Sports category, Page 253
Mark Madden: The Steelers will give T.J. Watt what he wants, but it’s the wrong move
The Pittsburgh Steelers simply can’t pay T.J. Watt $40 million per year, or one dollar more than Cleveland’s Myles Garrett, or whatever figure Watt desires to satiate ego disguised as comparison shopping. Many absurdities accompany this drama, not least that the Steelers would be paying quarterback money to two players...
Tim Benz: Forget slow starts. Slow recognition of larger problems is Penguins’ real offseason concern
In the aftermath of a 4-1 loss to the Boston Bruins on Sunday, Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan sounded like a guy who was at the end of his rope. Sullivan was asked about the team’s slow start in that game. “Slow start? It was a slow game. Period,”...
First Call: Details of Aaron Rodgers pitching himself to Vikings; Shedeur Sanders working out for Giants
Tuesday’s “First Call” has an interesting angle to Aaron Rodgers’ attempt at latching on with the Minnesota Vikings. A new team may be in the running for Rodgers’ services in 2025. We know Rodgers is losing something of importance before next year, regardless of where he winds up. And Shedeur...
Dylan Crews says former LSU teammate Paul Skenes is ‘on another planet’
When Dylan Crews spoke about Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes before Monday night’s game at PNC Park, the Washington Nationals outfielder referred to his former LSU teammate as “on another planet.” Once the game began, for a change, Skenes didn’t have to be intergalactically good to get a win for...
Phiten Pirates: Andrew McCutchen creates newest mojo with black-and-gold necklaces
Searching for a spark to ignite the Pittsburgh Pirates, Andrew McCutchen turned back the clock Monday when he handed out black-and-gold Phiten necklaces to his teammates. When the Pirates responded with a season-best 14 hits in a 10-3 win over the Washington Nationals to snap a three-game losing streak, McCutchen...
Duquesne’s Megan McConnell earns invite to WNBA training camp in Phoenix
Megan McConnell will take her shot at becoming the latest member of her family to play professional basketball. After wrapping up a decorated career at Duquesne last month, the 5-foot-7 guard received an invitation to attend training camp with the Phoenix Mercury after the conclusion of the WNBA Draft on...
With offensive explosion vs. Nationals, Pirates post new season highs in runs, hitsVideo
Through their first 16 games of the season, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ body of work had not featured much offensive proficiency or production. A majority of players in any given nightly batting order owning sub-Mendoza Line averages served as a constant reminder of the club’s slow offensive start. As a team,...
Parade of RB prospects continues to visit Steelers — TreVeyon Henderson, R.J. HarveyVideo
Think the Pittsburgh Steelers are serious about evaluating a deep and strong running back draft class? Consider that more than a fourth of their official draft visits have been prospects at the position. The seventh and eighth such running backs were guests Tuesday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex: Ohio...
Former NFL tight end Don Hasselbeck dies at age 70
Former NFL tight end Don Hasselbeck, who won a Super Bowl in his nine-year career and was the father of two NFL quarterbacks, died Monday. He was 70. Hasselbeck’s son, Matt, said his father died after going into cardiac arrest at his home. “He was a great husband, father, grandfather,...
JD Vance fumbles Ohio State’s NCAA football championship trophy as Buckeyes visit the White HouseVideo
WASHINGTON — Vice President JD Vance ended the Ohio State football team’s visit to the White House on Monday by fumbling the team’s national championship trophy. After laudatory speeches by President Donald Trump, Buckeye coach Ryan Day and Vance on the South Lawn, the vice president — an Ohio State...
Pirates ride Paul Skenes’ strong start, hot bats to beat Nationals, snap 3-game skid
Before the long-awaited showdown between the Nos. 1 and 2 selections of the 2023 MLB Draft ever materialized, the Pittsburgh Pirates superseded that storyline by making history. When a Paul Skenes pitch hit James Wood and ricocheted off the right hand of Endy Rodriguez, it caused a laceration on Rodriguez’s...
Sharks’ Logan Couture expected to announce end of career because of an injury
SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose Sharks captain Logan Couture is expected to announce he will end his playing career because of a debilitating injury that has sidelined him for more than 15 months. The Sharks announced Monday that Couture and general manager Mike Grier will hold a news conference...
College baseball notebook: 30-4 Mountaineers build nation’s best record with rebuilt pitching staff
West Virginia has the best overall and road records in Division I baseball, and the Big 12-leading Mountaineers are doing it with a first-year coach and a No. 1 pitcher who spent his first four seasons at a Division II school in Illinois. The Mountaineers have won 10 straight and...
Projected top picks Cam Ward, Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter will attend NFL DraftVideo
NEW YORK — Top prospects Cam Ward, Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter will attend next week’s NFL Draft in person. The league announced Monday that 17 players have been confirmed to attend the draft in Green Bay, Wis. The draft will be held from April 24-26, with Ward, Hunter and...
Play-in time as NBA postseason begins with Magic-Hawks, Warriors-GrizzliesVideo
Steve Kerr, the basketball fan, raves about the play-in tournament and the drama it creates down the stretch of the NBA’s regular season and leading into the official start of the playoffs. Kerr, the basketball coach, doesn’t like it so much. “I haven’t loved it because we’ve been on the...
Paige Bueckers is No. 1 pick in WNBA Draft, going to Dallas Wings
NEW YORK — Paige Bueckers is headed to Dallas as the first pick Monday night in the WNBA Draft. The versatile UConn star is the latest Huskies standout to go No. 1, joining former greats Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore and Breanna Stewart. “Dallas I’m so excited, a new...
Cam Ward among players who went from hidden gems to top NFL draft prospectsVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Quarterback Cam Ward might be the first player off this year’s NFL draft board. Five years ago, he was pretty much off everybody’s radar outside of West Columbia, Texas. Back then, Ward worked behind center in his high school’s run-heavy Wing-T offense. His roughly 12 throws per game...
Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin renew rivalry at Bristol with 1-2 finish
A second consecutive victory at Bristol Motor Speedway was especially sweet for Kyle Larson, and one reason loomed large in his rearview mirror. The Hendrick Motorsports star fended off several challenges for the lead by Denny Hamlin as they ran in the top two positions for 251 of 500 laps...
Penguins recall defenseman Filip Kral from Wilkes-Barre/ScrantonVideo
The Pittsburgh Penguins recalled defenseman Filip Kral from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL) on Monday. No announcement was made by the team but the transaction was reflected on the NHL’s media website as well as the AHL’s website. Kral, 25, has appeared in 59 games this season with...
3-time All-Pro, former Steelers CB Patrick Peterson retires with Cardinals
TEMPE, Ariz. — Three-time All-Pro Patrick Peterson announced his retirement on Monday as a member of the Arizona Cardinals, where he spent the first 10 of his 13 NFL seasons as one of the league’s elite cornerbacks. The 34-year-old Peterson was honored at the team’s practice facility with a highlight...
NFL Draft preview: WR could be in play for Steelers regardless of George Pickens’ future
Until the Pittsburgh Steelers acquired DK Metcalf in a trade, wide receiver was a priority position to fill early in the NFL Draft. It still could be — depending on what the Steelers do with George Pickens. If the Steelers trade Pickens to recoup the second-round pick they gave up...
Rory McIlroy shows he can handle tough times on way to becoming Masters championVideo
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Rory McIlroy began “the best day of my golfing life” by finding a note in his locker at Augusta National before he got ready for what turned out to be one of the wildest final rounds ever at the Masters. It was from Angel Cabrera, a thoughtful...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Locals lead PSAC in home runs
A pair of local baseball sluggers have been swinging for the fences. They were leading the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference in home runs. Seton Hill sophomore Jakob Haynes (Penn-Trafford) and IUP junior Elijah Dunn (Norwin) each had 10 homers heading into the weekend to share the top spot in the...
Oregon State point guard Damarco Minor transfers to Pitt
Pitt men’s basketball added an experienced point guard from the transfer portal Monday when coach Jeff Capel got a commitment from Oregon State’s Damarco Minor, according to ESPN. NEWS: Oregon State transfer Damarco Minor has committed to Pitt, his agent Scott Nichols of Rize Management told ESPN. Averaged 9.8 points,...
8 more teams leave Western Pa. Youth Football League
More teams have split from the Western Pennsylvania Youth Football League in the wake of an investigation into funds reportedly missing from the league’s shared bank account. Youth teams from Baldwin- Whitehall, Belle Vernon, Connellsville, Hempfield, Montour, Norwin, Trinity and West Allegheny have left to form the Western Pennsylvania Football League,...
