Sports category, Page 2212
Steelers’ Mike Tomlin says ‘Duck’ Hodges to start against CardinalsVideo
Coach Mike Tomlin will have Devlin “Duck” Hodges ready to take flight when the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Arizona for the first of three road games they will play in the final quartile of the NFL season. Hodges will make his third career NFL start, and second on the road,...
Jacksonville University discontinues football program
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville University has decided to discontinue its football program. The school made the announcement Tuesday, saying it spent more than a year evaluating its athletic department and exploring ways to position itself for long-term growth and success. Athletic director Alex Ricker-Gilbert says “ultimately, one option stood out...
Kevin Gorman’s Who runs the North?: Playoff race could could come down to juicy endingVideo
The Baltimore Ravens have established themselves as not only the best team in the AFC North division but the entire conference and, after Sunday’s games, maybe even the NFL. What the Ravens haven’t done is clinch a playoff berth. Not yet, anyway. The AFC North has two of the hottest...
Pitt’s Jimmy Morrissey, Jaylen Twyman, Paris Ford named All-ACC 1st-teamers
Center Jimmy Morrissey, defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman and strong safety Paris Ford lead a group of seven Pitt players — plus two honorable-mention selections — named Tuesday to the All-ACC Team. Overall, Pitt landed eight selections, including senior Maurice Ffrench, who was named to the third team as a wide...
First Call: Another Antonio Brown social media screwup, Cardinals’ messy defense
In Tuesday’s “First Call,” Antonio Brown keeps burning bridges. The Cardinals defense is primed to be picked apart. The Penguins have a tough challenge in their rematch against St. Louis. Oh boy, A.B. Former Steeler Antonio Brown still seems to be confused about the best path to getting back into...
Breaking down Steelers’ 4 remaining opponents as playoff push continues
The good news for the Pittsburgh Steelers is they remain in the No. 6 playoff position as the NFL schedule hits the home stretch. The bad news is that three of the remaining four games are on the road, where they have a 2-3 record this season. The Steelers travel...
Tim Benz, Brian Metzer: Rash of injuries may have caught up to Penguins
This week’s hockey podcast with Penguins Radio Network host Brian Metzer is the usual 15-20 minutes in length. See if you can listen to the whole thing without getting word that another Pittsburgh Penguin has gone down with an injury. Recent history suggests you won’t be able to make it...
Tim Benz: Steelers’ Mike Tomlin needs to believe in own praise for ‘Duck’ HodgesVideo
Mike Tomlin is in on his own joke. So, let’s let him have fun with it. To a point. The theme expressed by the Steelers head coach going into his team’s game against the Cleveland Browns Sunday was that he simply didn’t want new starting quarterback Devlin “Duck” Hodges to...
NFL selects finalists for All-Time Team at DB, special teams
Career interceptions leaders Paul Krause, Emlen Tunnell and Rod Woodson are among 30 defensive backs who are finalists for the NFL’s All-Time Team. The league on Monday revealed 16 cornerbacks, 14 safeties and 12 special-teams players as finalists. They will be pared down to seven cornerbacks, six safeties, two kickers,...
Time to Bill-ieve? Buffalo in thick of AFC playoff raceVideo
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — It was only a few weeks ago when the Buffalo Bills had a 7-3 record, and quarterback Josh Allen acknowledged he and his teammates had taken a peek at the playoff picture. “I wouldn’t say we’ve started talking about it, but you do want to keep...
Pirates part ways with catcher Elias Diaz, sign Erik Gonzalez to 1-year deal
Elias Diaz once was considered the Pittsburgh Pirates’ catcher of the future. Now, he is in their past. The Pirates decided not to offer Diaz a contract Monday night rather than go to a potential arbitration hearing with him. The 29-year-old hit .241/.296/.307 with two home runs in 101 games...
Penguins forward Brandon Tanev says little over punch from Columbus’ Pierre-Luc Dubois
Penguins forward Brandon Tanev was sporting a laceration on the left side of his nose after practice. That blemish was the byproduct of a punch from Columbus Blue Jackets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois during the second period of Friday’s 5-2 road loss. During a scrum, Dubois slugged Tanev with a gloved...
With Penguins’ Brian Dumoulin out, Juuso Riikola could move home
On Friday, Juuso Riikola found himself in a unfamiliar position with which he has grown familiar. During a 5-2 road loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, the second-year defenseman was pressed into service as a fourth-line winger for the fourth time this season. He didn’t really do much of note...
Virginia embraces underdog role against Clemson in ACC championship game
Virginia just ended one streak, and the No. 22 Cavaliers would like nothing more than to end a few more against Clemson in the ACC championship game. The Cavaliers (9-3) earned their spot in the title game by snapping a 15-year losing streak against rival Virginia Tech. They now are...
Pirates to hire Blue Jays scouting director Steve Sanders to be assistant GM
New Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington has found his right-hand man. The Pirates announced Tuesday morning they hired Toronto Blue Jays amateur scouting director Steve Sanders as assistant GM. “Steve has significant experience in amateur and international scouting from his time with the Red Sox and Blue Jays,” Cherington...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Brandon Stone gets time for La Salle
Brandon Stone believed he could not only play Division I basketball, but that he also could make an immediate impact when he arrived at a program. The 6-foot-11 freshman forward, who played at Southmoreland before finishing his prep career at The Christ School (N.C.), is playing right away at La...
Pitt’s Jeff Capel leaves time for important things in life (including watching Steelers games)
Basketball is foremost on Jeff Capel’s mind this week while he prepares Pitt for Rutgers (6-1) on Tuesday and a trip to play Louisville, the No. 1 team in the nation, Friday. But in one way, he was just like you Sunday. He spent part of the day preparing for...
With latest upset win, Dolphins are an upbeat 3-9 teamVideo
DAVIE, Fla. — The young Miami Dolphins fan gleefully bounding down the stadium ramp minutes after her team’s scintillating comeback victory over the Philadelphia Eagles shouted the same thing over and over in astonishment. “We never win!” she screamed with a grin. “We deserve this! We never win!” Lately that’s...
Pitt-Greensburg trio make all-region teams
A trio of Pitt-Greensburg players from the most successful women’s soccer team in program history received additional postseason accolades. Senior defender Tori Conroy and freshman forward Ashley Lucas were named to the United Soccer Coaches Association NCAA Division III All-Great Lakes Region second team, while sophomore midfielder Tiffany Michalek made...
Steelers’ Maurkice Pouncey activated from suspensionVideo
A day after being awarded a game ball for a game in which he did not play, Maurkice Pouncey is back with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The All-Pro center was activated Monday after serving a two-game suspension for his role in the Steelers’ on-field melee Nov. 14 with the Cleveland Browns....
With a little help, 9 wins could get Steelers into postseason
Nine wins weren’t enough to get the Pittsburgh Steelers into the playoffs last year, ending a run of four consecutive trips to the postseason. Nine wins, however, could do the trick this year provided the Steelers get some help from teams playing the Tennessee Titans. By winning for the sixth...
Pitt volleyball’s Kayla Lund named ACC Player of the Year
After going undefeated in the ACC for the first time, the Pitt volleyball team added its first ACC Player of the Year when junior outside hitter Kayla Lund earned the award Monday. Lund ranked fourth in the conference in kills per set (3.59) and fifth in points per set (4.14)....
Mark Madden: Penguins need to ride out struggles with injury-depleted defense
Brian Dumoulin is out eight weeks after ankle surgery. Justin Schultz is sidelined by a lower-body injury. That leaves two big holes on defense. The Penguins also are decimated up front in the absences of Sidney Crosby, Nick Bjugstad and Bryan Rust. (Just when Rust got red-hot, too.) But the...
Penguins sign former Ducks, Devils forward Stefan Noesen
The Penguins have signed former Anaheim Ducks and New Jersey Devils forward Stefan Noesen to a one-year, two-way contract worth a prorated $700,000. Noesen, 26, was previously signed to an American Hockey League contract. In 22 games this season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Noesen led the team with 14 goals...
Steelers win vs. Baker Mayfield’s Browns extends home winning streak vs. No. 1 overall QBs
In beating Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers extended a long, quirky and trivial winning streak. The Steelers’ 20-13 victory was their 12th consecutive at home against a team starting a quarterback drafted No. 1 overall. It’s the longest such streak in NFL history, and...
