Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 91

The last thing these run-down Pittsburgh Pirates needed was a rundown with Javier Baez. When Baez went backwards, it might as well have mirrored the direction of the Pirates’ season. A strange play you should not expect to see on a major league diamond led the Chicago Cubs to a...

The Chicago Cubs haven’t needed much help while defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first two games of their series at PNC Park. The Pirates offered up some, anyway, Thursday afternoon in one of the strangest plays you might see on a major-league diamond. The result was a 5-3 Cubs...

When Derek Schooley was called into a meeting Wednesday with Robert Morris athletic director Chris King, the last thing he expected was what he heard: The Colonials’ men’s and women’s Division I ice hockey programs were being eliminated. “I was in shock. I don’t know any other way to put...

After recording the final out of Pitt’s 5-3 victory against North Carolina Tuesday night in the ACC Tournament, Jordan McCrum allowed himself a celebratory shout before putting a finger to his lips. The Pitt relief pitcher’s intent was to quiet the pro-North Carolina crowd, but he had already done that...

Well before Duquesne’s 16-point loss to St. Bonaventure in the Atlantic 10 Tournament — a performance he called “pitiful” and “predictable” — Keith Dambrot had made up his mind. “I decided we needed to reboot, reorganize, regroup,” he said. “I have a saying: ‘You can’t lower your standards. You have...

Pat Narduzzi saw the precise route running, the speed and the love for the game that made Tre Tipton one of the first players he signed as Pitt’s football coach. But that was only part of it. The day he welcomed Tipton to Pitt as part of his 2015 recruiting...

The Pitt and Duquesne basketball teams won’t play each other this season for the third consecutive year, the longest suspension of the City Game since they didn’t play from 1940-1952. Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot said negotiations have occurred this year, but “the terms weren’t amiable for us at that point.”...

Liam Dick, recruited from Milton, Ontario, in the class of 2019, became the second Pitt offensive tackle to leave the program since the end of spring ball when he entered the NCAA transfer portal, according to Rivals.com. Dick, rated a two-star prospect by Rivals.com, redshirted in 2019 and did not...

When Cole Tucker was working his way through the Pittsburgh Pirates’ farm system, unsure of how a professional baseball player should act, veterans such as utility man Sean Rodriguez were happy to show him the way. Separated by nine years of age, Tucker and Rodriguez often were seen inside the...

Pitt’s baseball team, ranked as high as No. 14 in the nation after taking two of three games from Virginia in March, will carry a seven-game losing streak into the ACC Tournament that begins Tuesday at Truist Field in Charlotte, N.C. The Panthers (22-19, 16-17 ACC) are seeded No. 10...

While the Pittsburgh Pirates were losing for the 14th time in 20 games this month, there were brief moments of encouragement Saturday. • Michael Perez hit a home run to stop an 0-for-26 streak. It only raised his batting average to .096, but it was something. • Relief pitcher Chris...

The Pittsburgh Pirates lost a starting pitcher and gained a reliever Saturday when Trevor Cahill went on the 10-day injured list with a left calf strain and Kyle Crick was activated from the IL. Cahill (1-5) left his most recent start Wednesday night in St. Louis after one inning. He...

When Sean Gibson sees the mural of his famous great-grandfather — all 27,000 square feet of it — he believes one of baseball’s greatest players is coming to life right there on E. 9th Avenue in Homestead. “It is just like Josh is coming out of the wall,” Sean Gibson...

Pitt’s Kayla Lund, the ACC’s first two-time Volleyball Player of the Year, will train for the third consecutive year with the 2021 USA Volleyball Women’s Collegiate National Team. One of 29 players chosen by the U.S. Women’s National Team staff and National Team Development Program, Lund will work with top...

Duquesne lost its eighth player to the NCAA transfer portal Thursday when freshman forward Andre Harris added his name to the list. Harris played in 17 of Duquesne’s 18 games, averaging 3.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 11.1 minutes per game. At 6-foot-7, 225 pounds, he gave the Dukes a presence...

A random tweet about West Virginia opening the 2023 football season with consecutive games against Penn State, Duquesne and Pitt raised this question Wednesday afternoon (also on Twitter): Why not Pitt vs. Duquesne in football? Major pats on the back to West Virginia for scheduling the first three games of...

Resurfacing the track, the potential to serve as host for national events and a new name are part of Robert Morris’ partnership with race organizer P3R. As a result, the Neville Island facility will be renamed the P3R Track & Field Complex. Robert Morris made the announcement Wednesday at a...

Chad Kuhl, who has been on the injured list since April 22 with right shoulder discomfort, will start a rehab assignment Wednesday when he pitches for the Triple A Indianapolis Indians against the St. Paul (Minn.) Saints. Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton said Kuhl is expected to throw about 45...

Rennie Stennett, who made baseball history twice by his mere presence in the Pittsburgh Pirates lineup as a rookie and later with seven hits in seven at-bats in a game, died Tuesday morning in Coconut Creek, Fla., after a battle with cancer. He was 72. We are saddened to relay...

Duquesne officially added a seventh member to its 2021-22 recruiting class Tuesday when forward Kevin Easley Jr., a transfer from TCU, enrolled. Easley verbally committed to Duquesne on May 6. Easley Jr. (6-foot-7, 225 pounds) averaged 4.5 points and 3.7 rebounds last season and was one of only three TCU...

Two hours before first pitch Friday night at PNC Park, Erik Gonzalez was confronted with a question that can perplex the oldest, wisest and most talented players. “How do you handle the mental pressure inherent in the game of baseball?” Gonzalez thought about it for several seconds before he conceded...

The way was cleared for the Pittsburgh Pirates to threaten and perhaps even defeat the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night. Starting pitcher J.T. Brubaker settled down after allowing five runs in the first three innings and the bullpen threw 2⅓ innings worth of zeroes at the Cardinals. Then, Gregory...

After a season of covid-19 cancellations, Duquesne has begun to assemble its 2021-22 basketball schedule, and it will include a trip to the Virgin Islands. The Dukes will play Colonial Athletic Association regular season co-champion Northeastern on Nov. 19 in the first round of the eight-team 2021 Paradise Jam. The...

During the Pirates’ 3-2 victory Friday night against the San Francisco Giants, the winning team struck out 17 times and only four of its 13 batters hit safely. Second baseman Adam Frazier made what looked like the defensive play of the game – in left field – until he was...

Gregory Polanco leads the Pittsburgh Pirates in stolen bases with four, but that’s not the reason he remains in right field and bats fifth in the order with a .202 batting average (before Friday). Mitch Keller has the highest ERA (7.81) and WHIP (1.81) among Pirates starters, but manager Derek...