Sports category, Page 1034
Mark Madden: Lamar Jackson saga makes you appreciate Kirk Cousins
The Lamar Jackson drama cascades on. The most insufferable part is the ex-jocks who carry water for Jackson. Robert Griffin III is that pack’s leader. He’s a failed Jackson, a Dollar Tree version. He’s trying to live vicariously through Jackson’s desired payday. At least we finally know what that is,...
Marquette’s Shaka Smart voted men’s AP NCAA coach of the year
Shaka Smart has packed an entire career’s worth of experiences into 14 years as a college head coach. He led VCU to an improbable Final Four as a 30-something wunderkind in 2011, guided mighty Texas to a Big 12 Tournament title during six otherwise tepid years in Austin, and now...
Men’s Final Four odds preview: FAU, San Diego State, Miami aim to spoil favored UConn’s party
BY ZACH EWING | Home Field Sports The NCAA tournament is down to the Final Four, and March Madness is ready to bleed into April for the national championship hunt. Three long shots have made it to Houston for the national semifinals — and then there’s UConn, which takes over...
NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond set to favor veteran drivers: See betting picks, odds
BY SPENCER URQUHART | Home Field Sports The NASCAR Cup Series will be back to one of its traditional tracks this week at Richmond, which tends to produce more tame racing compared to last week’s chaos at Circuit of the Americas. The trend at recent Richmond races is that experience...
Last to make Pirates roster, reliever Rob Zastryzny’s 1st Opening Day worth the wait
CINCINNATI — Rob Zastryzny wanted to absorb the atmosphere of his first Opening Day but was trying to keep his emotions in check after days of uncertainty if he even would make the Pittsburgh Pirates. A non-roster invitee to spring training, the 31-year-old left-hander’s status was the ultimate cliffhanger. Zastryzny...
Purdue’s Zach Edey named AP men’s NCAA basketball player of the year
Zach Edey spent the days following Purdue’s historic NCAA Tournament loss lying low, his phone turned off, along with the rest of the outside world. The disappointing finish did little to diminish the season the Boilermakers big man had. Dominating at both ends of the floor during the regular season,...
3 takeaways: Penguins overcome valiant effort by Nashville netminder Juuse SarosVideo
Three takeaways from the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2-0 win over Nashville on Thursday night at PPG Paints Arena: Solving Saros Two goals were enough for the Penguins on Thursday, but had they faced a less-talented netminder than Nashville’s Juuse Saros, that number may well have been five or six. Saros faced...
Wimbledon drops ban on Russians, lets them play as neutrals
LONDON — Russian and Belarusian players will be able to compete at Wimbledon as neutral athletes after the All England Club on Friday reversed its ban from last year. The players must sign declarations of neutrality and comply with “appropriate conditions,” including not expressing support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine....
Tim Benz: Logan Cooley’s NCAA success a highlight for Pittsburgh’s youth hockey development
To this point, it’s tough to envision a scenario in which Logan Cooley’s debut season in NCAA hockey could’ve gone any better. As the No. 3 overall pick (Arizona Coyotes) in last summer’s NHL Draft, much was expected of the West Mifflin product — and he has delivered. The 18-year-old...
Tristan Jarry posts shutout as Penguins knock off Predators
It had been a while for Tristan Jarry. Well … eight days at least. Going into Thursday, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ would-be franchise goaltender had been a spectator for his team’s three previous games. Injured during his most recent appearance March 22, he had lots of time to heal from what...
Despite reported ‘agreement on dollars,’ Pirates, Bryan Reynolds fail to extend contract
CINCINNATI — The deadline for a deal passed without the Pittsburgh Pirates and Bryan Reynolds finalizing a contract extension, which the star outfielder wanted to complete by first pitch on Opening Day. MLB insider Jon Heyman of the New York Post tweeted Thursday afternoon that “while there’s agreement on dollars”...
MASTERS ’23: Return of Tiger, hope for Rory and a lot of LIVVideo
Tiger Woods returns to the Masters, no longer a surprise as it was a year ago but no less a rare appearance. This will be only his third tournament against elite competition since he remarkably hobbled his way through 72 holes at Augusta National. For Rory McIlroy, this might be...
Oneil Cruz shines as Pirates rally past Reds for Opening Day win
CINCINNATI — The first Opening Day for Oneil Cruz will go down as one to remember, as the Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop started their scoring with a solo home run and ended it by driving in the winning run. The 6-foot-7 shortstop went 1 for 2 with two runs scored and...
Agent: Steelers add safety Keanu Neal, nose tackle Breiden Fehoko on free-agent deals
On a day when the Pittsburgh Steelers brought in outside linebacker Bud Dupree for a visit, they came to terms on contracts with free agents who play other defensive positions. Safety Keanu Neal, a former first-round draft pick, and nose tackle Breiden Fehoko agreed to deals with the Steelers, according...
Pitt’s Blake Hinson named nation’s top college basketball transfer
While Pitt coach Jeff Capel seeks to replace four departing seniors who arrived through the transfer portal, Panthers junior forward Blake Hinson has been named winner of the Riley Wallace Award, presented annually by CollegeInsider.com to the top transfer in Division I college basketball. Hinson helped lead Pitt to a...
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark wins AP Player of the YearVideo
DALLAS — Caitlin Clark has put together one of the greatest individual seasons in NCAA history with eye-popping offensive numbers. Iowa’s junior guard, though, saved her best performance for the game’s biggest stage, recording the first 40-point triple-double in NCAA history to get Iowa to the Final Four for the...
Pirates notebook: Rookies offer different reactions to starting nods on Opening Day
CINCINNATI — Ji Hwan Bae was surprised to see his name in the Opening Day lineup at second base for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Canaan Smith-Njigba wasn’t surprised at all to be starting in right field. Derek Shelton had different reasons for starting a pair of rookies Thursday against the Cincinnati...
MLB Opening Night, White Sox-Astros, Mariners-Guardians: Best Bets for March 30
BY JIM DERRY | 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...
Phillies put Bryce Harper on 10-day IL to start seasonVideo
ARLINGTON, Texas — Bryce Harper was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday by the Philadelphia Phillies, who avoided the 60-day list for their star slugger and left open the opportunity he could return before the end of May. Dave Dombrowski, the Phillies president of baseball operations, said the timeline...
Mets place Justin Verlander on IL with muscle strain on Opening DayVideo
MIAMI — The New York Mets placed Justin Verlander on the injured list with a strained upper back muscle on Opening Day, sidelining the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner before his first appearance with the team. The Mets announced Verlander has a low-grade teres major strain a few hours...
Assistant Andre Powell teaches Pitt’s backs that running is only part of their job
In his role as Pitt’s running backs coach, Andre Powell likes to create real-life situations to illustrate what it takes to succeed in college football. Not long ago, he gathered his backs in their meeting room and asked freshman T.J. Harvison to get on the board and draw everyone’s assignment...
Mikael Granlund sees ‘a lot of good things’ so far with the Penguins
Things were very different for Mikael Granlund the last time the Pittsburgh Penguins played the Nashville Predators. He was with the Predators. After the Penguins claimed a hard-fought 3-1 road win against Granlund’s Predators at Bridgestone Arena on Feb. 28, Granlund was traded to the Penguins less than 24 hours...
Steelers conduct visit with former OLB Bud Dupree
A potential reunion between Bud Dupree and the Pittsburgh Steelers became one step closer to being a reality Thursday when the 30-year-old outside linebacker and the team met at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. Dupree, who spent the first six of his eight NFL seasons with the Steelers, became a free...
Women’s Final Four betting preview: South Carolina heavy favorite, LSU odds and expectations
BY ZOE COLLINS RATH | Home Field Sports The women’s Final Four is here, and the action kicks off on Friday night. LSU takes on Virginia Tech in the first national semifinal Friday night in Dallas. Of course, South Carolina, the reigning champion and still unbeaten this season, is the...
West Mifflin native Logan Cooley one of 3 finalists for Hobey Baker Memorial Award
University of Minnesota forward Logan Cooley, a native of West Mifflin, was named one of three finalists for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, an honor that recognizes the top men’s player in college hockey. Joining him are fellow Minnesota forward Matthew Knies and Michigan forward Adam Fantilli. The award’s foundation...
