Sports category, Page 2301
Anthony Rizzo, Cubs rock Pirates in high-scoring game
CHICAGO — Anthony Rizzo hit a grand slam, Willson Contreras launched two long solo homers and the Chicago Cubs kept pace in the NL wild-card race with a 17-8 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday. Rookie Nico Hoerner hit a two-run shot for his first major league homer and...
Sharks open camp with new captain after Joe Pavelski’s departureVideo
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Sharks wasted little time replacing Joe Pavelski as captain, giving the role to Logan Couture even before starting camp. Figuring out who will wear the “C” on the jersey will be easier than making up for all Pavelski provided the Sharks both on...
Mike Sullivan expects better ‘hockey decisions’ from Penguins
During the 2018-19 campaign, the Penguins’ aggressive play often led to offense. It just happened to be the other team’s offense. The Penguins were beleaguered by odd-man rushes by the opposition last season. That, in part, led to them yielding a league-high 15 shorthanded goals against. Cutting down on the...
Penguins’ Marcus Pettersson glad to get contract done before camp starts
Marcus Pettersson was a full participant during the first day of training camp, less than 24 hours after agreeing to a one-year contract worth $874,125. A restricted free agent coming off his entry-level deal, Pettersson was hoping to sign a longer-term contract but agreed to the one-year deal in order...
WVU hopes to give N.C. State QB McKay rude welcome
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Matthew McKay has handled himself well since replacing Ryan Finley as N.C. State’s quarterback. Now the sophomore will find out what it’s like to start on the road. The Wolfpack (2-0) have outscored opponents by a combined 75-6 and travel Saturday to face West Virginia, which might...
Slimmed-down Evgeni Malkin: ‘I want to show to everyone I’m not done’
Evgeni Malkin limped through a 2018-19 campaign that saw injuries limit him to 68 games and 72 points. His 12 goals at even strength were the lowest total of his career, aside from the five he scored during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. As a result, he retooled his offseason workout...
Antonio Brown eligible to play, but status with Patriots unclear
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Antonio Brown is said to be eligible to play against Miami. Whether he actually does after just three practices with the Patriots is not clear. “We’re determining that,” coach Bill Belichick said Friday. “I’m not gonna hand out a copy of the gameplan. We’ll do what we...
WPIAL Week 3 football: How to watch, listen and find scores
Week 3 is full of intriguing matchups for WPIAL high school football. One of this week’s games that might have flown under the radar is Mt. Lebanon hosting Seneca Valley. New coach Bob Palko’s undefeated Blue Devils face their first big Class 6A test Friday at Mt. Lebanon Stadium. TribLIVE...
Tim Benz: Penguins rediscovering Evgeni Malkin is bigger than replacing Phil Kessel
There were roughly six months of happy talk about how the Steelers would benefit from addition by subtraction. Subtract Antonio Brown’s shenanigans and Le’Veon Bell’s constant contract uncertainty. Benefit by getting a more harmonious locker room, fewer distractions and game plans that weren’t hindered by needing to pacify egos. Nice...
What if Pitt loses to Penn State, but it’s a close game?
Here’s the thing — the most important thing — about the Pitt-Penn State game Saturday at Beaver Stadium: The outcome matters, of course, but how Pitt competes against the 13th-ranked team in the nation counts just as much. Unless the college football landscape changes dramatically over the next two months,...
Sidney Crosby discusses Penguins’ need for urgency, desperation
Sidney Crosby had an unusual summer. Last week, his hometown of Cole Harbour was impacted by Hurricane Dorian. The volatile weather was little more than a nuisance for Crosby, who reported little damage to his inland home, but a sign welcoming visitors to the “home of Sidney Crosby” did get...
Will Sean Davis’ return help Steelers’ issues with miscommunication, allowing big plays?
The season opener was, in the head coach’s words, a “catastrophic” loss in which the Pittsburgh Steelers were “failing miserably.” While no particular unit of the team should be spared of blame, the secondary perhaps took the hardest hit. The New England Patriots connected on seven passing plays of at...
Kevin Gorman: If Pitt wants to revive Penn State rivalry, the Panthers need to win
Pat Narduzzi and James Franklin spent the week talking about what makes Pitt-Penn State a great rivalry and all of the reasons why they can’t continue to play each other. That makes perfect sense, especially given the absurdity that Pitt and Penn State will play for the 100th time Saturday,...
If needed, Artie Burns ‘definitely ready’ for return to Steelers’ first-team defense
If Joe Haden’s shoulder does not agree with him in time for Sunday’s home opener against the Seattle Seahawks, a familiar but forgotten face would be back in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-team secondary. Artie Burns would be the proverbial next man up at outside cornerback if Haden cannot play. “I’m...
Pirates claim lefty reliever Williams Jerez on waivers from Giants
In a little-reported trade at the end of spring training, the San Francisco Giant sent left-handed pitcher Williams Jerez to the Los Angeles Angels for righty Chris Stratton. Now, as luck would have it, they’re both now members of the Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen. The Pirates claimed the 27-year-old Jerez on...
Fishing report: Crankbaits fetching largemouth bass at Keystone Lake
• Anglers at Keystone Lake are reporting plenty of largemouth bass catches, some of which are weighing in at more than a few pounds. As far as setup goes, crankbaits are fetching some lucrative results. While smallmouth bass are not being caught at the same rate as the largemouth bass,...
Both ‘questionable,’ but Steelers’ Maurkice Pouncey more confident he’ll play than Joe Haden
Of the seven Pittsburgh Steelers starters who missed practice time because of injury or illness, five were cleared to play via the release of the final injury report of the week. Among the two that weren’t, the designation of “questionable” can have different interpretations. Center Maurkice Pouncey and cornerback Joe...
Mark Madden: Penguins have tough decisions to make with defensemen
For those who pin all of the Penguins’ woes last season on Jack Johnson and bludgeon everyone who disagrees with a club fashioned out of fancy stats, I feel you. That’s absurd simplification dipped in illogical scapegoating, but the numbers don’t lie. Unless they do. If you’d like to deal...
Terry Bradshaw reflects on late Steeler Sam Davis: ‘He always did his job’
Like the rest of his Pittsburgh Steelers teammates, Terry Bradshaw was saddened by the death of Sam Davis, the dependable left guard who was a part of four Super Bowl championship teams in the 1970s. Bradshaw retired in 1983 and said he hadn’t seen Davis since his football career ended....
Steelers great Terry Bradshaw rips Antonio Brown: ‘I wouldn’t throw to him’
Terry Bradshaw regularly threw passes to a pair of fellow Hall of Famer in wide receivers Lynn Swann and John Stallworth while the Pittsburgh Steelers were winning four Super Bowls in the 1970s. Antonio Brown broke most of their records in his nine seasons with the team, but Bradshaw is...
New Penguins play with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin as training camp opensVideo
The Penguins wasted little time testing out their most prominent offseason additions on the first day of training camp in Cranberry. They put the new guys on lines with franchise players. Dominik Kahun, acquired in a trade which sent popular defenseman Olli Maatta to Chicago in June, skated on a...
Watch Pitt-Penn State on the big screen in Oakland
With Pitt and Penn State meeting on the gridiron for the 100th and possibly last time, a big screen is being set up outdoors in Oakland to watch the game. The big screen will be located at Forbes Digital Plaza at the corner of Forbes Avenue and South Bouquet Street...
Duquesne, WVU will meet to support Dayton shooting victims
West Virginia and Duquesne, long-time rivals in men’s basketball, will meet for the first time in six years Nov. 1 at the WVU Coliseum in a charity exhibition game to benefit the Dayton Oregon District Tragedy Fund. The fund has been established for those directly impacted by the mass shooting...
First Call: Gerrit Cole’s runaway 2019 continues; ex-Penguin Ryan Reaves injured
In Friday’s “First Call,” the “Cole Train” looks to keep rolling. Injury issues for a former Penguin. Some early MLB struggles for a WPIAL star. Meanwhile another WPIAL legend is going into the West Virginia Hall of Fame. Ten in a row? Former Pirate Gerrit Cole looks to continue his...
Steelers coordinators vent about Patriots loss, improvements needed for Seahawks
It’s our final “Breakfast With Benz” podcast before the Steelers play the Seattle Seahawks in the Heinz Field season opener. So I thought it’d be a good idea to hear from both coordinators in advance of the game. Defensive coordinator Keith Butler speaks first. He remains on edge after the...
