Sports category, Page 2049
Mark Madden: Changes to Rooney Rule should have trickle-up effect
The Rooney Rule that promotes minority hiring in the NFL is a noble idea and very worthy of having the late Dan Rooney’s name attached. But right now, it’s just not working. Minorities fill four head coaching jobs in the NFL and two general manager slots. The Rooney Rule requires...
‘U mad, bro?’: Fans hot over Harrison’s envelope, Pirates payroll, Crosby comparisons
This week’s “U mad, bro?” hits on the Pittsburgh Steelers, Penguins and Pirates alike. So all the Pittsburgh pro sports fan bases can be satisfied with those who are unsatisfied! We look for balance here at “Breakfast With Benz,” and we aim to please. Or agitate. Whatever comes first. It...
First Call: How to bet on Big Ben. Why some national guys won’t. Bad options for his backup.Video
In Wednesday’s “First Call,” we look at how you should — or shouldn’t — bet on some individual Pittsburgh Steelers. One national take on the Steelers I like. One I don’t. And the ugly reality of the NFL quarterback situation. Who wants to bet big on Big Ben? FoxBet.com has...
Curtis Martin on Pitt Hall of Fame, advice for James Conner, beating Steelers in playoffs
Curtis Martin’s relationship with football has always been complicated. Especially since it seems like the sport chased him more than he pursued it. Martin’s mother, Rochella, essentially dragged her son onto the field to keep him occupied and out of trouble. So, for his senior year at Taylor Allderdice High...
Oakland A’s skip Coliseum rent paymentVideo
OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland Athletics have refused to pay $1.2 million required under contract to use the Coliseum, the head of the stadium authority confirmed Tuesday. A’s executives told Coliseum Authority interim executive director Henry Gardner they had “no ability to pay” the annual payment, due April 1. An...
Power 5 conferences spend big on lobbying Congress about athlete compensationVideo
The Power 5 conferences spent $350,000 on lobbying in the first three months of 2020, more than they had previously spent in any full year, as part of a coordinated effort to influence Congress on legislation affecting the ability of college athletes to earn endorsement money. The SEC was the...
Senior Spotlight: Waynesburg senior had storied high school career even without final season
Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight WPIAL spring athletes whose senior years were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. When Waynesburg senior Luke Robinson was younger, he was always playing with the older kids. His brother Hunter had started playing baseball a few years before him, so when...
Nationals to unveil World Series rings in virtual ceremonyVideo
WASHINGTON — The Washington Nationals will unveil their World Series championship rings during a “virtual” ceremony shown on television and online Sunday — an unprecedented approach brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. With the start of the MLB season on hold because of the covid-19 outbreak, Nationals owner Mark Lerner...
Live sports draw strong TV ratings over weekend
Fans who had been starving for live sporting events had their appetites sated last weekend. At least a little. Network executives knew the first weekend with multiple live events would draw good numbers, but, for the most part, they exceeded expectations. The Bundesliga’s return drew record numbers on Fox Sports...
NFLPA president Tretter says ‘hurdles’ remain for NFL to get backVideo
CLEVELAND — Browns center JC Tretter is cautiously optimistic the NFL season — at least some version of it — will take place in 2020. He is just not certain when it will start. The newly elected president of the NFL Players Association, Tretter said Tuesday the covid-19 virus outbreak...
Steelers, other NFL teams reopen facilities with government OKVideo
A limited number of NFL teams reopened their training facilities Tuesday, while many are prohibited by government restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic. Commissioner Roger Goodell gave the 32 clubs the go-ahead for limited reopenings as long as state and local municipalities allow them. Coaching staffs and all players except those...
Tom Brady, small group of Buccaneers teammates work out in TampaVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — Tom Brady isn’t letting the coronavirus pandemic — or NFL rules against players working out at team facilities — keep him from preparing for a new season with his new Tampa Bay team. Brady gathered some of his Buccaneers teammates on a high school field early Tuesday...
Penguins’ foundation receives award from FBI for opioid charity work
The Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation has received the 2019 Director’s Community Leadership Award from the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office for its opioid addiction charity efforts. According to a press release, the foundation works with FBI Pittsburgh’s Heroin Outreach Prevention and Education initiative. The foundation provided a Penguins game experience to students...
2 Pitt softball seniors will return after pandemic interrupted spring season
Pitt softball seniors Walker Barbee and Connor McGaffic will take advantage of the extra year of eligibility granted to spring sports student-athletes by the NCAA, ACC and Pitt and return to school next season. Spring sports ended prematurely this year in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic. Barbee, a 2019...
On the Fringe: U.S. Open loses part of its identityVideo
The U.S. Open lost a big part of its identity. And it has nothing to do with par. For years, the USGA has boasted — and rightly so — it was the most democratic of all majors. Half of the 156-man field had to go through some form of qualifying...
Pitt, Penn State, Duquesne athletes beat national averages in classroom progress
Student-athletes from Penn State, Pitt and Duquesne surpassed national averages in academic progress over the past four years, according to data released Tuesday by the NCAA. At Penn State, a school-record 20 teams earned perfect APR scores of 1,000 during the 2018-19 academic year, an increase of seven from the...
Commentary: Michael Jordan doc ‘The Last Dance’ had 4 glaring problemsVideo
NEW YORK — The Michael Jordan documentary wrapped up Sunday, and here’s the final verdict: good, not great. Charles Barkley, not Michael Jordan. The highest bar for recent documentaries is HBO’s “Diego Maradona,” which complemented its tremendous footage with a fearless and honest look at a megastar’s vast indiscretions. “The...
WPIAL alumni Ian Happ, LaVar Arrington pass on valuable, virtual advice to alma maters
Mt. Lebanon baseball coach Pat McCloskey was exchanging texts back and forth with a former player on a random Monday night. Out of the blue, that former player, who just happened to be Chicago Cubs utility man Ian Happ, asked if the longtime Blue Devils coach could set up a...
Pirates, Pittsburgh Police officers team with Topps to launch baseball card program
The Pittsburgh Pirates are teaming with Topps and cops. Pirates Charities, the Topps Company and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Officers are combining to launch a baseball card program to encourage positive youth behavior. The cards, designed by Topps, will feature Pirates players and City of Pittsburgh Police officers. They...
Penguins A to Z: Nathan Legare proves his valueVideo
While the NHL is on hold because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 55 individuals under NHL contract with the organization, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to high-profile trade acquisition Jason Zucker. Player: Nathan Legare Position: Right winger...
NFL adopts changes to Rooney Rule, providing more chances for minority, female candidates
The Rooney Rule will be getting a makeover this season. NFL owners agreed to changes Tuesday that will expand requirements for teams to interview minority and female candidates for on-field and off-field positions, including coordinator, head coach, general manager and other front-office positions. Under the amendments announced as part of...
Primetime: NASCAR set for first Wednesday start since 1984Video
DARLINGTON, S.C. — Whenever Joey Logano doesn’t cross the finish line first at a NASCAR Cup Series race he says he tends to have the same thought: “Golly, I wish I could do that again.” The 2018 NASCAR champion and rest of the field will get to do it again:...
Norwin grad Steve Petrick to play final year of college football at Maine
Steve Petrick thinks he still has something to give college football, and he plans to make his final season count. “One hundred percent,” he said. But Petrick will have to put that punctuation mark on his meandering career at another new school — his fourth in as many years. A...
Belmont set for June 20 without fans, leads off Triple CrownVideo
The Belmont Stakes will be run June 20 in New York without fans and serve as the opening leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown for the first time in the sport’s history. The New York Racing Association on Tuesday unveiled the rescheduled date for the Belmont, which also will be...
Controversy, intensity, sharp elbows marked previous chapters of Pitt/Duquesne rivalry
The Pitt/Duquesne basketball rivalry has cooled over the years. In 2020, for the second consecutive season, it won’t appear on the Pittsburgh sports calendar. Yet there are several moments that made it the most intense rivalry in the city’s history. Duquesne’s Andy Sisinni played in nine of the 87 games...
