July 23, 2021 3:50 am
UNDATED (AP) – The NFL had to reschedule several games last season due to COVID-19 outbreaks within teams. The league won’t be as willing to do that this year. The NFL has informed teams they could potentially forfeit a game due to an outbreak among non-vaccinated players and that players on both teams wouldn’t get paid that week. In a memo sent to clubs that was obtained by The Associated Press, Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league doesn’t anticipate adding a 19th week to accommodate games that can’t be rescheduled within the 18-week regular season. However, forfeits are among the consequences. For purposes of playoff seeding, the forfeiting team will be credited with a loss and the other team will be credited with a win. The league says more than half its teams have COVID-19 vaccination rates greater than 80% of their players, and more than 75% of players are in the process of being vaccinated.
July 23, 2021 3:48 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Steelers experienced a significant amount of turnover during the offseason, yet they opened training camp on Thursday with the same lofty Super Bowl expectations. Veteran QB Ben Roethlisberger returns for his 18th season, this time behind a revamped offensive line. There’s also a renewed focus on the running game behind first-round draft pick Najee Harris out of Alabama. The Steelers’ defense also underwent plenty of changes.
July 22, 2021 3:59 am
The Penguins have lost forward Brandon Tanev in the NHL Expansion draft. The 29 year old becomes a member of the new Seattle Kraken. In two seasons with the Penguins, Tanev became a fan favorite for his intensity. He registered 41 points in 100 regular season games including 18 goals. He was the teams leading checker by a wide margin. His departure creates a bit of financial flexibility for the Penguins by clearing $3.5 million in cap space.
July 22, 2021 3:53 am
PHOENIX (AP) – Pavin Smith and Daulton Varsho hit consecutive homers in the seventh inning for the go-ahead runs and the Arizona Diamondbacks finished a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 6-4 victory. The Diamondbacks won their 30th game of the season against an MLB-worst 68 losses and their fourth in a row to match their season-best winning streak. The game was tied at 4 when Smith greeted reliever Duane Underwood Jr. with his ninth homer into the right-field seats. Brett de Geus got the win despite walking John Nogowski to force in the tying run in the seventh. Joakim Soria retired the side in order in the ninth for his sixth save.
July 22, 2021 3:47 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Vince Williams isn’t sticking with the Pittsburgh Steelers after all. The veteran linebacker announced his retirement Wednesday on the eve of training camp. The 31-year-old Williams appeared in 121 games for the Steelers after making the team as a sixth-round pick out of Florida State in 2013. The Steelers released Williams in a salary-cap move in March – a decision that saved the club $4 million – then re-signed him to a one-year deal a month later.
July 22, 2021 3:50 am
TOKYO (AP) – Sweden has once again stunned the United States women’s soccer team at the Olympics, this time with a 3-0 victory. The top-ranked Americans were the favorites to win in Tokyo and owned a 44-match unbeaten streak. The Swedes bounced the Americans from the 2016 Brazil Games in the quarterfinals. Then in April, Sweden played the United States to a 1-1 draw in Stockholm, which snapped a winning streak dating back to January 2019. Sweden now leads Group G heading into Saturday’s game against Australia, while the United States faces New Zealand. The top two teams in the group advance to the knockout round.
July 21, 2021 3:45 am
PHOENIX (AP) – The Arizona Diamondbacks have their first three-game winning streak since late April. Josh Reddick’s two-out, two-run single broke a tie in the seventh and Arizona scored eight times in the inning for an 11-6 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Josh VanMeter had a triple and a double in the seventh as the Diamondbacks sent 13 batters to the plate. There were six hits and four walks in the inning, and six of the eight runs scored with two outs.
July 21, 2021 3:43 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed second-round pick Anthony Solometo. The Pirates gave the 18-year-old left-handed pitcher a $2.8 million signing bonus. That’s nearly $1 million above the $1.99 million slot value for the 37th overall pick. The signing came two days after Pittsburgh agreed to terms with top overall pick, catcher Henry Davis. Solometo went 4-0 with one save, a 0.21 ERA, 64 strikeouts and just five walks in 32.2 innings as a senior at Bishop Eustace (NJ) Preparatory School.
July 21, 2021 3:48 am
MILWAUKEE (AP) – It had been been 50 years since the Milwaukee Bucks last won an NBA championship. Fittingly, their two-time NBA most valuable player scored 50 in Tuesday’s clincher. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 50 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks as the Bucks beat the Suns, 105-98 to win the series 4-2. He shot 16 for 25 from the field and made an unbelievable 17-of-19 free throws after entering the game shooting under 56% from the line in the postseason. The Greek Freak was named the NBA Finals MVP following his remarkable performance. Khris Middleton delivered 17 points and Bobby Portis had 16 off the bench for Milwaukee, which hadn’t won the title since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson carried the 1971 squad. The Bucks started strong and enjoyed a 29-16 lead heading into the second quarter. But the Suns dominated the reset of the half, outscoring Milwaukee, 31-13 to carry a five-point advantage into the locker room. The Bucks became the fifth team to win the NBA Finals after trailing 2-0 and the first to do it by winning the next four games since Miami against Dallas in 2006. Chris Paul scored 26 points to end his first NBA Finals appearance in his 16th season. Devin Booker added 19 points but shot just 8 for 22 and missed all seven 3-pointers after scoring 40 points in each of the last two games.
July 20, 2021 3:46 am
PHOENIX (AP) – Caleb Smith pitched 6 2/3 stellar innings, Eduardo Escobar hit a two-run homer for the second straight game and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2. It was a nice bounce-back outing for Smith, who was rocked for nine earned runs in one inning during a 22-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers just before the All-Star break. The left-hander even earned his first career stolen base, surprising the Pirates by getting a huge jump and swiping second. Escobar’s homer was his 22nd of the season.
