Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 117
8 players from Penn State, Pitt, WVU named to Nagurski, Outland watch lists
Eight players from Pitt, Penn State and West Virginia were named Tuesday to watch lists for the Nagurski Trophy and Outland Trophy, which are given to college football’s best defender and interior lineman. In addition, Pitt, PSU and WVU are three of 15 schools with multiple players on the watch...
Pirates preview: Thin ranks in outfield could become problem
This is the first of a four-part position-by-position preview of the Pirates heading into Friday’s season opener in St. Louis. Thursday: Starting pitchers When you look at the thin numbers in the Pittsburgh Pirates outfield, you think of former starters and .300 hitters Corey Dickerson and Starling Marte. And you...
Pirates preview: Outfield spotlight
Breakout candidate Cole Tucker He loves the game and is athletically gifted, so Tucker might be equipped to handle a reserve role in the outfield, a position he never has played as a pro. A first-round pick six years ago, it’s Tucker’s time — somewhere. Pressure’s on Gregory Polanco Regarded...
Penn State’s Lamont Wade chosen for Thorpe watch list
Clairton’s Lamont Wade, a senior safety at Penn State, was named Monday to the Jim Thorpe Award watch list. The award is given annually to college football’s top defensive back. Wade was an All-Big Ten honorable mention choice by the coaches and media in 2019 while tying a Big Ten...
Pitt’s Paris Ford named to Thorpe watch list
Pitt safety Paris Ford’s reputation continued to grow in advance of the 2020 season when he was named Monday to the watch list for the Jim Thorpe Award. The award is handed out to the nation’s top defensive back. Ford, a junior from Steel Valley, previously earned selection to the...
Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons named to Butkus Award watch list
Numerous eyes will be on Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons this season after he was named Monday to his third college football watch list — the Butkus Award. Parsons had previously been named to the Bednarik Award and Lott IMPACT Trophy watch lists. Parsons, a junior, was named a Consensus...
Pirates preview: Infield spotlight
Breakout candidate Jacob Stallings No one will mistake him for Jason Kendall, but Stallings hit a cumulative .290 in three Triple-A seasons and .262 for the Pirates last year. Not bad, but he’ll get more at-bats in 2020 and will need to improve on his total of 13 RBIs. Pressure’s...
Pirates preview: Starting infield isn’t perfect but appears solid
A position-by-position preview of the Pirates heading into Friday’s season opener in St. Louis: Critics will point to first baseman Josh Bell’s erratic arm and third baseman Colin Moran’s tendency to allow ground balls to reach the outfield. Those are fair criticisms of the Pittsburgh Pirates infield. And if the...
Eight percent of 518 covid tests come back positive at WVU
The West Virginia University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics administered 518 covid-19 tests since June, with 41 (almost 8%) coming back positive, school officials said Saturday in a news release. The breakdown per sport shows 28 positive tests in football, five in men’s basketball, six in women’s basketball, one in women’s...
Atlantic 10 postponement of fall sports affects 9 Duquesne teams
When she was the 23-year-old women’s basketball coach at Georgia Tech, Bernie McGlade’s concerns were simple: • Zone over man-to-man defense? • Who will be the point guard? • What time does the bus leave? Today, in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic, Bernadette V. McGlade is entering her 13th...
Report: CAA cancels fall sports competition, including Pitt’s game against Richmond
The Colonial Athletic Association will cancel its fall sports seasons to avoid covid-19 issues, likely leaving Pitt without an early-season nonconference opponent, FOX Sports’ Bruce Feldman has reported. An official announcement is expected later Friday. SOURCES: The CAA conference is expected to announce tomorrow that the league will not be...
’Burgh’s Best to Wear It, No. 45: Schenley’s DeJuan Blair stayed home, almost led Pitt to Final Four
The Tribune-Review sports staff is conducting a daily countdown of the best players in Pittsburgh pro and college sports history to wear each jersey number. No. 45: DeJuan Blair DeJuan Blair stood 6-foot-4 in eighth grade when he was first spotted dunking a basketball. That feat occurred at the Ammons...
With Virginia high school football canceled, Pitt prospect Malik Newton plans to enroll early
After the Virginia High School League canceled high school football in the fall, Pitt running back commit Malik Newton announced Thursday on Twitter his intention to skip his senior season and join the Panthers for the winter semester. With VHSL canceling all fall sports, and most likely to play football...
Brothers Rick, David Eckstein lean on each other to prop up Pirates’ bats
David Eckstein was a 5-foot-7 shortstop who was drafted in the 19th round by the Boston Red Sox in 1997. Three years later, the Red Sox waived him. World Series and All-Star Games didn’t appear to be in his future. But big brother, Rick, never stopped believing, a stubborness that...
Chris Stratton aims to turn ‘elite-type’ stuff into results in Pirates bullpen
Justin Meccage’s reaction to the talents of relief pitcher Chris Stratton is encouraging. “This guy’s got pitch characteristics that not many people have in terms of spin on the fastball, spin on the curveball, spin on the slider,” the Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen coach said. “Very elite-type pitches.” But can Stratton...
’Burgh’s best to wear it, No. 46: Bill Walsh earned All-Pro status as Steelers center
Bill Walsh, one in a long line of great Pittsburgh Steelers centers, was happy to earn a $7,500 salary as a rookie in 1949. He was aware of how lucky he was to play in the NFL, and he got a raise every year. “I don’t have any regrets about...
Covid-19 shutdown gave Pirates pitcher Clay Holmes time to patiently recover from broken foot
Arm strength and athleticism matter for anyone trying to overcome adversity or even make it in the major leagues with a sound body. But there is something to be said for intelligence and patience, and Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Clay Holmes has shown evidence of both. He earned a 4.0...
Pirates’ Colin Moran ‘locked in’ on bid to keep third base job
Colin Moran has plenty of important subjects on his mind, but pierogi races wouldn’t seem to be one of them. While chatting with reporters Monday night, the Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman was asked if he watches the races at PNC Park (after previously referring to them as “that race they...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi eager to begin ride on college football’s wave of uncertainty
With the Atlantic Ocean at his back, Pat Narduzzi looked happy and relaxed Monday morning while sitting on the porch of his Rhode Island vacation home. “I feel good about everything this time of year,” Pitt’s coach told ACC Network hosts Mark Packer and Wes Durham during a live interview....
Pirates pitcher JT Brubaker making up for lost time
JT Brubaker called it a “hiccup.” No pain, just “tightness.” Yet the strain in his right forearm robbed the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 26-year-old right-hander of all but four starts in Triple-A Indianapolis last season. No doubt, he has some catching up to do in spring training 2.0. He was the Pirates...
Pirates, Indians schedule 3 exhibition games prior to start of season
The Pittsburgh Pirates will launch the competitive portion of their baseball season Saturday at PNC Park with the first of three exhibition games against the Cleveland Indians. The opener will be followed by a trip to Progressive Field in Cleveland on July 20 and a return to PNC Park on...
ACC postpones its annual football media event
With major decisions pending, including possible reconfiguration of the football schedule, the ACC has postponed until further notice its Media Days event originally scheduled to be held virtually July 21-23. JUST IN: @theACC virtual preseason football media day PPD until further notice. Oh boy. @Sports_Night pic.twitter.com/gxobtnQ1Li— Mike Solarte (@MikeSolarte) July...
‘Burgh’s best to wear it, No. 50: Steelers’ Larry Foote stood tall at inside linebacker
The Tribune-Review sports staff is conducting a daily countdown of the best players in Pittsburgh pro and college sports history to wear each jersey number. No. 50: Larry Foote Larry Foote made a promise when he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round in 2002. “The cream...
Pre-pandemic schedule might have given Pitt a liftVideo
The first four weeks of the season appeared set up neatly for Pitt to write its name across the college football skyline. For a month, at least. There were three non-Power 5 opponents — Miami (Ohio), Marshall and Richmond — and an ACC home game against Duke, a team that...
After losing spring, Pirates’ Kevin Newman looks toward summer of hope
In the spring before the start of baseball season, everyone has a clean record. No one has made an error or struck out with the bases loaded — yet. This year, that hope is held over until July, with the start of the season delayed by four months because of...
