Sports category, Page 268
Penguins notebook: Sidney Crosby named team MVP for 13th time, passing Mario Lemieux
For the 13th time in his career, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was selected by teammates as the club’s MVP. Crosby, who leads the Penguins in points (81) and assists (54), captured Penguins team MVP honors for the fifth straight season and surpassed Mario Lemieux (12) for the most in...
Pat McAfee to release additional tickets to sold-out Pittsburgh showVideo
Pat McAfee announced Monday on “The Pat McAfee Show” that another 1,750 tickets will be opened up for his April 9 show at Pittsburgh’s PPG Paints Arena. McAfee said the tickets will be sold at the same price as the original run, which sold out in 92 minutes. ????BREAKING NEWS????1,750...
Stanford hires Frank Reich as interim football coachVideo
STANFORD, Calif. — Andrew Luck picked a familiar person to take over as Stanford’s interim football coach, hiring former NFL coach Frank Reich on Monday to replace the fired Troy Taylor. Luck moved quickly in his new role as general manager of the football program, hiring Reich less than a...
Steelers’ Mike Tomlin wary of eliminating Tush Push from NFL game
PALM BEACH, Fla. — As a member of the NFL competition committee, Mike Tomlin is involved in determining the fate of the controversial Tush Push play. The Green Bay Packers submitted a proposal banning the play, which has been used to great success by the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills....
Mike Tomlin ‘excited’ about taking Steelers to Ireland; opponent, date remains undertermined
PALM BEACH, Fla. — The NFL updated its list of teams that have secured — and, in some cases, expanded upon — their global marketing rights ahead of the 2025 season. It did not provide any clarity on the date or opponent for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ international game in Ireland....
Former Steelers QB Kenny Pickett is ‘a guy that I believe in,’ says Browns coach Kevin Stefanski
PALM BEACH, Fla. — Kenny Pickett wasn’t the answer for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He could erase questions about his value as an NFL quarterback this season with their AFC North rival in Cleveland. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday that Pickett, acquired from Philadelphia earlier in March, could get the...
In 2nd season with Penn State softball team, Mt. Pleasant grad Haylie Brunson aims for big finish
Haylie Brunson got it right the second time around. At least that’s the way Penn State softball coach Clarisa Crowell sees it. Crowell was in her first season in charge of the Nittany Lions four years ago when she watched Mt. Pleasant play for the PIAA championship at Penn State’s...
Highlands grad Trent Bielak puts his mind at ease, pitchers on notice as he hopes to lead Pitt-Bradford to baseball postseason
Trent Bielak went nearly 120 at-bats before his first collegiate home run. Bielak, a Highlands grad and junior at Pitt-Bradford, finally hit one March 6 in the Panthers’ win at Elmira. In the top of the third, with one out and Max Rogers on base after a single, Bielak launched...
Final Four teams have been locked in on defense all season
Tennessee has one of the nation’s best defenses, a bruising crew that leaves opponents black and blue. Houston gave the Vols a lesson in defensive dominance in the Elite Eight. Swarming and switching, the Cougars had the Vols feeling like they were stuck in an escape room with no exit...
Flagg, Broome, Clayton are among the Final Four players to watch in a showdown between No. 1 seeds
Looking for an inspiring underdog or a glass slipper lying around in San Antonio? This year’s version of the Final Four is not for you. Fittingly for an NCAA Tournament in which big schools from big conferences took record numbers of spots in the first week, then hogged them all...
Torpedo-shaped bats draw attention after Yankees hit team-record 9 homers in rout of BrewersVideo
NEW YORK — New torpedo bats drew attention when the New York Yankees hit a team-record nine homers that traveled a combined 3,695 feet on Saturday. Using a strikingly different model in which wood is moved lower down the barrel after the label and shapes the end a little like...
Mike Tomlin ‘comfortable’ if Steelers open season with Mason Rudolph as starting quarterback
PALM BEACH, Fla. — Mason Rudolph’s experience as a backup during six seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers weighed heavily in his favor when the organization re-signed him after a one-year absence. Rudolph doesn’t have nearly the resume in a starting role, but coach Mike Tomlin said Monday he is fine...
Penguins rookie forwards Ville Koivunen, Rutger McGroarty offer new story
Like a lot of people who reach a certain age, Rutger McGroarty had a story to tell about his 21st birthday. He wore different skates. As in, one skate was older and broken in while the other was brand new and probably still a little stiff. That misadventure happened to...
Mark Madden: Alex Ovechkin will break Wayne Gretzky’s scoring record, but how he does it matters for NHL
Alex Ovechkin has 890 career goals. He’s going to break Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career record of 894. But how should he do it? What would be best for business? The Washington Capitals have to consider what’s best for their team. They unexpectedly have the top seed in the Eastern Conference...
Penguins Elite alum nets winner to send Penn State to 1st Frozen FourVideo
Penn State is headed to the Frozen Four for the first time in program history after the Nittany Lions defeated UConn, 3-2 in overtime, in the Allentown Regional Final at the PPL Center on Sunday night. Sophomore Matt DiMarsico scored the game-winner with just over two minutes left in overtime...
Trump tariff tumult has ripples for sporting goods, puts costly hockey gear in price-hike crosshair
MINNEAPOLIS — Calls from the U.S. to Roustan Hockey headquarters in Canada in recent weeks have been anything but routine, as bulk orders of name-brand sticks have suddenly become complicated conversations. “These customers want to know: When their orders ship, will they have to pay an additional 25% tariff? And...
Tim Benz: Mike Tomlin’s latest comments illustrate Steelers’ QB planning problem
Of all the responses Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin gave about his team’s current quarterback situation during a Q&A with reporters in Florida on Sunday, one resonated with me well beyond the others. “I don’t know if we’re identifying anything as ‘Plan A, Plan B or Plan C.’ We’re just...
First Call: Mike Tomlin addresses state of Steelers’ RBs; Steelers players sound off on NFL schedule expansion talkVideo
In Monday’s “First Call,” Mike Tomlin addresses the Pittsburgh Steelers’ running back room without Najee Harris. We have some banter between former Steelers teammates regarding potential NFL schedule expansion. An ex-Steeler provides a sparkling highlight in the UFL’s first week. And the NCAA’s Frozen Four will have a substantial Western...
Madden Monday: Past Steelers heads ‘would have made the decision by now’ on Aaron Rodgers
On Sunday, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said that he has yet to give Aaron Rodgers any sort of deadline as to when he would need an answer about playing quarterback for the franchise. During this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden of TribLive and 105.9 The X said that’s...
Auburn completes sweep of No. 1 seeds into Final Four, beating Michigan State
ATLANTA — Johni Broome held his injured right arm through most of Auburn’s Elite Eight postgame celebration. That didn’t keep the star forward from climbing a ladder to cut down the net he then wore around his neck. Broome had 25 points and 14 rebounds, and Auburn took command with...
Denny Hamlin ends 10-year win drought at Martinsville Speedway
MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Denny Hamlin ended an agonizing 10-year winless streak at Martinsville Speedway, holding off teammate Christopher Bell in his home state to secure a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. The Joe Gibbs Racing star, who was raised a few hours away in the Richmond suburb of...
Sidney Crosby scores winner, Tristan Jarry posts shutout as Penguins beat Senators in overtimeVideo
Sidney Crosby realizes he won’t likely be playing meaningful contests later this month when the NHL’s postseason begins. But the Pittsburgh Penguins’ captain professes another pursuit worthy of his team’s attention in the final games of the regular season. “Just having the right mindset,” Crosby said in Cranberry on Saturday....
Mike Tomlin: Steelers not ‘hindered’ in free agency by playing quarterback waiting game
PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Pittsburgh Steelers filled holes in free agency by adding an outside cornerback, a slot corner candidate, an inside linebacker and a complementary running back. What they didn’t get was a high-profile defensive lineman, but coach Mike Tomlin insists that omission was not because of the...
Minor league report: Penguins’ Sergei Murashov loses 1st AHL game, Nailers clinch playoffs
Goaltender Sergei Murashov made 32 saves on 35 shots for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 5-2 loss to the Charlotte Checkers at the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, N.C. on Sunday. The result was Murashov’s first loss at the American Hockey League level this season as his record dropped to 11-1-0....
Houston’s defense carries Cougars into 7th Final Four over Tennessee
INDIANAPOLIS — Houston’s relentless defense confused and harassed Tennessee and carried the Cougars into their seventh Final Four and first since 2021, with L.J. Cryer scoring 17 points in a 69-50 victory on Sunday. Emanuel Sharp scored 14 of his 16 points after halftime for top-seeded Houston (34-4) and was...
