U.S. dominates Canadian women in Olympic hockey for pool-play sweep
MILAN — Hannah Bilka scored twice, and the United States’ youth and speed overwhelmed a Canadian women’s hockey team missing its captain in a 5-0 win at the Milan Cortina Games on Tuesday. The lopsided victory clinched first place for the U.S. in Group A entering the quarterfinals and continued...
Patriots QB Drake Maye has no plans for surgery on throwing shoulder
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye said he doesn’t plan to have any surgical procedures on his throwing shoulder this offseason, after receiving a pain-relieving injection before their Super Bowl loss. “Just get some time off. Time’s the best healer. Definitely just need time off,” Maye said...
Justin Verlander returns to the Detroit Tigers on a $13 million, 1-year contract
LAKELAND, Fla. — For his 21st season in the majors, Justin Verlander is going back to the beginning of his career. All the way back to Motown. Verlander returned to the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday, agreeing to a $13 million, one-year contract with his first big league team. The three-time...
Joe Starkey’s Mailbag: Would Mac Jones be a good option for Steelers?
You ask. I answer. It’s time for a weekly Q&A mailbag that appears Tuesdays at TribLive.com. We had a banner first three weeks. This is no time for a trap game. Apologies for the delay this week. Most of the questions come via “X,” but you can also hit me...
Reigning NASCAR champion Kyle Larson adds team owner to his renowned racing resume
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Kyle Larson’s latest racing endeavor might be more challenging than “The Double.” The two-time and reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion recently started his own micro-racing team for his kids. Trucks, trailers, cars, engines, parts, shop space, employees, Larson added it all for his 11-year-old son, Owen,...
Former Pirate Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Red Sox finalize 1-year, $6M contract
BOSTON — Former Pittsburgh Pirates utilityman Isiah Kiner-Falefa and the Boston Red Sox finalized a $6 million, one-year contract Tuesday. Kiner-Falefa can earn $500,000 in performance bonuses for plate appearances: $100,000 each for 300, 350, 400, 450, and 500. The 30-year-old hit .262 with two homers, 40 RBIs and 21...
Where will the Steelers, others pick in the 1st round of the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh?
The Las Vegas Raiders are officially on the clock. On the day Klint Kubiak was introduced as the team’s head coach, the NFL announced its final draft order for the first round. Las Vegas has the No. 1 pick for 2026. Many of the draft positions previously were known, including...
New Penn State coach Matt Campbell says Latrobe’s Alex Tatsch could be next great at Linebacker U
Despite being widely regarded as “Linebacker U” for a rich tradition on defense, Penn State had an obvious lack of depth at the position over the past two seasons. It was never more apparent than when Tony Rojas suffered a season-ending injury early in 2025. The Nittany Lions had no...
Olympics are here for many NHL stars who waited half their careers or more for this
MILAN — Nathan MacKinnon knew he wouldn’t make Canada’s 2014 Olympic team as an 18-year-old NHL rookie, whereas Germany’s Leon Draisaitl and Czechia’s David Pastrnak were still a year away from being drafted. Canadian Connor McDavid and American Jack Eichel were just 17 and Auston Matthews 16 when the best...
Neck guards are mandatory in hockey at the Olympics. That’s an adjustment for NHL players
MILAN — There will be a big visual difference between hockey at the Milan Cortina Olympics and the version played in the NHL: Every player is required to wear a neck guard. “I haven’t worn a neck guard since youth hockey,” U.S. forward Brady Tkachuk said. “But it’s good.” The...
NFL has a short break before it’s time for the combine, free agency and the draft
Don’t blink because the NFL will be back in less than two weeks. Now that the Seattle Seahawks have been crowned Super Bowl champions, it’s on to the 2026 season. That will kick off with the annual scouting combine from Feb. 23-March 2 in Indianapolis. Free agency follows March 9...
Stuart Skinner meshing well in Penguins’ locker room, with Arturs Silovs in net
As a preteen, Stuart Skinner attended a goaltending camp in Toronto put on by youth development coach Eli Wilson. When Skinner was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 12, he thought back to that camp and two people in particular whom he crossed paths with there. The first was...
First Call: Calvin Austin on his uncertain future with Steelers; Marcell Ozuna’s PNC Park struggles
Tuesday’s “First Call” has some revealing quotes from one of Pittsburgh’s top wide receivers. We look at a challenge facing Marcell Ozuna now that he is a Pittsburgh Pirate. Pitt gets good news about a Panthers basketball alum in advance of the club’s big game against Duke on Tuesday night....
Tim Benz: We may already be looking at an Aaron Rodgers decision deadline
According to what ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting, we may be coming up on a soft deadline from the Pittsburgh Steelers to Aaron Rodgers regarding a decision about his playing status next year. During an appearance Monday on the “Pat McAfee Show,” Schefter told the program that many on the...
Adding Marcell Ozuna solves DH dilemma but creates confusion in projecting Pirates roster
A team once infamously dubbed a “hodgepodge of nothingness” by Dennis Eckersley now has a lineup littered with All-Stars after the Pittsburgh Pirates added another in Marcell Ozuna. By agreeing with Ozuna to a one-year contract worth $12 million Monday, the Pirates not only pushed their payroll above $100 million...
Even with Marcell Ozuna, Pirates’ offseason moves are tough to evaluateVideo
The Pittsburgh Pirates made some national headlines Monday by signing former Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna to a one-year, $12 million contract. Even before that acquisition, The Athletic’s Jim Bowden recently released his grades for how Major League Baseball organizations performed this offseason. The former Cincinnati Reds general manager...
Westmoreland County campus clips: Saint Vincent men heating up down stretch
Like any coach, Saint Vincent’s D.P. Harris wants his team to play at its best basketball late in the season. The Bearcats appear to be rounding into postseason form with the Presidents Athletic Conference men’s tournament just around the corner. SVC moved to 14-7 overall and 9-3 in the conference...
No. 9 Kansas beats top-ranked, previously undefeated Arizona
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Flory Bidunga had a double-double, and No. 9 Kansas defeated top-ranked and previously unbeaten Arizona, 82-78, on Monday night. Arizona (23-1, 10-1 Big 12) entered Allen Fieldhouse with the second-longest winning streak in Division I men’s basketball. Kansas (19-5, 9-2) played without freshman guard Darryn Peterson, who...
Raiders officially hire Klint Kubiak as head coach after his Super Bowl win with Seahawks
HENDERSON, Nev. — The Las Vegas Raiders made it official Monday by announcing Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak will be their next head coach. Kubiak arrived in Las Vegas on Monday fresh off a 29-13 Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday. Among the questions facing...
Despite Super Bowl loss, Patriots believe they have ability to return and win more titles
Just as New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel had done throughout his team’s surprise run to the NFL’s biggest stage, he made sure he was the first person to offer hugs to his players as they exited the field following Sunday’s Super Bowl loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Yes, the...
MLB spring training brings attention to robot umps, WBC
Just 102 days after a thrilling World Series ended with the Los Angeles Dodgers becoming the first repeat champion in a quarter century, pitchers and catchers are back on the field Tuesday as spring training begins with an initial focus on ABS and WBC. In what could be the last...
Browns tight end David Njoku says it’s time for a new home
CLEVELAND — David Njoku appears to be looking to leave the Cleveland Browns after playing tight end for the franchise for nine seasons. “The time for me to find a new home has come,” Njoku posted on social media Monday night. NFL free agency begins next month. The 29-year-old Njoku...
Duke surges to No. 11 in Top 25 women’s poll with 15-game streak
Duke climbed up to No. 11 in the Associated Press women’s basketball Top 25 poll Monday thanks to a 15-game winning streak. The Blue Devils took over sole possession of first-place in the ACC last week with a one-point victory over then-No. 6 Louisville. Duke, which jumped six places this...
‘Don’t jump in them’: Olympic athletes’ medals break during celebrationsVideo
MILAN — Handle with care. That’s the message from gold medalist Breezy Johnson at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics after she and other athletes found their medals broke within hours. Olympic organizers are investigating with “maximum attention” after a spate of medals have fallen off their ribbons during celebrations on...
Arizona holds No. 1 spot for 9th week in AP Top 25
Arizona remained firmly atop the Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll for a ninth consecutive week Monday, whereas Houston jumped back into the top five and Kentucky returned to the rankings for the first time since December. Tommy Lloyd’s Wildcats (23-0) claimed all 59 first-place votes in the...
