Sports category, Page 2283
Madden and Benz Unfiltered: Clint Hurdle’s firing, Steelers-Bengals previewVideo
The Pittsburgh Pirates made their move Sunday by firing Clint Hurdle, but that can’t be the end of it … can it? Tim Benz and Mark Madden lament the firing of Hurdle and the praised heaped upon general manager Neal Huntington in the wake of a disastrous 2019 season. The...
Pitt has questions as it prepares for matchup at Duke
A week ago, Pitt looked like a team with something to prove and an accomodating schedule in which to prove it. Then, reality infringed on Pat Narduzzi’s season. Pitt’s next opponent — Duke in Durham, N.C., on Saturday night — beat Virginia Tech, 45-10, in the Hokies’ biggest defeat in...
First Call: Rutgers may be interested in Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi as new coach
Monday’s “First Call” features a potential new job for Pat Narduzzi. Feuding Ravens. And maybe the MLB play of the year. Narduzzi in New Jersey? Here’s an interesting one. Pitt Panthers coach Pat Narduzzi’s name has come up as a candidate for the Rutgers coaching job. The Scarlet Knights fired...
Tim Benz, Mark Madden break down Clint Hurdle’s firing and Steelers-Bengals ‘MNF’ game
It’s not often a Pittsburgh Steelers “Monday Night Football” game gets dwarfed by other topics in the Pittsburgh sports world. But the team has started 0-3. Sidney Crosby got hurt. Clint Hurdle got fired. And Pat Narduzzi is getting linked to another job. So, apologies. It’s going to take us...
Tim Benz: Botched firing of Clint Hurdle typical of 2019 Pirates
Given the news cycle of the last week, this may be hard to do. But play along with me if you can. Imagine that the Pirates simply fired Clint Hurdle after the season ended Sunday evening. Hurdle manages Game 162. The franchise gives its sendoff to Steve Blass. The Pirates...
Tim Benz: Who is missed more: Antonio Brown or A.J. Green?
The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t good at much this year. The Cincinnati Bengals may be good at even less. But as these two 0-3 teams square off in a pathetic excuse for a primetime matchup Monday night at Heinz Field, Cincy has been better than the Steelers in one very important...
Cardinals clinch NL Central; Cubs lose in Joe Maddon’s finaleVideo
ST. LOUIS — Jack Flaherty, Paul Goldschmidt and the St. Louis Cardinals quickly drained any drama from a final-day playoff chase. They were totally fine with that. The Cardinals clinched the NL Central in their last game of the regular season, using Flaherty’s arm and Goldschmidt’s bat Sunday to win...
Alabama jumps to No. 1 in AP poll after Clemson close callVideo
Alabama is No. 1 in the Associated Press college football poll for the first time this season, replacing preseason No. 1 Clemson after the Tigers had a close call. Alabama received 29 of 61 first-place votes Sunday from the media panel as the Tigers’ one-point victory at North Carolina gave...
Manager Joe Maddon, Cubs part waysVideo
From the moment Joe Maddon joined the Chicago Cubs, taking the reins in a Wrigleyville bar five years ago, he talked about winning. He was the right manager at the right time for a franchise that had experienced mostly terrible timing for more than a century. Right until his time...
Pirates players balance fondness of Clint Hurdle, willingness for changeVideo
One by one, Clint Hurdle’s men lined up outside his office to say goodbye. Men, not players, by that time. To Hurdle, they were always more than names on a lineup card. It was difficult for the Pittsburgh Pirates to play a meaningless baseball game Sunday, and they lost it...
Kevin Gorman: If Pirates’ shortcomings were ‘collective,’ why only fire Clint Hurdle?Video
In an awkward attempt to avoid serving up a scapegoat for this colossal disaster of a season for the Pittsburgh Pirates, general manager Neal Huntington called it a “collective shortcoming.” Call it whatever you want. Pirates chairman Bob Nutting fired one man, Clint Hurdle. Perhaps it’s the first of many....
Chase Elliott wins playoff race at Charlotte in scorching heat
CONCORD, N.C. — Chase Elliott overcame a costly mistake that nearly wrecked his car to win a sloppy race in scorching temperatures on The Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Sunday showcase was the first elimination race in NASCAR’s playoffs and attention was focused on which four drivers would be...
Pirates lose season finale, notching 13 more losses than 2018Video
The Pittsburgh Pirates head into the offseason searching for a new voice after firing Clint Hurdle. The Cincinnati Reds may have found theirs during a season that offered tangible proof that years of rebuilding might finally be producing forward momentum. The evidence came in a 3-1 victory over the Pirates...
Pirates’ Neal Huntington says he’s looking for ‘good baseball man’ to replace Clint Hurdle
First on Neal Huntington’s to-do list this offseason is finding a replacement for former manager Clint Hurdle, who was fired Sunday. Huntington will get the chance to hire the second field manager of his 12-year tenure as Pittsburgh Pirates general manager. Hurdle replaced John Russell after the 2010 season. “I...
John Steigerwald: Don’t blame Clint Hurdle for Pirates’ failures
Who’s the greatest manager in MLB history? I don’t know. You pick. Is it one of the three or four guys lucky enough to manage the New York Yankees when they were putting an All-Star team on the field every game? Whoever it is, if he had been brought back...
Want to be winger for the Penguins? You had better be diverse
Jared McCann is listed as a center. He often plays left wing. Which does he identify as? “Neither,” said the fifth-year Pittsburgh Penguins forward. That ambiguity over his position was on display Saturday during a 3-2 shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres at PPG Paints Arena. After top center Sidney...
NFL Week 4 roundup: Patriots hold off Bills to remain unbeatenVideo
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins forced Buffalo’s fourth turnover by intercepting backup Matt Barkley’s pass with 1:27 remaining to seal New England’s 16-10 win over the Bills on Sunday. J.C. Jackson had two interceptions and blocked a punt, which was returned 11 yards by Matthew Slater for...
‘Collective shortcoming’ led Pirates to part ways with manager Clint Hurdle
Clint Hurdle announced his arrival to the Pittsburgh Pirates with charm, charisma and his intention to reconnect the city to its major-league baseball club amid a two-decade losing streak. The Pirates announced with a news release Sunday that Hurdle had been fired as manager, shortly after he said he needed...
Baker Mayfield, Nick Chubb help carry Cleveland Browns past Ravens, 40-25Video
BALTIMORE — Finally fulfilling preseason expectations, Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns posted a signature win against a longtime nemesis. Mayfield threw for 342 yards and a touchdown, Nick Chubb ran for a pivotal 88-yard score and the Browns beat the Baltimore Ravens 40-25 Sunday to earn a share of...
For Steelers, getting first win, not Bengals rivalry, is most importantVideo
Bud Dupree spent a few moments in the Pittsburgh Steelers locker room last week wistfully looking back to a time in the earlier stages of his career. Because then he was a younger man eagerly anticipating embarking on his NFL journey? No. Because the Steelers were legitimate annual Super Bowl...
Couple married during halftime of Bills-Patriots gameVideo
Two Buffalo Bills super fans were married on the field during the halftime of the Bills - New England Patriots game. After the Bills became the first team to put up points in the first half against the Patriots this season and went into the locker room trailing 13-3, the...
Pirates fire manager Clint Hurdle
Neal Huntington called this season of losing streaks, clubhouse fights and on-field brawls “a collective shortcoming” by everyone in the organization. But the only man out of a job Sunday was manager Clint Hurdle, fired at PNC Park an hour before the Pittsburgh Pirates’ last game of the season. He...
Redemption as Pittsburgh runner caps 3rd Great Race victory; Sewickley man takes men’s 10K
Last year, Jennifer Bigham attempted a three-peat in the Great Race. But, 2 miles into the race, Bigham tore her plantar fascia and finished sixth. On Sunday, redemption was on her mind. Bigham, 38, of Pittsburgh captured her third title in the women’s 10K open division in a personal best...
Pirates manager Clint Hurdle: ‘We need to win more games … sell more tickets’Video
Clint Hurdle was deep in conversation about what a waste of time it is to try to change a person’s perception when the Pirates manager was asked about his own perception of where the Pirates are and what they need to do next season. His answer: Win more games. Sell...
Crosby, Galchenyuk, Rust remain sidelined for the Penguins
Penguins forwards Sidney Crosby, Alex Galchenyuk and Bryan Rust did not participate in the team’s practice Sunday at PPG Paints Arena. According to coach Mike Sullivan, Crosby is considered day-to-day and was held out for precautionary reasons. He skated briefly before practice. Sullivan labeled Crosby’s status as “encouraging.” Rust still...
