Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 127

It’s never been easy for the Pittsburgh Pirates to attract people to PNC Park in April and May when the weather is not always appropriate for spectators. But Pirates officials hope their latest promotion — free admission for anyone 14 and under — helps draw a crowd. The only conditions:...

Rashad Weaver retweeted the slight against his teammates without comment, which says something about Pitt’s senior defensive end. It merely was a listing of someone’s ranking of the top 10 defensive lines in college football. Clemson’s line is No. 1 on the list for 2020. Pitt’s Coastal division rival Miami...

Lorri Johnson, who scored more points than any male or female basketball player in Pitt history, has died, the school confirmed. She was 51. Johnson scored 2,312 points (20.5 per game) and recorded 908 rebounds while playing in 113 games from 1987-1991. Kirk Bruce, who was Johnson’s coach at Pitt,...

Pitt wrestlers Micky Phillippi (133 pounds), Gregg Harvey (174) and Demetrius Thomas (285) are seeded No. 1 in their weight classes for the ACC Wrestling Championships that begin at 11 a.m. Sunday at Petersen Events Center. This season marks the first time since 2015 that three Pitt wrestlers earned top...

Pitt bolstered its numbers on the offensive line on the first day of spring drills Monday when two growing men, Grant Carrigan and Jason Collier, shifted from tight end. “Grant came to me (about making the shift),” coach Pat Narduzzi said. “It was like, `Hey, I’m a blocking tight end....

His eyes never dropped. His chin remained elevated. His words were direct and confident. If Kenny Pickett is feeling pressure as he approaches the last of his three seasons as Pitt’s starting quarterback, he wasn’t showing it Monday after the first day of spring drills. With seven starters returning on...

After Duquesne’s 81-78 victory Saturday night against George Mason, coach Keith Dambrot might have walked off the court feeling like he just robbed a bank. And maybe he walked a little faster, too, before someone realized the numbers didn’t add up and George Mason should have won. Let’s count the...

Pitt’s current stretch of two victories in its past 10 games is all too familiar to players, fans, even coach Jeff Capel. The Panthers have had 2-8 stretches in four consecutive seasons — every year since former coach Jamie Dixon left for TCU in 2016. In the 2016-2017 season, Pitt...

Playing on the road in college basketball can be difficult under normal circumstances, but Duquesne’s thrilling 81-78 overtime victory at St. Bonaventure on Wednesday nearly was derailed by – of all things — an orange balloon. Duquesne held a lead for more than 32 minutes in the game, but St....

Micky Phillippi and Nino Bonaccorsi have followed a strict regimen while helping Pitt ascend to No. 8 in the national wrestling rankings: • Focus at practice for the entire two hours; • Get to bed by 9 p.m., asleep by 10. • And don’t forget Phillippi’s blueberry pancakes for breakfast....

Anthony Starzynski won four letters at Baldwin, scoring an average of 10, 15 and 21 points during his sophomore, junior and senior seasons. But in three seasons as a walk-on at Pitt, he’s played 41 minutes in bits of 17 games, scoring five baskets (all 3-pointers). And he’s OK with...

Penn State football coach James Franklin, who agreed to a new six-year contract in December, will be paid a guaranteed $35.4 million through 2025, according to terms released Wednesday by the university. The contract, which took effect Jan. 1, includes an annual base salary of $500,000, plus supplemental pay of...

Jeff Capel didn’t get where he is today by wasting a rare opportunity. Perhaps that valuable character trait will help Pitt’s coach and his players Wednesday night when he matches wits with Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim at Petersen Events Center. Capel has had a long relationship with Boeheim, who’s won 961...