Sports category, Page 1052
Penn State honors its football history with creation of Legacy Plaza at Beaver Stadium
Beginning this fall, Penn State fans will have an opportunity to walk down memory lane and dive deeper into the 136 prior seasons of Nittany Lions football. The university announced Thursday that ahead of the 2023 campaign, a new Legacy Plaza would be completed at Beaver Stadium to pay homage...
Tim Benz: Tournament expansion is a bad idea — but if the NCAA can’t resist, here’s how to do it
Thursday and Friday mark what many feel to be two of the best days of the sports year: the first two days of the NCAA College Basketball Tournament. Perfectly timed on the sports calendar. Perfectly formatted with its fan-friendly three-week-long bracket system. Perfectly packaged with its survive-and-advance drama, and David...
Pitt adds verbal commitment from Ohio defensive tackle Francis Brewu
Pitt upped its number of verbal commitments for the Class of 2024 to five Thursday morning, as three-star defensive tackle Francis Brewu announced a pledge to the Panthers on Twitter. #BLESSED I am extremely excited to announce that I am 100% committed to play football and continue my academic career...
Steelers sign LB Elandon Roberts from Dolphins, cut LB Myles Jack in cap-saving move
The musical chairs at inside linebacker continued Thursday when the Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to terms on a contract with a second free agent at the position and cleared salary cap space by releasing Myles Jack. The Steelers agreed to a two-year deal with former New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins...
NCAA Tournament: First-round schedule, TV info, times, betting lines
BY JIM DERRY | Home Field Sports March Madness begins Thursday morning, and if you’re trying to map out your watching – and betting – schedule, we have you covered. Here’s the full list for the first round – both Thursday and Friday – and the spreads from FanDuel Sportsbook...
2023 fantasy baseball relief pitcher rankings: Is an elite closer worth drafting?
BY SPENCER URQUHART | Home Field Sports The Home Field Sports fantasy baseball rankings conclude with relief pitchers, a position that’s become tricky to navigate with fewer teams having a set closer. It’s important to note that designated closers aren’t the only relief pitchers worth drafting, as oftentimes it’s better...
Penn State favored again at NCAA wrestling championships
Penn State is favored to claim another team title and Cornell’s Yianni Diakomihalis and Iowa’s Spencer Lee, a Franklin Regional grad, will seek their fourth national titles at the NCAA Division I wrestling championships, which start Thursday in Tulsa, Okla. Penn State has won nine national championship in the past...
Are Penn State’s WRs good enough to reach the College Football Playoff? James Franklin thinks so
There are certainly exceptions. But one constant among College Football Playoff teams in recent years has been game-changing wide receivers. Alabama is the best example, climbing to the mountaintop with Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith, Jerry Jeudy and Calvin Ridley. Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr., Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson helped...
Mets’ Edwin Díaz hurts knee as Puerto Rico tops Dominicans in World Baseball Classic
MIAMI — New York Mets star closer Edwin Díaz injured his right knee celebrating a win Wednesday night that advanced Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic and eliminated the Dominican Republic. Díaz was taken off the field in a wheelchair in Miami soon after pitching a perfect ninth inning...
U mad, bro?: Steelers free agency, Pitt coverage, Tristan Jarry, Pens roster decisions put the ‘mad’ in ‘March Madness’
March Madness is upon us, but Pittsburgh sports fans don’t seem that mad about Pitt. They’re mainly mad about the Steelers, the Penguins and my coverage of both teams. OK, and a little mad about Pitt too. Here’s this week’s “U mad, bro?” Tim sent me an email after Penguins...
First Call: Ex-Patriot unhappy with JuJu Smith-Schuster’s signing; colorful assessment of new Steeler Nate Herbig
Thursday’s “First Call” has an interesting assessment of new Pittsburgh Steelers guard Nate Herbig. There’s been some shade thrown at the Patriots for signing former Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. What’s the ripple effect of Cincinnati’s big contract for Orlando Brown? The Steelers have scheduled a top-30 visit with a center....
Ryan Vilade found friendly competition in Pirates outfield with teammate Canaan Smith-Njigba
Ryan Vilade was standing within earshot when Canaan Smith-Njigba was asked about his old teammate becoming his new teammate with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Smith-Njigba raised his voice, making sure Vilade heard every word. “That’s my brother for life. I love my man Ryan Vilade,” Smith-Njigba said, with a smile. “Ryan...
Carson Briere, son of Flyers GM, apologizes after pushing woman’s wheelchair down bar stairs
Mercyhurst University college hockey player apologized Wednesday after video surfaced of him pushing a woman’s empty wheelchair down a set of stairs as she was away from it using the restroom. Carson Briere, 23, who competes in Division 1 with Mercyhurst in Erie, said he was “deeply sorry” for the...
Minor league report: Nailers snap losing streakVideo
A hat trick and an assist by forward Brooklyn Kalmikov led the Wheeling Nailers to an 8-4 road win against the Norfolk Admirals at the Norfolk (Va.) Scope Arena on Wednesday. Forward Tyler Drevitch had two goals and an assist for Wheeling (24-30-5-0) while forward Gianluca Esteves contributed a goal...
Fairleigh Dickinson rolls past Texas Southern in First FourVideo
DAYTON, Ohio — Ansley Almonor scored 23 points, and Fairleigh Dickinson beat Texas Southern, 84-61, on Wednesday night to earn its first NCAA Tournament win in four seasons. The Knights held a 14-2 lead after a 12-0 run in the opening 3 minutes, 29 seconds and never gave up the...
Panthers add RB Miles Sanders, TE Hayden HurstVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers added two significant offensive weapons to help out their incoming rookie quarterback. The Panthers announced Wednesday they agreed to terms with former Philadelphia Eagles running back Miles Sanders (Penn State, Woodland Hills) and former Cincinnati Bengals tight end Hayden Hurst, both unrestricted free agents....
AP source: Browns, safety Juan Thornhill agree to 3-year deal
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns went to the Super Bowl champions for a new safety. Cleveland reached an agreement with former Kansas City Chiefs free agent safety Juan Thornhill on a three-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press on Wednesday night. Thornhill is getting a...
Pitt’s Guillermo Diaz Graham likes the flavor of his first taste of March Madness
When Guillermo Diaz Graham walked onto the UD Arena floor for Pitt’s First Four NCAA Tournament game Tuesday, he was startled by the enormity of the crowd. Born in the Canary Islands 20 years ago, Guillermo and his twin brother, Jorge, had been playing basketball for years. Why such a...
Texas A&M poses stiff challenge to Penn State in NCAA 1st roundVideo
For the first time in more than a decade, Penn State men’s basketball is going dancing. The Nittany Lions head into the bracket as a No. 10 seed, eyeing a matchup against No. 7-seed Texas A&M at 9:55 p.m. Thursday. On paper, the Aggies should pose a challenge to Penn...
Pro Bowl safety Jordan Poyer agrees to 2-year deal to stay with BillsVideo
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Pro Bowl safety Jordan Poyer elected to stay put by reaching a two-year agreement to re-sign with the Buffalo Bills on Wednesday after briefly testing free agency. Poyer’s return immediately solidifies Buffalo’s secondary, which stood to lose a key leader and contributor who spent much of...
WVU’s Huggins looks to keep special year going in NCAA TournamentVideo
It has been quite a year for West Virginia coach Bob Huggins. Huggins was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September. He became the winningest active Division I coach last week when Jim Boeheim retired at Syracuse. The Mountaineers (19-14) overcame a horrible start to Big...
2023 fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings: There’s a new No. 1 in Corbin Burnes
BY SPENCER URQUHART | Home Field Sports The Home Field Sports fantasy baseball rankings series continues with starting pitchers, which is an essential position to be strong at when building a successful team. While it seems smart to load up on elite starting pitching early in the draft, the issue...
With no offers, 4 Steelers become unrestricted free agents — including Steven Sims, James Pierre
The 4 p.m. deadline Wednesday came and went, and the Pittsburgh Steelers declined to offer tenders to any of their restricted free agents. Players in that category were center J.C. Hassenauer, cornerback James Pierre, wide receiver Steven Sims and running back Jeremy McNichols. They become unrestricted free agents. The cheapest...
Patriots add WR JuJu Smith-Schuster with 3-year deal
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The Patriots made their first big pickup of free agency Wednesday, adding free agent wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. Smith-Schuster confirmed the move in a post on Twitter saying he was “Excited for my next chapter in New England!” “I will give this organization everything I have, thank...
Reports: Buccaneers, Baker Mayfield agree on 1-year dealVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers agreed on an $8.5 million, one-year contract with quarterback Baker Mayfield, according to multiple reports. Mayfield, the No. 1 overall pick by Cleveland in 2018, joins his third team since last July. He gets an opportunity to compete with Kyle Trask to replace...
