Sports category, Page 288
Pirates left to explain why personalized ‘Bucco Bricks’ from PNC Park ended up on scrap heap
In the latest of a series of events aggravating the team’s fans, the Pittsburgh Pirates issued a statement Tuesday explaining the appearance of commemorative bricks once displayed outside PNC Park at a recycling center. The “Bucco Bricks” program began in 1999. For $75-$150, fans could personalize a message on a...
Former Robert Morris standout Amarion Dickerson transfers to Southern Cal
Amarion Dickerson has become the first men’s basketball player from Robert Morris’ latest NCAA Tournament team to find a new home. The reigning Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year will head to the West Coast and join Southern Cal next season. The 6-foot-7, 185-pound Dickerson, who scored 25 points...
Quaker Valley graduate Adou Thiero declares for NBA Draft after junior season at Arkansas
Quaker Valley graduate Adou Thiero, who emerged as a double-digit scorer for Arkansas, has declared for the NBA Draft. The 6-foot-8, 220-pound junior forward averaged 15.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game this winter for the Razorbacks. Thiero played his first two college seasons at Kentucky before following coach John...
Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau back in fold at the Masters on rare occasionVideo
AUGUSTA, Ga. — For now, there’s another tradition unlike any other at the Masters: The first opportunity in nine months for all the world’s best players to compete against each other. Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau are among the biggest stars in golf whom hardly anyone sees during this great...
Florida shows up late again, this time for the team’s championship celebration on campus
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — It was fitting that Florida arrived nearly two hours late to its on-campus celebration Tuesday. After all, it was exactly how the Gators played while winning the NCAA Tournament. Coaches and players returned to Gainesville roughly 16 hours after rallying to beat Houston, 65-63, in San Antonio...
Pitt notebook: Spring ball provides opportunity for Penn Hills’ Julian Dugger to put lessons learned to work
One look at Pitt’s Julian Dugger immediately tells you he is seriously unlike many of his teammates. And not just because he plays quarterback, the most important position on the field. He stands 6-foot-3 and is 205 pounds, and he is blessed with those long legs built for striding that...
Column: Rory McIlroy, hopes for Masters green jacket lie with his willingness to suffer heartacheVideo
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Rory McIlroy had every reason to believe the Masters would be the first major he won. He was 21 with no scar tissue, only brown, curly locks spilling out of his cap. And most importantly that Sunday afternoon in 2011, he had a four-shot lead. Now it’s...
Houston’s Kelvin Sampson sees 1st national title slip away in painful fashion
SAN ANTONIO — All Kelvin Sampson could do was stand there, hands on hips with a blank look on his face, as the ball bounced loose and Houston’s latest chance at a national title bounced away, too. The coach who has commanded all details over a 36-year career of wins,...
Pirates mourn loss of Octavio Dotel, killed in a nightclub roof collapse in Dominican Republic
The Pittsburgh Pirates are mourning the loss of Octavio Dotel, the former relief pitcher who was among at least 44 people killed when a nightclub roof collapsed Monday night in his native Dominican Republic. Dotel was among the crowd attending a concert by merengue singer Rubby Perez at Jet Set...
Nuggets fire coach Michael Malone, oust GM Calvin Booth in stunning moveVideo
Michael Malone, who coached the Denver Nuggets to the NBA title in 2023 and has led the team to eight consecutive winning seasons, was fired Tuesday in a stunning move that comes with less than a week in the regular season. Also out: general manager Calvin Booth, whose contract will...
Forward Matt Nieto rejoins the Penguins
Matt Nieto was back in Cranberry for the second time in less than a week. Such an occurrence is standard for members of the Pittsburgh Penguins as that is where the team’s practice facility is located. But being a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins has not been as regular of...
Penguins forward Blake Lizotte sidelined due to injury
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Blake Lizotte will miss Tuesday’s home game against the Chicago Blackhawks due to an undisclosed injury. Coach Mike Sullivan revealed Lizotte’s status following a morning skate in Cranberry and labeled him as day to day Primarily deployed as the fourth-line center and with the penalty kill, Lizotte...
Resilient Florida relies on defense, playmakers to overcome frustration in NCAA title game
SAN ANTONIO — Dribbles bounced off hips, no-look passes went to no one and Florida’s best player couldn’t make a basket. And when the Gators’ bench was assessed a technical foul early in the second half, a frustrating night appeared to be hitting its low point. But then the resilient...
‘Eternal’ and ‘evergreen’ game of Sidney Crosby has aged as well as many predictedVideo
After scoring three goals against the Dallas Stars on Saturday, Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby was asked if netting a hat trick ever gets old. “No,” Crosby replied via audio provided by the team. “They don’t come along often. They are definitely fun to get.” Crosby’s hat trick over the...
Penguins recall forward Matt Nieto from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
The Pittsburgh Penguins recalled forward Matt Nieto from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League under emergency roster conditions Tuesday morning. Nieto was assigned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on March 21 after shuffling between the NHL and AHL for much of the month as a result of paper transactions. The 32-year-old winger...
Mark Madden: Alex Ovechkin’s record-breaking goal renews debates
Alex Ovechkin eclipsing Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career record for goals has renewed a debate: Who would be on hockey’s Mt. Rushmore? The correct answer: Nobody. There will never be a Mt. Rushmore for hockey or baseball or football or anything but Mt. Rushmore. Mt. Rushmore doesn’t even seem to be...
First Call: Aaron Rodgers’ decision expected before draft, but not before Pat McAfee appearance
Tuesday’s “First Call” tries to figure out when a contract between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Aaron Rodgers might be signed. There’s another defensive lineman on the Steelers’ draft radar. Paul Skenes is facing a familiar opponent in his 2025 home debut. And some Penguins goaltenders are getting recognized for their...
Tim Benz: Ben Cherington’s Paul Skenes-Pedro Martinez comp misses a crucial ingredient
During his weekly radio show on Sunday afternoon, Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington was asked if he had ever seen anyone like Paul Skenes. The name he pulled was Pedro Martinez. “I was with the Red Sox during part of Pedro’s prime. They’re very different pitchers. They do it...
Pirates hope minor league stint can fix David Bednar’s struggles
For Derek Shelton, the decision to demote David Bednar to Triple-A Indianapolis was difficult, so the Pittsburgh Pirates manager knew informing the two-time All-Star closer would be uncomfortable. Shelton expected Bednar to be emotional, given that he’s a 30-year-old veteran with four-plus years of major league service time and a...
Steelers host possible 1st-round draft prospect CB Trey Amos, DL Elijah RobertsVideo
Possible first-round pick Trey Amos joined an intriguing late-round defensive line prospect as those hosted by the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday. Amos, an Ole Miss cornerback, and SMU defensive lineman Elijah Roberts were allotted official visits to the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex as the Steelers ramp up preparations for the...
Florida wins its 3rd national title, denies Houston its 1st, rallying for 2-point victory
SAN ANTONIO — Florida and Walter Clayton Jr. somehow overcame Houston’s spirit-crushing defense Monday night to will out a 65-63 victory in an NCAA title-game thriller not decided until Clayton’s own D stopped the Cougars from taking a game-winning shot at the buzzer. Clayton finished with 11 points, all in...
Young pitchers get back on track, lead Pirates past Cardinals
Their first starts of the season didn’t go as Carmen Mlodzinski or Thomas Harrington had planned, so the Pittsburgh Pirates right-handers were eager to prove themselves Monday night. In a role reversal, the reliever-turned-starter Mlodzinski had six strikeouts in five innings and the starter-turned-reliever Harrington added five strikeouts in protecting...
Pirates prospect Tsung-Che Cheng soaks up atmosphere after call-up to majors
Over its 24 years as home of the Pirates, PNC Park has had a mesmerizing effect on many because of its picturesque view of downtown Pittsburgh. By his own admission, Tsung-Che Cheng was the latest to be enchanted by the sights. For Cheng, called up Monday by the Pirates from...
Former Penguins goaltender Greg Millen dies
Were it not for a summer vacation, the fortunes of Greg Millen and the Penguins could have been very different. After the Penguins nearly upset the St. Louis Blues in a preliminary round series during the 1981 playoffs, Millen was a restricted free agent in the ensuing offseason. He and...
Xander Schauffele is on the mend, motivated as ever at the Masters
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Two majors made Xander Schauffele believe he was capable of winning them all. Two months out of golf with a rib injury is putting that belief to the test. Schauffele is more than capable of winning the Masters. The proof comes from his birdie putt on the...
