July 29, 2024 4:42 am
LATROBE, Pa. (AP) — Wide receiver George Pickens is finding new ways to establish himself as a leader in his third season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The team traded six-year veteran Diontae Johnson to Carolina in March after Pickens had a breakout second season. Now, the 23-year-old Pickens is the Steelers’ longest-tenured wide receiver and the only one on the roster with a 1,000-yard season.
July 29, 2024 4:44 am
VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France (AP) — LeBron James made his Olympic return after a 12-year absence. Kevin Durant played for the first time this summer. And the two most-experienced Olympians on this U.S. team opened the Paris Games — not to mention a bid for a fifth consecutive gold medal for the Americans — with a near-perfect show. Durant made his first eight shots on the way to 23 points in less that 17 minutes, James added 21 points, nine assists and seven rebounds and the U.S. rolled to a 110-84 win over Serbia in the Olympic opener for both teams on Sunday. Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic scored 20 points for Serbia.
July 29, 2024 4:45 am
PARIS (AP) — Simone Biles posted an all-around total of 59.566 during Olympic qualifying inside a packed and star-studded Bercy Arena in Paris despite complaining of a left calf injury that had her limping. Biles appeared to tweak the leg while warming up on floor exercise during the second rotation. She had the ankle taped and then returned to put on the kind of show-stopping performance that has long been her signature.
July 28, 2024 7:32 am
PHOENIX (AP) — Ketel Marte homered and had three RBIs, pinch hitter Joc Pederson hit a two-run triple and the Arizona Diamondbacks stretched their winning streak to four games with a 9-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday night. Jake McCarthy went 5 for 5 with an RBI and Arizona had 13 hits to win for the 10th time in 13 games. The Diamondbacks have won or split eight straight series. The Diamondbacks jumped on the Pirates early, taking a 4-1 lead after Marte’s two-run homer and Corbin Carroll’s solo shot. Oneil Cruz hit a 472-foot homer in the first inning and the Pirates tied it at 4 with three runs in the fifth inning off Brandon Pfaadt (5-6).
July 28, 2024 7:39 am
PARIS (AP) — Simone Biles didn’t let some leg discomfort slow her down. The American gymnastics superstar posted an all-around total of 59.566 during Olympic qualifying inside a packed and star-studded Bercy Arena despite complaining of a left leg injury that had her limping. Biles appeared to tweak the leg while warming up on floor exercise during the second rotation. She had the ankle taped and then returned to put on the kind of show-stopping performance that has long been her signature.
July 27, 2024 4:17 am
PHOENIX (AP) — Joc Pederson hit a solo homer, Zac Gallen navigated six solid innings and the Arizona Diamondbacks rallied to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 on Friday night. The D-backs have won three straight games and nine of 12. Arizona trailed 3-1 heading into the sixth, but responded with three runs off Luis Ortiz and Carmen Mlodzinski. Pederson started the inning with a homer that traveled 453 feet, deep into the right field seats. Gabriel Moreno singled home Christian Walker to tie it and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. scored on a wild pitch by Mlodzinski for the lead.
July 27, 2024 4:28 am
PARIS (AP) — The 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony went off with only minor hitches after a rough start to the Summer Games. Following suspected acts of sabotage targeting France’s flagship high-speed rail network, a soggy but celebratory parade down the Seine River brought an official start to the Olympics.
July 27, 2024 4:50 am
Thousands of former college athletes will be eligible for payments ranging from a few dollars to more than a million under the $2.78 billion antitrust settlement agreed to by the NCAA and five power conferences. The deal also paves the way for schools to directly compensate athletes while attempting regulate payments from boosters. The document was filed in federal court in the Northern District of California, a little more than two months after the framework of an agreement was announced. The deal must still be approved by a judge.
July 26, 2024 4:32 am
LATROBE, Pa. (AP) — Cam Heyward, entering the final season of a four-year, $64 million extension signed in 2020, said Thursday he hopes to retire with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 35-year-old defensive tackle has been selected to the Pro Bowl in six of his past seasons and was the 2023 Walter Payton Man of the Year. He had two sacks and 33 tackles last season, missing six games with a groin injury. General manager Omar Khan said he expects Heyward to remain in Pittsburgh past this season.
July 26, 2024 4:35 am
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Oakland Athletics All-Star closer Mason Miller broke the pinky finger on his non-pitching hand when he pounded a table in frustration after he was reminded he had to do postgame lifting following Monday night’s game against Houston. The 25-year-old right-hander, the hardest-throwing pitcher in the major leagues and the subject of trade speculation, was put on the 15-day injured list retroactive to Tuesday. MLB.com reported Miller was injured putting his hand down awkwardly on the training table while getting ready to do an exercise, based on what it said was information from his representative. MLB.com clarified its report after manager Mark Kotsay said that account was incorrect.
