Sports category, Page 692
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: A lazy, but not boring, list of Steelers’ top offseason stories
Much about sports coverage these days revolves around rankings or lists. It’s lazy, predictable and boring. I haven’t done enough to prove I can be all those things. Or have I? Anyway, here are the top 10 Pittsburgh Steelers stories of the offseason. 1. The Steelers are not a lot...
In search of 1st Final Four trip, Tennessee takes care of Creighton
DETROIT — Dalton Knecht had 24 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals, and Tennessee moved within a victory of its first trip to the Final Four, beating Creighton, 82-75, in a Midwest Region semifinal Friday night. Zakai Zeigler added 18 points and six assists for the second-seeded Volunteers....
After key injury to Houston point guard, Duke earns spot in Elite Eight
DALLAS — Kyle Filipowski had 16 points and nine rebounds, and Duke advanced to the Elite Eight with a 54-51 win over top-seeded Houston, which played the final 26 minutes Friday night without All-America point guard Jamal Shead after he turned his right ankle. Even with Shead on the bench,...
‘Calm in a crucial spot’: Pirates reliever Ryder Ryan impressive in earning 1st MLB win
After making the Opening Day roster, Ryder Ryan was excited to make his Pittsburgh Pirates debut. Instead, he watched and waited through a 12-inning game in the season opener at Miami. When Ryan got the bullpen call in the fifth inning against the Marlins on Friday night, the 28-year-old right-hander...
Minor league report: Nailers sunk by Walleye
Goaltender Garret Sparks made 22 saves on 25 shots for the Wheeling Nailers in a 3-2 road loss to the Toledo Walleye at the Huntingon Center in Toledo, Ohio on Friday. The result dropped Sparks’ record to 0-3-0. Forward David Jankowski and defenseman Justin Lee each recorded two assists for...
Pirates farm report for March 29, 2024: Nick Gonzales homers in Indy’s opener
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 0-1) lost 9-8 in its season opener against Louisville (Reds). 2B Nick Gonzales went 2 for 5 with a home run. 1B Jake Lamb went 1 for 5 and homered in the top of the ninth to bring Indy within a run. RHP Colin Holderman, on a rehab...
Pirates practice patience early in drawing walks, use timely hits to beat Marlins
After striking out 17 times in the season opener, the Pittsburgh Pirates found it better not to swing against the Miami Marlins. The Pirates were content to wait and see if closer-turned-starter A.J. Puk could throw strikes, which the 6-foot-7 left-hander struggled to do with any consistency. After allowing only...
Sweet 16 nets another big win for Purdue and big man Zach Edey, 80-68 over GonzagaVideo
DETROIT — Purdue big man Zach Edey withstood all the abuse Gonzaga could lay on him Friday night, finishing with 27 points and 14 rebounds to lift the Boilermakers to an 80-68 victory and move them one win from the Final Four. Gonzaga leaned on, swatted and grabbed at the...
N.C. State keeps magical March Madness run alive with 67-58 win over MarquetteVideo
DALLAS — DJ Horne scored 19 points, and N.C. State kept its magical NCAA Tournament run alive, beating Marquette, 67-58, on Friday night to reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 1986. Casey Morsell added 15 points, and Mohamed Diarra had 11 points and 15 rebounds for the...
Tony Finau matches his career low and sets the target at the Houston OpenVideo
HOUSTON — Tony Finau matched his career low on the PGA Tour with an 8-under-par 62 on Friday, taking a two-shot lead into the weekend with hopes of winning back-to-back — 16 months apart — in the Houston Open. Scottie Scheffler saw his streak of 28 rounds under par end...
Caitlin Clark thrilled by US national team training camp invite. If Iowa isn’t in the Final FourVideo
Caitlin Clark is thrilled to be invited to participate in USA Basketball training camp at the Final Four. Her focus, though, is purely on getting Iowa to Cleveland for a chance at a national championship. “You always want to grow up and be on the Olympic team, but, lucky for...
Illinois’ Elite Eight run led by Terrence Shannon Jr., who faces rape charge, isn’t talking to mediaVideo
BOSTON — Illinois’ season could have ended up a lot different. The Illini opened the season thriving behind Terrence Shannon Jr., who established himself as one of the premier scorers in the nation. And then they were thrust into uncertainty in December when Shannon was charged with rape or an...
Hijab-wearing players in women’s NCAA Tournament hope to inspire othersVideo
N.C. State’s Jannah Eissa and UC Irvine’s Diaba Konate are bringing visibility and inspiration to some Muslim women by wearing hjiabs while they play basketball. They aren’t the first women to do it in NCAA Tournament play, but with record viewership and attendance they are certainly getting noticed. “Representation really...
Oakland Athletics fans boycott home opener outside stadium in protest of Las Vegas moveVideo
OAKLAND, Calif. — Many fans at the Oakland Coliseum were still hanging out in the parking lot when Alex Wood delivered the first pitch of the season for the Athletics against the Cleveland Guardians. And they had no intention of going into the stadium. In protest of the A’s planned...
Pirates trade injured pitcher JT Brubaker to Yankees
The Pittsburgh Pirates made a surprise move Friday, trading right-handed pitcher JT Brubaker and international bonus pool money to the New York Yankees for a player to be named later. A 2015 sixth-round draft pick from Akron, the 6-foot-3, 180-pound Brubaker avoided his second year of arbitration by signing for...
Penguins recall defenseman Ryan Shea from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
The Pittsburgh Penguins recalled defenseman Ryan Shea from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League under emergency roster conditions on Friday afternoon. While the team has yet to announce the transaction, Shea’s presence on the NHL roster is reflected on the league’s media Web site. His recall comes in the wake...
AP mock NFL draft 2.0: Quarterbacks and wide receivers are the top 6 picks
Caleb Williams will visit the Chicago Bears next week to meet more coaches, undergo medical testing and get more familiar with his future team. Williams going to the Bears at No. 1 is easy. Predicting the rest of the first round of the NFL draft is the challenge. Will Washington...
MLB’s percentage of international-born players drops slightly to 27.8%, lowest since 2016
NEW YORK — The percentage of Major League Baseball players born outside the 50 states dipped slightly to 27.8%, its lowest level since 2016. There were 264 players from 19 nations and territories outside of the 50 states among 949 players on opening day active rosters and injured, restricted and...
Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves diagnosed with concussion
Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves will be sidelined indefinitely after being diagnosed with a concussion. His status was revealed by coach Mike Sullivan following a practice session Friday in Cranberry. The left-handed Graves was injured during a 3-2 home win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. He did not...
Dru Joyce III takes over Duquesne basketball amid new heights and challenges
Newly hired Duquesne men’s basketball coach Dru Joyce III is taking over the program on the heels of the team hitting heights we haven’t seen in half a century. Joyce was promoted from associate coach to head coach Thursday, replacing recently retired Keith Dambrot after seven years on the job...
Mark Madden: Pirates could try to be a real baseball team, but they don’t have to
The Pirates have the most interesting psychology, if that’s how to put it, of any Pittsburgh sports franchise. Perhaps of any team on the continent. The Pirates are the little engine that could but won’t. They’re a perpetual underdog with a great ballpark and hot dogs piled with pierogis and...
Tim Benz: Pirates’ tension-packed season-opener feels like a forecast of what’s to come
The reaction of Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton was one of bemused relief when he was asked a question following his team’s exhausting 6-5 season-opening win over the Miami Marlins. Is this how it’s going to be for his team all year? “Ha! I hope not,” Shelton said via the...
First Call: Patrick Peterson’s request for whatever team signs him; Steelers coaches scouting along O-line
Friday’s “First Call” reveals some offensive linemen that may be of interest to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the draft. We also provide an update on Patrick Peterson’s status. A Penguins prospect comes up huge in the NCAA hockey tournament. The Duquesne women’s basketball team runs out of steam. And a...
Luis Ortiz, Jose Hernadez shine in extra innings as bullpen boosts Pirates to Opening Day win
Jose Hernandez threw the 0-2 slider, then spun around to watch it when Bryan De La Cruz drove it deep to right field before it landed in the glove of Bryan Reynolds at the warning track. Hernandez punched his glove then pumped his left fist in the air to celebrate...
Illinois finishes off Iowa State to earn Elite Eight date with UConn
BOSTON — Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 29 points and Illinois reached the Elite Eight for the first time since 2005, beating Iowa State, 72-69, in an East Region semifinal on Thursday night. Shannon had 20 points in the first half for the third-seeded Illini (29-8), who never trailed. He broke...
