Sports category, Page 2097
West Virginia coach Neal Brown deals with lost practice time, uncertainty
Spring practice meant a bit more at West Virginia this year than at many places across college football. The 15 days of meetings, drills and teaching would have laid the foundation for coach Neal Brown’s second season. It was time to set aside 2019 — when the Mountaineers finished 5-7...
Tim Dahlberg: Enough greed, just shorten the baseball seasonVideo
Major league owners and players seem to be in rare agreement. They want to play as many games as possible, as soon as possible. Ordinarily that would be something to cheer for. But one look at the line of people in masks stretching outside Costco at 7 a.m. is evidence...
Signing college free agents is rare NHL business going onVideo
Colton Poolman had a good feeling about what was to come. He and his North Dakota teammates were ranked third in the country with the conference tournament coming up. They felt they had as good a chance as anyone to win the NCAA title until the season was abruptly canceled...
Reunion with little brother was secondary reason for Derek Watt signing with Steelers
When Derek Watt hit free agency for the first time last week, the Pittsburgh Steelers were among a handful of teams to show interest in the 27-year-old fullback. He didn’t know how much interest until the 48-hour legal tampering period was over. It turns out his agents spared his nerves...
Pirates President Travis Williams sends message to fans
Thursday was supposed to be Opening Day for Major League Baseball. The Pittsburgh Pirates had a game – the first of 2020 — scheduled in Tampa, Fla., against the Rays. It was to be Derek Shelton’s first Opening Day as a manager, the first Pirates’ game without Clint Hurdle in...
Training staff seeks creative ways to keep Pirates players engaged, in shape
Though the number of Pittsburgh Pirates players who have remained in the team’s spring-training home city of Bradenton, Fla., has dwindled, the ones who remain still are getting in work in an effort to maintain some semblance of baseball conditioning. The players remaining in Bradenton — some are in Pittsburgh,...
Pandemic fallout: NCAA slashes distribution by $375 millionVideo
The NCAA will distribute $225 million to its Division I members in June, a whopping $375 million less than had been budgeted after the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of the big-money men’s basketball tournament. Ohio State president Michael Drake, chairman of the NCAA board of governors, said the association...
Harlem Globetrotters great Curly Neal dies at 77Video
Fred “Curly” Neal, the dribbling wizard who entertained millions with the Harlem Globetrotters for parts of three decades, died at age 77. The Globetrotters said Neal died in his home outside of Houston on Thursday morning. “We have lost one of the most genuine human beings the world has ever...
With inaugural season cut short, Saint Vincent men’s volleyball looks to future
The Saint Vincent men’s volleyball team finally was showing signs of progress in its inaugural season when college sports shut down amid growing concerns over the spread of coronavirus. The Bearcats were 0-13 and won only three sets all season. Coach Scott Wisneski said the team’s improvement was evident nonetheless....
How Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is passing the timeVideo
At a time of year when he typically would be laser-focused on the Pittsburgh Penguins’ push to the playoffs and quest to win the Stanley Cup for a fourth time with him as captain, the hockey-obsessed Sidney Crosby instead has found himself immersed in … Formula 1 racing? To pass...
AP Source: Browns tackle, former Steeler Chris Hubbard restructures contractVideo
CLEVELAND — Browns right tackle Chris Hubbard has agreed to rework his contract and take a substantial pay cut after the team signed free agent Jack Conklin, a person familiar with the deal told the Associated Press on Thursday. Hubbard, who lost his starting job when Cleveland signed Conklin to...
UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones arrested, accused of DWIVideo
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — UFC light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones has been arrested on suspicion of DWI and other offenses after officers heard gunshots and found him in a parked car with a handgun and a half-empty bottle of liquor early Thursday, Albuquerque police said. The 32-year-old Jones was arrested...
Penguins’ Sidney Crosby would be OK with NHL jumping right into playoffsVideo
Easy for him to say, with his team holding a coveted Eastern Conference playoff spot. But Sidney Crosby would be OK if, when the NHL season resumes, the league goes directly into the postseason. “You try to get in as many games you can,” the Pittsburgh Penguins captain said during...
Indianapolis 500 postponed until August because of covid-19Video
The Indianapolis 500 has been postponed until August because of the coronavirus pandemic and won’t run on Memorial Day weekend for the first time since 1946. The race will instead be held Aug. 23, three months later than its May 24 scheduled date. “The month of May at the Indianapolis...
Penn State receives commitment from coveted 2021 offensive line prospect
Penn State landed an important verbal commitment Thursday when four-star offensive tackle Landon Tengwall announced on a Twitter video his plans to enroll next year. Tengwall, a member of the Class of 2021 at Good Counsel High School in Olney, Md., is rated one of the best offensive linemen in...
Penguins Elite’s Cooley named to U.S. National Team
Eleven years ago, Logan Cooley began playing hockey in Sidney Crosby’s Little Penguins program. After years of training and improvement, Cooley will get a chance to compete with some of the top players in the country. The forward from West Mifflin has been named to the U.S. National Team Development...
WNBA draft will be virtual event this season amid pandemic
NEW YORK — The WNBA draft will be a virtual event this year. The league announced Thursday that its draft will still be held April 17 as originally scheduled, but without players, fans or media in attendance because of the coronavirus pandemic. “The WNBA draft is a time to celebrate...
Former Duquesne guard Frankie Hughes transfers to San Diego
Junior guard Frankie Hughes, who missed the entire Duquesne season after undergoing knee surgery, posted on his Twitter account his intention to transfer to the University of San Diego. He was not expected to return to Duquesne for the 2020-21 season. pic.twitter.com/iAQ8hgaPvo— f r a n k i e (@_4l0w)...
Chance to play at Heinz Field led Stefen Wisniewski to join hometown Steelers
Growing up in South Fayette and playing football at Central Catholic, Stefen Wisniewski always dreamed of suiting up for a meaningful game at Heinz Field. It will take 10 years into his NFL career, but that wish will finally come true in 2020 for the Pittsburgh Steelers newest offensive lineman....
MLB ballparks will remain eerily empty on ‘opening day’
ARLINGTON, Texas — There will be no hot dogs on the grill, no beer on tap, no vendors in the stands selling peanuts and Cracker Jack. The shiny new stadium deep in the heart of Texas will still be waiting for its first Rangers game. Instead of warming up for...
First Call: Steelers embracing Watt Bros. fun, Jameis Winston chatter continues, MLB unlikely to play 162
Thursday’s “First Call” makes the Watt brother era official with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Jameis Winston chatter won’t stop. Major League Baseball is accepting that a shortened year can’t be avoided. Can Tom Brady still throw a decent deep ball? And Obi Toppin is off to the NBA. As much...
Eric Ebron: ‘Ego,’ ‘enigma,’ ‘can’t rely on him.’ So how is he still ‘a good fit’ with Steelers?
On the surface, the Steelers’ signing of Indianapolis Colts tight end Eric Ebron is either going to be a home run or nothing. It looks that way on the surface, because that’s exactly the case. Although, at tight end, I’d settle for a hard single up the middle. That’ll be...
Tim Benz: NHL ‘consolation bracket’ for No. 1 pick? That’s just trying way too hard
Whenever — if ever — the NHL reboots its 2019-20 season out of the coronavirus shutdown, it appears league owners have three targets. 1. Award a Stanley Cup after a representative version of a playoff 2. Play as many remaining scheduled home dates as possible 3. Don’t truncate the 82-game...
Valley News Dispatch wrestlers of the year: Burrell’s Ian Oswalt and AJ Corrado
Ian Oswalt Burrell, jr., 132-pounds 2019-20 record: 45-7 Through the first three years of his high school career, Burrell’s Ian Oswalt has set the bar high. Each year, he seems to clear that bar. For the third straight season, Oswalt cleaned house at the sectional and WPIAL tournaments, becoming a...
Trib HSSN wrestler of the year: Canon-McMillan’s Gerrit Nijenhuis
Gerrit Nijenhuis is a dynamic performer and two-time state champion who added another sparkling chapter to Canon-McMillan’s storied wrestling history this season, so it probably is not fair to boil down his high school career to just one number. Then again, it’s a really impressive number. Nijenhuis’ 6-0 victory over...
