Sports category, Page 367
First Call: Derek Carr, Sam Darnold named among Steelers’ backup plans at QB; some Rickard Rakell trade options
Justin Fields may be emerging ahead of Russell Wilson as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ top option at quarterback. That said, the team may have some backup plans as well. We have a framework for what Jaylen Warren may cost at running back. And we connect the dots with clubs that may...
Tim Benz: Where Omar Khan’s positive spin on George Pickens may be coming from
If you squint, you can maybe see a path that wide receiver George Pickens can walk down with the Pittsburgh Steelers for at least one more year. And based on how general manager Omar Khan spoke about Pickens this past week at the NFL scouting combine, he started doing exactly...
Penguins’ Ryan Shea enjoys offensive production surge, more prominent on-ice roleVideo
A handful of descriptive phrases quickly come to mind to describe Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Ryan Shea. “Uncomplaining,” “reliable” and “depth defenseman” would be particularly appropriate. “Goal-scoring threat” or “point-producing machine,” not quite. However, Shea, suiting up for his 54th career NHL contest Feb. 23 against the New York Rangers, scored...
Madden Monday: Whether Steelers keep Russell Wilson or Justin Fields, assume they should have done the opposite
For every report that says the Pittsburgh Steelers are leaning toward bringing back Russell Wilson, there seems to be one that says they are actually more likely to keep Justin Fields. And for every rumor that says the Steelers will retain Fields, there’s one that says Wilson will be the...
Minor league report: Nailers fall in shootoutVideo
Goaltender Taylor Gauthier made 28 saves on 29 shots in regulation and overtime for the Wheeling Nailers in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Maine Mariners at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, W.Va. on Sunday. In the shootout, Gauthier stopped one of three attempts and his record fell to 10-7-1. Defenseman...
Joe Highsmith goes from making the cut to a PGA Tour winner at the Cognizant Classic
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Joe Highsmith could feel himself crumbling under the pressure at the Cognizant Classic. This was Friday, when the only thing at stake was making the cut. It came down to a 5-foot par putt he described as “the worst putt you’d ever want,” moving from...
Cowboys begin contract talks with Micah Parsons; franchise tag in play for Osa Odighizuwa
DALLAS — With Cowboys officials in Indianapolis during the NFL scouting combine, conversations have started with star pass rusher Micah Parsons about a contract extension, multiple people with knowledge of the discussions told The Dallas Morning News. Those conversations are described as general, just the beginning of the process between...
Short start: Jokes aside, Pirates pitcher Jared Jones pleased with performance against Tigers
BRADENTON, Fla. – Jared Jones seemed surprised when Derek Shelton strolled out to the mound with two outs in the third inning, prepared to pull the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander from the game. Jones was pulled not because of his performance but rather for reaching his 45-pitch count. As he handed...
Penguins haven’t asked defenseman Erik Karlsson to waive his no-movement clause
Erik Karlsson still likes it in Pittsburgh. And he still sees his station as a defenseman with the Pittsburgh Penguins as providing a viable route to a Stanley Cup championship. But certainly not this season. Following a wild 6-5 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs at PPG Paints Arena...
Steph Curry declares rare dunk against 76ers will be his lastVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Saturday morning at shootaround in the Wells Fargo Center, Warriors assistant coach Jerry Stackhouse told Steph Curry that he wanted to see a dunk. Curry, the 36-year-old superstar, hadn’t heard that in years. The last in-game dunk he had was in 2019, before the team moved to Chase...
Folgueiras’ health a concern for top-seeded Robert Morris as Horizon League Tournament approaches
Top-seeded Robert Morris entered the week with a bit of uncertainty as the start of the Horizon League Men’s Basketball Tournament loomed. The Colonials (23-8), one of five teams with first-round byes, were looking ahead to the quarterfinals on Thursday night with an eye on the status of injured sophomore...
Penguins fall to Maple Leafs in wild overtime loss
Even if for a fleeting moment, it felt like a bygone era in Pittsburgh on Sunday. The Toronto Maple Leafs’ wild 6-5 overtime win at PPG Paints Arena resembled something that would have happened more than two decades ago across Centre Avenue in the venue formerly known as Mellon Arena....
Analysis: Losing streaks suggest Pitt will need more NIL money to improve basketball program
Perhaps the problems connected to Pitt basketball — football, too, as a matter of fact — are as clear as Jeff Capel’s answer to a question in October on the day Chancellor Joan Gabel first introduced athletic director Allen Greene to the public. Always insightful on matters of college basketball,...
36 WPIAL teams learn matchups for 2025 PIAA boys basketball championships
Last season was historic for District 7. For only the first time in 20 years and the fourth time in the 124-year history of the PIAA boys basketball championships, three WPIAL teams were crowned state champions. Lincoln Park in Class 4A and Imani Christian is Class A repeated as state...
Kansas’ Zeke Mayo shows screenshots of racist, hateful messages he received after Texas Tech loss
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas guard Zeke Mayo showed screenshots of racist, hateful messages he received following his performance in a loss to No. 10 Texas Tech. Mayo shared the screenshots Saturday. His account on X appeared to be deactivated Sunday morning. “I 100% deserve all the criticism in the world,”...
Pitt freshman cornerback Mason Alexander dies in automobile crash
Pitt freshman football player Mason Alexander, 18, died Saturday night after a car crash in his hometown of Fishers, Ind. Alexander enrolled in January after early graduation from Hamilton Southeastern High School, near Indianapolis, and had been participating in winter drills in preparation for spring practice that begins this month....
Penguins defenseman P.O Joseph sidelined by injuryVideo
Penguins defenseman P.O Joseph is scheduled to miss Sunday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at PPG Paints Arena due to an undisclosed injury. Coach Mike Sullivan announced Joseph’s status approximately two hours before the opening faceoff. Joseph’s ailment was still being evaluated according to Sullivan. During the first period...
Plum’s Sarah Kvortek turns from gymnastics to bodybuilding to fuel competitive fire
Plum graduate Sarah Kvortek made a name for herself in gymnastics at both the club level with Ultimate Gymnastics in Delmont and representing Plum at championship meets, including WPIALs. While the possibility of continuing her gymnastics career in college was there, she opted to attend Slippery Rock and concentrate on...
Pirates top pick Konnor Griffin was ‘all smiles’ in celebrating his 1st pro home run off OriolesVideo
SARASOTA, Fla. — When Konnor Griffin connected on Brandon Young’s 1-1 pitch, he knew he barreled the ball and immediately believed it would be an extra-base hit. With the Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles tied at 2-2 in the top of the ninth inning, Griffin had only one thing on...
On the mat: Female wrestling continues to grow at all levels
Wrestle. Like. A. Girl. Those four words inspire females dressed in the signature singlet to grapple and take down opponents, just like their male counterparts. In the past two years, the sport has grown by the largest percentage of mainstream high school sports including football, basketball, baseball, hockey and soccer...
Minor league report: Penguins end road trip with overtime lossVideo
Forward Valtteri Puustinen had two goals and an assist for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 5-4 overtime loss to the rival Hershey Bears at the Giant Center in Hershey on Saturday. Linemates Ville Koivunen collected a goal and an assist for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (29-14-7-1) while Boris Katchouk recorded two assists. Goaltender...
Pitt shooting goes cold late in loss to No. 19 Louisville
In the aftermath of Pitt’s 79-68 loss at No. 19 Louisville, there will be plenty of positive talk about how the Panthers actually carried a three-point lead into the game’s final seven minutes against one of the ACC’s best teams. Yes, there was a moment or two Saturday night when...
Butterfly effect of Derrick Brassard trade delivered defenseman to Penguins
On Feb. 1, 2019, former Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford swung a multiplayer trade with the Florida Panthers. Forwards Nick Bjugstad and Jared McCann came to Pittsburgh and enjoyed varying levels of success. McCann was by far the more successful of the duo in a Penguins jersey. In parts...
3 Periods: Evgeni Malkin’s production picks up after 4 Nations break
Evgeni Malkin entered 2024-25 having appeared in all of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ games the last two seasons, achieving perfect attendance in back-to-back campaigns for only the second time in his 19-year career. Not since the Penguins’ first two Stanley Cup runs in 2007-08 and 2008-09 had Malkin managed to appear...
Commanders acquire wide receiver Deebo Samuel in a trade with the 49ers, AP source saysVideo
WASHINGTON — The Washington Commanders have acquired wide receiver Deebo Samuel from the San Francisco 49ers for a fifth-round pick, pending a physical, according to a person with knowledge of the trade. The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity Saturday because the trade cannot be official...
