Sports category, Page 2484
On verge of clinching, Penguins don’t take playoff berth for granted
DETROIT — Nick Bjugstad was on some pretty good teams in Florida before he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in February. Counted Aleksander Barkov, Aaron Ekblad, Vince Trocheck and Roberto Luongo among his all-star teammates. Yet in his six full seasons with the Panthers, the team made the playoffs...
Penguins’ Kris Letang donates $58K to 7-year-old fan with leukemia
Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang is doing what he can to help a 7-year-old fan with T-cell leukemia. After practice last Thursday, Letang delivered a check for $58,000 to help defray medical expenses incurred by 7-year-old Ian Rosenbaum of Stoystown in Somerset County. Rosenbaum was in Pittsburgh for an appointment...
West Virginia’s David Long, 3 RBs among Steelers predraft visitors
The Pittsburgh Steelers continued to look at skill position players Tuesday when they had three running backs and one wide receiver among their five predraft visitors to UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. Visiting were running backs Travis Homer of Miami, Jordan Scarlett of Florida and Mike Weber of Ohio State; wide...
Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin out with lower-body injury
DETROIT – Already playing without Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be missing another key performer, defenseman Brian Dumoulin, when they visit the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night. Dumoulin is day to day with a lower-body injury, coach Mike Sullivan said after morning skate. Dumoulin did...
Steelers draft hat inspired by Pittsburgh’s coat of arms
The Pittsburgh Steelers official draft day hat features a piece of the city. New Era and the NFL released the 2019 draft hat collection on Tuesday. According to New Era, the hats tried to feature something local related to the team. For the Steelers’ lid, they included a checkerboard lifted...
Pirates’ Colin Moran accepts new role, willing to embrace versatilityVideo
For the most part, in his first everyday major league action last season, Colin Moran proved he belonged as an MLB regular. Moran wasn’t a star by any means during his first full season at the highest level, but his .277/.340/.407 slash line with 11 home runs in 144 Pittsburgh...
First call: WR in draft says he could replace Antonio Brown for Steelers
Tuesday’s “First Call” features a draft prospect that wants to come to Pittsburgh as a potential replacement for Antonio Brown. John Tavares scores against the Islanders. The Capitals lose. Ivan Nova shines in his Chicago debut. Bryce Harper goes back to Washington. The next A.B.? One potential NFL draft-choice wide...
Le’Veon Bell’s rap ripped Steelers. Then, an NFL star ripped him.
I’m not one who is going to offer a lot of opinions about what is good or bad when it comes to rap. If you want break down the KISS concert at PPG Paints Arena, though, I’m here for you. However, I will gladly regurgitate the opinions of others on...
Tim Benz: Early signs show Pirates coming as advertised in 2019
Before the Pirates even got to their home opener, their first three days in Cincinnati gave us a pretty good snapshot of what to expect in 2019. Sometimes the starting pitcher is going to give you six shutout innings, and you are going to win. Sometimes the starter is going...
Penguins podcast: Tim Benz, Brian Metzer talk about a critical final week
Eventually, Penguins Radio Network host Brian Metzer and I get around to talking about hockey in this Sided.co podcast. But first, our mandatory review of the KISS show at PPG Paints Arena. Then we try to figure out how — and why — the Detroit Red Wings have gotten so...
John Calipari agrees to lifetime contract with Kentucky
Kentucky suffered an upset loss in the NCAA Tournament to conference rival Auburn, marking a fourth straight season that the Wildcats have fallen short of the Final Four, but university officials seem satisfied with coach John Calipari’s job performance. How satisfied? Calipari, a Moon native, confirmed Monday that he has...
Pirates’ Josh Bell has plenty to prove to SI, himself
For several days, Josh Bell was so focused on the Cincinnati Reds and the first series of the season, he didn’t even know about the criticism leveled against him by an anonymous scout in Sports Illustrated. The words were more than critical, however. Some might call them hurtful. Pittsburgh Pirates...
Kevin Gorman: Chris Archer shines in Pirates’ blown home opener
By the time Nick Kingham and Francisco Cervelli got their signals crossed in the 11th inning, Chris Archer’s electrifying start in his first home opener with the Pittsburgh Pirates was but a distant memory. When Paul DeJong scored the go-ahead run on a passed ball for a 6-5 victory on...
TCU coach Jamie Dixon honors late sister before NIT semifinal
TCU has a date in Madison Square Garden and a championship it’s trying to win. But first, coach Jamie Dixon had to make a travel stop closer to his heart before he took the Horned Frogs to New York City for an NIT semifinal game against Texas. The Horned Frogs...
New Pirates shortstop Gonzalez disappointed with performance in field
On almost any occasion Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Neal Huntington spoke about the acquisition of Erik Gonzalez during the offseason, he beamed about the “special” defense the young shortstop could provide. So when Gonzalez’s ninth-inning error led to a blown save that ultimately resulted in a deflating home-opener loss Monday,...
Mark Madden: Penguins flourish despite mounting problems in March
Julius Caesar was told to “beware the ides of March.” But the Penguins faced problems the whole darn month. Injuries mounted: Kris Letang played three games; Evgeni Malkin missed the last seven; Olli Maatta the first 14; Bryan Rust the first nine. Slumps pervaded: Patric Hornqvist and Phil Kessel had...
Former WPIAL stars Alex Kirilloff, Brendan McKay to start year in Double-A
Former WPIAL stars Alex Kirilloff and Brendan McKay, two of the top prospects in minor league baseball, will begin the 2019 season in the same league as they continue their path to the majors. Kirilloff, a former Plum star and the Minnesota Twins’ 2016 first-round pick, was assigned Monday to...
IUP women No. 4 in final WBCA coaches poll
The Indiana University of Pennsylvania women’s basketball team finished its season ranked fourth in the final Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Division II Top 25 Coaches’ Poll released Sunday. The Crimson Hawks found themselves in the top five 15 of the 18 weeks and spent three weeks at No. 1. IUP...
IUP women finish No. 4 in national rankings
After another memorable season that lasted into March and generated more national interest in the program, the IUP women’s basketball team can reflect. The Crimson Hawks went 30-4 and reached the NCAA Division II Final Four for the second consecutive season. They climbed to the No. 1 ranking in the...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Pirates start hot but blow home opener to Cardinals
Chris Archer was so fired up to start his first home opener as a Pirate that his teammates were offering odds on how many batters it would take before the right-hander let out his first yell. Beforehand, Trevor Williams said the over/under was 1.5. The under was a safe play,...
Pirates lose home opener on an 11th-inning passed ball
Nick Kingham is 27 years old and has played baseball at many levels for most of that time. But what happened in the 11th inning of the Pirates’ home opener Monday at PNC Park is something that rarely has occurred to him in any of his games. And after it...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Derry grad Bisi finds groove with Penn State softball
Chelsea Bisi started the softball season slowly as she adjusted to Division I pitching and worked her way back from a knee injury that cost her the majority of her senior season at Derry. The freshman at Penn State, though, has found her groove and has become one tough out...
Penn State wrestler Bo Nickal wins Hodge trophy
Bo knows how it feels to get named the top collegiate wrestler in the country. Penn State’s Bo Nickal won the WIN Magazine/Culture House Dan Hodge Trophy on Monday, becoming the third consecutive Penn State wrestler to win the award, which goes to the top college wrestler. Nickal beat out...
Penn-Trafford grad DeFazio putting up big numbers in AMCC
Lydia DeFazio is taking the AMCC by storm this softball season. The sophomore first baseman/catcher at Mt. Aloysius was named AMCC Softball Player of the Week after a dominating, four-game stretch for the Mounties (17-4, 4-0). Her numbers have been astronomical. A Penn-Trafford graduate, DeFazio went 13 for 15, hitting...
Guard Khameron Davis to transfer from Pitt basketball
Khameron Davis will transfer from the Pitt basketball program, university officials announced Monday. The 6-foot-4 sophomore guard from Denver averaged 2.5 points and 2.2 rebounds a game this past season, and averaged 3.3 points and 2.6 rebounds while shooting 35 percent (35 of 100) on 3-pointers in 58 games over...
