Sports category, Page 648
NFL’s salary cap skyrockets to $255.4 million, up a record $30.6 millionVideo
NEW YORK — The NFL’s salary cap for 2024 will be $255.4 million, up a record $30.6 million from last year. The cap number has gone from $198.2 million in 2020 to $182.5 million in 2021 following the covid-19 pandemic. It increased to $208.2 million in 2022 and $224.8 million...
Alvaro Ortiz goes for a big win at home. He shares the lead in Mexico OpenVideo
VALLARTA, Mexico — Alvaro Ortiz got off to a strong start and did just enough right at the end for a 7-under-par 64, giving him a share of the lead Friday in the Mexico Open as he goes for yet another victory in his home country. This would be the...
‘I couldn’t be more thrilled’: Pirates reward Mitch Keller’s perseverance, bank on his future
BRADENTON, Fla. — As Mitch Keller thanked his Pittsburgh Pirates coaches and teammates for their support, the All-Star right-hander and staff ace got emotional. He paused to collect his composure and focused on his future. “It’s a really exciting time to be a Pirate,” Keller said, “and I couldn’t be...
Judge rules against NCAA, says NIL compensation rules likely violate antitrust law, harm athletes
A federal judge Friday barred the NCAA from enforcing its rules prohibiting name, image and likeness compensation from being used to recruit athletes, granting a request for a preliminary injunction from the states of Tennessee and Virginia in dealing another blow to the association’s ability to govern college sports. The...
Saint Vincent, Geneva to meet for PAC men’s basketball title
Presidents’ Athletic Conference men’s basketball championship Who: No. 2 seed Saint Vincent (23-3) at No. 1 Geneva (23-3) When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday Where: Metheny Fieldhouse, Beaver Falls Livestream: www.pacstream.net Coaches: D.P. Harris, Saint Vincent; Jeff Santarsiero, Geneva Players to watch: Dev Ostrowski, Saint Vincent; Trevor Tipton, Geneva Notable: The finalists...
Steelers release 2-year starter at center Mason Cole
On a day when the NFL salary cap officially was increased by $30 million, the Pittsburgh Steelers took a step toward lowering their figure by releasing veteran center Mason Cole. Cole had started all 34 regular-season games the past two seasons in the middle of the offensive line and had...
MLB’s new uniforms don’t pass the eye test for Pirates players in spring training
BRADENTON, Fla. — Some Pittsburgh Pirates players have grumbled privately about the new MLB uniforms, expressing their dissatisfaction with the differences. The names and numbers are visibly smaller. The mesh material on the game jerseys and pants is stretchier and, with home whites, can be see-through. By adding mesh to...
Penguins forward Drew O’Connor contributing more offense
Drew O’Connor didn’t mince words. His play had dropped off. And he knew it. In the midst of a seven-game slump without a point, he offered a blunt critique of himself Feb. 13. “I need to find ways to contribute more,” O’Connor said after a practice in Cranberry that day....
3 University of Wyoming swimmers killed in highway crash in Colorado
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Three members of the University of Wyoming swimming and diving team were killed in a highway crash in northern Colorado. The crash happened Thursday afternoon on U.S. 287 about 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of the Wyoming-Colorado line between Laramie and Fort Collins, Colo. The crash injured...
Mark Madden: Trading Tristan Jarry would bring value, lay groundwork for Penguins’ future
As the NHL’s March 8 trade deadline approaches, a few obvious moves beckon for Kyle Dubas, the Penguins’ president of hockey ops/GM. Trade winger Jake Guentzel. It will be a shame to see him go, but Guentzel is a free agent at season’s end. He can’t be allowed to walk...
‘Keep the Yinzer’: Pirates players say All-Star closer David Bednar should receive next extension
BRADENTON, Fla. — Before staff ace Mitch Keller could put ink to his $77 million contract, there was talk about which player should be the next targeted for a long-term extension by the Pittsburgh Pirates. With Gold Glove third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes and left fielder Bryan Reynolds locked into eight-year...
MLB players miffed at sport’s new see-through pants, relaying concerns to league
PEORIA, Ariz. — MLB’s new uniform reveal hasn’t gone very well. Now some of the rampant criticism has moved below the belt. Major League Baseball Players Association deputy executive director Bruce Meyer confirmed on Thursday that the organization is relaying concerns from players to MLB about the new pants, which...
Tim Benz: Adding context to Penguins’ latest win — since that’s what we’re supposed to do now
I’ll admit I felt a little silly asking the questions in the Pittsburgh Penguins locker room after their 4-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night. Was I baiting the hook a little bit? Eh, maybe. Defense counsel might have a hard time protecting me on this one. But...
Terry Bradshaw staunchly defends Kenny Pickett, changes tune on Arthur Smith
While appearing on “The Rich Eisen Show” on Thursday, former Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw offered up an impassioned defense of Kenny Pickett as the franchise’s starter at the position. “I love Pickett,” Bradshaw said. “I know him well. He’s fiercely competitive. He’s a tough-minded kid. Things don’t bother him. I...
First Call: A different take on the Justin Fields-to-Pittsburgh talk; guess who almost became Steelers QB in the ‘90s?
A different consideration is being advanced about the prospect of the Pittsburgh Steelers trading for Justin Fields. A blast from the past reveals that he was almost a Steelers quarterback in the early 1990s. The Penguins are preparing to renew acquaintances with their friends from Philadelphia. Some Robert Morris Colonials...
‘We’re going to win a lot of games with him’: Paul Skenes excited for Mitch Keller’s extension
BRADENTON, Fla. — Pittsburgh Pirates players were pumped about the contract extension that locked up All-Star right-hander Mitch Keller for the next five years at $77 million, especially after a breakout season. One of the newest Pirates was just as excited, and not just for selfish reasons. For 21-year-old right-hander...
Pitt Take 5: Will it be NCAA or NIT for Pitt?
Two recent ACC final scores remind us why college basketball is such a fun and unpredictable game. Check that. Perhaps not so much fun for the teams on the losing ends of those scores. Let’s start with Virginia Tech’s 75-41 victory against Virginia on Monday. The 34-point margin of defeat...
Penguins reassign goalie Magnus Hellberg to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Moments before their game at PPG Paints Arena vs. the Montreal Canadiens got underway Thursday, the Pittsburgh Penguins made a roster move, reassigning netminder Magnus Hellberg to Wilkes-Barre-Scranton of the American Hockey League. Hellberg, 32, was called up to Pittsburgh on Feb. 19 under emergency conditions, when either Tristan Jarry...
Kris Letang scores twice as Penguins earn much-needed win over Canadiens
Kyle Dubas has given the flawed Pittsburgh Penguins the next two weeks to figure out what they are. A playoff team or … otherwise. On Thursday, they took a step, albeit an incremental one, toward being the former and not the latter with a 4-1 victory against the Montreal Canadiens...
Erik van Rooyen opens with a 63 in bid to win again in Mexico
VALLARTA, Mexico — Erik van Rooyen made two eagles Thursday on his way to an 8-under-par 63 for a one-shot lead in the Mexico Open at Vidanta, a strong start in his bid to win a second PGA Tour title in Mexico in the last four months. Van Rooyen hit...
New college football game blocks users from adding players who reject NIL opt-in
Gamers will be blocked from manually adding players to EA Sports’ new college football game who decide not to accept an offer to have their name, image and likeness used in it, the video-game developer said Thursday. EA Sports revealed the safeguard in its announcement that it has begun reaching...
Robert Morris men no match for Horizon League leader Oakland
Robert Morris’ final homestand of the season began Thursday night with a whimper as another in a steady parade of Horizon League heavyweights harassed the outmanned Colonials. Trey Townsend scored 22 points and gathered 17 rebounds, and conference-leading Oakland completed a season sweep of Robert Morris with a 63-43 victory...
Former AL batting champion Tim Anderson agrees to 1-year deal with Marlins
MIAMI — Former AL batting champion Tim Anderson agreed to a one-year contact Thursday with the Miami Marlins, according to multiple reports. The deal for the shortstop is pending a physical and is worth $5 million, according to ESPN. Anderson is Miami’s first big free-agent addition of the offseason. The...
NCAA provides glimpse into process of choosing teams for March Madness
PHOENIX — Selection Sunday also happens to be the biggest complaint day on the sports calendar. How could they leave my team out? Why is mine playing that far away? You seriously gave (my favorite team) a No. 8 seed instead of 6? Settle down. Selecting, seeding and bracketing the...
Penguins acquire forward Emil Bemstrom in trade with ColumbusVideo
Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas orchestrated a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets during the first period of his club’s game vs. Montreal on Thursday night, acquiring 24-year-old forward Emil Bemstrom in exchange for forward Alex Nylander and a conditional sixth-round draft pick in 2026. Bemstrom, 24,...
