Sports category, Page 2200
Trusted veteran Ramon Foster quietly carving niche among all-time Steelers
Greg Adkins knew Ramon Foster from Foster’s junior year of high school through his five years as his position coach at Tennessee. When Foster’s college career ended, Adkins was eager to volunteer his opinion to NFL teams in advance of the 2009 draft. “A lot of scouts that come through...
Kevin Gorman: After giving a glimpse, Diontae Johnson ready to do big things for SteelersVideo
Now that Diontae Johnson has shown the Pittsburgh Steelers what he can do, the rookie receiver is ready for an encore. After Johnson went untouched on a punt return for a touchdown, reversed field on a dazzling run in the red zone and made a toe-tap catch in the end...
Four Downs: Steelers’ Minkah Fitzpatrick, T.J. Watt worthy defensive player of year candidatesVideo
1. DPOY joy The NFL’s official analytics arm, Next Gen Stats, listed its seven top contenders for NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Two — T.J. Watt and Minkah Pitzpatrick — are Pittsburgh Steelers. Among the statistics cited in making a case for Watt were two based on quickness: an...
Minor league report: Penguins, DeSmith shut out by Monsters
Goaltender Casey DeSmith made 26 saves for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 4-0 loss to the Cleveland Monsters at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland on Friday. This was the second time this season the Penguins (13-10-3-1) have been shut out. This was Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s fifth consecutive loss. Highlights: The Penguins are...
A peek inside our annual fishing gift guide
In some houses Christmas sounds like carols or laughter or wrapping paper tearing. Then there are fishing households. In those places, you’re as apt to hear phrases like “be careful casting that in here,” “please don’t hook yourself” and “now I know why they call it stinkbait” as anything else....
Five reasons winter hiking is healthy and fun
The conversation was the same one we have every Thanksgiving. And Christmas. And New Year’s. I looked at my brother across the table. “So,” I said, “what time should I pick you up?” “Pick me up? For what?” he asked. “For hiking. It gets dark sooner now than before, but...
Mike Ditka, Mike Webster, Rob Gronkowski named to NFL’s All-Time TeamVideo
Western Pennsylvania continues to be well represented on the NFL’s All-Time Team. Aliquippa native and former Pitt star Mike Ditka and Woodland Hills graduate Rob Gronkowski were two of the five tight ends named to the team Friday. Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers center Mike Webster was among the offensive linemen to...
Plenty of NFL QBs with pedigree should be available in 2020Video
Several quarterbacks with impressive resumes could be looking for new teams in 2020 after disappointing performances this season. The list of QBs who could be available includes guys with MVP trophies, former No. 1 draft picks and longtime starters. Eli Manning is the most accomplished of the group. The two-time...
Ravens playing their best, soaring toward No. 1 seed in AFCVideo
BALTIMORE — Seven-time Pro Bowl guard Marshal Yanda owns a Super Bowl ring and has played on several excellent teams with the Baltimore Ravens, including seven that won at least 10 games and three that reached the AFC championship game. In his estimation, the current edition of the Ravens tops...
Without JuJu Smith-Schuster, Steelers receivers ready to step upVideo
Diontae Johnson, James Washington and Deon Cain have been drafted since JuJu Smith-Schuster joined the Pittsburgh Steelers. That Smith-Schuster still remains the wide receivers corps’ youngest member doesn’t mean he’s not the most accomplished or experienced. “He’s always in our ear giving us advice for running certain route,” Washington said...
Army seniors look for sweep of Navy in annual showdown
PHILADELPHIA — Army’s sensational turnaround under coach Jeff Monken has been highlighted by 10-win seasons, bowl game victories and a spot in the national rankings. But a win Saturday against Navy would mean a bit more: The Black Knights’ senior class would go out with a sweep of the series....
Todd Massack resigns as Riverview football coach
Riverview has always held a special place in Todd Massack’s life. Over the course of his 14-year coaching stint at Riverview, he coached all three of his sons — Nick, Jacob and Jared — and had the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of some of his mentors and his...
Penguins’ Jack Johnson takes quiet approach to wearing ‘A’
Veteran defenseman Jack Johnson said he has been honored to wear the letter ‘A’ on his Pittsburgh Penguins jersey as an alternate captain while Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Brian Dumoulin and Patric Hornqvist have been injured or ill. “It’s always an honor to wear a letter on an NHL jersey,”...
Penguins’ Bryan Rust shooting, scoring at a quicker paceVideo
Bryan Rust has no need to apologize for shooting more often this season. He fills a void on a Pittsburgh Penguins roster that has been depleted by injuries. Plus, he makes a good point when he says, “This year, I may have shot the puck more than I have in...
Mark Madden: Getting scratched, yelled at doesn’t qualify as ‘abuse’ in NHL
Hockey is a physical, grueling sport. Those who play it are tough. So why do they need a help line? NHL commissioner Gary Bettman recently instituted measures to curb coaching misconduct. Among those measures is a help line that current or former players can use anonymously to report abuse. No...
With Vance McDonald out, Steelers’ Nick Vannett looks to prove himselfVideo
Nick Vannett impressed the Pittsburgh Steelers with how quickly he adapted to a new offense after being acquired in September in a trade with Seattle. Since then, the fourth-year tight end’s opportunities have been limited to mostly a blocking role. That should change Sunday night, as Vannett is expected to...
Slippery Rock’s Chad Kuhn tackles challenge of going from QB to DE
Chad Kuhn never played a down of defense at Kiski Area. As the Cavaliers quarterback, he focused solely on offense, but when Slippery Rock coach Shawn Lutz saw the type of athlete Kuhn was — combined with his wrestling background — Lutz thought the potential was there for a transition...
Steelers’ JuJu Smith-Schuster, Vance McDonald out vs. Bills; James Conner questionableVideo
The Pittsburgh Steelers will be without their No. 1 wide receiver and No. 1 tight end Sunday. It’s uncertain whether their No. 1 running back will play, either. JuJu Smith-Schuster will miss a fourth consecutive game because of a knee injury, and Vance McDonald will sit out his first because...
Evgeni Malkin withheld from Penguins’ practice because of illness
Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin continues to recover from an illness which sidelined him for Thursday’s 1-0 overtime home win against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Malkin, who is the fourth member of the roster to be stricken with an undisclosed illness, was withheld from practice in Cranberry on Friday for precautionary...
Julie Ertz named U.S. Soccer women’s player of the yearVideo
Julie Ertz was named the U.S. Soccer women’s Player of the Year on Friday for the second time. Ertz, a versatile midfielder who also won the award in 2017, was on the U.S. teams that won World Cup championships in 2015 and again this summer in France. Ertz, who played...
Penguins assign Joseph Blandisi to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Joseph Blandisi is on the move again. A day after being recalled under emergency conditions, the Penguins forward was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. With forward Evgeni Malkin sidelined, Blandisi was summoned to play in Thursday’s 1-0 overtime win against the rival Columbus Blue Jackets at PPG...
Steelers rookie Devlin Hodges comfortable calling audiblesVideo
When Devlin Hodges addressed the media earlier this week as the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, it was one day after the three-month anniversary since he had been unemployed and back home in Alabama. But as “Duck” prepares to make his fourth NFL start Sunday, Steelers coaches are increasingly...
As season goes on, Steelers increasingly reliant on running game
Over the past three games, the Pittsburgh Steelers have had 105 running plays. That accounts for three of their top four high-carry games of the season and makes for a 16-game pace of 560 carries. That’s a figure they have not topped since 2004. By comparison, the Steelers had just...
Virginia city says Michael Vick owes $70K in unpaid taxes
HAMPTON, Va. — Former football star Michael Vick owes tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes on luxury cars that he owned in Virginia, officials said. Officials said Vick owes the city of Hampton about $70,000, the Daily Press of Newport News reported Thursday. Vick lived in Virginia after...
First Call: Antonio Brown struts his Google status, John Tortorella pouts after Pens lossVideo
In “First Call” Friday, Antonio Brown is bragging about his wild “popularity,” John Tortorella wasn’t happy after Thursday’s loss in Pittsburgh, and Rob Gronkowski is staying retired. This made his day Antonio Brown spent most of the day melting down on social media again Thursday. I simply think he has...
