Sports category, Page 1014
Bigger purses to propel drivers as Lernerville Speedway opens 56th year of racing
When the gates open at Lernerville Speedway to begin the 56th year of racing Friday night, the drivers entering them will have a little more incentive. Track officials announced Tuesday there will be a purse increase for 2023 Fab 4 weekly racing. The 410 sprint car and Super Late Model...
Depth at first base allows Pirates to better absorb injury of Ji-Man Choi; JT Brubaker discusses Tommy John surgery
As the calendar flipped months over the course of the 2022 offseason, a series of moves by Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington made one thing clear: upgrading the team’s options at first base, with a particular emphasis on dependable defense, was a major priority. November and December saw Cherington...
Pirates to induct ElRoy Face, Bob Friend, Dick Groat, Kent Tekulve into 2nd Hall of Fame class
When the Pittsburgh Pirates announced their inaugural Hall of Fame, Kent Tekulve started to wonder where he stacked up against the franchise’s all-time greats. Teke came to a humbling conclusion. “You almost think about it that, if I get really lucky and they work down the list far enough that...
Penn State men’s basketball adds Temple transfer Zach Hicks as roster rebuild continues
Penn State basketball is reforming its roster piece by piece after Micah Shrewsberry’s departure. Zach Hicks, a 6-foot-7 forward from Temple, will transfer to the Nittany Lions, he announced on social media on Thursday. Hicks is the third portal addition by new head coach Mike Rhoades. VCU guards Ace Baldwin...
NBA Playoffs DFS: Main slate breakdown with value plays for optimal lineup
By SPENCER URQUHART | Home Field Sports The first round of the NBA Playoffs is ramping up, and Game 3 action continues tonight with a trio of intriguing contests that should make for an exciting DFS slate. The night begins on the east coast with the 76ers at Nets followed...
Pitt, West Virginia set date for renewal of the basketball Backyard Brawl
Pitt will try to end West Virginia’s six-game winning streak in the basketball version of the Backyard Brawl when the Panthers travel to Morgantown, W.Va., on Dec. 6 for the 190th meeting between the two rival schools. The game will mark the first time since 2012 that Pitt and West...
NFL Draft primer: Analyst lobbies for Steelers to address tackle with No. 17 overall pick
It’s a foregone conclusion that the Pittsburgh Steelers will take an offensive tackle sometime during the first two days of the NFL Draft. It’s a matter of when. Could be in the first round with the No. 17 overall pick. Could be at No. 32, the opening pick of the...
Penguins defenseman Jan Rutta undergoes core muscle surgery
Defenseman Jan Rutta had a vivid way of describing the Pittsburgh Penguins’ medical woes throughout the 2022-23 season. “The injuries have been (expletive) this year,” Rutta bluntly assessed April 10 while using a term some might root in fertilizer. Only 10 days later, the team revealed Rutta underwent surgery to...
Trade-ups for quarterbacks becoming more common in NFL
Tired of spending years in the quarterback wilderness, shuffling in a string of mostly ineffective veterans at the game’s most important position, the Carolina Panthers made a bold move that has been all too common in recent years. The Panthers packaged two first-round picks, two second-round picks and star receiver...
Ravens prepare for draft amid Lamar Jackson-related uncertainty
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Lamar Jackson’s contract situation looms over all aspects of Baltimore’s offseason — and the draft is certainly no different. Unless there’s a major breakthrough in negotiations before then, the Ravens will go into the draft without a lot of certainty at the game’s most important position,...
Browns enter another NFL draft with needs, without top picks
CLEVELAND — For the Cleveland Browns, being on the clock in this year’s NFL draft will again require extra patience. They’ll spend Day 1 on the sideline watching. Just as they did during the playoffs. After mortgaging their future in the controversial trade last year for quarterback Deshaun Watson, the...
Offensive line, secondary depth among Bengals draft needs
When it comes to draft philosophy, the Cincinnati Bengals are pretty consistent. If there is a quality offensive lineman or defensive back available when they are on the clock in the first round, they usually go in that direction. In fact, that has happened 11 times since 2003. With the...
Penn State’s James Franklin: Revenue sharing with players ‘inevitable’
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Penn State coach James Franklin believes major college football players will inevitably be paid and the sooner it happens the better it will be for all involved with the sport. In an interview this week with The Associated Press, Franklin said that while college sports leaders...
Kings-Warriors Game 3 parlay and Dodgers-Cubs MLB play: Best Bets for April 20
By ZACH EWING | Home Field Sports Each day, one of our experts will offer up a best bet (or two or three) that mobile sportsbooks are offering. It might be a traditional spread bet, a player prop or one of the various odds boosts that books offer. Here are...
Former Rhode Island guard Ishmael Leggett will join rebuilt backcourt at Pitt
Pitt coach Jeff Capel made his biggest move of the offseason official Thursday morning when he said former Rhode Island combo guard Ishmael Leggett has signed and submitted the paperwork necessary to enroll this year. Leggett announced Monday on his Twitter account that he had verbally committed to the Panthers....
Penguins forward Bryan Rust: ‘I wasn’t as good as I could have been’
Bryan Rust got to his offseason a bit earlier than his teammates. By 22 minutes on the dot. In his team’s regular season finale April 13, Rust suffered a right hand injury and left the contest at 19:00 of the second period. And exactly one minute into the overtime period,...
Where Manny Diaz’s defense stands after spring camp
Earlier this week, we dove into Penn State’s offense and assessed where it stood coming out of spring ball. Now, it’s the defense’s turn. Let’s take a look at how the depth chart might look for defensive coordinator Manny Diaz days after the Blue-White game. DEFENSIVE TACKLE Starters: Hakeem Beamon,...
House passes trans athlete ban for girls and women’s teams
WASHINGTON — The Republican-led House passed a bill Thursday that would bar federally supported schools and colleges from allowing transgender athletes whose biological sex assigned at birth was male to compete on girls or women’s sports teams. The legislation approved by a 219-203 vote is unlikely to advance further because...
Oakland A’s purchase land for new stadium in Las Vegas
OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland Athletics have signed a binding agreement to purchase land for a new retractable roof ballpark in Las Vegas after being unable to build a new venue in the Bay Area. Team president Dave Kaval said Wednesday night the team finalized a deal last week to...
First Call: ESPN reports Allen Robinson passes physical with Steelers; Pirates look to stay hot; ex-Pens score in playoffs
Thursday’s “First Call” has an update on the Steelers trade for Allen Robinson. The Pirates hope to kick another opponent while they are down. A pair of WPIAL baseball stars faced off in Oakland. And a pair of ex-Penguins scored for their team in the NHL playoffs, while another struggled...
New Mexico St. players file lawsuit alleging sexual assault
Two former New Mexico State basketball players filed a lawsuit Wednesday, alleging they were sexually assaulted by teammates and that the coaching staff and other administrators did nothing when they reported the assaults. The lawsuit was filed by Deuce Benjamin and another player who said three teammates forced them to...
Tim Benz: Reading the tea leaves for what Allen Robinson’s arrival means for Steelers’ draft strategy
Now that Allen Robinson has reportedly passed his physical, the former Los Angeles Ram can be added to the mix of wide receivers on the Pittsburgh Steelers depth chart. That has made some people wonder if the Steelers now have no plans to make further additions to that position group...
U mad, bro?: Penguins fans aren’t done ranting. Nor should they be
The Penguins put their fan base through six months of dreadfully up-and-down, painfully inconsistent hockey. You didn’t think that just one week of venting after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2006 was enough, did you? Of course not! It’s time for the “All Penguins Angst” edition of...
Pirates farm report for April 19, 2023: Malcom Nunez homers in Indianapolis loss
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 7-10) dropped its second straight with a 12-7 loss to Memphis (Cardinals). 1B Malcom Nuñez (.222) went 2 for 5 with a solo home run and a two-run single. C Tyler Heineman (.444) was 2 for 4 with a triple, double and two RBIs. 3B Nick Gonzales (.283)...
Former Pitt center John Hugley verbally commits to Oklahoma
Center John Hugley, who was Pitt’s leading scorer and rebounder during the 2021-22 season, will transfer to Oklahoma, on3.com reported. NEWS: Pitt transfer John Hugley has committed to Oklahoma, he tells @On3sports. Story w/ quotes: pic.twitter.com/7DfSv7sZ3F— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) April 20, 2023 “I chose Oklahoma because it just felt...
