First Call: Mario Cristobal linked to Steelers; DeMarvin Leal goes to New York
Friday’s “First Call” has some details about a potential hurdle in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ coaching search. One college candidate may be in the mix. A former Steeler is heading to New York to play for John Harbaugh. And the surging Penguins have one more hill to climb on the western...
Penguins successfully plug multitude of gaps during Erik Karlsson’s 5-game absence
With the midway point of the season having passed, the Pittsburgh Penguins are well-positioned in a tight Eastern Conference playoff picture. But things are far from guaranteed, as the jockeying continues daily between clubs such as the Penguins, Islanders, Bruins, Sabres, Maple Leafs and other contenders separated by only a...
Tim Benz: Trading for Jason Robertson wouldn’t be mortgaging the Penguins’ future — it would be securing it
I woke up Thursday morning and marveled at the fact that the Pittsburgh Penguins were sitting in second place in the Metropolitan Division. I was also reading that the Pens are being linked to standout Dallas winger Jason Robertson in trade talks. Thinking back to the predictions for this team...
Analysis: Picking out silver linings from bad losses an increasingly stale task for Pitt
Jeff Capel knows Pitt let a winnable game slip away because of self-inflicted wounds. “I think we missed eight layups,” Capel said. “So, you look at that and think if we just do these things and make half of the layups, make our free throws in the game, perhaps it’s...
Football Footnotes: Steelers fans should be wary of Baltimore’s hiring of Jesse Minter
A former candidate to replace Mike Tomlin as Pittsburgh Steelers head coach will now be in charge of their top AFC North rival. The Baltimore Ravens hired Jesse Minter to take over for John Harbaugh as their head coach on Thursday. Your next coach of the Baltimore Ravens.We have agreed...
Penguins surge past Oilers, Tristan Jarry for 3rd consecutive win
Members of the Pittsburgh Penguins weren’t terribly jubilant when management decided to trade starting goaltender Tristan Jarry to the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 12. Affectionately known as “Jars” by his teammates, Jarry was popular with the Penguins. Presumably, they were happy seeing Jarry once again Thursday. At least that’s what...
Scottie Scheffler starts new year with 63 at The American Express
LA QUINTA, Calif. — The idea for Scottie Scheffler was to get a gauge on his game at The American Express, and all appeared to be in good working order Thursday. He made birdies on half of his holes for a 9-under-par 63 to join a parade of low scores...
Carrington, Blackwell each score 17 points; Wisconsin beats Penn State 98-71 for 5th straight win
UNIVERSITY PARK — Braeden Carrington and John Blackwell scored 17 points each, and Wisconsin pulled away midway through the first half to rout Penn State, 98-71, on Thursday night for the Badgers’ fifth consecutive win. Nolan Winter added 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Nick Boyd scored 11 points for...
Robert Morris men get key Horizon League win vs. Milwaukee
As Robert Morris’ lone returning player from last season’s Horizon League winner, Ryan Prather Jr. knows the feeling of a champion. He’s hoping his new teammates soon feel it, too. Prather scored 23 points for his fourth consecutive game of at least 20 and second time in a row with...
Lawyer for ex-Michigan coach Sherrone Moore wants charges dismissed, says woman is seeking windfall
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A lawyer for fired University of Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore declared his innocence Thursday and said charges of home invasion and stalking were based on an effort by a staff member to get a financial windfall from the school’s “deep pockets.” In a court filing,...
New Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley slept in office as Pitt assistant: ‘I’d say it worked’
Newly hired Miami Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley can sleep comfortably in South Florida nowadays, but some overnight stays in Pitt’s football facility helped him get there. Hafley, 46, spent five seasons as an assistant at Pitt under coach Dave Wannstedt from 2006-10. He was coaching defensive backs at Albany before...
Penguins activate defenseman Erik Karlsson from injured reserve
The Pittsburgh Penguins activated defenseman Erik Karlsson from injured reserve Thursday, a handful of hours before a road contest against the Edmonton Oilers. In a corresponding transaction, defenseman Ryan Graves was placed on injured reserve due to an undisclosed injury. The team announced each maneuver via a social media posting....
Jeff Hafley took the hard road toward coaching Dolphins — including a stop at Pitt
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Jeff Hafley was a football coach before he was a football coach. The new coach of the Miami Dolphins played his college football at Siena, with home games before small crowds at a decaying minor-league baseball field in a suburb of Albany, N.Y. Hafley dealt with...
Carlos Beltrán’s wife intently followed Hall of Fame vote-tracker
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Carlos Beltrán’s wife followed Ryan Thibodaux’s Hall of Fame vote-tracker with the intensity of an investor tracking the markets. “My wife would wake up every morning, and she was like, ‘Yes,’ and I was like, ‘What happened?’ ” he said Thursday during his first visit to the...
Ravens hire Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter as head coach
Before they even began the process of interviewing more than a dozen people for their coaching vacancy, the Baltimore Ravens knew plenty about Jesse Minter. Now he has the job. The Ravens hired the 42-year-old Minter on Thursday, about two weeks after they fired longtime coach John Harbaugh. Minter is...
Nick Gonzales switches to No. 3, as Pirates announce jersey numbers for newcomers
Nick Gonzales had misgivings about wearing No. 39 once Dave Parker was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman made his intentions clear to change his jersey number upon Parker’s death last summer. “It just meant a little more playing today with that number,”...
Novak Djokovic 1 win away from milestone; Stan Wawrinka makes history at Australian Open
MELBOURNE, Australia — Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka made it a day for the ages at the Australian Open. Djokovic improved to 399 wins in Grand Slam matches with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Francesco Maestrelli on Thursday, making the 38-year-old, 24-time major winner just one shy of becoming...
Former Moon, Penn State standout Puff Johnson joins Ohio State after court ruling
Former Penn State star Puff Johnson is back in college basketball, as well as the Big Ten. Johnson has been added to Ohio State’s roster, the Buckeyes recently announced. He was granted a temporary restraining order by a Franklin County Court of Common Pleas this past Friday. He was deemed...
Incoming snowstorm forces TV change for Pitt men’s basketball, tip-off change for Duquesne women
Plummeting temperatures and expected snow and ice will impact dozens of states over the weekend, meteorologists are warning. As a result of inclement and extreme weather warnings, the ACC announced several game time and television network changes for Saturday. Pitt’s noon tip-off at Petersen Events Center vs. N.C. State remains...
Tim Benz: A tweak to the Mike McCarthy conversation
Editor’s note: This column was originally posted Jan. 23, a day before news broke the Pittsburgh Steelers were hiring Mike McCarthy as their next head coach. It would just be more “Mediocre Mike.” Except it would be a different Mike. That’s been the most common reaction to the notion of...
The Steelers are (likely) in the market for yet another QB. None of the options are ideal
Pat Freiermuth was speaking with media the day after the most recent Pittsburgh Steelers season ended. The topic was the difficulties he has faced in gaining traction as a reliable producer in the receiving game. “I think it’s going to be, what, 10 quarterbacks in six years?” the veteran tight...
The AP NFL MVP finalists are Allen, Lawrence, Maye, McCaffrey and Stafford
NEW YORK — Christian McCaffrey is the first player to be a finalist for three AP NFL awards in the same year, joining Josh Allen, Trevor Lawrence, Drake Maye and Matthew Stafford in the running for The Associated Press 2025 NFL Most Valuable Player award. McCaffrey and Maye are also...
Baseball America ranks Konnor Griffin its No. 1 prospect, as 3 other Pirates make top 100 list
When Baseball America released its top 100 prospects list Wednesday, Konnor Griffin had only strengthened his status as the No. 1 prospect in the game with “an iron grip.” The 6-foot-4, 225-pound shortstop, who shined at three minor league levels, is one of three teenagers and four players in the...
Treysen Eaglestaff hits 6 3s to help West Virginia beat Arizona State
TEMPE, Ariz. — Treysen Eaglestaff hit six 3-pointers and finished with 23 points to help West Virginia beat Arizona State, 75-63, on Wednesday night. Brenen Lorient made 7 of 11 from the field and scored 15 points for West Virginia (13-6, 4-2 Big 12). Jasper Floyd had 12 points on...
Farm-raised Penguins defenseman Brett Kulak offers a dependable game
Hockey is full of tired, boring cliches. Got to get pucks deep. Keep it simple. Go to the dirty areas. A goaltender standing on his head. One that is a bit more descriptive is the proverbial Canadian farm boy. But that one isn’t exactly a trope for Brett Kulak. He...
