Former Penguins forward Billy Tibbetts arrested once again
Former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Billy Tibbetts, a member of the organization in the early 2000s, has been arrested once again. Per the Times Leader in Wilkes-Barre, Tibbetts, 52, was arrested Tuesday by U.S. Marshals and Plains Township police at a hotel in Luzerne County on a warrant in his native...
Penn State sends 8 to quarterfinals at NCAA wrestling tournament
Penn State is on track to win its fifth straight NCAA wrestling title, sending eight wrestlers into Friday’s championship quarterfinals. The Nittany Lions went 10-0 in the first round Thursday before Braeden Davis (141) and Cole Mirasola (285) were bounced in the second round. Marcus Blaze (133), Shayne Van Ness...
NCAA roundup: High Point stuns Wisconsin on Chase Johnston’s first 2-point basket of season
PORTLAND, Ore. — Chase Johnston made his first 2-point basket of the season, a fast-break layup with 11.7 seconds remaining that gave No. 12 seed High Point an 83-82 victory over fifth-seeded Wisconsin on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Johnston finished with 14 points, including four...
No. 11 seed VCU erases 19-point deficit, stuns sixth-seeded North Carolina 82-78 in OT
GREENVILLE, N.C. — Terrence Hill Jr. made a stepback 3-pointer with 15 seconds left in overtime, and 11th-seeded VCU erased from a 19-point second-half deficit to stun sixth-seeded North Carolina, 82-78, on Thursday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Hill finished 7 for 10 from 3-point range...
Early deficit too much for Pirates to overcome in spring training loss to Orioles
Samuel Basallo hit a pair of home runs as the Baltimore Orioles built a five-run lead the Pittsburgh Pirates couldn’t overcome. Basallo hit a solo shot off Cam Sanders in the first inning and a two-run homer off Mike Clevinger in the third to boost Baltimore to a 5-2 win...
Greensburg Central Catholic girls win program’s 2nd state title
HERSHEY — Greensburg Central Catholic girls basketball coach Chris Skatell is an attorney whose face appears on two billboards on Route 30 in Westmoreland County. It was his players who had their name up in lights Thursday night, state champions for the first time in 29 years. Senior standouts Erica...
The Warriors know they’re headed back to the play-in tournament; other teams might think the same
Golden State coach Steve Kerr can do the math. He knows the Warriors are headed to the play-in tournament. The Warriors have 13 games left in the regular season, and their loss in Boston on Wednesday night — another game that Stephen Curry missed with a knee issue — left...
Konnor Griffin, Trey Yesavage and JJ Wetherholt among MLB’s most intriguing rookies
CHICAGO — Nick Kurtz and Drake Baldwin made a smooth transition to the major leagues last season. Kurtz was rewarded with the AL Rookie of the Year award, and Baldwin took home the NL honor. Here is a closer look at a group of rookies looking to have a similar...
NL Central preview: Loaded Cubs going for division title, but Brewers, Reds lurking
CHICAGO — Alex Bregman, welcome to the NL Central. Welcome back, Eugenio Suarez. Bregman is hoping to lead the Chicago Cubs to their first Central title since 2020 after signing a $175 million, five-year contract with the North Siders in free agency. But the competition is tough in a division...
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. expresses fondness for Pittsburgh, excited for city to host NFL Draft
The longtime face of NFL Draft season is a big fan of the traveling roadshow approach used nowadays for the marquee offseason event. “I can’t wait to be up in Pittsburgh,” said ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., the most famous of the NFL draftniks. For about a decade now, the draft...
No. 1 overall seed Duke survives 16-seed Siena
GREENVILLE, S.C. — For most of Thursday, Duke looked nothing like the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Not with 16th-seeded Siena challenging the Blue Devils at every turn, determined to pull off the rarest of March Madness upsets. And Duke barely avoided exactly that. The Blue Devils...
Penn State, WPIAL legend Tanisha Wright named Nittany Lions’ women’s basketball coach
Seeking new leadership to stabilize a women’s basketball program which has mostly disappointed for over a decade, Penn State will turn to a program legend and 14-year WNBA veteran. Tanisha Wright, a West Mifflin native, was named coach of the Lady Lions by athletic director Pat Kraft on Thursday. She...
NL East Preview: Phillies bring back core as they try to hold off new-look Mets, banged-up Braves
NEW YORK — Still powered by Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, the Philadelphia Phillies are bringing back mostly the same team that won its second consecutive NL East title last season and made a fourth straight playoff appearance. Time to take yet another run at that elusive World Series championship....
AL West Preview: Cal Raleigh and Mariners look to defend their first division title since 2001
Cal Raleigh and the Seattle Mariners switched things up in the American League West last season, and got as close as they ever have to making a World Series. After winning their first division title since 2001, the Mariners are looking to do it again this year with slugging switch-hitting...
AL Central Preview: Tigers open as favorites while the White Sox try to climb out of the basement
The Detroit Tigers and two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal have their sights set on winning the AL Central for the first time since 2014. The Chicago White Sox would love to simply get out of the division’s basement. As for the AL Central’s other three teams — the...
‘I feel really good about everything’: Penn State’s Drew Allar is at peace with his NFL Draft uncertainty
UNIVERSITY PARK — There’s a world in which Penn State’s pro day would have been in a circus with everyone in town to see Drew Allar, the No. 1 QB in the 2026 NFL Draft. But that is not the world we live in. Instead, Holuba Hall was filled with...
Offensive coordinator Kade Bell, back for Year 3 at Pitt, believes he has all the proper pieces in place
Officially, there is no transfer portal for coaches, but constant movement within their ranks is similar, if not greater, to that of athletes these days in college sports. Akin to having to retain a roster of players at year’s end, head coaches must work to keep their assistants in place....
Pirates option catcher Endy Rodriguez to Triple-A Indianapolis
Endy Rodriguez was in the Opening Day starting lineup for the Pittsburgh Pirates last year as a first baseman. This year, the 25-year-old catcher will start the season in the minors. The Pirates optioned Rodriguez to Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday, reducing the roster in their big-league camp to 37 players...
Penguins recall defenseman Ryan Graves from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
The Pittsburgh Penguins recalled defenseman Ryan Graves from a conditioning assignment with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League on Thursday afternoon. Per the NHL’s media website, Graves remains designated to injured reserve with an undisclosed ailment. After being assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on March 12, Graves appeared in two games for...
Pitt linebacker Kyle Louis among 2 NFL Draft prospects visiting Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers met with two draft prospects on the defensive side of the ball Thursday, including one from just next door. Pitt linebacker Kyle Louis and Illinois defensive lineman James Thompson made predraft visits to the Steelers’ facilities. Pitt shares a South Side practice complex with the Steelers, so...
Tim Benz: Penguins’ version of March Madness doesn’t stop with the end of their grueling road trip
March Madness is a phrase normally associated with college basketball. The NCAA Tournament got going this week with the First Four games in Dayton, and it hits full stride Thursday and Friday across the country with the Round of 64. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Penguins have been in their own version...
Westmoreland County college notebook: Pitt-Greensburg’s Trent Rozich earns postseason honors
Trent Rozich had a senior season to remember at Pitt-Greensburg. The bulky, 6-foot-6 forward led the Bobcats in points (16.6), rebounds (5.6) and assists (4.3) per game. He was named to the D3Hoops.com All-Region Second Team. This weekend, the AMCC Player of the Year and All-AMCC first team selection will...
Penguins assign forward Avery Hayes to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
The Pittsburgh Penguins assigned rookie forward Avery Hayes to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL) on Thursday morning. A healthy scratch for the past two games, Hayes has appeared in 11 NHL contests this season and scored two goals while averaging 10:37 of ice time per contest. Despite not...
NFL will consider rule change allowing draft pick trades up to 5 years in the future
The Cleveland Browns are proposing a rule change that would allow NFL teams to trade draft picks five years into the future instead of three. The league announced that only two teams submitted proposals that will be considered by owners at the league meetings later this month with the other...
Cup of Joe: This version of Penguins’ Erik Karlsson is downright frightening
CUP OF JOE: Starkey on sports in 400 words or less When asked recently on live television what goes through his head when he sees Nathan MacKinnon coming at him, Erik Karlsson did not hesitate. “Oh (crap), here we go,” he said. Now imagine what opposing players must say when...
