Sports category, Page 651
Tim Benz: Penguins and Islanders facing similar circumstances in multiple ways
There is one thing the Pittsburgh Penguins did right against the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday night. At least they scored first. It took a while. But Sidney Crosby was able to tally a power-play goal with a little more than a minute remaining in the first period to make...
Jaromir Jagr on Sidney Crosby: ‘He can play for another 5 or 6 years’
When it comes to hockey longevity, few can rival Jaromir Jagr. He is 52 and still playing in his seventh post-NHL season with Kladno for his own team in Czechia. That’s on top of playing at least part of 24 seasons in the NHL and four other full seasons in...
First Call: Cameron Heyward has surgery; Antonio Brown rips Steelers’ WR coach hire
For “First Call” on Tuesday, we check in on Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward after his surgery. We look at some off-the-radar Steelers draft prospects. Antonio Brown is mad about a Steelers coaching hire. And we scout Tuesday’s Duquesne basketball game. How is Heyward? Steelers defensive captain Cameron Heyward...
Mitch Keller hopes conversation with Pirates owner leads to talks of long-term extension
BRADENTON, Fla. — Mitch Keller unveiled a new pitch in spring training, but the Pittsburgh Pirates’ ace right-hander was most excited about being on the receiving end of one. As Keller watched a bullpen session Monday afternoon at Pirate City, chairman Bob Nutting and team president Travis Williams gave him...
WPIAL reveals Aliquippa’s 5A conference, but football coach says ‘it’s not settled’
The WPIAL revealed an updated football alignment Monday that has Aliquippa sharing a Class 5A conference with Fox Chapel, North Hills, Penn Hills, Pine-Richland, Plum and Shaler. Quips coach Mike Warfield said he saw the list and wasn’t sure how to feel, knowing those could be their conference opponents for...
Minor league report: Peter Laviolette III, Nailers tame GrizzliesVideo
Forward Peter Laviolette III scored two goals for the Wheeling Nailers in a 4-2 road win against the Utah Grizzlies at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah on Monday. Defenseman Justin Lee had a goal and an assist for Wheeling (29-18-1-1), which snapped a two-game losing streak, while...
Latest Yankees star arrives wearing T-shirt saying: ‘The generational Juan Soto’
TAMPA, Fla. — Juan Soto gave some new meaning to pride of the Yankees. On his first day with his new team, the 25-year-old star outfielder walked into a news conference in the tent behind third base wearing a navy T-shirt with white print that proclaimed: “The generational Juan Soto.”...
Pirates bring back outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba
After a brief stint with the Seattle Mariners, Canaan Smith-Njigba is back with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates claimed the 24-year-old outfielder on waivers Monday. Smith-Njigba was the Pirates’ Opening Day starter in right field last season but hit. 125 in 15 major league games and spent most of the...
Former Nebraska women’s basketball player sues school
OMAHA, Neb. — A former Nebraska women’s basketball player alleges coach Amy Williams and athletic director Trev Alberts did not take appropriate action when her sexual relationship with an assistant coach became widely known. Ashley Scoggin filed a civil lawsuit in U.S. District Court describing how Chuck Love allegedly took...
Pitt notebook: Blake Hinson’s scoring binges partially tied to short memory
Pitt coach Jeff Capel and Wake Forest’s Steve Forbes understand the degree of difficulty involved in winning Tuesday night in Winston-Salem, N.C. Forbes has spent the better part of the past two days trying to figure out how to slow down Pitt’s Blake Hinson, who is third in the ACC...
William Byron launches Hendrick Motorsports’ 40th anniversary season with win in Daytona 500Video
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — William Byron launched Hendrick Motorsports’ 40th anniversary season by snapping the team’s nine-year Daytona 500 losing streak with a win Monday in the rain-delayed “Great American Race.” The last Hendrick driver to win the Daytona 500 was Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2014. The 26-year-old from Charlotte,...
Pitt/Wake Forest matchup stands as rich opportunity for winning team
Aware of the reality or not, Pitt and Wake Forest are creeping into national relevance. Which means the prize will be potentially rich for the winner and consequences dire for the loser when those teams meet Tuesday night in Winston-Salem, N.C. You don’t score 41 points — even against a...
Penn State basketball’s leading scorer Kanye Clary no longer with team
Penn State men’s basketball will be without its leading scorer moving forward. First-year coach Mike Rhoades announced Monday during a press conference that Kanye Clary is no longer with the program because of a “coach’s decision.” Clary, a sophomore guard, was averaging 16.7 points per game this season. He had...
WPIAL sets conference, section alignment for next 2 fall seasons
The WPIAL wanted more competitive balance in its conferences and sections, so some teams might have a longer drive next season as a result. Updated fall sports alignments for the 2024 and ’25 seasons were approved Monday by the WPIAL board, giving teams a first look at their upcoming opponents....
Struggling Penguins make more changes to lines, defensive pairings
Matthew Phillips experienced a first in his still-brief tenure with the Pittsburgh Penguins. A day without Jaromir Jagr. After being claimed off waivers from the Washington Capitals on Friday, Phillips parachuted into the delirium of the Penguins’ weekend-long celebration of Jagr that included the icon practicing with the active players...
Southern Cal jumps to 7th in women’s AP Top 25; South Carolina still unanimous No. 1
NEW YORK — Southern Cal, which has won six straight games, climbed three spots to No. 7 in the Associated Press women’s basketball poll Monday, and South Carolina remained a unanimous No. 1. USC swept Oregon and then-No. 11 Oregon State over the weekend. The Trojans moved into a tie...
UConn men unanimous No. 1 in AP Top 25 poll; Houston slides into No. 2 spot
UConn became the first unanimous No. 1 in the Associated Press men’s college basketball poll this season, while Washington State jumped into the rankings Monday at No. 21 to end a 302-week drought stretching back to the 2007-08 season. The Huskies remained atop the poll for the sixth consecutive week...
Ready to return: A healthy Oneil Cruz confident he can make a positive impact on the Pirates
BRADENTON, Fla. — Oneil Cruz booted grounders. He couldn’t get a ball out of his glove to make a throw. He missed pickoff throws from the catcher at second base. He even got frozen by a Luis Ortiz changeup for a called third strike during a live batting practice. The...
Pitt names former Western Carolina assistant JJ Laster wide receivers coach
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi filled the most recent vacancy on his coaching staff Monday when he named JJ Laster as the Panthers’ new wide receivers coach. Laster replaces Tiquan Underwood, who left last week after two seasons at Pitt for a position with the New England Patriots. Underwood is the...
Penguins recall goaltender Magnus Hellberg
The Pittsburgh Penguins recalled goaltender Magnus Hellberg from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL). Hellberg was initially summoned to the NHL roster Sunday under emergency conditions. On Monday, coach Mike Sullivan explained one of his team’s incumbent goaltenders — he did not identify which one — was not feeling...
Mark Madden: Which Penguins will be next to have their numbers retired?
No. 68 is in the rafters at PPG Paints Arena. Sunday’s ceremony to honor Jaromir Jagr was among the best of its kind, as was Jagr’s charismatic speech. Jagr’s return to Pittsburgh was everything that could have been hoped for. His legend was heightened. The question now: Who’s the next...
Apollo-Ridge grad Olivia Stiffy uses gymnastics, cheer background as part of new STUNT team at Mercyhurst
While she was growing up, Olivia Stiffy competed as a gymnast for nearly a decade, including representing Apollo-Ridge at the WPIAL level. But she never considered playing any kind of sports beyond high school. Also a longtime cheerleader, Stiffy joined the football cheer squad at Mercyhurst, which seemed to satisfy...
Saint Vincent women’s bowling raises its profile nationally with steady success
Saint Vincent, to most of the outside world, is known as the long-time training camp home of the Pittsburgh Steelers. When Jeff Zidek started the Bearcats’ women’s bowling program seven years ago, that was one of his big selling points when he contacted potential recruits. Now, potential recruits are contacting...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Saint Vincent captures PAC wrestling title in 1st season back
It was like Saint Vincent had been here before. But if there was a feeling of deja vu, it was probably driven by adrenaline, not history. The Bearcats, who resurrected their wrestling program after nearly five decades away, cleaned up in their first Presidents’ Athletic Conference Championships. Three wrestlers won...
Points records fall at the All-Star Game, with the East beating the West 211-186
INDIANAPOLIS — The NBA wanted more competition. It got more points instead — more than ever before. And once again, the All-Star Game was all offense. All-Star MVP Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks scored 39 points and the Eastern Conference beat the Western Conference, 211-186, on Sunday night, with...
