Sports category, Page 1072
Duquesne succeeds by buying into team mentality
With his coach crouching against a wall, Joe Reece stood in front of him on the block several feet from the rim at Duquesne’s practice facility at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse and watched an entry pass with a spin of English from freshman point guard Kareem Rozier bounce off his hands...
Steelers OLB Alex Highsmith in line for payday after huge year
He had more sacks this past season than all but only three men have ever recorded for the Pittsburgh Steelers. This particular outside linebacker’s sack total in 2022 was more than the likes of Joey Porter or Greg Lloyd (officially), or Joe Greene or L.C. Greenwood (unofficially) ever tallied in...
Mitch Keller makes strong start but Blue Jays pound Pirates for 3 homers in spring opener
BRADENTON, Fla. — Mitch Keller focused on filling up the strike zone and fanned the first batter he faced in his first start of spring training, getting leadoff batter Cavan Biggio to go down swinging. “It’s always good to get one,” Keller said, “especially the first guy of spring.” The...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Taylor Lewan is not Steelers’ answer at left tackle
The Pittsburgh Steelers need a left tackle. Dan Moore Jr. was serviceable this past season, making improvement on his rookie year. He has started all 33 games at left tackle since he was drafted in the fourth round in 2022. But Moore might help more moving to guard or being...
Pirates owner Bob Nutting addresses Bryan Reynolds talks, RSN collapse, payroll issues
BRADENTON, Fla. — Pittsburgh Pirates chairman Bob Nutting said he is pushing for the club to sign Bryan Reynolds to a long-term contract extension and isn’t ruling out the possibility of signing a player to a $100 million contract in the near future. Nutting touched on those and other topics...
Penguins forward Kasperi Kapanen claimed off waivers by Blues
Kasperi Kapanen was in tears. And this was when things were going well for him. After the Pittsburgh Penguins’ pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season came to an end, Kapanen spoke about his first campaign in Pittsburgh in which he posted a strong 30 points (11 goals, 19 assists) in 40 games and...
As March approaches, we’ve got two top college basketball picks: Best Bets for Feb. 25
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...
With Bryan Reynolds contract talks at standstill, Pirates owner Bob Nutting pushing for deal
BRADENTON, Fla. — Bryan Reynolds had casual conversations with Pittsburgh Pirates chairman Bob Nutting and team president Travis Williams this past week at Pirate City but said that no substantive contract extension discussions have resumed. “There’s been no talks like that, so nothing really to report there,” Ryenolds said Saturday...
‘Catching is gold’: Pirates prospects Henry Davis, Endy Rodriguez absorb veteran advice
BRADENTON, Fla. — Austin Hedges arrived at spring training prepared for a crash course with the Pittsburgh Pirates, learning as fast as he could about the pitching staff while teaching two of their top-100 prospects as much as he could about catching in the major leagues. Hedges realized he needed...
Minor league report: Alex Nylander, Valtteri Puustinen each score for Penguins in lossVideo
Forwards Alex Nylander and Valtteri Puustinen each had a goal and an assist for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 3-2 road loss to the Syracuse Crunch at the Upstate Medical University Arena in Syracuse, N.Y. on Friday. Goaltender Dustin Tokarski made 37 saves on 40 shots for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (22-22-2-5) while...
AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh in peril as Warner Bros. Discovery intends to exit regional sports
Warner Bros. Discovery, owner of AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, wants to exit the regional sports network business — and soon — in a move that could potentially leave the Pittsburgh Pirates and Penguins without a primary TV home. The Wall Street Journal first reported that WBD informed the professional sports teams...
Penguins defenseman Jan Rutta ready to return from injury
Whatever has ailed Jan Rutta as of late, it hasn’t affected his sharp wit. When asked how he feels Friday after being sidelined for the better part of six weeks due to an undisclosed injury, the Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman was quick in his reply. “Definitely rested.” That respite appears to...
Suh leads; Kirk fires a 62 in 2nd round of Honda ClassicVideo
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — There have been about 7,200 rounds played at the Honda Classic since it moved to PGA National 17 years ago. Only two of those were better than the one turned in Friday by Chris Kirk. Kirk shot an 8-under-par 62 in the second round, moving...
Penguins GM Ron Hextall: ‘We want to stay competitive’
Ron Hextall has heard his name chanted before in Pittsburgh. The first time happened almost 34 years ago at Civic Arena. As the starting goaltender of the rival Philadelphia Flyers, he infamously chased former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Robbie Brown after a goal and was pulled from a playoff game in...
Golden Gloves tournament kicks off Saturday with bouts at Monroeville Mall
The road to the Golden Gloves state and national finals begins Saturday with a loaded card at Gloria’s Gym in the Monroeville Mall. Both eliminations and championships will be a part of the 14-bout card and will feature Golden Gloves veterans and others new to the amateur tournament. Eleven of...
Taking advantage of the Suns’ situation for an NBA wager: Best Bet for Feb. 24
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 is...
Penguins place winger Kasperi Kapanen on waivers
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Kasperi Kapanen was absent from Friday afternoon’s practice at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry and, following the team’s on-ice activities, coach Mike Sullivan revealed general manager Ron Hextall was placing Kapanen on waivers. All NHL clubs will have an opportunity to claim Kapanen, who has seven...
MLB catchers wary of looming robo umps amid rules changes
Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais spent parts of 11 seasons and nearly 800 games behind home plate as a catcher with four franchises, mostly in the 1990s. During that era — one dominated by Hall of Famers Mike Piazza and Ivan Rodriguez — the skills needed at backstop were clearly...
2023 Pala Casino 400 betting guide: Redemption in store for Chase Elliott at Auto Club?
BY SPENCER URQUHART | Home Field Sports The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series got off to an entertaining start last week at the Daytona 500, but it was one that left many fans and bettors frustrated after the race ended under caution in overtime. That frustration likely won’t be replicated this...
Mark Madden: Time for the Penguins to deal with reality, not long-shot fantasy
We can hold two truths to be self-evident in the wake of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ four-game losing streak that got extended Thursday at PPG Paints Arena via a 7-2 massacre by Edmonton: • The Penguins should be sellers between now and the March 3 NHL trade deadline. • They need...
Jim Boeheim’s comments about Pitt didn’t go over well in Syracuse either
When Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim took a swat at Pitt and a few other ACC schools for “buying a team,” it didn’t go over well in Pittsburgh. It didn’t go over well elsewhere. Like, in Syracuse. Brent Axe is a radio host at ESPN Syracuse and a columnist for...
3 takeaways: Connor McDavid steals the show as Penguins’ lineup tweaks make little impactVideo
Three takeaways from the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 7-2 loss to Edmonton on Thursday evening at PPG Paints Arena: Pregame lineup shakeup A routine element of the Penguins’ pregame social media ritual is tweeting their nightly lineup combinations, defensive pairings and starting goaltender an hour-plus before puck drop. Ahead of Thursday evening’s...
First Call: Another big name ILB will hit free agency; Taylor Lewan renews interest in Steelers; Alex Ovechkin returns
Friday’s “First Call” looks at two recently released veterans that could fit positions of need for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Alex Ovechkin is back for the Capitals. Aaron Rodgers has left his darkness retreat. And the Duquesne men’s basketball team hunts for win No. 20 on Sunday. Taking another run? The...
Pirates pitcher JT Brubaker seeks sense of normalcy, ready to take next step as a starter
BRADENTON, Fla. — When the Pittsburgh Pirates returned to Pirate City for spring training, JT Brubaker found a sense of normalcy — something that’s been missing for the right-hander since 2018. After being shelved with forearm soreness in 2019, the 29-year-old has dealt with a variety of disruptions and distractions...
Pitt Take 5: Stakes high for Panthers in their final 3 regular-season games
Jeff Capel has said repeatedly that the NCAA Net rankings, Associated Press Top 25 and the many versions of bracketology that pop up on the internet do not interest him. But don’t let him fool you. Pitt’s coach knows what’s at stake over the final three games of the regular...
