CLEVELAND — The chant began almost as a pleading cry and has grown into something of a commandment during Browns home games this season. It goes, “Chubb! Chubb! Chubb!” It slowly builds and reaches a crescendo whenever Cleveland’s offense faces a pivotal situation or needs a big ...

PITTSBURGH — Despite some encouraging signs to the contrary earlier in the week, the depleted Pittsburgh Steelers offense won’t be getting its top wide receiver back for what is a crucial game this weekend. JuJu Smith-Schuster will not play when the Steelers host the Buffalo Bills on ...

The most important piece of anglers’ equipment unfortunately is something they all too often overlook. Fishing line is not the most exciting stuff that anglers use, so it is easy to shrug it off. That’s a shame because neglect and indifference can lead to a great deal of disappointment ...

BEREA — If Odell Beckham is making plans to bolt the Browns, the flashy wide receiver hasn’t told his best friend. Jarvis Landry thinks he would know, and he doesn’t believe Beckham is going anywhere. Landry said Thursday that Beckham has given him no reason to feel he wants to be ...

PITTSBURGH — On the surface, they couldn’t be more different. One is the self-professed country boy from Georgia with the easy laugh. The other is a quiet kid from Wisconsin who happens to be the youngest member of a family that treats football not so much a sport but a calling. Bud ...

SAN ANTONIO — Cleveland veteran Kevin Love has struggled to find a bright spot during a gloomy season for the Cavaliers, so he created his own. Love hit a tying 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation and finished with 30 points and 17 rebounds as the Cavs rallied past the San Antonio ...

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Felicia Edmunds would rouse her three preteen boys from bed hours before school — and even on vacation — to put them through a rigorous daily workout of long runs and suicide sprints. If Trey, Terrell and Tremaine Edmunds aspired to one day play in the NFL, ...

CLEVELAND — James Harden scored 55 points — 20 in the fourth quarter — and Russell Westbrook added 23 points as the Houston Rockets withstood an unexpected scare from Cleveland and held on for a 116-110 win Wednesday night over the free-falling Cavaliers, who have lost eight straight and ...

The Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference needed one team. Garfield High School fit that criteria as the eastern Portage County school becomes the eighth member of the expansion group scheduled to join the conference next school year. The G-Men will leave the Portage Trail Conference County ...

PITTSBURGH — Tomas Tatar’s 10th goal of the season ended Tristan Jarry’s franchise-record shutout streak and sparked the Montreal Canadiens to a 4-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night. Jarry’s shutout run ended at 177:15 on Tatar’s power-play goal 12:24 into the ...

CHAMPION — Either team would have felt fortunate finishing with a victory Tuesday night when Niles visited Champion for a boys high school basketball game. Neither side strung together long stretches of pretty basketball, but the Golden Flashes did just enough to hold off the Red Dragons, ...

BOARDMAN — The Boardman Spartans hadn’t played a game in a week after their a mathcup against the Farrell Steelers was postponed. Even though their first game came seven days ago, when they overcame a 22-point deficit to Canton GlenOak, that momentum carried over to their home opener ...

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky quarterback and former Mahoning Valley high school football star Lynn Bowden said on Twitter that “now is my time” to enter the NFL Draft and noted he will make that move after the Wildcats face Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl. Bowden starred at Liberty High ...

BEAVER TOWNSHIP — Local sports historian John Caparanis readily admits that he takes things a little slower than he might have five decades ago. His zest for spreading the word about the sports accomplishments of current and former Mahoning Valley athletes, coaches, administrators and ...

CLEVELAND — Odell Beckham Jr. gave each of his Browns teammates a new pair of his signature Nike sneakers on Monday. It’s unclear if they’re Christmas presents or going-away gifts. Beckham’s gesture could not have been more perfectly timed from a personal public relations ...

PITTSBURGH — Darryl Drake called it in April. Minutes after the Pittsburgh Steelers selected wide receiver Diontae Johnson in the third round of the draft, his new position coach provided an impassioned endorsement of the modestly rated kid from Toledo who won Drake over with all the things ...

CLEVELAND — The Browns can’t even win without some kind of theatrics. And, once again, Odell Beckham is in the middle of the latest drama. Nick Chubb ran for 106 yards — 99 after halftime — and Baker Mayfield and Kareem Hunt had rushing touchdowns as Cleveland kept its faint hopes ...

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Pittsburgh’s defense was great and the Duck was just fine. After weeks of wondering how this bunch keeps piecing together victories, a clearer picture is beginning to emerge. Maybe the Steelers are just pretty good. Diontae Johnson returned a punt 85 yards for a ...

Defending national champions. Undefeated and owners of a 28-game winning streak, longest in the nation. The Clemson Tigers are one heck of a No. 3 seed. Clemson will play second-seeded Ohio State in prime time Dec. 28 in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, ...

INDIANAPOLIS — Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields looked frazzled and frustrated in the first half Saturday night. So did the rest of the Buckeyes. Then the Big Ten’s offensive player of the year started trusting himself — and his teammates. Fields threw three touchdown passes and ...