Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 145

Jeff George Jr.’s football team was a hit in Carmel, Ind. Fans flocked to the games. He was the talk of the town. “When you throw the ball 40, 50 times a game, it’s a sight,” said his coach at the time and father, Jeff George Sr. (yeah, that one)....

Pat Narduzzi looked at his watch to mark the moment. Apparently, he had something important to say before he blew the whistle Wednesday for the fifth day of Pitt’s training camp. The question posed to Pitt’s coach during his daily media briefing concerned the wide receiver group, perhaps the one...

On most occasions, Clint Hurdle doesn’t say much when he walks to the mound to pull his pitcher from the game. But he had words for Steven Brault on Tuesday night while the Pittsburgh Pirates were losing 4-3 to the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park. Good words. “Light-hearted,” Brault said....

Bryan Reynolds allowed himself a slight smile — and nothing more — when he reached over the left field wall Monday night and robbed the Brewers’ Mike Moustakas of a home run. “I’m not going to throw my glove off and start dancing just because I made a catch,” he...

Pat Narduzzi has stepped into the portal, not with trepidation, but with a need and a plan. Peering inside the portal — specifically, the NCAA transfer portal — he knew he needed help at linebacker, offensive line and tight end for this season. When he ventured inside and came out...

Pitt senior Aaron Mathews possesses skills none of his teammates can match. He is good with the spatula when his buddies come over for a barbecue. “I tell them, ‘Buy it, I’ll put it on the grill,’ ” he said. And, on the rare occasion someone tries to challenge him...

Perhaps what happened to Joe Musgrove on Sunday at PNC Park was nothing more than a bad night’s sleep leading to a stiff back. Maybe Josh Bell is right, and he’s not trying too hard, and a good session or two in the batting cage will fix what ails him....

Steven Brault was starting to gain traction in the Pirates rotation when he went on the injured list four weeks ago with a shoulder strain. He hasn’t pitched since July 5, but he’s listed as the starter for the second game of the Milwaukee Brewers series Tuesday at PNC Park....

Francisco Cervelli was in a good mood Sunday morning, which is his normal demeanor no matter the situation. But the Pittsburgh Pirates’ oldest and most experienced catcher has missed 61 games since May 26 while recovering from another concussion — at least the sixth of his career — and he’s...

Dave Borbely had been Pitt’s offensive line coach for only a few months in the spring of 2018 when he walked out of the indoor facility one day after a practice. He was joined by Bob Junko, Pitt’s director of player development who has served the football program in various...

Running backs coach Andre Powell has perhaps the toughest but most important job on Pitt’s staff. He must replace 1,000-yard rushers Qadree Ollison and Darrin Hall. The price to pay for such production a year later is a young group of running backs with little or no experience. “I went...

One day while Pat Narduzzi was in his office preparing for the start of training camp, his phone buzzed. It was Pitt senior defensive tackle Amir Watts. He needed help. “He’s Facetiming me, and he’s only 40 yards away,” Pitt’s coach said Friday. Narduzzi gets dozens of calls every day...

Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi welcomed 110 players to the first day of training camp Friday on the Beano Cook practice fields on the South Side. It’s a new season, but the first day didn’t look much different than any of the previous four first days under Narduzzi, who has been...

When Jeff Capel’s Pitt basketball team begins its nine-day, five-city tour of Italy on Monday, he wants to learn about that nation’s people, their culture and ancient architecture. There also will be time for hoops, with his team playing three games against European players who are beyond college age and...

The fallout from the Pittsburgh Pirates’ brawl with the Cincinnati Reds will hit players and managers of both teams where it hurts the most: on the roster and in the wallet. Six players plus managers Clint Hurdle and David Bell were suspended and given undisclosed fines for their part in...

Believe it or not, even Clemson and Alabama have questions at the outset of training camp. No team is immune. So, imagine what’s going through Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi’s head as he looks through the big window in his office at the football fields next to the South Side railroad...

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ trade of Corey Dickerson to the Philadelphia Phillies scratched a .300 hitter and a Gold Glove left fielder off the roster, an odd result for a team that has lost 16 of 19 games and needs further tinkering to contend in 2020. But Dickerson, 30, is due...

Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said during his pregame talk with reporters Wednesday at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati he will speak to relief pitcher Keone Kela, who admitted he intentionally threw “up and in” at the Reds’ Derek Dietrich. The pitch in the seventh inning was the trigger...

The Pittsburgh Pirates suspended bullpen coach Euclides Rojas for two games for violating his contract, the team announced Tuesday night before its game in Cincinnati. Rojas, 51, has been with manager Clint Hurdle since his first season with the Pirates in 2011. Overall, Rojas has been with the Pirates for...

The Pittsburgh Pirates continued trying to find the right combination in the bullpen Tuesday when right-handed pitchers Geoff Hartlieb and Yefry Ramirez were recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis. Right-handers Alex McRae and Montana DuRapau, who combined to allow 11 hits and every run in the 11-6 loss to the Cincinnati Reds...

Pitt announced the first 12 games of its men’s basketball schedule Tuesday, including the opener Nov. 6 against ACC opponent Florida State at the Petersen Events Center. It’s the first time Pitt will start the season with a conference game. All but three of the 12 will be played at...