October 13, 2020 3:47 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Steelers are 4-0 for the first time in 41 years after slipping past Philadelphia 38-29. Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin says his team is far from perfect but added it has been good enough to avoid the kind of early-season issues that have plagued them in recent years. The defense struggled at times against the undermanned Eagles but still had five sacks and intercepted two passes. After facing four teams with a combined record of 3-15-1, the road gets tougher for Pittsburgh starting next week against rival Cleveland. The Browns are off to a solid 4-1 start.
October 12, 2020 4:58 pm
CINCINNATI (AP) – He was the smallest cog in what was known as baseball’s Big Red Machine – but Joe Morgan is being remembered as one of the giants of the game. The Hall of Fame second baseman for the Cincinnati Reds has died. He was 77. Morgan helped lead the Reds to two straight World Series titles. His single in Game 7 of the 1975 series beat Boston and the following year, he capped a Most Valuable Player season with a sweep of the Yankees. After his playing career, Morgan went into broadcasting, doing games for the Reds, Giants and A’s – as well as for NBC, ABC, CBS and ESPN.
October 12, 2020 3:48 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Rookie wide receiver Chase Claypool scored four touchdowns, including the clincher with 2:59 remaining, and the Pittsburgh Steelers remained unbeaten with a 38-29 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Claypool, a second-round pick from Notre Dame, finished with seven receptions for 110 yards and three scores. He also added a 2-yard rushing touchdown on the ground as the Steelers improved to 4-0 for the first time since 1979. Carson Wentz threw for 258 yards and two touchdowns for the Eagles and Miles Sanders ran for two scores in his return to his hometown but Philadelphia’s defense sagged late.
October 12, 2020 2:14 am
Following the postponement of Monday’s Denver/New England game, the NFL announced the numerous schedule changes, including the Chiefs/Bills game due to be broadcast on WJPA-AM on Thursday. The following changes were made Sunday by the league:
Denver at New England from Monday, Oct. 12 to Sunday, Oct. 18
Kansas City at Buffalo from Thursday, Oct. 15 to Monday, Oct. 19
NY Jets at Miami from Sunday, Nov. 15 to Sunday, Oct. 18
NJ Jets at LA Chargers from Sunday, Oct. 18 to Sunday, Nov. 22
Jacksonville at LA Chargers from Sunday, Nov. 1 to Sunday, Oct. 25
LA Chargers at Denver from Sunday, Nov. 22 to Sunday, Nov. 1
LA Chargers at Miami from Sunday, Oct. 25 to Sunday, Nov. 15
Miami at Denver from Sunday, Oct. 11 to Sunday, Nov. 22
October 12, 2020 3:57 am
SAN DIEGO (AP) – The Tampa Bay Rays have taken Game 1 of the American League Championship Series by shutting down a ballclub that scored 33 runs in a four-game division series. Winning pitcher Blake Snell combined with four relievers on a nine-hitter as the Rays downed the Astros, 2-1. Snell allowed six hits over five innings, blanking Houston after Jose Altuve homered two batters into the game. Diego Castillo picked up a five-out save, one game after working two scoreless frames to close out Tampa Bay’s ALDS win over the Yankees. He entered with the bases loaded in the eighth before getting Yuli Gurriel to ground into a double play. It took the Rays one turn around the batting order before getting the offense going, beginning with Randy Arozarena’s solo blast in the fourth. Mike Zunino singled home the tiebreaking run an inning later off Astros starter and loser Framber Valdez, who struck out eight over six innings. Game 2 is Monday.
October 12, 2020 3:49 am
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) – The NBA bubble has burst for the Miami Heat as the Los Angeles Lakers finished off their 17th championship. The Lakers wrapped up the NBA Finals in six games by building a 64-36 halftime lead in a 106-93 rout of the Heat. L.A. turned it into a laugher by outscoring Miami 36-16 in the second quarter. LeBron James capped his fourth NBA title with a triple-double of 28 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists. James has won championships with three teams, including the Cavaliers and Heat. Anthony Davis and Rajon Rondo each added 19 points, two more than Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Miami center Bam Adebayo had his best game of the series, finishing with 25 points and 10 boards. But the Lakers put a muzzle on Jimmy Butler, who had a triple-doubles in Miami’s two victories. Butler took just 10 shots and finished with 12 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
October 11, 2020 7:29 am
BOSTON (AP) — Boston College coach Jeff Hafley was trying to figure out how to stop Pittsburgh’s offense in a second overtime when he took a quick look and realized the game was over after the Panthers missed an extra-point attempt to give the Eagles a 31-30 win on Saturday night. Phil Jurkovec threw three touchdown passes to Zay Flowers — the last a 25-yarder in overtime — and ran for a score to lead BC (3-1, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference). Jurkovec, a sophomore transfer from Notre Dame, was 19 of 35 for 358 yards passing as the Eagles rebounded from a frustratingly close loss to then-No. 12 North Carolina. Flowers had six catches for 162 yards. Kenny Pickett completed 25 of 48 passes for 266 yards for Pittsburgh (3-2, 2-2). He threw two TD passes, ran for a score, and then limped off the field late in the third quarter but returned in the next series to throw an interception. On BC’s first possession in overtime, Jurkovec threw a strike down the middle to Flowers in the end zone on third-and-10. Pitt answered in OT when Pickett hit Taysir Mack with a 3-yard TD pass, but Alex Kessman missed wide right on the PAT. Kessman had hit a 58-yard field goal with 40 seconds left in regulation. BC’s Aaron Boumerhi was wide left on a 52-yarder as time expired to force overtime. A week ago, at the same end zone, BC lined up for a potential game-tying 2-point conversion with 45 seconds to play, but North Carolina’s Trey Morrison picked off Jurkovec and returned it for a score. Pittsburgh rallied from a 10-point deficit. Vincent Davis’ 4-yard scoring run sliced it to 24-21 late in the third. The Panthers took over at their own 38 with 3 1/2 minutes to play and marched to BC’s 26. Max Richardson sacked Pickett on third-and-5 for a 15-yard loss before the game-tying field goal. Jurkovec hit Flowers with a 77-yard TD pass down the middle on the second play after halftime to give the Eagles a 24-14 lead. Jurkovec also found Flowers with a 44-yard strike in the left corner of the end zone early into the second quarter.
October 10, 2020 4:55 am
SAN DIEGO (AP) – The Tampa Bay Rays have earned the right to take on the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series. Mike Brosseau slammed a tiebreaking, solo homer in the bottom of the eighth to lift the Rays past the New York Yankees, 2-1. Brosseau supplied two of Tampa Bay’s three hits after entering the game as a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning. The other hit was Austin Meadow’s game-tying solo shot in the fifth. The Yankees were also held to three hits, including a fourth-inning blast by Aaron Judge. Diego Castillo worked two hitless innings of relief in getting the victory. He ended the game by getting Gio Urshela to line out. Aroldis Chapman served up Brosseau’s home run and took the loss as the Yankees ended their season.
October 10, 2020 4:53 am
LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y. (AP) – Baseball has lost its Chairman of the Board. New York Yankees great Whitey Ford has died at 91. A family member tells The Associated Press on Friday that Ford died at his Long Island home Thursday night. The cause was not known. Ford’s .690 winning percentage was the best of any pitcher in the 20th century, going 236-106 in a 16-year career that began in 1950. He earned a major league-record 10 World Series victories, with eight coming between 1955 and 1961. Ford was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974 along with his best friend on the Yankees, Mickey Mantle. He had been the second-oldest living Hall of Fame member, behind only 92-year-old Tommy Lasorda. The Yankees wore Ford’s No. 16 on their left uniform sleeves for their final AL Division Series game against the Rays.
October 10, 2020 4:51 am
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) – The Miami Heat will be playing some meaningful basketball this weekend. The Heat have forced a sixth game in the NBA Finals, pulling within 3-2 in the series with a 111-108 triumph over the Los Angeles Lakers. Jimmy Butler delivered 35 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in his second triple-double of the series. Butler played all but one minute and was doubled over near the scorer’s table and the foul line in the final minute. He had enough strength to drive the lane, draw contact and drain two free throws with 16.8 seconds left for a 109-108 lead.
Los Angeles had another chance to go back on top, but Danny Green missed a 3-point attempt before Tyler Herro finished it off with two free throws. Duncan Robinson finished with 26 points and Kendrick Nunn had 14 off the bench as coach Erik Spoelstra got the most out of a seven-man rotation. LeBron James had a game-high 40 points to go with 13 boards and assists rebounds for L.A. James hit six 3-pointers, including a trey that sparked a 17-3 run in the final period after Miami lead by 11. Anthony Davis and 28 points and 12 rebounds for the Lakers, who will try to wrap up their 17th championship on Sunday.
