Sports category, Page 2560
Mark Madden: Steelers must excise destructive Antonio Brown
Owner/president Art Rooney said it would be “hard to envision” Antonio Brown at Pittsburgh Steelers training camp. That sounds like a one-way ticket to Palookaville, even though the Steelers would have to absorb a $21.1 million cap hit if they Brown. But if a bum tooth hurts bad enough, you...
Colts hope history repeats vs. Chiefs; K.C. hopes to reverse fortunes
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Given the postseason history involving Indianapolis and Kansas City over the years, Andrew Luck and the Colts have every reason to feel confident heading to Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday. The Chiefs have every reason to believe they are due. Four times the teams have met in...
Duquesne coach Dambrot wants more commitment from players
Keith Dambrot doesn’t believe coaching Duquesne’s basketball team is the same as beating his head against a wall, but he’s prepared in any case. He is hard-headed enough to keep pushing his team toward its potential, even if the players insist on going kicking and screaming. When Dambrot was a...
Pirates avoid arbitration with Corey Dickerson, Keone Kela
The Pittsburgh Pirates avoided the sometimes-messy arbitration process, beating the deadline by agreeing to one-year contracts with Corey Dickerson and Keone Kela on Friday. Dickerson became the Pirates’ starting left fielder last season after a spring-training trade from the Tampa Bay Rays, and Kela became their top set-up man after...
Seven Pitt seniors chosen for all-star games
Seven Pitt seniors have been invited to put on a show for NFL coaches and scouts at three all-star games this month. Offensive lineman Connor Dintino, defensive end Dewayne Hendrix and linebacker Elijah Zeise will play in the SPIRAL Tropical Bowl on Sunday in Daytona Beach, Fla. Running backs Darrin...
Steelers hire veteran NFL defensive assistant Teryl Austin
Some who follow the Pittsburgh Steelers asked for or predicted change at defensive coordinator and secondary coach. On Friday, the Steelers announced the hiring of Teryl Austin to the coaching staff, with the Pitt graduate taking over a newly created position of “senior defensive assistant/secondary.” A Sharon native, the 53-year-old...
Pirates claim tall righty Aaron Slegers off waivers from Twins
The Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday made a big addition to their pitching staff. Literally. The Pirates claimed 6-foot-10 right-hander Aaron Slegers off waivers from the Minnesota Twins. Slegers was the Twins’ minor league pitcher of the year in 2017 but struggled over four stints in the majors last season. A...
Penguins sign goalie Casey DeSmith to 3-year extension
While Matt Murray was sidelined for a month with a lower-body injury earlier this season, Casey DeSmith stepped up and prevented the Pittsburgh Penguins from falling into the abyss. On Friday, he was rewarded for his efforts. DeSmith signed a three-year extension with an average annual salary of $1.25 million,...
Pitt’s Sidy N’Dir close to returning from leg injury
Pitt backup point guard Sidy N’Dir could return from his leg injury Saturday at N.C. State, slightly ahead of schedule. The original thought was that N’Dir, a graduate senior, would be out four to six weeks, but he’s missed just four games, starting with the New Orleans contest Dec. 20....
Flyers puzzled by fall from playoff team to bottom-dweller
PHILADELPHIA — The vendor at the Flyers merchandise kiosk on the main concourse scrolled through his phone as disinterested fans breezed by the $70 Stadium Series sweatshirts and $250 jerseys that suddenly seem as unwanted as a face value ticket. Shortly before faceoff, customers! A Flyers fan stops by and...
NHL tests puck and player tracking in regular-season games
LAS VEGAS — The NHL for the first time has tested real-time puck and player tracking in regular-season games and intends to have it in place across the league next season. Microchips were added to players’ shoulder pads and fitted inside specially designed pucks for two Vegas Golden Knights home...
Game-worn Swann, Bettis jerseys among Steelers items in auction collection
A 1980 game-worn jersey sported by Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame wide receiver Lynn Swann is among the items up for auction at Lelands.com. A portion of the auction house’s Classic Auction Winter 2019 collection are 32 Steelers-related items, headed by the Swann jersey and a 2000 game-worn jersey by...
Penguins’ Kris Letang voted into NHL All-Star Game
Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang will join teammate Sidney Crosby at the NHL All-Star Game after all. The league announced the winners of fan balloting to determine the last man on the rosters for each of the four divisions Friday afternoon. Letang won the vote for the Metropolitan Division, coming...
Steelers offseason positional outlook: Interior offensive line
Editor’s note: This is sixth of a 12-part series breaking down the Pittsburgh Steelers at each position in the offseason. All salary cap information courtesy spotrac.com. Over the past 18 months, the long and prosperous Pittsburgh sports tenures of the likes of Marc-Andre Fleury, James Harrison and Andrew McCutchen came...
First call: A free-agent linebacker who could fit with the Steelers
In Friday`s "First Call," a linebacker you can expect the Steelers to sign. A soccer player gets run over by a cart. Klay Thompson`s amazing night. Sully makes Tortorella look un-Tortsy. Keep an eye on this guy Remember when the Steelers played the Panthers this year? Mike Tomlin gushed about...
Tim Benz: One NFC team made a decision the Steelers should follow
There have been many complaints about Mike Tomlin from Steelers fans. • He doesn`t have control over his players. • His teams underachieve given their level of Pro Bowl talent. • His playoff success hasn`t matched his regular season success in recent years. • His players play down to the...
Antonio Brown has cryptic response to Rooney’s comments about future with Steelers
In "Friday Football Footnotes," San Francisco keeps trying to lure Antonio Brown. A.B. responds to Art Rooney II`s comments. And an NFC team does something the Steelers should`ve done a long time ago. Antonio Brown answers Rooney`s comments Kind of. On Thursday, Steelers owner Art Rooney II said it would...
Tim Benz, Jonathan Bombulie preview Penguins’ 5-game, 9-day road trip
I`m joined by Penguins beat writer Jonathan Bombulie for Friday`s Penguins podcast. He has a weeklong series about the team coming up for their bye week, which starts starting Jan. 21. He`ll give us a sneak peek. Before then, the Pens have five straight games out west, starting Friday night...
Tim Benz: Another Pittsburgh coach rips team in Michel Therrien-like rant
Within a day of the anniversary of "the rant," Duquesne women`s basketball coach Dan Burt channeled his inner Michel Therrien. He even called his team "soffff." Burt actually pronounced the "t" at the end. But close enough. You remember Therrien`s infamous diatribe addressing his struggling Penguins team after a 3-1...
Steelers’ Antonio Brown smokes cigars with Chad Johnson
It all started 8 ½ years ago with #JagrWatch. Last year, it was “Where’s Le’Veon?” So far in 2019, the Pittsburgh sports scene is enamored with following Antonio Brown. Friday, Brown showed up on the social-media accounts of former Cincinnati Bengals star receiver Chad Johnson (nee Ochocinco), smoking cigars. During...
Tearful Andy Murray says Australian Open could be his last tournament
MELBOURNE, Australia — Andy Murray is still hoping to make it to one more Wimbledon tournament before his problematic hip forces him into retirement. For now, he’s only committing to the Australian Open. In an emotional news conference Friday, when a tearful Murray had to leave the room shortly after...
Penn State men lose as Nebraska wins 20th straight at home
LINCOLN, Neb. — Isaiah Roby scored a career-high 22 points and made a couple big defensive plays late, and Nebraska beat Penn State, 70-64, on Thursday night for its school-record 20th straight home win. The Cornhuskers (12-4, 2-3 Big Ten) bounced back from two straight road losses that knocked them...
Offensive star power headlines Colts-Chiefs showdown
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Eric Ebron has seen the forecast for Saturday’s divisional playoff game between the Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City Chiefs, where even the most optimistic of meteorologists are pegging the chances of rain or snow at about 50 percent. It doesn’t bother him. The Colts tight end...
Did Tyler Boyd perform beyond his contract terms?
The Cincinnati Bengals caught a bargain with Tyler Boyd this season. The former Pitt and Clairton star is one of five NFL finalists for the VIZIO Top Value Performer trophy. The award is given to the NFL player whose on-field performance most exceeds the value of his contract. Boyd, who...
Pitt plans to discontinue women’s tennis after spring season
Pitt will shut down its intercollegiate women’s tennis program at the end of the upcoming spring season, marking the first time in nearly a quarter century the university has discontinued a sport. Men’s gymnastics and tennis were eliminated at the end of the 1994-95 academic year. The elimination of women’s...
