Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 159

After playing in pain for much of the season, senior Pitt junior forward Kene Chukwuka had hip surgery Thursday at UPMC. “Kene dealt with back and hip ailments throughout the season,” coach Jeff Capel said. “We are hopeful the surgery will correct the issues and enable him to return to...

CINCINNATI — The noise from a crowd of 44,049 bounced all over Great American Ball Park in a tense ninth inning Thursday, but Corey Dickerson tried not to hear it. Pitch after pitch, foul ball after foul ball — 12 of one, seven of the other — the Pittsburgh Pirates’...

CINCINNATI – There remains no definitive timetable for Gregory Polanco’s return from shoulder surgery, but Pittsburgh Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk is encouraged. “He is responding well,” Tomczyk said, noting Polanco has played in three Triple-A games in Bradenton, Fla. “His biggest comment was his entire body was...

CINCINNATI — More bad health-related news arrived in the clubhouse of the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday when center fielder Starling Marte was removed from the starting lineup with a migraine headache, the team announced on its Twitter account. Marte was replaced in the outfield by J.B. Shuck while Melky Cabrera...

CINCINNATI — Clint Hurdle woke up Thursday morning and made a decision he didn’t regret. The Pittsburgh Pirates manager walked from his hotel to Great American Ball Park, where his team was preparing to open the season against the Cincinnati Reds. “I walked over just to get a piece of...

CINCINNATI — The Pittsburgh Pirates’ first moves of the season Thursday were not what the front office had in mind for Opening Day. The Pirates placed seven players, including starting right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall and starting pitcher Jordan Lyles, on the injured list prior to their game against the Cincinnati...

Nowhere in Pitt’s lineup are the holes left behind by departing seniors larger than at running back. The Panthers lost two 1,000-yard rushers, Qadree Ollison and Darrin Hall, who totaled 2,357 yards. Fullback George Aston, who bulldozed hopeful tacklers and scored touchdowns, is gone. Coach Pat Narduzzi put every NFL...

Sidney Crosby went home from practice knowing he had the night off and there was some good hockey on TV, games that will impact the NHL standings and the Pittsburgh Penguins’ place in them. But he didn’t plan to immerse himself in hockey at the expense of everything else. He...

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta, who’s been out with a shoulder injury since Feb. 11, is getting stronger at the right time and could return Friday night against the Nashville Predators at PPG Paints Arena. Maatta practiced with his teammates and without restrictions Tuesday afternoon in Cranberry. Coach Mike Sullivan...

After clinching the team championship earlier in the day, Penn State wrestlers won three national titles Saturday night during the final round of the NCAA Wrestling Championships at PPG Paints Arena. Heavyweight Anthony Cassar and Kittanning’s Jason Nolf at 157 pounds won titles while teammates Vincenzo Joseph (165) and Mark...

When Pitt wrestler Taleb Rahmani was talking to former Panthers coach Matt Kocher last week, he was looking for one final piece of advice before the NCAA Wrestling Tournament. Kocher found just the right words. “He told me, ‘Compete like it’s your last time,’ “ said Rahmani, who is the...

With championship berths and All-American status on the line on all six mats, the NCAA Wrestling Championships moved into is fourth session Friday night at PPG Paints Arena. Befitting the spectacle and what was at stake, the NCAA announced the largest crowd of the tournament (18,100) Penn State, which is...

The City Game is going away, but only for one basketball season. Athletic directors Heather Lyke of Pitt and Dave Harper of Duquesne said Thursday that their teams won’t play each other next season for the first time since 1969, but the series will resume with games in 2020 and...

Pitt redshirt freshmen Nino Bonaccori and Micky Phillippi moved into the quarterfinals of the NCAA Wrestling Championships on Thursday night, both sweating out tight, hard-fought victories in front of crowd of 17,957 at PPG Paints Arena. Phillippi, the No. 3 seed from Derry, defeated Austin Gomez of Iowa State, 1-0,...

Pitt’s men’s basketball team will be Robert Morris’ first opponent next season when the Colonials open 4,000-seat Peoples Court, their new on-campus home at the UPMC Events Center, officials from both schools announced Thursday. The game will be Nov. 12. “We’re extremely thrilled to open the UPMC Events Center against...

Penn State’s wrestling team is so stacked with talent that even two-time All-American Nick Nevills couldn’t find a regular spot in the rotation. Because of weight limitations, Nevills, a senior heavyweight, had to accept his standing behind teammate Anthony Cassar, who is 25-1 and seeded No. 2. But coach Cael...

Pitt coach Jeff Capel, who has been a part of three teams that played in the NCAA Tournament, will be a guest studio analyst for CBS Sports and Turner Sports during their coverage of the tournament’s first-round games Thursday and Friday. He will join the Atlanta studio team of host...

Dave Borbely has coached offensive linemen at 14 schools for 40 seasons. It’s safe to assume he’s had more than a few challenges in his career and even some more difficult to solve than what he’s dealing with at Pitt. When he was asked about replacing four starters on Pitt’s...

When 13 former Pitt players work out for NFL coaches and scouts Wednesday on the South Side, one of the more intriguing storylines will involve fullback George Aston and the bench press. Long considered one of the strongest players on the team, Aston has done 30 bench-press reps of 225...

The cover will come off Pitt’s new branding marks April 7 as part of Bigelow Bash, an outdoor party entitled Nike Reveal and sponsored by the university’s athletic department. The marks will serve as what Pitt officials hope will be the enduring punctuation marks to a two-year collaboration with Nike...

One of the perks of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament is the opportunity to sit in front of a big-screen TV with your teammates, await word on the opponent, day and seeding and then cheer wildly when your name is called. Robert Morris’ women’s team gathered at the All-Star Sports...

If you’re wondering how Penn State has been able to win seven of the past eight NCAA wrestling championships, coach Cael Sanderson believes he has the answer. He demands his wrestlers are thankful for who they are, what they’ve been given and the opportunities under their feet every time they...

Demand for tickets to the NCAA Wrestling Championships this week at PPG Paints Arena appears to be exceeding capacity. “It’s great that it’s in Pittsburgh,” Penn State coach Cael Sanderson said Monday during a news conference in State College, “with the exception there not being as many tickets. “I know...