Sports category, Page 2022
Tim Benz: On Mike Tomlin, Steelers playoff droughts, NFL comps, history lessons
Given the Pittsburgh Steelers’ track record since 1972, NFL fans in the city may have a slightly skewed vision of success versus failure. That’s my nice way of saying, “Yinz know, Stiller fans are spoiled, n’at, right?” Granted, if the Steelers fail to make the playoffs again in 2020, that’ll...
NCAA expands ban, joins SEC in targeting Confederate flagVideo
The NCAA on Friday expanded its policy banning states with prominent Confederate symbols from hosting its sponsored events, one day after the SEC made a similar declaration aimed at the Mississippi state flag. The current NCAA ban, in place since 2001, prevents states from hosting what the NCAA calls predetermined...
Phillies: 5 players test positive for virus at Florida camp
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Phillies say five players have tested positive for COVID-19 this week at the team’s spring training complex in Clearwater, Florida. The team also said Friday that three staff members at the camp have tested positive. The club didn’t identify any of those affected. Philadelphia has indefinitely...
Oilers have Hart? Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl among NHL MVP candidatesVideo
The Edmonton Oilers’ resurgence placed Connor McDavid back in the NHL MVP conversation, along with teammate Leon Draisaitl. Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon and Boston’s David Pastrnak made their case, too, during a pandemic-shortened season. And don’t forget Artemi Panarin, a late entry in the discussion after the New York Rangers finished...
Cameron Heyward willing ‘to be patient’ about contract extension with Steelers
Cameron Heyward didn’t expect to be waiting this long into the Pittsburgh Steelers offseason to get a contract extension. Then again, he didn’t expect a pandemic to throw a wrench into the organization’s financial planning. And so the nine-year veteran defensive tackle bides his time without a firm understanding about...
Birdies galore at Hilton Head, and Jordan Spieth needed them badlyVideo
The RBC Heritage began two month later than usual with a little rain, a little sunshine and a lot of birdies, most of them from Jordan Spieth to turn a rough start into a furious finish. Ian Poulter holed a 30-foot birdie putt and followed with a 5-iron to 4...
Jets star safety Jamal Adams requests tradeVideo
NEW YORK — A person with direct knowledge of the situation said All-Pro safety Jamal Adams has requested a trade from the New York Jets amid a contract dispute. The 24-year-old Adams has been seeking a contract extension, and the Jets have said they want the safety to remain a...
Steelers’ Cam Heyward willing to listen to all viewpoints about potential anthem protest
Aside from the fiasco in Chicago three years ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers have presented a united front in terms of standing for the national anthem since Colin Kaepernick began kneeling to protest police brutality and racial injustice. No Steelers player has followed Kaepernick’s lead during the anthem. That could change...
Netflix documentary focuses on courage of U.S. gymnasts in Larry Nassar sex abuse scandalVideo
A Netflix documentary will focus on the gymnasts who survived abuse at the hands of USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University doctor Larry Nassar and the journalists who helped expose the culture that allowed it to continue for so long, according to People. Allegations against Nassar go back to the...
Dr. Anthony Fauci: ‘Football may not happen’ if there’s a second coronavirus wave
Dr. Anthony Fauci might not be too popular among sports fans right now. Days after recommending that baseball wrap up its season early because of an expected second wave of the coronavirus in the fall, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases had this to say...
Luckhardt, Mihalik, Hieber, Murawski among locals on College Football Hall of Fame ballot
When John Luckhardt retired from Cal U in 2012, he likened his 40-plus-year journey coaching football, which also included a successful stint at Washington & Jefferson, to a “Carnival cruise.” Luckhardt could soon be setting sail toward the elite of college football. He is a candidate for the 2021 College...
Florida Sen. Rubio introduces NIL bill to push NCAA changesVideo
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio introduced a bill Thursday that would protect the NCAA from being challenged in court if the association changes its rules to allow athletes to earn money for endorsement deals and personal appearances. Earlier this week, the NCAA was hit with a federal antitrust lawsuit seeking damages...
49ers receiver Deebo Samuel has surgery on broken footVideo
San Francisco 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel underwent surgery Thursday after breaking a bone in his left foot during informal workouts with teammates in Tennessee. The 49ers confirmed a report from NFL Network that Samuel suffered a Jones Fracture, which is a break between the base and the middle part of...
MLBPA chief Tony Clark: ‘Unequivocally false’ that MLB, players had reached agreement
A day after their face-to-face meeting, negotiations Thursday for the return of baseball between MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark grew more contentious, as Clark said it was “unequivocally false” that any prior agreement had been reached. Clark announced a counterproposal to the owners’...
Pitt safety Paris Ford: ‘This can be a historic season for the Panthers’Video
Taking a brief break from his offseason workouts, Paris Ford agreed Thursday to do a video interview with the ACC Network. Pitt’s junior safety enjoyed the conversation with the morning team of Mark Packer and Wes Durham — even inviting the duo to enjoy the chicken and waffles with him...
L.A. story: Rams, Chargers to appear on ‘Hard Knocks’
LOS ANGELES — It will be lights, cameras, Los Angeles again for “Hard Knocks,” but for the first time the show will feature two franchises. With the Rams and Chargers both moving into SoFI Stadium in Inglewood this year, HBO and NFL Films announced Thursday that the show will include...
Pitt, West Virginia ink deal to extend basketball ‘Backyard Brawl’ for 2 more seasons
West Virginia coach and alumnus Bob Huggins called Pitt “our biggest rival.” Pitt coach Jeff Capel said Panthers-Mountaineers is “one of the best (rivalries) in the country.” When hired as WVU athletic director, Shane Lyons reiterated a primary objective was to get Pitt and West Virginia playing again. Soon, despite...
‘Burgh’s Best to Wear It, No. 74: Frank Varrichione’s textbook blocking earned respect
The Tribune-Review sports staff is conducting a daily countdown of the best players in Pittsburgh pro and college sports history to wear each jersey number. No. 74: Frank Varrichione When drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers out of Notre Dame, he was known as Faintin’ Frank Varrichione for his infamous faking...
RMU’s Chris King delves into financial, logistical impact of conference moves
Thursday’s “Breakfast With Benz” podcast features Robert Morris athletic director Chris King. We talk at length about RMU’s move to the Horizon League from the NEC for basketball in 2020 and to the Big South from the NEC for football in 2021. Like many institutions these days, RMU is dealing...
U mad, bro? Fans fume about Pirates, MLB labor. Some Steelers angst sprinkled in, too.
I feel like we are experiencing a reverse Michel Therrien when it comes to apathetic baseball fans in Pittsburgh. “Dey prenten’ dey don’t care. But I know dey care.” Baseball fan anger wrapped in disillusionment in the wake of the ongoing labor dispute. That’s the theme for this week’s “U...
Tim Benz: If NFL players’ message about kneeling gets ‘hijacked,’ options exist
If athletes who kneel during the national anthem want their message against police brutality to be more firmly understood by a wider swath of America, they may want to try a different approach. Because the same script which led to a redirection of that message is playing out exactly as...
New Western Pa. wood bat summer league sprints out of batter’s box
The average fastball thrown by pitchers in the opening wave of games in the All-American Baseball Collegiate League popped at 91 mph. That’s about how fast league commissioner Connor Perry has been moving lately to get the newly formed league off the ground. A former Norwin and Pitt standout, Perry...
Chill vibe of Hilton Head hides urgency for PGA Tour playersVideo
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — The ambiance of Hilton Head doesn’t change, a most peaceful setting among shade of oaks along the Calibogue Sound. Adding to the serenity this week is the absence of spectators for the second straight week on the PGA Tour. It’s the calendar that makes all...
NCAA approves plan for basketball players to work with coaches
The NCAA Division I Council on Wednesday approved a plan to allow college basketball players to start working with their coaches for the first time since the pandemic wiped out March Madness. The summer access period for men’s and women’s players will begin July 20. The NCAA Tournaments were canceled...
Franklin Regional’s Wareham, South Fayette’s McConnell capture Tri-State Junior PGA titles
Because it is his home course, Franklin Regional rising senior Michael Wareham has played Willowbrook Country Club a time or two. So when he took to the 6,431-yard layout Wednesday for the 36-hole Tri-State Junior PGA Championship, he had a little extra confidence. “I mean, I know where to miss...
