Sports category, Page 278
Steelers’ QB waiting game highlights plenty of other roster issues
The football world is waiting with simmering impatience to see if the Pittsburgh Steelers sign Aaron Rodgers to be their next starting quarterback. But as “Ayahuasca Aaron” ruminates over the decision, by extension another truth has come to light. The Steelers have plenty of other issues besides quarterback — especially...
First Call: Aaron Rodgers’ decision expected ‘within the next few days’; Steelers talking with a college QBVideo
Tuesday’s “First Call” has an optimistic spin on the Aaron Rodgers watch for the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants. In the meantime, the Steelers are talking to a college quarterback in advance of the NFL Draft. A depth defensive lineman may be on their wish list too. We’ll preview...
Whether it’s turnover or rearranging chairs, Pirates will have new-look Opening Day lineup
What’s more surprising, that the Pittsburgh Pirates return only a dozen or so players from last year’s Opening Day 26-man roster or the possibility they could have new starters at almost every position? As the Pirates prepare for their season opener Thursday at the Miami Marlins, the only players from...
Tim Benz: Paul Skenes is right. The Pirates owe the city more. Time to pay up
I’m not exactly sure who Paul Skenes was talking about. Maybe Skenes doesn’t even know. But while the young Pittsburgh Pirates ace was speaking with Alex Stumpf for a recent feature on MLB.com in advance of Thursday’s 2025 season opener in Miami, Skenes made some noteworthy comments about the state...
Texas hires Xavier’s Sean Miller, the coach who beat the Longhorns in the NCAA Tournament
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas hired Xavier’s Sean Miller to take over the Longhorns basketball program Monday, turning to the coach who had just knocked them out of the NCAA Tournament a few days earlier in an attempt to spark a program that struggled in its first season in the Southeastern...
West Virginia women fall to North Carolina, which sets up Sweet 16 meeting with Duke
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Alyssa Ustby scored 16 of her 21 points after halftime to help North Carolina beat West Virginia 58-47 on Monday night in the second round of the women’s NCAA Tournament. The fifth-year senior’s big night included 10 third-quarter points for the third-seeded Tar Heels (29-7), who...
When March Madness meets the transfer portal, the world’s biggest scouting combine erupts
DENVER — They are playing for more than trips to the Final Four and a chance to cut down the nets at March Madness. It is also a chance to see and be seen by other teams. The transfer portal opened Monday, giving basketball players a 30-day window to switch...
Pitt’s Eli Holstein, Kenny Johnson working on mental, aerial connection
The play during Pitt’s intrasqaud scrimmage Saturday at Acrisure Stadium called for a slant route, but quarterback Eli Holstein and wide receiver Kenny Johnson saw something else. “Eli looked over there and saw that Cruce (Pitt safety Brookins) cheated down a little bit,” Johnson said. “So, he wasn’t really going...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Pitt-Greensburg’s Chuck Myers earns milestone win
Pitt-Greensburg softball coach Chuck Myers reached a milestone when the Bobcats defeated Chatham in the first game of a doubleheader. UPG won both games 6-2, with the first going into the books as Myers’ 100th career win. The sweep was the first of the season for the Bobcats (5-9). In...
Previewing the Pirates: Carmen Mlodzinski moving to starting role creates bullpen opening
Carmen Mlodzinski wanted to be a starting pitcher in the major leagues, so the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander bet big on himself. And it paid off when he earned a spot in the starting rotation. Drafted No. 31 overall in 2020, Mlodzinski converted to a relief role in 2023. He fared...
Twins hammer Thomas Harrington in 2nd, hand Pirates 5th consecutive loss in spring finale
The Pittsburgh Pirates gave Thomas Harrington the final start of spring training, even though they had decided that the 23-year-old right-hander wasn’t going to make their Opening Day roster. Harrington made quick work of the Minnesota Twins in an 11-pitch first inning, sandwiching strikeouts of Matt Wallner and Byron Buxton...
If baseball wants its pitchers focused on durability, the rules of the game might have to change
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Bold decisions to change Major League Baseball’s longstanding rules quickened the pace of games and revived the popularity of stealing bases over the last few years. A similarly creative move may be needed to help starting pitching regain the relevance it enjoyed as recently as a decade...
Robert Morris’ Amarion Dickerson, Duquesne’s Kareem Rozier among area players to enter transfer portal
It took a full season, capped by a spectacular performance last week in the NCAA Tournament, for Amarion Dickerson to make his mark on the local sports scene. It took the Robert Morris basketball star barely any time at all to say his goodbyes. Dickerson, a 6-foot-7 small forward, who...
Power conferences fill this year’s Sweet 16 for the first time ever
Years of bracket chaos have given way to the year of the power conference. Cinderella is staying home this time. The Sweet 16, a popular destination for bracket-busting mid-majors, will be made up entirely of teams from power conferences, a first since the bracket expanded to 64 teams in 1985....
Norwin grad Justin Turcovski leads the charge as Pitt-Johnstown baseball team tries to end PSAC playoff drought
Talk with Justin Turcovski, and it quickly becomes clear that he is a thoughtful, quiet young man of great faith. So when asked about an injury he suffered during his sophomore season with the Pitt-Johnstown baseball team, Turcovski looked at it simply as part of a larger plan from a...
Allegheny Valley swimmers sending large contingent to state meet again
After Allegheny Valley YMCA sent 11 swimmers to the state championships in 2024, the Gators sent another 12 in 2025. “We had a really steady season with consistent improvement,” head coach Nathan Petrak said. The Gators again had a strong showing at the district championships, which were held March 7-9...
Knoch grad Madison Gardner working her way back to form with Pitt-Greensburg softball team after devastating injury
Madison Gardner appeared to be on her way to a stellar freshman season with the Pitt-Greensburg softball team last spring when disaster struck. The Bobcats were playing their first (technically) home doubleheader of 2024 on March 24 at Seton Hill. Late in the second game against Kenyon, a shallow pop...
Mark Madden: What exactly does Aaron Rodgers bring to the Steelers?
It seems possible that the Steelers will (drum roll) sign Aaron Rodgers. He visited, probably had a Primanti’s sandwich, maybe rode the incline, so he’s hooked. What exactly would Rodgers bring to the table? It might not be everything you think. Rodgers is one of the best quarterbacks of all...
Penguins players take simple steps to avoid troubles with performance enhancing substances
On Sunday, the Pittsburgh Penguins encountered a pretty stacked lineup deployed by the Florida Panthers in a 4-3 shootout loss at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla. Because of the depth they have accrued in recent years, the Panthers have participated in the past two Stanley Cup Finals, winning the...
Tim Benz: The unfortunate reality of the Steelers’ QB situation
For all the podcast downloads, talk show air time, column space and television segments that have been dedicated toward figuring out what the Pittsburgh Steelers are doing at quarterback, one unfortunate reality exists: None of the feasible candidates that have been discussed offer much hope that the team is going...
Madden Monday: Mike Tomlin’s ‘rep is fading,’ that’s why he wants Aaron Rodgers
On Friday, free agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers paid a visit to Pittsburgh. By Sunday night, ProFootballTalk.com was saying that Rodgers was a “safe bet” to become a Steeler. During this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden of 105.9 The X, said that the Steelers would be making a shortsighted decision...
First Call: Aaron Rodgers called a ‘safe bet’ for Steelers; Russell Wilson still in the mix with Giants
Monday’s “First Call” passes along a pair of reports involving Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson. We look at two defensive linemen that may be on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ radar in the NFL Draft. And Megan McConnell put on another show as Duquesne stayed alive in the WNIT. Is there such...
Minor league report: Penguins, Sam Poulin beat IslandersVideo
A goal and two assists by forward Sam Poulin led the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to a 5-2 win against the Bridgeport Islanders at Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, Conn on Sunday. Linemate Matt Nieto had a goal and an assist for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (38-16-6-1) while defenseman Sebastian Aho contributed three assists. Goaltender...
Penguins fall to Panthers in shootout, dealing further hit to waning playoff chances
The Pittsburgh Penguins need a lot that is outside of their domain to go right if they are to even flirt with qualifying for the postseason. As far as what they control with the remainder of the regular season, their approach is simple. “We’re doing everything we can to try...
NCAA Tournament roundup: Duke rolls past Baylor; Maryland beats Colorado St. at buzzerVideo
RALEIGH, N.C. — Tyrese Proctor couldn’t miss. And top-seeded Duke showed the toughness to push back when pushed. Proctor had career highs of seven 3-pointers and 25 points to continue his recent tear, helping Duke beat Baylor, 89-66, on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Freshman star...
