May 28, 2020 2:36 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Penguins will head into whatever becomes of the NHL postseason without forward Nick Bjugstad. The team says Bjugstad underwent spinal surgery to repair a herniated disk. General manager Jim Rutherford said the surgery was necessary after Bjugstad had a “setback” while recovering from a lower-body injury suffered just before the NHL went on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While Bjugstad is out, All-Star forward Jake Guentzel is on schedule to return from a shoulder injury when the NHL resumes at some point this summer.
May 27, 2020 3:46 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick thinks a potentially altered preseason schedule could benefit one of the league’s best defenses. The Steelers are returning 10 of 11 starters from a unit that finished fifth in the league in 2019. Fitzpatrick believes that continuity would be an advantage if the COVID-19 pandemic disrupts preparations for the 2020 regular season. Fitzpatrick says while he is missing the chance to hang out with his teammates during organized team activities, he believes the team will get up to speed quickly whenever players are allowed to get together.
May 26, 2020 3:52 am
UNDATED (AP) – Patrick Ewing’s son says the Georgetown basketball coach and former NBA great has been released from the hospital and is recovering from COVID-19 at home. The 57-year-old Hall of Famer who played for the Hoyas in college and the New York Knicks for 15 seasons announced Friday that he had tested positive for the coronavirus and was being treated at a hospital. Patrick Ewing Jr. said three days later on Twitter that his father was getting better and thanked the doctors and nurses who looked after him during his hospital stay. He also thanked fans for their thoughts and prayers.
May 26, 2020 3:51 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – The Korean Baseball Organization has suspended ex-Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang for a year and ordered him to perform 300 hours of community service over a series of historical drunk driving cases. South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reports the suspension for Kang will come into effect when he joins a KBO team. He applied to come off the voluntarily retired list last week in a bid to return to the Korean league. Yonhap said the 33-year-old Kang was in the U.S. and didn’t attend Monday’s KBO disciplinary committee hearing. Kang was the first position player to jump directly from the KBO to the majors when he signed with Pittsburgh in 2015.
May 25, 2020 3:24 am
UNDATED (AP) – Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning won “The Match: Champions for Charity,” earning a 1-up decision over Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady. Woods and Manning took the lead on the third hole and never trailed, building a 3-up lead in fourballs on the front nine and closing it out on 18. The goal was to raise $10 million or more for COVID-19 relief funds, and online donations sent money climbing toward about twice that much.
May 24, 2020 6:05 am
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are getting ready for another made-for-TV match, this time with friends from the NFL. Woods and Peyton Manning take on Mickelson and Tom Brady in what’s being billed as “The Match: Champions for Charity.” It will be the second straight Sunday live golf is on TV. The purpose is to raise $10 million for COVID-19 relief efforts and to provide entertainment.
May 23, 2020 10:35 am
UNDATED (AP) – The NHL Players Association has accepted a proposal on a 24-team playoff format, but there are other items to discuss in the league’s bid to resume play. Those questions include potential game locations, when players can return to their respective teams and what non-playoff teams will be allowed to do during what could potentially become a 10-month break between games. Under the plan proposed by the NHL/NHLPA Return To Play committee, the top four teams in each conference would play each other in a mini-tournament for seeding. The remaining 16 teams face off in a best-of-five series play-in round to set the final 16 to compete for the Stanley Cup.
May 23, 2020 4:25 am
UNDATED (AP) – Georgetown basketball coach Patrick Ewing has tested positive for COVID-19 and is being treated at a hospital. The Hall of Fame player and former Knicks center says the virus is serious and should not be taken lightly, adding that he wanted to encourage everyone to stay safe and take care of themselves and their loved ones. Ewing also thanked the healthcare workers and everyone on the front lines. The school said the 57-year-old Ewing is the only member of its men’s program who has contracted the coronavirus.
May 22, 2020 3:49 am
UNDATED (AP) – The NHL is taking a major step toward formulating the remainder of their season. A person with knowledge of the situation tells The Associated Press the NHL Players’ Association’s executive board is voting on a 24-team playoff proposal as they return to play format. Results of the vote could be in as soon as Friday night. Under the proposal plan, the top four teams in each of the Eastern and Western Conferences would play each other for seeding while the remaining 16 teams face off in a best-of-five series play-in round to set the final 16. That would mean byes for Boston, Tampa Bay, Washington and Philadelphia in the East and defending champion St. Louis, Colorado, Vegas and Dallas in West. Even if the executive board votes to approve the format, the league and players union still need to negotiate other details, including health and safety protocols. But the format is a substantial piece of the return to play puzzle to award the Stanley Cup this season.
May 21, 2020 3:45 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Kevin Kramer will miss four to six months while recovering from surgery on his right hip. The team says Kramer underwent the procedure last week in Vail, Colorado. The 26-year-old Kramer had been dealing with what the club called “chronic symptoms” while attempting to stay ready for the potential start to the 2020 season. Kramer was in the mix for a utility spot with the Pirates. He hit .149 with a home run and two RBIs in 29 appearances for the team in 2019.
