Sports category, Page 859
Next on the Tee: PGA’s first female president, Suzy Whaley discusses Golf Nation
It’s Girls Night Out II this week on “Next on the Tee,” featuring four guests — former PGA of America President, now President of Golf Nation Suzy Whaley; Mark Calcavecchia’s wife, part-time caddie Brenda Calcavecchia, Junior Golf Leader of the Year Megan Younkman, and adaptive golf instructor Gianna Rojas. Whaley...
Kansas escapes postseason ban, major penalties as panel downgrades basketball violations
LAWRENCE, Kan. — The Kansas men’s basketball program was put on probation and ordered to take down its 2018 Final Four banner but escaped a postseason ban Wednesday, when an independent panel created by the NCAA to handle complex cases downgraded five Level I violations lodged against the Jayhawks. The...
Matt Canada: ‘There’s a good vibe from the guys’ on the Steelers offense as it seeks turnaround
Matt Canada is aware that the results from the offense need to improve. The Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator is confident his unit’s players are taking a good approach to reaching that end during the team’s bye week. “We’d like to be better but there’s a lot of football left, and...
Former Jets 2nd-round pick Denzel Mims seeks to contribute to Steelers WR corps
Three-and-a-half years, three teams, a trade and multiple injuries into his pro career, Denzel Mims has learned a lessons about the NFL. “Don’t be comfortable, really,” Mims said from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ locker room last week. A second-round pick in 2020 after being a star receiver at Baylor, Mims was...
Pitt’s new starting QB Christian Veilleux sounds like he’s ready to lead
If you’re wondering how Pitt’s quarterbacks prepare for a game, let new starter Christian Veilleux take you behind the curtain. First of all (and of least importance as it relates to Pitt’s game Saturday against undefeated No. 14 Louisville), the Canadian-born Veilleux prefers the pronunciation of his name to be...
Ravens hope early arrival to London pays off against TitansVideo
ENFIELD, England — NFL teams that play in London tend to prefer arriving late in the week, believing it maximizes performance Sunday. John Harbaugh is not having it. The Baltimore Ravens did that once before, arriving on a Friday in 2017, and got blown out 44-7 by the Jacksonville Jaguars....
Steelers QB coach impressed with Kenny Pickett’s pre-snap communication, pocket awareness vs. Ravens
Kenny Pickett has gotten rave reviews for the way he changed the protection at the line of scrimmage Sunday before he threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to George Pickens that provided the go-ahead points in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 17-10 victory against the Baltimore Ravens. It wasn’t the first time in...
Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson continues to grow
Late in the 2021-22 season, defenseman Marcus Pettersson experienced something new in his existence with the Pittsburgh Penguins. A healthy scratch. For a handful of games down the stretch, Pettersson was swapped in and out of the lineup in favor of reserve defenseman Mark Friedman. “Once you’re out of the...
Forget Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, here’s Pittsburgh’s athlete/celebrity romance history
The sports and celebrity headlines have been filled with the news of a budding romance between pop superstar Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. But Pittsburgh is no stranger when it comes to its athletes romancing celebrities. One Steelers player married an Olympic figure skater, while...
Colts QB Anthony Richardson to miss at least 4 weeks after going on injured reserve
INDIANAPOLIS — Rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson will miss at least four weeks after the Indianapolis Colts put him on the injured reserve list Wednesday. The former Florida star injured the AC joint in his right shoulder when he hit the ground awkwardly at the end of a 4-yard run during...
Bryce Elder gets the nod for Braves in Game 3 of NLDS vs. Phillies
PHILADELPHIA — The Atlanta Braves picked right-hander Bryce Elder to start Game 3 of the NL Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday. Elder (12-4, 3.81) struggled down the stretch after pitching a career-high 174 2/3 innings in his first full season in the big leagues. But the Braves...
Mark Madden: Plenty of others to blame for Penguins’ opening night loss besides Tristan Jarry
We’re in the era of predetermined blame. No matter what goes wrong with the Steelers, it’s Matt Canada’s fault. The head coach can be a fraud, the quarterback can stink, but everything bad is the offensive coordinator’s fault. You don’t like him in the first place. (More on Canada later.)...
First Call: Update on T.J. Watt’s injured finger sounds nasty; a ‘Fire Canada’ chant at the Penguins game?
Wednesday’s “First Call” features a gnarly update on the finger injury suffered by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt. Joey Porter Jr. goes in-depth on his first career interception. The Steelers’ next opponent made a trade. And we have some NHL-opening gambling lines. Dislocated digit Not much attention was paid to...
Tim Benz: Old storylines emerge in season-opening loss for ‘whole new group’ of Penguins
So the Chicago Blackhawks came to Pittsburgh and spoiled a Penguins party. If Mike Lange was still doing play-by-play, this would be a perfect spot to drop in, “I’ve seen that fish before.” There was one significant difference between the Blackhawks winning 5-2 at PPG Paints Arena in the Pens’...
Pitt’s Randy Bates deals with youth, tackling issues on his defense
Randy Bates doesn’t hide from reality. He understands the problems confronting the Pitt defense that he coordinates, and he doesn’t make excuses for a 1-4 record, a sudden inability to stop the other team’s ground attack or allowing 72 points (minus one punt return) in the past two games. It...
Erik Karlsson’s regular-season debut with Penguins a mixed bagVideo
In his first regular-season game with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday, Erik Karlsson led his new club in ice time (26 minutes, 4 seconds), manned the point on the top power-play unit and had a number of offensive moments befitting his reputation. He also was on the ice for three...
Corey Seager still going deep in Texas, helps send Rangers to ALCS with sweep of 101-win OriolesVideo
ARLINGTON, Texas — Corey Seager is still going deep in Texas during the postseason. This time he is doing it for the Rangers, who are streaking through October. Seager and Adolis García homered early, Nathan Eovaldi pitched seven smooth innings in another playoff clincher and Texas completed an AL Division...
Penguins give up 4 unanswered goals, drop opener to Blackhawks
Rickard Rakell looked around the dressing room and shook his head, almost in disbelief. When asked about the menagerie of stars assembled by the Pittsburgh Penguins, including himself, he preached patience. And plenty of optimism. “It’s going to take a little bit of time to get adjusted to,” the All-Star...
Purdue favored to win Big Ten again, but can anyone end league’s NCAA Tournament trouble?Video
MINNEAPOLIS — The Big Ten got an unexpected boost in the offseason when Zach Edey decided to return to Purdue for a fourth year. But the question remains whether Edey’s towering presence will make a difference next March. Or will Purdue’s well-publicized struggles in the NCAA Tournament — emblematic of...
How much is Penn State paying UMass for the game this weekend?
When Penn State welcomes 100,000 fans into Beaver Stadium this weekend, millions of dollars will flow into the athletic department’s pockets — and a chunk of that change will go to those on the opposing sideline. Penn State will pay $1.6 million to UMass for the game on Saturday, according...
Lexi Thompson ready for the bright lights of Vegas and big stage of PGA TourVideo
In the midst of one of her roughest years, Lexi Thompson faces her biggest challenge. Thompson was coming off her first top-10 finish of the year two weeks ago when she said her management company told her the Shriners Children’s Open had offered her a sponsor exemption to play on...
Jonas Johansson wins in debut as Lightning beat Predators in NHL season openerVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — Jonas Johansson made 29 saves in his first start in place of the injured Andrei Vasilevskiy, Nicholas Paul had two third-period power-play goals and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Nashville Predators, 5-3, in the NHL regular-season opener Tuesday night. Johansson was signed to be Vasilevskiy’s backup....
Column: MLB’s playoff format penalizing top seeds with all that time offVideo
The Baltimore Orioles won an AL-leading 101 games during the regular season. The Los Angeles Dodgers also reached triple digits in victories. Those impressive accomplishments earned both teams a bye in the opening round of the playoffs. Clearly, the time off did them no good. Tossing in the 104-win Atlanta...
Astros hit 4 homers, with a pair by Abreu, to rout Twins and take 2-1 ALDS leadVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — José Abreu hit a three-run homer for Houston in a four-run first inning against Sonny Gray and piled on with a two-run shot in the ninth, powering the Astros past the Minnesota Twins, 9-1, on Tuesday for a 2-1 lead in their AL Division Series. Yordan Alvarez hit...
Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton ‘fighting for her life’ with rare form of pneumonia
Gold medal-winning gymnast Mary Lou Retton is in the ICU, where she’s fighting for her life, her daughter McKenna Kelley said on Tuesday. On a fundraising page asking for prayers and donations, Kelley revealed that the 55-year-old tumbler has been in the hospital for over a week with a “very...
