U.S./World Sports category, Page 215
Chasing Tide: Alabama is No. 1 in preseason AP Top 25 again
Another college football season will start with everyone chasing the Tide. Alabama is No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll for fourth time in the past six seasons. Coming off their sixth national championship under Nick Saban, the Crimson Tide enter the season loaded with potential replacements...
This Date in Sports History: Aug. 16
1920 — Cleveland shortstop Ray Chapman is hit in the head with a pitch by New York’s Carl Mays. Chapman suffers a fractured skull and dies the next day. It’s the only field fatality in major-league history. 1924 — Helen Wills Moody beats Molla Bjurstedt Mallory again 6-1, 6-3 to...
James Piot rallies to defeat Austin Greaser at the U.S. Amateur at Oakmont Country Club
Oakmont Country Club isn’t all nightmares and ghosts from the past. The storied venue and USGA holy ground is also a place where dreams can come true. Right, James Piot? “I still can’t believe I am holding this trophy,” Piot said. “I still think I’m dreaming.” Piot, 22, a Canton,...
Former Penn State QB Will Levis to start for Kentucky
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky coach Mark Stoops named Penn State transfer Will Levis the Wildcats’ starting quarterback over holdovers Joey Gatewood and Beau Allen. Levis arrived in June and quickly had to pick up new offensive coordinator Liam Coen’s pro style system that promises to speed up the SEC worst...
Kevin Kisner wins 6-man playoff at Wyndham ChampionshipVideo
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Kevin Kisner finally broke his playoff drought to win the Wyndham Championship. He hopes the victory will help him achieve another milestone: representing the United States in the Ryder Cup. Kisner stuck his approach to 3 feet on the second extra hole and made the putt to...
Allmendinger gets 1st Indy win in crash-marred Brickyard 200Video
INDIANAPOLIS — AJ Allmendinger took advantage of two frightening multi-car crashes, the leader getting spun out and a penalty — all in the final five laps — to win the Brickyard 200 on Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Making only his second NASCAR Cup start of the season, the 39-year-old...
James Piot leads after 18 holes in U.S. Amateur final
James Piot will take a 1-up lead over Austin Greaser into the afternoon round of the 36-hole finale of the 121st U.S. Amateur at Oakmont Country Club. The second 18 will begin at 2:30 p.m. A fifth-year senior at Michigan State and a native of Canton, Mich., Piot was all...
Sewickley Academy graduates compete at U.S. Amateur
A pair of Sewickley Academy graduates took part in last week’s U.S. Amateur tournament at Oakmont Country Club and Longue Vue Club. Ian Bangor, a 29-year-old golfer who graduated from Sewickley Academy (2010) and Carnegie Mellon (2014), finished the 36-hole stroke play portion of the tournament at 7-over par. Bangor...
This date in sports history: Aug. 15Video
1948 — Babe Didrikson Zaharias wins the U.S. Women’s Open golf title over Betty Hicks. 1950 — Ezzard Charles knocks out Freddie Beshore in the 14th round to retain his world heavyweight title. 1965 — Dave Marr edges Jack Nicklaus and Billy Casper to take the PGA Championship. 1966 —...
U.S. Amateur notebook: 2003 champion Nick Flanagan returns to Oakmont
Australian Nick Flanagan was in town for the U.S. Amateur, but he had to warm up his throwing arm, not his driver and putter. Talk about a tough pitch shot. Flanagan, the last U.S. Amateur champion to win at Oakmont, in 2003, threw out the first pitch Friday night before...
James Piot, Austin Greaser advance to final at U.S. Amateur
James Piot said he had to pack up his things and change hotel rooms this weekend because a wedding party was coming in next door. The Michigan State fifth-year senior might have a different kind of party if everything goes his way Sunday at Oakmont Country Club. Piot put together...
Indy’s road course opens to mixed reviews from NASCAR Cup driversVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick made their opinions perfectly clear Saturday. They rather would be racing on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s historic oval. Other drivers didn’t seem to mind the switch. Now, after one short practice session, Cup drivers will spend Saturday night plotting their strategical twists and turns...
Trouble off tee leaves Palmer Jackson swimming upstream at U.S. Amateur
Palmer Jackson used to be a baseball pitcher and could freeze-frame a knuckleball with the best of them. He was Franklin Regional’s answer to Tim Wakefield. During the U.S. Amateur earlier this month at Oakmont Country Club, Jackson was thrown a curve ball. The golf standout, who will be a...
This date in sports history: Aug. 14Video
1903 — Jim Jeffries knocks out Jim Corbett in the 10th round to retain his world heavyweight title in San Francisco. 1936 — In Berlin, the U.S. wins the first Olympic basketball gold medal with a 19-8 win over Canada. The game is played outdoors on a dirt court in...
Closer look at the U.S. Amateur semifinalists
It started with 312. It was dwindled to 64. Now only four players remain as the 121st U.S. Amateur moves into the weekend at softened Oakmont Country Club. On Saturday, college standouts Travis Vick, Nick Gabrelcik, Austin Greaser and James Piot will play for spots in Sunday’s 36-hole championship. Vick...
U.S. Amateur finally catches break from weather, gets down to semifinals
It was catch-up day for the 121st U.S. Amateur. Mother Nature final gave the tournament and Oakmont Country Club a break. After delays and suspensions of play the past three days, all the golfers faced Friday during the finish of the Rounds of 32 and 16 and the quarterfinals were...
BYU’s name, image, likeness deal could test limits of competitive advantageVideo
A deal BYU has made available to its football players could test how much allowing athletes to be compensated by outside companies for name, image and likeness can be used as a competitive advantage. Earlier this week, BYU announced Built Brands — a Utah-based company that makes protein snacks —...
Helio Castroneves tops Motorsports Hall of Fame of America class
INDIANAPOLIS — Helio Castroneves celebrated his record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500 victory in May. The rewards are still rolling in. When the popular 46-year-old Brazilian returned to Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday, track officials presented him with a bronze brick and on Friday, he was named as the headliner in a...
Youth movement for Little League World Series broadcasters
ESPN will be using young broadcasters as part of the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The first of two KidsCast presentations will be the MLB Little League Classic between the Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland Indians on Aug. 22. The ESPN2 broadcast will complement the main feed on...
This date in sports history: Aug. 13Video
1919 — Upset scores a win against Man o’ War in the Sanford Memorial Stakes at Saratoga. The defeat is Big Red’s only loss in 21 starts. 1933 — Gene Sarazen wins the PGA Championship by defeating Willie Goggin, 5 and 4, in the final round. 1935 — The first...
Following increases for Greensburg’s Mark Goetz at U.S. Amateur match play
Even though Greensburg native Mark Goetz lost in the Round of 64 at the U.S. Amateur on Thursday at Oakmont Country Club, hundreds followed him around the course. Goetz was carrying the flag not only for Greensburg and Westmoreland County, he was doing it for Western Pennsylvania. He teed off...
Baylor infractions decision comes amid scrutiny of NCAA roleVideo
The NCAA infractions committee’s decision against punishing Baylor for its mishandling of sexual assault allegations in a sprawling scandal involving football players was jarring — even to the committee. Joel Maturi, the chief hearing officer and a member of the committee for eight years, said the case was troubling for...
Pac-12: Covid-19 issues can result in forfeits this seasonVideo
SAN FRANCISCO — Pac-12 teams that cannot play because of covid-19 issues will likely be forced to forfeit games this season. The conference announced Thursday it is reinstituting its forfeiture policy after it modified its rules last season because of the pandemic. Last season, a game that could not be...
Greensburg’s Mark Goetz upset as top seed at U.S. AmateurVideo
Mark Goetz’s summer has been filled with ups and downs. Earlier this week, the Greensburg native and West Virginia senior hit a high note when he won medalist honors at the 121st United States Golf Association’s Amateur by shooting an 8-under par 132 (6-under 64 at Longue Vue Club and...
Simone Biles to speak at Pa. Conference for Women
Olympic champion Simone Biles, considered by many to be the greatest gymnast of all time and a role model for mental health, has been booked to speak at the Pennsylvania Conference for Women in November. The theme is “Stronger. Wiser. Braver” and organizers say it speaks to how women like...
