Sports category, Page 271
Tim Benz: Pirates already show anything less than elite from starters will get them burned
The Pittsburgh Pirates have enough flaws that they don’t need much help to be highlighted. Less-than-stellar starting pitching will do exactly that, though. As the Pirates limped through a 1-3 start in Miami, the starting pitching offset the rest of the team’s shortcomings to at least make the Buccos competitive...
Admitting it or not, 1 specific pre-draft goal should exist for Steelers GM Omar Khan
Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan said so little in his media Q&A at the NFL league meetings in Florida on Monday that he made Mike Tomlin’s comments on Sunday read like a State of the Union address. Take, for instance, what Khan had to say when he was asked...
Despite repeated baserunning gaffes, Pirates lead MLB in stolen bases by sizable margin
The 2025 Pittsburgh Pirates are not off to a hot start. Following Monday evening’s 6-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, the Pirates are 1-4, having dropped three of four contests in their season-opening series against the Miami Marlins, all in walk-off (and highly frustrating) fashion. Of the many errors...
Carmen Mlodzinski’s start unravels in 4th, Pirates’ bats quiet in loss to Rays
The Pittsburgh Pirates recently completed a season-opening four-game series against the Miami Marlins for the second straight season, but results compared to a year ago contrasted sharply. Last season, the Pirates were riding high, having swept Miami to begin their 2024 campaign, but over the weekend, a lack of clutch...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Seton Hill baseball’s pitching staff among nation’s best
Seton Hill baseball has put together outstanding pitching rotations before, so it’s not exactly a surprise the Griffins have another first-rate band of arms. From the starters to the bullpen, they have been a stingy bunch. The Griffins (17-4), ranked No. 12 in the NCBWA Division II Top 25, boasted...
Pirates acquire OF Alexander Canario from Mets, place Jared Jones on 60-day IL
The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired outfielder Alexander Canario from the New York Mets on Monday for cash considerations, the club announced. In a corresponding move, the Pirates transferred injured righty Jared Jones from the 15-day to 60-day injured list, making room for Canario on the 40-man roster. Jones has a UCL...
Braves’ Jurickson Profar gets 80-game PED ban, calls it ‘most difficult day’ of his career
NEW YORK — Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar has been suspended for 80 games without pay for performance-enhancing drug use. Major League Baseball announced Monday that Profar tested positive for Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG) in violation of the league’s joint drug prevention and treatment program. The suspension of Profar is effective...
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam admits team ‘took a big swing and miss’ in trading for Deshaun WatsonVideo
PALM BEACH, Fla. — Cleveland co-owner Jimmy Haslam admitted that the Browns “took a big swing and miss” with their 2022 trade for quarterback Deshaun Watson. Haslam made the comments Monday during a session with Browns reporters at the league meetings in Florida. “We thought we had the quarterback, we...
Penguins place forward Emil Bemstrom on waivers
The Pittsburgh Penguins placed forward Emil Bemstrom on waivers Monday. Should he go unclaimed by 2 p.m. Tuesday, he can be assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. Bemstrom previously cleared waivers Oct. 5 during the final stages of training camp and was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. In 13 NHL...
Local pro, amateur, junior golfers set for 2025 season
The U.S. Open is not the only big golf event in Western Pennsylvania this summer. There are several Tri-State Section PGA and Western Pennsylvania Golf Association events for golf pros and amateurs. The Pennsylvania Golf Association also will host events across the state, and there are numerous junior events, including...
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...
