February 17, 2024 1:58 am
(WPXI) – The Pittsburgh Steelers announced Friday that they officially submitted a bid to host the NFL Draft. The Steelers posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, a short video that shows them submitting Pittsburgh’s NFL Draft Bid. The team says the bid is to host the event in 2026 or 2027. City officials have approved the use of facilities if the NFL draft is awarded to Pittsburgh.
February 17, 2024 4:40 am
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Las Vegas Raiders backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has been suspended by the NFL for the first two games of next season for violating the performance-enhancing drugs policy of the league and NFL Players Association. ESPN also reported the Raiders are expected to release Garoppolo next month before an $11.25 million roster bonus kicks in. Garoppolo’s days in Las Vegas appeared over at midseason when then-interim coach Antonio Pierce replaced him with rookie Aidan O’Connell for the rest of the season. Pierce became the Raiders’ full-time coach last month and the Raiders also hired Tom Telesco as their general manager.
February 17, 2024 4:39 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tiger Woods returned to the PGA Tour and lasted only 24 holes. Woods withdrew Friday at the Genesis Invitational after hitting his tee shot on the seventh hole. Woods was coping with flu-like symptoms and was dehydrated. He was treated with IV fluids and was doing better. Woods was 1-over par for the round and projected just outside the cut when he asked for a cart and was driven off the course. Later, a Los Angeles Fire Department ambulance and ladder truck were parked outside the clubhouse. PGA Tour officials said the paramedics delivered IV bags.
February 16, 2024 4:43 am
CHICAGO (AP) — Sidney Crosby scored twice, Reilly Smith and Bryan Rust added goals, and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 on Thursday night to snap a three-game losing streak. The Penguins had lost to Minnesota, Winnipeg and Florida in succession, but controlled their third road game in four starts from the outset. With the victory, Pittsburgh moved past Washington and into sixth place in the Metropolitan Division. The Blackhawks, last in the NHL, dropped their eighth straight game (0-7-1). Blackhawks star rookie Connor Bedard assisted on Philipp Kurashev’s goal in his return a 14-game absence because of a broken jaw.
February 16, 2024 4:44 am
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says he will retire when his current term ends in January 2029. Speaking at a spring training news conference, Manfred noted he will be 70 years old and been commissioner for 14 years when his term ends on Jan. 25, 2029. The 65-year-old succeeded Bud Selig in January 2015 and was given a five-year term. Owners voted in November 2018 to offer Manfred a new deal through the 2024 season, then voted last July to approve his latest term.
February 16, 2024 4:45 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tiger Woods is back on the PGA Tour and his lasting memory was a shank. Woods hit a shank with an 8-iron from the 18th fairway at the Genesis Invitational. He attributes that to back spasms over the last two holes. At least he made a terrific recovery. He still made bogey and shot 72. That leaves him eight shots out of the lead. He’ll need a better round Friday to make sure he sticks around for the weekend. Woods says his back has been acting up at home. He also says there was rust from not having played much.
February 15, 2024 4:33 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Anton Lundell scored twice, Matthew Tkachuk added a goal and two assists and the surging Florida Florida Panthers cruised past the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2. Aaron Ekblad and Johan Gadjovich also scored for Florida. Evan Rodrigues added two assists to reach 200 career points as the Panthers extended their franchise-record road winning streak to nine. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 25 shots to win his fifth straight start. Jake Guentzel scored his 23rd goal of the season for Pittsburgh. The Penguins have dropped three straight games.
February 15, 2024 4:36 am
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers have fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks three days after losing the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs. Coach Kyle Shanahan announced the decision to move on after one season with Wilks in charge of the defense. Shanahan called it a “really tough decision” but says he wants to find a coordinator who was a better scheme fit for the talent on San Francisco’s defense. The Niners struggled on defense in the playoffs and allowed four straight scoring drives to end their Super Bowl loss against Kansas City.
February 15, 2024 1:30 am
BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) – The Pittsburgh Pirates announced one-year contracts with two-time All-Star catcher Yasmani Grandal and left-hander Josh Fleming as the team started spring training. Grandal gets a $2.5 million salary and Fleming receives a split contract calling for $850,000 while in the major leagues and $240,000 while in the minors. The 35-year-old Grandal was an All-Star with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2015 and with Milwaukee in 2019. He is a career .237 hitter and has topped 20 home runs five times. The 27-year-old Fleming is 19-13 with a 4.88 ERA across four seasons, all with Tampa Bay.
February 15, 2024 4:37 am
Don Gullett, a standout major league pitcher who played for four consecutive World Series champions in the 1970s, has died. He was 73. The Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees and Baseball Hall of Fame all paid tribute to Gullett in social media posts. There was no information provided on his death, but the Cincinnati Enquirer reported he had recent health issues. Gullett went 109-50 with a 3.11 ERA in nine seasons with the Reds and Yankees. The left-hander had 44 complete games, 14 shutouts and 11 saves in 266 career games. He was inducted into the Reds’ Hall of Fame in 2002.
