Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 118
Behind masks, Pirates enjoy return to baseball
The mask hides his face, so you’ll just have to believe Kevin Newman when he says he was smiling Friday morning when he stepped onto the infield for summer camp at PNC Park. Major League Baseball returned to Pittsburgh when the Pirates began preparations for a 60-game season that will...
’Burgh’s best to wear it, No. 61: Steelers’ Stefen Wisniewski kept coaches thinking on ‘high level’
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. 61: Stefen Wisniewski John Vaughan never had a problem with Central Catholic offensive lineman Stefen Wisniewski, just an interesting dilemma high school coaches seldom...
Pitt adds tight end Trey Andersen to 2021 recruiting class
Pat Narduzzi and his staff have been busy over the past year trying to recruit tight ends, and their efforts paid off Tuesday when Trey Andersen verbally committed to the class of 2021. Pitt’s coach has high hopes for tight end Lucas Krull this season, but the transfer from Florida...
Penn State’s Jesse Luketa stays ready by working out with Flyers’ Claude Giroux
The biggest question on Jesse Luketa’s mind during the covid-19 quarantine wasn’t whether he could stay in shape while apart from his coaches and teammates. Back home in Ottawa (when he wasn’t connecting with his six older siblings and nieces and nephews), Penn State’s junior linebacker worked out with former...
Pirates Steven Brault, Josh Bell hope to hit high note off the field, too
Pittsburgh Pirates players Steven Brault and Josh Bell will resume their baseball careers this week at PNC Park, but during the covid-19 break, they showed off another skill in a recording studio. Brault and Bell joined former players Ozzie Smith, Bernie Williams and Nick Swisher and Sharon Robinson, daughter of...
Pirates sign 4th-round draft choice Jack Hartman
The Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday signed right-handed relief pitcher Jack Hartman, the team’s fourth-round selection (108th overall) in the 2020 draft. Hartman was 1-0 with four saves, a 3.00 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 10 appearances (12 innings) at Appalachian (N.C.) State. He is one of four right-handed pitchers the...
WVU men’s basketball player tests positive for covid-19
A member of the West Virginia men’s basketball team has tested positive for covid-19 and will be quarantined for 14 days, the West Virginia University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced. The player was not unidentified. Voluntary workouts for the team’s student-athletes who have tested negative for the virus will begin...
Odds on another Pirates/Yankees World Series: 300/1
If you believe anything’s possible in a 60-game baseball season, you can bet on World Series matchups involving the Pittsburgh Pirates. With fresh enthusiasm generated by first-year manager Derek Shelton, the Pirates resume camp at PNC Park on Wednesday in preparation for the first game in about three weeks. BetOnline.ag...
Penn State’s Ricky Slade chooses Old Dominion as transfer destination
Running back Ricky Slade, one of the top recruits in Penn State’s class of 2018, announced his decision to transfer to Old Dominion. New beginnings ? let’s get it @ODUFootball pic.twitter.com/6w25E28dFi— RS3⛏ (@TheSlade_Era) June 26, 2020 Slade, who entered the NCAA transfer portal in February, will be reunited with former...
Pirates’ Edgar Santana suspended 80 games for positive PED test
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Edgar Santana has been suspended for 80 games, without pay, after testing positive for Boldenone, a performance-enhancing substance, in violation of Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Santana, 28, missed the entire 2019 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery at the end of 2018....
‘Burgh’s best to wear it, No. 64: Steve Furness played key role on Steel Curtain, won 4 rings
The Tribune-Review sports staff is conducting a daily countdown of the best 100 players in Pittsburgh pro and college sports history to wear each jersey number. No. 64: Steve Furness If he played today, Steve Furness never would impress anyone with his size. He played defensive tackle in the NFL...
‘Burgh’s Best to Wear it, No. 65: Pitt’s Joe Schmidt grew tough playing sandlot football vs. convicts
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. 65: Joe Schmidt Joe Schmidt did not play in the golden age of Pitt football. In his three varsity seasons, the Panthers won 10...
Center James Ellis leaves Duquesne for Tallahassee CC
James Ellis, who came to Duquesne from Westinghouse in 2018 as a promising 6-foot-11 prospect, transferred to Tallahassee (Fla.) Community College. Tallahassee coach Zach Settembre welcomed Ellis to his new school Friday on Twitter. Welcome to the @TCCEagles family, James Ellis! @JamesEllis_1 comes to @TCCeaglesMBB from @DuqMBB and Pittsburgh, PA....
Penn State kicker Jordan Stout hopes to continue long-distance deliveriesVideo
Everyone at Penn State knew Jordan Stout had a strong leg. But splitting the uprights in front of 108,000 people at Beaver Stadium is a mental exercise, too. Even more than a physical challenge, perhaps. So, occasionally last season, when practice was winding down for the day, special teams coach...
Pitt secures verbal commitment from Florida linebacker, 17th prospect in class of 2021
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi added a third Florida prospect to his class of 2021 when inside linebacker Derrveron Maxwell-Black of St. Petersburg pledged to enroll next year. Maxwell-Black made the announcement Thursday on Twitter. I will like to thank God,my mother,grandfather, and the rest of my family and also my...
Commissioner John Swofford, who ushered Pitt into the ACC, plans to retire in 2021
John Swofford, who watched over the ACC while it expanded from nine to 15 schools, said Thursday he plans to retire after the 2020-21 athletic year. Swofford, 71, is the longest-tenured of the ACC’s four commissioners, serving 24 of the conference’s 67 years. He will continue as commissioner until a...
James Franklin will leave family in Florida while he coaches Penn State
Penn State coach James Franklin made his most difficult decision of the season when he decided to leave his family in Florida while he coaches the team. He’ll coach the Nittany Lions apart from his family to protect his youngest daughter, Addison, from the coronavirus. Franklin revealed the news on...
Duquesne’s Baylee Steele signs pro contract with Polish team
Baylee Steele’s basketball career that has taken him to four states and four schools, including Duquesne, will journey overseas next season after signing a professional contract with PGE Spojnia Stargard of the Polish Basketball League. In his lone season at Duquesne in 2019-20, the 6-foot-11 Steele averaged 8.9 points, 4.7...
WVU football coach Neal Brown faces tough times head-on
These are complicated times for West Virginia coach Neal Brown, but he appears unafraid to confront them. First, two of his players — both asymptomatic — tested positive for the coronavirus, but neither had an opportunity to participate in the voluntary workouts that began earlier this month. Also, people who...
Penn State’s Jake Pinegar knows what it takes: ‘Sanitize, spray, wipe, clean’
Back home in Ankeny, Iowa, Jake Pinegar could do almost anything. He was a champion hurdler and record-setting long jumper (21 feet, 7 inches) and high jumper (6-2). All-conference three times in soccer, he also found time to play defensive back on the football team and set the school record...
WVU puts defensive coordinator Vic Koenning on leave over claims of inappropriate comments
West Virginia defensive coordinator Vic Koenning was placed on administrative leave Tuesday after sophomore safety Kerry Martin Jr. alleged he mistreated players and made inappropriate comments in their presence. I’ve been contemplating about posting but we need a change in our program. pic.twitter.com/40hZYXjxib— Kerry “KJ” Martin Jr.? (@KMartinJr11) June 23,...
Pitt basketball, soccer and volleyball athletes scheduled to return Monday
Pitt’s efforts to return its athletic programs to normal offseason schedules will continue Monday when five teams — men’s and women’s basketball and soccer and volleyball — are welcomed back to campus for voluntary activities. As with the football team that began returning June 8, each player will undergo a...
Pitt’s Heather Lyke hopes schools can ‘lift’ student-athletes’ voices
In a time of social injustice and student-athletes developing a voice in response, Heather Lyke said Tuesday universities “need to be there to lift it.” “Our student-athletes need to have a voice if they want to have a voice,” she said Tuesday on 93.7 FM. “A lot of us need...
Heather Lyke believes Pitt can ‘weather this storm’
Faced with the possibility of canceling football games, losing revenue and limiting crowds at Heinz Field — perhaps even the sellout expected for Notre Dame — Heather Lyke said Tuesday that Pitt can “weather this storm” created by the covid-19 pandemic. Speaking on 93.7 FM, Pitt’s director of athletics admitted,...
Other intriguing ‘Burgh athletes who wore 69: Pirates’ Bronson Arroyo, Steelers’ Gabe Rivera
Pitt’s Randy Dixon was an All-American offensive lineman, and in the estimation of the Tribune-Review sports staff, the best Pittsburgh athlete to wear the No. 69 jersey, but two others should not be forgotten: • Pitcher Bronson Arroyo, who spent three years with the Pittsburgh Pirates. • Defensive tackle Gabe...
