith Whyte carried the ball in an NFL regular-season game, he showed burst and ran 21 yards. It was the longest run of his rookie season, but it provided a glimpse of what Whyte can provide if deployed under the right circumstances. It also provided enough justification...
Tim Benz: Marcus Weathers a huge reason for Duquesne’s hot start
Here’s what Saint Louis University basketball coach Travis Ford said about Duquesne forward Marcus Weathers before the two teams tipped off Jan. 2. “I think Weathers has developed into one of the best players in the Atlantic 10,” Ford said. “He’s turned into an elite player. He gives you a...
From big-time Alabama recruit to the AAF to the Steelers, J.C. Hassenauer carving out role
Did a season that went from Iron to Steel provide J.C. Hassenauer with enough mettle to make it over the long term in the NFL? An interior offensive lineman who was part of a national championship team at Alabama, Hassenauer began last year as property of the Alliance of American...
Fantasy football industry looking into NFL Wild Card Weekend controversy
Controversy during last week’s NFL Wild Card Weekend wasn’t limited to pass-interference debates and arguments over the overtime format. No, it bled into the fantasy football world as well, courtesy of two former reality TV stars. A pair of alumni from “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” — Jade Roper Tolbert...
Tim Benz: Penguins GM Jim Rutherford is right to look for trade after Jake Guentzel’s injury
Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford stopped short of saying the Penguins would definitely make a trade to offset the loss of All-Star winger Jake Guentzel. Not by much, though. Speaking on his 105.9 the X radio show Wednesday night, Rutherford sounded like a GM well-aware of what he had lost....
After signing with Chicago Bears, Pitt product J.P. Holtz looks ahead to NFL future
When the call came, J.P. Holtz didn’t hesitate to get his things packed. The Shaler Area and Pitt graduate was released by the Washington Redskins in early September and was scrambling to try to catch on with the Chicago Bears a few days later. “It was pretty crazy,” Holtz said....
Bishop Canevin grad Shamyjha Price making progress at UMass LowellVideo
Clueless. That was among the words UMass Lowell women’s basketball coach Tom Garrick used to describe freshman Shamyjha Price. But wait … Price, unprompted, used the same word to describe herself. Garrick wasn’t insulting the Bishop Canevin grad. Price wasn’t down on herself, nor resorting to self-deprecating humor. The term...
North Allegheny grads Ehling, McGrath make impact for Princeton swimming
North Allegheny graduate John Ehling has been a pleasant surprise as a freshman on the Princeton men’s swimming team. “He’s developing into a solid distance swimmer,” Tiger coach Matt Crispino said. “We expect he’ll make some big contributions down the stretch.” Crispino said Ehling, the WPIAL Class AAA silver medalist...
North Allegheny grad plays starring role for Gannon water polo team
North Allegheny alum Drago Marjanovic gave Gannon men’s water polo an added boost after being named varsity Division II All-America by the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches. Marjanovic, 20, was one of eight players tabbed for the first team. “He is an international student and only a sophomore,” said...
Avalanche coach Jared Bednar learned from “Battleship” Kelly
After toiling for parts of 14 seasons in the ECHL and AHL as a coach, Jared Bednar finally reached the NHL when the Colorado Avalanche hired him to be coach during the 2016 offseason. In his three full seasons as coach, the Avalanche has improved from a non-playoff team to...
Giants coach Joe Judge, old-fashioned at 38, wants blue-collar teamVideo
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Joe Judge has every intention of bringing old-fashioned, blue-collar football back to the struggling New York Giants. Roughly three minutes after being introduced as coach of the Giants, the relative unknown 38-year-old disciple of two of football’s coaching greats set out to answer the question of...
Ravens, Lamar Jackson launch playoff run against underdog TitansVideo
BALTIMORE — Containing Lamar Jackson has been virtually impossible for opposing defenses this season, and now the task falls on the Tennessee Titans to find a way to slow down a versatile quarterback who is equally adept at running the ball and throwing downfield. “Other than try to tie his...
