First Call: Possible partner if Steelers want to move up in draft; NFL GM predicts many trades; Sidney Crosby on Pat McAfee
Lots of trade talk is swirling around the NFL Draft. In Friday’s “First Call,” we try to determine if the Pittsburgh Steelers could be a part of that action Thursday night in Pittsburgh. Sidney Crosby made a pre-playoff appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show.” And we preview the upcoming Pirates-Rays...
NHL releases full schedule for Penguins-Flyers playoff series
The NHL released the full schedule for the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs early Friday morning. The Pittsburgh Penguins will open their series against the Philadelphia Flyers at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday. The schedule for the best-of-seven series: Saturday, April 18 – Flyers at Penguins, 8 p.m....
Pirates farm report for April 16, 2026: Endy Rodriguez delivers 3 hits, 4 RBIs in Indy win
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple A, 5-13) throttled Omaha (Royals), 12-5. DH Endy Rodriguez (.179) went 3 for 4 with two doubles, four RBIs and two runs scored. 3B Davis Wendzel (.277) went 3 for 5 with a double and three RBIs. RF Esmerlyn Valdez (.264) went 1 for 4 with two walks,...
David Bailey? Arvell Reese? Suspense begins with 2nd pick in NFL Draft
Barring any last-minute surprise, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will step to the podium Thursday night, address the crowd outside Acrisure Stadium and announce Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza as the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. And then what? For now, nobody knows. The first round is always a...
Penguins place defenseman Matt Dumba on unconditional waivers
The Pittsburgh Penguins placed defenseman Matt Dumba on unconditional waivers Thursday afternoon for the purposes of a contract termination. Should he go unclaimed by the NHL’s other 31 teams by 2 p.m. on Friday, he will be free to sign elsewhere. Dumba, 31, has been assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the...
Judged college football’s best defensive player, Jacob Rodriguez fits Steelers profile at ILB
The Chuck Bednarik Award is annually given to the best defensive player in college football. The past two times it’s been given to a true, off-ball (inside) linebacker, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected that player in the ensuing NFL Draft. Could they make it three in a row with Texas Tech’s...
Penguins forwards Connor Dewar, Blake Lizotte likely to ‘go’ against FlyersVideo
Pittsburgh Penguins forwards Connor Dewar and Blake Lizotte didn’t exactly offer much variance — or detail — in explaining their statuses after missing the final games of the regular season because of injuries. “I’m ready to go,” Dewar said. “Good to go,” Lizotte offered. If they actually go into the...
Nationals outlast Pirates in 10 innings to split 4-game series
Errors, hit batters and wild pitches spoiled the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Thursday afternoon finale with the Washington Nationals, who won 8-7 in 10 innings at PNC Park to split the four-game series. But repeated offensive responses, including a four-run fifth and game-tying RBI in the bottom of the ninth, kept the...
‘This is what you play for’: The Penguins relish return to the Stanley Cup playoffs
Everyone held their breath, even if just for a moment. Roughly 25 minutes into practice Thursday in Cranberry, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin crashed into the wall after colliding with a teammate. Of all the players on this roster who could least afford any kind of mishap, it was the...
Tony Dorsett, Curtis Martin, Jimbo Covert among football legends announcing picks at NFL Draft
Football legends and Western Pennsylvania natives Tony Dorsett, Curtis Martin and Jimbo Covert are among three dozen retired or active players who’ll represent their franchises on Day 2 of the NFL Draft. The players will announce second- and third-round selections April 24. The list, released Thursday by the NFL, features...
Penguins forwards Connor Dewar, Blake Lizotte return to practice
Pittsburgh Penguins forwards Connor Dewar and Blake Lizotte, each of whom missed several of the final games of the regular season due to injuries, proclaimed themselves ready for their team’s first game of the postseason against the rival Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. Both players were full participants during a practice...
Penguins-Flyers playoff series opens Saturday
Game 1 of the first-round playoff series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers will happen on Saturday. The NHL announced a start time of 8 p.m. but in reality, the opening faceoff at PPG Paints Arena will happen a handful of minutes after that. As for the rest of...
Tiger Woods’ lawyer vows to fight subpoena for prescription records in DUI case
ORLANDO, Fla. — Tiger Woods ’ attorney intends to fight an attempt by prosecutors to subpoena the golfer’s prescription drug records following his arrest last month in Florida on suspicion of driving under the influence. Attorney Doug Duncan said this week in a court filing that Woods has a constitutional...
Pirates starter Jared Jones entering ‘the next phase’ of return from elbow injury
Jared Jones must be the kind of injured player who provides Pittsburgh Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk a dose of excitement and consternation. Jones, who missed all of last season with a right elbow injury and is on the 60-day injured list, told reporters Wednesday at PNC Park...
New Kensington’s Willie Thrower family to join Bears brass at NFL Draft to honor league’s 1st Black quarterbackVideo
This fall marks 73 years since Willie Thrower’s monumental moment in football history when he became the first Black quarterback to take a snap in the modern NFL. Legendary Chicago Bears coach George Halas called on Thrower, a New Kensington native, in a game Oct. 18, 1953, against the San...
Belle Vernon’s Quinton Martin focused on improvement, future at Penn State
It could be that Quinton Martin Jr. has been hiding in plain sight at Penn State for longer than many fans realize. Martin, a redshirt sophomore from Belle Vernon, was terrific in the Nittany Lions’ 22-10 Pinstripe Bowl victory over Clemson in December at Yankee Stadium. With PSU star running...
Joe Starkey: The Penn State guard makes sense for Steelers; the quarterback does not
How many Big Ten project quarterbacks can one team take on? Something tells me we’re about to find out — especially if Drew Allar plummets in the draft the way he did in so many big moments at Penn State. I’d stay away from Allar. Simply put, there weren’t enough...
NFL Draft top prospect profile: Caleb Lomu, Utah OT
TribLive is highlighting the top prospects leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh. The three-day event is April 23-25. Caleb Lomu Position: Offensive tackle Height/weight: 6-foot-6/313 pounds College: Utah Utah could have two offensive linemen drafted in the first round this year. Lomu and teammate Spencer Fano were...
First Call: James Conner returns to Pittsburgh for NFL Draft; Kevin Colbert’s new Ohio State job; George Pickens update
Thursday’s “First Call” has word about a Pittsburgh reunion of sorts for Pitt alum and ex-Steeler James Conner. Kevin Colbert has a new job in the football sphere. George Pickens news appears to be stalling in Dallas. And there are some new headlines from the transfer portal surrounding local college...
Gov. Josh Shapiro, Pat McAfee wager on Penguins-Flyers playoff series
The impending NHL hockey playoff series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers has even the state’s governor getting in on the action. Though he represents all of Pennsylvania, Gov. Josh Shapiro says he is decidedly a Philadelphia fan when it comes to sports. Shapiro made a friendly wager with...
U mad, bro?: Fans already fretting over Don Kelly’s decisions, Pirates’ bullpen, Pens-Flyers playoff hostility
We’ve got to remember that Pittsburgh Pirates manager Don Kelly is only 142 games into his managerial career. That’s not an excuse for his ridiculous decision to pinch-hit for Brandon Lowe on Tuesday night during a 5-4 loss to Washington. A trained chimpanzee using an AI chatbot could’ve told Kelly...
25 years of Heinz Field/Acrisure Stadium drafts: The best Steelers pick from every class (2016-20)
The NFL Draft will take place outside Acrisure Stadium on April 23-25. In advance of the event, we will look back at each of the 25 Pittsburgh Steelers drafts in the building’s history. Every day this week, we will examine each of those draft classes and pick the best player...
Starting to ‘feel more real’ for Jared Jones after bullpen session for Pirates at PNC Park
A change of scenery provided a positive boost to Jared Jones, who has been based in Florida all spring while working his way back from InternalBrace surgery on his right elbow. The 24-year-old right-hander threw a bullpen session to positive reviews from his Pittsburgh Pirates coaches and teammates Tuesday at...
Pirates farm report for April 15, 2026: Esmerlyn Valdez hits 4th homer in Indy loss
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple A, 4-13) lost 6-4 to Omaha (Royals). RF Esmerlyn Valdez (.265) went 2 for 3 with a two-run homer, his fourth, and two walks. DH Ronny Simon (.385) went 3 for 4 with a double, run scored and RBI. LF Tyler Callihan (.220) went 2 for 5 with...
Minor league report: Penguins, Sergei Murashov fall to BearsVideo
Goaltender Sergei Murashov made 24 saves on 27 shots for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 5-1 loss to the rival Hershey Bears at Mohegan Arena in Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday. The result dropped Murashov’s record to 23-9-4. Forward Atley Calvert scored the lone goal for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (44-17-7-2), which dressed an irregular...
