Sports category, Page 1709
Steelers stick to offense, pick Texas A&M tackle Dan Moore Jr. in 4th round of NFL Draft
When Steelers president Art Rooney II said the Pittsburgh Steelers were going to take steps toward improving the NFL’s 32nd-ranked running game, he was serious. One look at the team’s top four picks in the NFL Draft rammed home Rooney’s intentions. The third day of the draft opened Saturday with...
Here’s what the NHL’s TV deals with ESPN, Turner may mean for the league
SEATTLE — Kraken television play-by-play broadcaster John Forslund sees “an interesting frontier” ahead for the NHL now that its dual U.S. national television-rights holders have been named. Forslund, who remains one of NBC’s lead hockey broadcasters through the upcoming playoffs, said this week that new NHL partners ESPN and Turner...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Steelers draft decisions don’t always add up
I liked the Steelers’ first draft pick — until they made their second pick. After the Steelers made their third pick, I felt OK again. Picking Alabama’s Najee Harris at No. 24 made perfect sense. He was the best running back in the draft. Harris will make more immediate impact...
Season of the slump: Baseball keeps swinging and missing
NEW YORK — Don Mattingly starred in the action-packed 1980s. Now the Miami Marlins manager, Donnie Baseball worries about a record lack of hits — and not just from his team’s bats. “I don’t think it’s cyclical at this point,” he said. “There’s so much swing and miss, it’s kind...
Malathaat rallies in stretch to win Kentucky Oaks
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After Malathaat outdueled Search Results down the stretch to win the 147th Kentucky Oaks by a neck, runner-up jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. patted Malathaat’s jockey, John Velazquez, on the shoulder to congratulate him. “We just got beat today,” Ortiz said. “She ran a really solid effort and...
This date in sports history: May 1Video
1920 — Joe Oeschger of the Boston Braves and Leon Cadore of the Brooklyn Dodgers both pitch 26 innings in a 1-1 tie, the longest game in major league history. 1943 — Count Fleet, ridden by Johnny Longden, wins the Kentucky Derby by three lengths over Blue Swords. 1948 —...
Plum’s Alex Kirilloff launches first 2 big league homers in Twins win
MINNEAPOLIS — Alex Kirilloff hit the first two home runs of his major league career, including a three-run drive that broke open the game in the third inning and led the Minnesota Twins over the AL Central-leading Kansas City Royals 9-1 on Friday night. Kirilloff, a Plum native who debuted...
Tim Benz: What’s not to like about Steelers’ Pat Freiermuth pick, other than he’s not a lineman?
I can hear the calls from the capacity crowd of Steelers fans at Heinz Field already. Well, assuming capacity crowds are allowed back in the fall. “MUUUUUUTH!” Eh, who am I kidding? They’ll still be yelling, “HEEEAAATTTH!” I’ve got little to complain about when it comes to Steelers second-round draft...
Super Bowl champ Bucs pick ex-Gateway OL Robert Hainsey in 3rd round
Gateway graduate Robert Hainsey is going home — to Florida. Before matriculating to Notre Dame to play offensive tackle, Hainsey transferred from Gateway to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. And, now, he’s moving on to the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who drafted him Friday night in the third...
Minor league report: Alex D’Orio leads Penguins past DevilsVideo
Goaltender Alex D’Orio made 23 saves on 24 shots for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 3-1 road win against the Binghamton Devils at RWJ Barnabas Health Hockey House in Newark, N.J. on Friday. Forwards Jordy Bellerive, Jonathan Gruden and Drew O’Connor each scored goals for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (10-11-3-2). Highlights: The Penguins’...
Steelers NFL Draft bio in brief: Illinois G/C Kendrick Green
Kendrick Green Third-round pick, No. 87 overall Guard/center, Illinois 6-foot-2, 305 pounds Stats: Started past 33 consecutive college games: four at center, 29 at left guard Hometown: Peoria, Ill. With the 87th pick in the #NFLDraft, we select C Kendrick Green. #SteelersDraft pic.twitter.com/lTrNbJ6S81— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) May 1, 2021 Tidbits:...
Pitt’s Patrick Jones II goes to the Vikings in 3rd round
During the 2020 season when many college football players decided to stay on the sideline and opt out, Patrick Jones II opted in. And the result surfaced Friday night when Jones, one of Pitt’s two consensus All-American defensive ends last season, was chosen in the third round (No. 90 overall)...
Steelers use 3rd-round draft pick to take Illinois center/guard Kendrick Green
With the No. 87 pick of the NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers got the center they coveted to replace retired Maurkice Pouncey. It just wasn’t the one that most draft experts expected. The Steelers selected Illinois’ Kendrick Green, a 6-foot-2, 305-pound redshirt junior. Green played guard as well as in...
Mistakes cost Pirates, who drop below .500 after loss to Cardinals
Searching for an outfielder, the Pittsburgh Pirates turned to the waiver wire to find Ka’ai Tom. The Rule 5 pick with the memorable name had a forgettable starting debut. Tom misplayed two fly balls in left field that fell for RBI doubles and made a baserunning gaffe that might have...
SEC, Alabama places to go for NFL Draft picksVideo
One thing didn’t change on the second night of the NFL Draft. The SEC and, specifically, Alabama was the place to go. Georgia cornerback Tyson Campbell to Jacksonville and Mississippi wide receiver Elijah Moore to the Jets were the top two selections of the second round Friday night. Soon after,...
Steelers NFL Draft bio in brief: Penn State TE Pat Freiermuth
PAT FREIERMUTH Second-round pick, No. 55 overall Tight end, Penn State 6-5, 251 Stats: 92 catches, 1,185 yards, 16 TDs in three seasons Hometown: Merrimac, Mass. Tidbits: Declared for the NFL Draft after his junior season. … Steelers GM Kevin Colbert, coach Mike Tomlin and new TE coach Alfredo Roberts...
Steelers take Penn State TE Pat Freiermuth with 2nd-round pick
When Pat Freiermuth’s phone rang Friday night, he didn’t know what to think. A New England native whose spent the past three years at Penn State, he’s encountered too many people from Pittsburgh to know exactly which of his buddies to trust. “When I saw that 412 area code, I...
Mickelson misses cut and is worried about lack of focusVideo
PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Phil Mickelson said he is struggling to keep his concentration on the golf course, leading to short spells where his mind goes numb. One such example came Friday at the end of his round, and it cost him at the Valspar Championship. Two bogeys over the...
Penguins among NHL leaders in overtime successVideo
Following his team’s 5-4 overtime home loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, Washington Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov seemed to be at a loss for words. When asked why the Capitals have had so much trouble with the Penguins in games that went to overtime or a shootout — the...
Pirates lefty Sam Howard has developed into a reliever at the ready out of bullpen
As Sam Howard watches the Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitchers to see if they are allowing runners on base or closing on their pitch counts, he starts stretching and throwing weighted balls to get ready. Howard isn’t just waiting for the bullpen phone to ring. He’s secretly hoping the Pirates are...
Wild Things sign former Baldwin standout Sean Kealey for 2021 season
Another Pittsburgh native has earned a contract with the Washington Wild Things. On Friday, the Wild Things announced the signing of left-handed pitcher Sean Kealey, who played at Baldwin and also recently finished his college career at Allegheny. Kealey pitched at Wild Things Park last summer during pod play with...
Franco Harris puts stamp of approval on newest Steelers running back
A certain Hall of Fame running back offered a special greeting Friday afternoon to the newest member of the Pittsburgh Steelers backfield, one who carries an identical surname. “Welcome to Pittsburgh, cuz,” Franco Harris said with a laugh. To say Harris is happy the Steelers took former Alabama star Najee...
MLB: 9 teams reach 85% vaccination rate
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball says nine teams have had 85% of players, coaches and others with Tier 1 access receive their final dose of the coronavirus vaccine, allowing those clubs to ease some health and safety protocols. Four of those teams have already begun relaxing some protocols after...
With fans and flowery hats, Kentucky Derby is back at home in May
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The bourbon is flowing again, flowery hats and humans are on the scene and 20 horses are ready to run the most chaotic race of their lives. After being disrupted by a pandemic, the Kentucky Derby is back with many of its traditions intact. America’s longest continuously...
Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar fired by MLB over sexual misconduct
NEW YORK — Hall of Fame second baseman Roberto Alomar has been fired as a consultant by Major League Baseball and placed on the league’s ineligible list after an investigation into an allegation of sexual misconduct. Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the firing Friday, saying in a statement that a baseball...
