U.S./World Sports category, Page 301
Dream owner Kelly Loeffler objects to WNBA’s social justice plansVideo
NEW YORK — Atlanta Dream co-owner Kelly Loeffler is not in favor of the WNBA’s social justice plans and has sent a letter to commissioner Cathy Engelbert objecting to the league’s initiatives to honor the Black Lives Matter movement. Loeffler, who is also a Republican U.S. senator running for re-election...
On the Fringe: DeChambeau’s power approach working; who’s next?Video
He reduced the golf course to a pitch-and-putt with power that got everyone’s attention. That was John Daly at Crooked Stick in 1991 when he followed his caddie’s instructions — “Kill it!” — on his way to winning the PGA Championship. It was Tiger Woods at Augusta National in 1997,...
NASCAR In the Pits: Jimmie Johnson losing his farewell tour, finding his voiceVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jimmie Johnson stood alone on the track at Pocono Raceway, empty grandstands in front of him, a ghost town of a garage behind him. He was posing for photos to commemorate his final start at the Pennsylvania track but seemed to be the only one at the...
Sports jumps on PPP loan bandwagon, but big leagues take a pass
Rapper Ice Cube, Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and longtime boxing promoter Bob Arum led a cavalcade of sports leagues, federations, businesses and teams that navigated a federal loan program designed to help small firms cope with the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Data released Monday showed hundreds of...
PGA Tour, Memorial tournament scrap plans to admit limited number of fansVideo
The PGA Tour and the Memorial scrapped state-approved plans to have limited spectators next week because of what it described as rapidly changing dynamics of the covid-19 pandemic. The Memorial, hosted by Jack Nicklaus on his Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, was in line to be the first...
Trump lashes out at NASCAR, Bubba Wallace over noose incident, Confederate flag ban
WASHINGTON — NASCAR’s layered relationship with President Trump took a sharp turn Monday when Trump blasted the series for banning the Confederate flag and wrongly accused the sport’s only full-time Black driver of perpetrating “a hoax” when a crew member found a noose in the team garage stall. Trump suggested...
Kevin Harvick outlasts Denny Hamlin to win NASCAR Brickyard 400Video
INDIANAPOLIS — Kevin Harvick turned up the heat on Denny Hamlin late in the Brickyard 400. And on a cooling track, Hamlin’s worn tires simply gave out. With the sun setting Sunday over Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Hamlin seven laps from victory, he went careening into the first turn wall,...
DeChambeau earns 3-shot win at PGA Tour’s Rocket Mortgage ClassicVideo
DETROIT — Bryson DeChambeau got the result he was looking for from transforming his body. With jaw-dropping drives and some clutch putts, DeChambeau won the Rocket Mortgage Classic by three strokes Sunday for his first victory of the season and sixth overall. DeChambeau shot 7-under-par 65 at Detroit Golf Club,...
Paula Creamer reflects on U.S. Open victory at Oakmont 10 years later, looks aheadVideo
In February 2010, a little over a month into his tenure as LPGA Tour commissioner, Mike Whan faced his first crisis. Whan was in Thailand attending his first event as commissioner and was in the corporate sponsor’s office when Paula Creamer came in with her father. She tearfully withdrew from...
Joey Chestnut, Miki Sudo repeat as champs at Nathan’s hot dog eating contest
NEW YORK — The coronavirus outbreak moved the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest from the Coney Island boardwalk to an undisclosed indoor location but the results were familiar: Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo repeated as men’s and women’s champions of the annual gluttony fest on Saturday. Chestnut downed 75...
NASCAR races on at Indy after Jimmie Johnson contracts coronavirusVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — NASCAR’s extravagant weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway — where the back-and-forth battle between Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin should continue — has been rocked by its first driver testing positive for the coronavirus. Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson will miss what was supposed to be his final Brickyard...
Chip Ganassi driver Scott Dixon wins IndyCar race at Indianapolis Motor SpeedwayVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Scott Dixon finally made his second trip to Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s victory lane. Twelve years after winning his only Indianapolis 500 on the Brickyard’s historic 2.5-mile oval, the five-time series champion added a second title Saturday — this one by a dominant 19.9469 seconds over Graham Rahal in...
MLS postpones match after players test positive for coronavirusVideo
The MLS is Back Tournament match between FC Dallas and the Vancouver Whitecaps set for Thursday was postponed after eight players tested positive for the coronavirus. The group-stage game will be rescheduled, the league said Saturday. FC Dallas announced earlier this week six players had tested positive for the virus...
Bucks, Lakers look to shed rust, be healthy for playoffsVideo
MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers have all but guaranteed themselves the top two playoff seeds and face a balancing act when the NBA returns to action. While other teams will be fighting for a postseason berth or playoff seedings when they play the final eight regular-season...
Jimmie Johnson 1st NASCAR driver to test positive for virusVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson tested positive for the coronavirus and will miss this weekend’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The 44-year-old Johnson is the first driver in any NASCAR series to test positive and the news Friday evening cast a shadow over the historic NASCAR-IndyCar doubleheader races...
Chris Kirk, Webb Simpson share Rocket Mortgage Classic leadVideo
DETROIT — Webb Simpson and Bryson DeChambeau were expected to be contenders at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, taking advantage of a relatively weak field and course by PGA Tour standards. Chris Kirk was not. A year after taking a leave of absence from the PGA Tour to address alcohol abuse...
On biggest stage, local UFC fighter Khama Worthy gives recognition to training partners
Moon native and local UFC fighter Khama Worthy showed his true colors last Saturday after earning his seventh straight victory and winning a second consecutive UFC fight. After defeating Luis Pena by submission with 2 minutes, 7 seconds left in their lightweight bout, Worthy took to the microphone in his...
NASCAR, IndyCar collide for racing extravaganza at IndyVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — The once-frosty schism between the two biggest racing series in the United States has finally thawed, and the result is a blockbuster event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway — even without fans. NASCAR’s elite Cup Series will share a venue with IndyCar on the same weekend for the first...
Zion Williamson confident in his health, Pelicans’ prospects
NEW ORLEANS — Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson credits his mother’s wisdom with helping him manage life’s unanticipated twists and inevitable assortment of successes and setbacks. It has served the NBA’s top overall draft choice well during a highly unusual debut season that has gone nothing like he imagined, yet still...
Column: Fans may not like what they see on return to standsVideo
Don’t be too eager to sit in the stands if your favorite team is lucky enough to open play over the next few months. Going to the game will be risky all by itself. Once there, the experience won’t be the same. No food. No drink. No cuddly mascot to...
Pittsburgh Riverhounds eager to open season with revenge game
After six weeks of preseason training, three season postponements and a few weeks to get back into playing shape, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds are finally ready to take the field in a competitive game for the first time in 2020. They begin their season July 11 against Louisville City FC for...
NASCAR meets with minister pushing for racial equalityVideo
As the Rev. Greg Drumwright watched members of his ministry crowd the fence at Talladega Superspeedway to cheer for Black driver Bubba Wallace, he realized his first NASCAR race was the start of his immersion into stock car racing. Less than three weeks later, Drumwright has a seat at NASCAR’s...
Teenage racing phenom Heim comes to Western Pa. for 1st time
More than a decade ago, Ray Heim tore it up on the asphalt racing track at Lanier National Speedway in Braselton, Ga., and the Pittsburgh area native, who lived in West Deer and Verona and graduated from Riverview, enjoyed numerous top finishes. His son, Corey, watched on at the track...
Upper St. Clair native Abby Matheny collects swimming honor at Williams College
Upper St. Clair graduate Abby Matheny earned her first honor as a member of the Williams women’s swimming team, and it was a big one. Matheny, 20, a sophomore, was named a Division III All-American in the 500-yard freestyle by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America. Matheny...
Schenley alumni D.J. Kennedy, DeAndre Kane in search of 5th title at The Basketball Tournament
Since they were kids, Schenley alumni D.J. Kennedy and DeAndre Kane have felt at home on the basketball court. From winning a state championship in high school to creating a career for themselves overseas on the hardwood, basketball has taken the duo a lot of places. But over the past...
