Mike Piazza presented as manager of Italy’s baseball team
By ANDREW DAMPF AP Sports Writer
ROME (AP) — Coaching Italy’s national baseball team fits in perfectly with Mike Piazza’s current lifestyle.
The Hall of Fame catcher and his family have been living in Italy for several years since Piazza’s brief stint as owner of a local soccer club.
Speaking at his introduction at the Italian Olympic Committee on Friday, Piazza says “my heart is in Italy now. … Italy is a part of me.”
The 51-year-old Piazza, who was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, is of Italian ancestry. While his contract expires at the end of next year, Piazza is expected to manage Italy at least through the 2021 World Baseball Classic.
Piazza played for Italy at the 2006 Classic and was Italy’s hitting coach at the 2009 and 2013 WBC tournaments.
In 2016, he bought control of third-division soccer club Reggiana, which dropped out of Serie C after the 2017-18 season.
Piazza replaces Gilberto Gerali, who resigned when Italy failed to qualify for next year’s Tokyo Olympics.
Piazza says “we need to re-establish our place as one of the elite programs in Europe. So we have a lot of work to do.”
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PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pirates’ leadership overhaul is complete.

Pittsburgh hired longtime major league coach Derek Shelton as manager on Wednesday, the final piece of a new-look leadership following a last-place finish in the NL Central. Shelton replaces Clint Hurdle, who was fired on the final day of the regular season.

“We are confident Derek will help lead an elite playing and coaching environment at the major league level and be a true partner to all of baseball operations as we challenge each other to get better every day,” Pittsburgh general manager Ben Cherington said in a statement.

Shelton was the third high-profile hire by the Pirates since the end of a 69-93 season marred by issues both on and off the field. Travis Williams replaced Frank Coonelly as president in October. The team brought in Cherington this month after Neal Huntington was let go after 12 years on the job.

Shelton filled the eighth and final manager vacancy, joining Joe Maddon (Los Angeles Angels), Joe Girardi (Philadelphia), David Ross (Chicago Cubs), Jayce Tingler (San Diego), Mike Matheny (Kansas City), Carlos Beltrán (New York Mets) and Gabe Kapler (San Francisco). Beltrán was the only minority hired for a manager opening.

The 49-year-old Shelton spent the last two seasons as the bench coach for the Minnesota Twins. Shelton’s previous stops include a season as the quality control coach for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2017 — his tenure overlapping Cherington’s stint as Toronto’s vice president of baseball operations — and seven years as a hitting coach with the Tampa Bay Rays. Shelton broke into the majors as hitting coach for the Cleveland Indians from 2005-09.

Shelton’s managerial experience is limited to minor league stints in the Yankees’ organization in the early 2000s.

“It is going to be an exciting change of culture in our clubhouse,” Shelton said in a statement. “It is going to be a fun environment in which we will all be held accountable to each other. It will be a player-centric culture built on strong communication and relationships with our players, our staff and the entire organization.”

Shelton inherits a team that finished below .500 in three of the last four seasons, though the on-field product during a miserable 25-48 second half proved to be just part of Pittsburgh’s issues. Relievers Keone Kela and Kyle Crick were suspended for their roles in separate dust-ups with members of the team’s coaching and support staff. All-Star closer Felipe Rivera was arrested in September on felony charges stemming from an alleged illegal sexual relationship with a minor.

Cherington said shortly after his hire the Pirates need to do a better job of continuing to develop players once they reach the major leagues. Owner Bob Nutting expressed frustration at seeing prospects the Pirates let go flourish elsewhere, including Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Austin Meadows and pitcher Tyler Glasnow.

Amid the losing, there were bright spots. First baseman Josh Bell became an All-Star while hitting 37 home runs. Rookie outfielder Bryan Reynolds hit .314 while finishing fourth in NL Rookie of the Year balloting and shortstop Kevin Newman hit .308 in 130 games after being elevated to the starting role following an early season injury to Erik Gonzalez.

The pitching staff, however, is in tatters. Ace Jameson Taillon is out for 2020 after Tommy John surgery on his right (pitching) elbow for a second time. Pittsburgh finished with a team ERA of 5.18, next-to-last in the NL and 26th in the majors.

Polamalu, Wayne, Willis 1st year eligible for Hall of Fame
By BARRY WILNER AP Pro Football Writer
Safety Troy Polamalu, wide receiver Reggie Wayne and linebacker Patrick Willis are first-year eligible players among the 25 semifinalists of the modern era for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Also on the list, which will be cut to 15 on Jan. 2, are previous finalists John Lynch, Steve Atwater, Tony Boselli, Steve Hutchinson, Isaac Bruce, Edgerrin James and Alan Faneca.
Five former players will be elected to the class of 2020 on Feb. 1, the day before the Super Bowl. They will be inducted into the Canton, Ohio, shrine in August.
The hall also will induct 10 senior candidates, three contributors and two coaches in a special centennial class in 2020.
There are 14 defensive players, 10 on offense, and one special-teamer, Steve Tasker, who also played wide receiver for Buffalo.
Four players make the semifinals for the first time: linebacker Carl Banks, running backs Fred Taylor and Ricky Watters, and defensive tackle Bryant Young. Every other semifinalist for 2020 has gotten this far before.
There are six defensive backs in the group: Polamalu, Lynch, Atwater, Ronde Barber, LeRoy Butler and Darren Woodson.
Five receivers make the list: Wayne, Bruce, Torry Holt, Hines Ward, and Tasker. There also are five linebackers: Willis, Banks, Clay Matthews, Sam Mills and Zach Thomas.
Hutchinson, Faneca and Boselli are the offensive linemen. Taylor, Watters and James are the running backs. Defensive linemen are Young, Richard Seymour and Simeon Rice.
The semifinalists, in alphabetical order:
Steve Atwater, safety
Carl Banks, linebacker
Ronde Barber, cornerback/safety
Tony Boselli, tackle
Isaac Bruce, wide receiver
LeRoy Butler, safety
Alan Faneca, guard
Torry Holt, wide receiver
Steve Hutchinson, guard
Edgerrin James, running back
John Lynch, safety
Clay Matthews, linebacker
Sam Mills, linebacker
Troy Polamalu, safety
Simeon Rice, defensive end
Richard Seymour, defensive end/defensive tackle
Steve Tasker, wide receiver/special teamer
Fred Taylor, running back
Zach Thomas, linebacker
Hines Ward, wide receiver
Ricky Watters, running back
Reggie Wayne, wide receiver
Patrick Willis, linebacker
Darren Woodson, safety
Bryant Young, defensive tackle
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Steelers to start rookie Hodges in rematch with Browns
By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Devlin Hodges in. Mason Rudolph out.
At least for now.
Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin tabbed Hodges as the starting quarterback for Sunday’s pivotal meeting with Cleveland at Heinz Field, though Tomlin cautioned against reading too much into the move.
“We’re singularly focused on winning this game, of putting ourselves in position to win this game,” Tomlin said Tuesday. “That’s where the decision lies. We’ll see where we are after this game. Really, we have no intended plans beyond this one.”
Given the chaotic nature of the position this season for the Steelers (6-5), that’s probably wise.
Hodges came on in relief of an ineffective Rudolph in the second half against Cincinnati, throwing for a momentum-shifting 79-yard touchdown pass to James Washington on his third snap that gave Pittsburgh the lead for good.
The undrafted rookie free agent who goes by the nickname “Duck” as a nod to his status as a champion duck caller back home in Alabama, was so-so otherwise — finishing 5 of 11 for 118 yards and the score — but he avoided mistakes and provided an emotional jolt that helped the Steelers stay in the thick of the AFC playoff race.
“He took care of the ball and provided a spark,” Tomlin said. “So we just thought it was reasonable as we prepare this week to allow him to continue to do that. It means nothing about our intended plans for the foreseeable future or the trajectory of Mason’s career or what have you.”
Rudolph took over in Week 2 when Ben Roethlisberger was lost for the season because of a right elbow injury and became just the eighth player since 1970 to throw at least one touchdown in his first eight career appearances but has stumbled in recent weeks. He threw four interceptions in an ugly loss to Cleveland on Nov. 14 — a game that ended with Rudolph getting into a now infamous fight with Browns defensive end Myles Garrett that ended with Garrett hitting Rudolph in the head with the quarterback’s own helmet — and tossed another pick at the goal line in Cincinnati in the first half that ended a scoring threat.
After the Steelers went three-and-out to start the third quarter against the Bengals, Tomlin had seen enough, though he doesn’t think the fallout from the brawl with the Browns — which included Rudolph refuting an allegation by Garrett that he used a racial slur — played a role in Rudolph’s shaky performance.
“I thought he was ready to go,” Tomlin said. “I thought he had a good week. I thought he was focused. But those are just my interpretations.”
Tomlin added the fact the Steelers were facing Cleveland instead of another opponent played no role in Rudolph’s benching.
“We’ve got enough issues of our own that we just need to focus on us,” Tomlin said. “I say that routinely. We respect the people that we play. We acknowledge who they are for matchup and situational purposes or personality purposes. But the bottom line, particularly when you start to get in this part of the journey, (is) they’re nameless gray faces.”
Maybe, but starting Hodges over Rudolph removes a potentially combustible element from a rivalry that no longer feels dormant or one-sided.
Garrett is out for at least the rest of the season after being suspended indefinitely for slugging Rudolph. Rudolph, who was fined $50,000 but avoided further discipline, found himself the focal point of the ensuing firestorm. Cleveland fans used a Browns helmet to smash a pinata made in Rudolph’s likeness before last week’s victory over Miami and Cleveland defensive end Sheldon Richardson said he hoped Rudolph would get the nod in the rematch.
“You see him last game?” Richardson said.
While saying the Steelers love being in “hot-button games,” Tomlin isn’t concerned about things getting out of hand as they did in the final seconds in Cleveland.
“We’re playing and playing to win,” Tomlin said. “And part of playing to win is playing hard and smart and not beating yourselves. We’re going to paint inside those white lines I promise you.”
And Hodges will get an unlikely second chance to hold the brush. Cut at the end of training camp after getting caught in a numbers game, Hodges returned to Pittsburgh after the Steelers traded third-stringer Josh Dobbs to Jacksonville in mid-September. He played capably while filling in for Rudolph — who watched from the sideline while dealing with a concussion — against the Los Angeles Chargers on Oct. 13, completing 15 of 20 passes for 132 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Tomlin pointed out that Hodges “has not killed us” when he’s played. Given Pittsburgh’s defense, which ranks second in the league in takeaways and third in sacks, a caretaker under center may be all that’s required for the Steelers to remain in the playoff picture. It’s an aspect of the job Rudolph struggled with recently. Now it’s Hodges’ turn to see if he can continue his improbable rise from “camp arm” to NFL starting quarterback.
“At every turn he’s proven that those circumstances aren’t too big for him,” Tomlin said.
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