Sports category, Page 288
The Rise of the SEC: How a league known for the gridiron became became kings of college basketball
Porter Moser spent three seasons in the Big 12 before shepherding Oklahoma to the Southeastern Conference, making the longtime coach uniquely suited to compare the erstwhile best conference in America to the current king of college hoops. “The things is, there is no bottom,” Moser explained. “That’s what we felt...
Penguins’ Tristan Jarry expected to make 5th straight start
The Pittsburgh Penguins plan to start netminder Tristan Jarry on Tuesday evening at home vs. the New York Islanders, coach Mike Sullivan revealed following his club’s morning skate in Cranberry. For Jarry, it’ll make five consecutive starts. Jarry has helped the Penguins to a four-game winning streak, matching a season-best...
Alabama’s bench could be key to the Tide making another deep run in the NCAA tourney
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — With versatile point guard Mark Sears and mustachioed forward Grant Nelson, Alabama has two of the more recognizable players in the NCAA Tournament. The duo led the Crimson Tide to the Final Four last year and returned to school in hopes of delivering the program’s first national...
SportsNet Pittsburgh to broadcast 20 games of Pirates’ Double-A affiliate, the Altoona Curve
The Altoona Curve announced that SportsNet Pittsburgh, the television and streaming partner of the Pittsburgh Pirates, will broadcast 20 home games of the Double-A affiliate this season. The first Curve game to air on SportsNet Pittsburgh will be against the Somerset Patriots, a New York Yankees affiliate, on April 16...
Penguins recall forward Joona Koppanen from Wilkes-Barre/ScrantonVideo
The Pittsburgh Penguins recalled forward Joona Koppanen from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL) under emergency roster conditions. The factors that may have led to such conditions are not yet publicly known. In 53 AHL games this season, Koppanen has 21 points (six goals, 15 assists). During a 5-3...
Heat-Knicks game is delayed after Tracy Morgan gets sick at Madison Square Garden
NEW YORK — Actor and comedian Tracy Morgan got sick in the second half of Monday night’s Heat-Knicks game, interrupting the action at Madison Square Garden. There was a pause in play with 6:09 left in the third quarter while workers cleaned up the area around Morgan’s seat. The delay...
First Call: Steelers have ‘checked in’ on Joe Flacco; Aaron Rodgers may drag decision until the draft
Tuesday’s “First Call” has the latest on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback quagmire. We’ve got fallout from Justin Fields, a potential future with Joe Flacco, plus a long timeline for an Aaron Rodgers decision. Alex Ovechkin takes another crack at climbing up the all-time goal scoring ladder. And, on the hoops...
Tim Benz: Most Steelers fans embrace Mason Rudolph’s return for the right reasonsVideo
It’s tough to come up with a sports relationship that’s analogous to the one between Mason Rudolph and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Billy Martin and the New York Yankees, perhaps? Not quite. Maybe I should go the television route. How about Ross and Rachel on “Friends”? “Sorry about hooking up with...
After ‘whirlwind’ season ended in World Series, lefty Tim Mayza hopes to help Pirates’ bullpen
As Tim Mayza reflects on last season, he shakes his head in amazement about how he went from the worst season of his major-league career to winding up pitching in the World Series. After being drafted by Toronto and spending seven seasons in the majors with the Blue Jays, the...
Penguins to play in Sweden next season
The Pittsburgh Penguins will face the Nashville Predators for a pair of games in Sweden next season. Both contests will be held at the Avicii Arena in Stockholm on Nov. 14 and 16. The NHL typically stages games in Europe with a focus on countries such as Sweden, Finland, Czechia...
March Madness tips off with First Four in Dayton
DAYTON, Ohio — North Carolina was a controversial selection for the NCAA Tournament, but the Tar Heels can silence some skeptics with a win over San Diego State on Tuesday night at the First Four. The winner will face No. 6 seed Mississippi on Friday in Milwaukee. The Tar Heels...
Shohei Ohtani merchandise is prompting long lines — even in the rain — in Tokyo
TOKYO — The Los Angeles Dodgers gave Shohei Ohtani an unprecedented $700 million contract hoping to drive interest — and the dollars that come with it — from fans across the Pacific. It seems to be working. He’s the main attraction as the Dodgers and Chicago Cubs open the MLB...
Robert Morris’ Alvaro Folgueiras challenges himself to be leader
The Pittsburgh sports world has produced its share of iconic names. You know them by heart: Bradshaw, Clemente, Dorsett, Lemieux … They all chased their dreams and made them come true. “If your dreams don’t scare you a little bit, you’re not ambitious enough. You’re not big enough,” said Robert...
Betting on women’s college basketball rides post-Caitlin Clark wave as NCAA Tournament begins
LAS VEGAS — Caitlin Clark not only drew lots of eyes to women’s basketball when she led Iowa to consecutive national-championship games, she also attracted a lot of bettors who otherwise might have put their money elsewhere. Even with Clark starring for the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, her impact is still...
Steelers agree to deal with former Chiefs, Browns safety Juan Thornhill, bring back Isaiahh Loudermilk
Adding a veteran to serve as the No. 3 safety in sub-packages, the Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to a one-year contract with former Cleveland Browns safety Juan Thornhill, NFL Network reported Monday. The Steelers also are bringing back defensive lineman Isaiahh Loudermilk for one season, according to ESPN. Thornhill, 29, is...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Hempfield wrestler Vance is national runner-up for Pitt-Johnstown
Pitt-Johnstown redshirt junior Isaiah Vance (Hempfield) finished as a national runner-up at the NCAA Division II wrestling championships in Indianapolis. Vance is now a two-time All-American. The fifth seed, Vance won with a couple of decisions and a major decision to reach the finals, then lost to Maryville’s Ryan Heerman,...
Paul Skenes strikes out a spring-best 7 as Pirates combine for 16 Ks in win over Twins
In his first start since being named Opening Day starter, Paul Skenes dabbled in dominance by touching triple digits twice in the first inning and recording seven strikeouts. It was the most strikeouts by a Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher this spring, and Skenes’ swing-and-miss action set the tone as Pirates pitchers...
March Madness puts Izzo-led Michigan State in conversation with bluebloods Kentucky, North CarolinaVideo
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State has joined some rare air in college basketball history over the last half-century with coaching longevity and NCAA titles. Since 1976, the Spartans have had just two coaches, and both won a national championship. Hall of Famer Tom Izzo cut down the nets in...
Left out of the NCAA Tournament: Indiana, Boise State, West Virginia, Ohio State and more
Indiana won’t play another game with retiring coach Mike Woodson after being left out of the NCAA Tournament. The Hoosiers (19-13) have no plans to play elsewhere this season after being one of the first four teams left out of the 68-team NCAA field revealed Sunday, along with 24-win Boise...
In NASCAR antitrust fight, Michael Jordan’s manager goes from adviser to stock car series to targetVideo
LAS VEGAS — Long before the battle over the charter system led to the antitrust lawsuit now engulfing NASCAR, its executives found Michael Jordan and his small group of advisers a beneficial resource in discussing growth for the top racing series in the United States. They held meetings with Curtis...
Rory McIlroy takes drama out of playoff to win The Players, build momentum to the Masters
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — The playoff was only three holes. Rory McIlroy needed only three swings. And yet his victory Monday over J.J. Spaun in The Players Championship revealed so much about the state of his game and the cruel nature of the notorious TPC Sawgrass. McIlroy delivered an...
UCLA and South Carolina headline AP Top 25 women’s poll and are top seeds in NCAA Tournament
UCLA remained No. 1 in The Associated Press women’s basketball Top 25 on Monday one day after the Bruins earned the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. The Bruins head into March Madness with two losses, both coming to Southern Cal during...
Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins reach extensions with Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals have agreed to four-year extensions with receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, assuring that Joe Burrow will have his top two targets with him for some time. A person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press that Chase will become the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history,...
Chase, Higgins reach extensions with Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals have agreed to four-year extensions with receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, assuring that Joe Burrow will have his top two targets with him for some time. A person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press that Chase will become the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history,...
Duke remains at No. 1 in AP Top 25 entering March Madness; St. John’s rises to No. 5
Duke remained atop The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll on Monday a day after the committee that selects the 68-team field for the NCAA Tournament went with Auburn as the No. 1 overall seed. The Blue Devils (31-3) earned 49 of 59 first-place votes in the latest...
