Sports category, Page 702
New Penguins forward prospect Vasily Ponomarev is sharp on and off the iceVideo
CLEVELAND — Vasily Ponomarev was insistent. On Monday, in the hallway outside the visiting dressing room of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, a reporter thanked him for an interview, and Ponomarev responded with a suggestion. “I hope next time you ask me about my number 11!” Ponomarev boomed, referring to the new...
March Madness as we know it could be on way out amid seismic changes in college sports
Tracking the changes upending college sports can be as frenetic as flipping between all the games going down over the first week of March Madness. Ultimately, those changes could impact what America’s favorite basketball tournament looks like in the future — or whether it exists at all. News about “pay...
Mark Madden: Pitt should have made the NCAA Tournament, but what would that have really meant?
Pitt basketball fans enjoyed wallowing in despair Tuesday night when Virginia got beat by 25 points in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament. Virginia scored just 14 points in the first half of a 67-42 loss to Colorado State. This was evidence that Pitt should have gotten into March...
Ohtani, Dodgers rally to beat Padres in season opener and 1st MLB game in South Korea
SEOUL, South Korea — Shohei Ohtani’s RBI single capped a four-run eighth-inning rally in his Dodgers debut, and Los Angeles beat the San Diego Padres 5-2 in Wednesday night’s major league opener, the sport’s first game in South Korea. The game turned when a routine grounder went through the webbing...
The 4 Grand Slams, the 2 tours and Saudi Arabia are all hoping to revamp tennis
The tennis leaders can agree that there is more money to be made. They also agree that the sport’s current structure could stand to change. The how’s and why’s and when’s of it all? Well, that’s open to discussion — and there is plenty of that happening now behind closed...
Brent Honeywell Jr. aims to prove to Pirates he’s more than a screwball
Brent Honeywell Jr. doesn’t want to be known for one pitch, especially considering his signature is a screwball. Pardon the 28-year-old right-handed reliever for being downright defensive about his pitch repertoire. Statcast shows that he throws six pitches — Honeywell claims he has eight in his arsenal — and he...
Tim Benz: If there is any fire to the smoke about Brandon Aiyuk, the Steelers should fan the flames
Trade rumors are kicking up about San Francisco star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk — and the Steelers are one of the rumored targets. Aiyuk is coming to the end of his rookie contract, and he wants an extension. However, the 49ers don’t usually hammer out contract extensions until July or...
First Call: Steelers miss out on Mike Williams; Cole Holcomb posts workout video
Wednesday’s “First Call” gives us an update on the Steelers’ quest to land a big-play wide receiver. Cole Holcomb is trying to make a comeback. Jake Guentzel stays hot in Carolina. And Pitt fans probably cracked a smile when they saw the result of one of the “First Four” games...
Penguins suffer ugly road defeat, extend losing streak vs. Devils
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ formula for saving their withering postseason hopes isn’t complex. They just have to win. But easier said than done. That was evident Tuesday as they lost to the New Jersey Devils, 5-2, at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The result was their seventh consecutive loss to...
Melvin Council Jr. scores 21, Wagner beats Howard in First Four
DAYTON, Ohio — Wagner kicked off March Madness with the first NCAA Tournament win in program history, getting 21 points from Melvin Council Jr. and holding off a late rally by Howard to win 71-68 in the First Four on Tuesday night. The Northeast Conference champion Seahawks (17-15) advanced as...
Intangibles make DiMichele irreplaceable part of Duquesne’s watershed season
By now, you’ve probably caught wind of it a million times, the story of Jake DiMichele, the Duquesne basketball walk-on whose inspired play has helped lead the Dukes back to the NCAA Tournament after years of futility. What’s one more take on this feel-good vibe? It’s universally understood that DiMichele,...
From MVP to DNP: Florida believes guard Riley Kugel ‘will respond the right way’ after benching
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida’s Riley Kugel went from MVP to DNP in less than a year. The 6-foot-5 guard was so sensational down the stretch last season that he considered turning pro. Now, he’s the Gators’ biggest X-factor heading into the NCAA Tournament — assuming he even plays. Kugel was...
Former Penguins player Konstantin Koltsov dies in Florida at 42Video
MIAMI — Former Belarusian hockey player Konstantin Koltsov, who spent parts of three seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins, has died in Florida, police said Tuesday. He was 42. Miami-Dade Police detective Argemis Colome confirmed Koltsov’s death in a statement sent to the Associated Press. Police said the death was an...
Purdue’s Edey, Tennessee’s Knecht, UNC’s Davis headline the AP men’s college All-America teamsVideo
For the second straight year, Purdue’s Zach Edey is the unanimous headliner for The Associated Press men’s college basketball All-America team. The 7-foot-4, 300-pound senior topped all 62 ballots from AP Top 25 poll voters in results released Tuesday. The reigning AP national player of the year claimed all 58...
Roberto Clemente jersey from 1960 World Series fetches $256K at auction
The Great One continues to live up to his moniker on the memorabilia market. Roberto Clemente’s game-worn jersey from the 1960 World Series sold for $256,714 to highlight Lelands 2024 Winter Classic Auction, which closed on Saturday. Clemente helped lead the Pirates to the 1960 World Series title in a...
Analysis: Despite low trade value, Justin Fields still has potential to be a special playerVideo
Justin Fields went from being considered a franchise quarterback to disregarded by the Chicago Bears in just three seasons. It’s quite a fall for a former first-round pick who showed promise. After more than a dozen QBs switched teams last week in the opening days of the NFL’s free-agent frenzy,...
Pitt football notebook: In rare exceptions, transfer portal can go in reverse
Pat Narduzzi has been a football coach for 34 years. By nature, men of his stature and durability are reluctant to embrace change. But 3-9 changes everything, and Pitt’s football coach is making some unaccustomed moves this offseason. The first and most obvious was scrapping the offense that didn’t work...
Duquesne fans send Dukes off for 1st round of March Madness
Cheering fans lined Uptown streets Tuesday to support players from Duquesne men’s basketball team en route to March Madness. “They’re … still dancing,” student Zach Rothrock said. “I mean, what’s not to love?” Rothrock, 19, is a freshman majoring in business at Duquesne. He and his friends joined a crowd...
NCAA Tournament practice sessions for all 8 teams open to public at PPG Paints Arena
Practice sessions at PPG Paints Arena for all eight teams competing in the NCAA Tournament first-round games will be open to the public Wednesday. Akron gets the day started at 11 a.m. followed by Creighton at 11:45 a.m., Oregon at 12:30 p.m., South Carolina at 1:15 p.m. and Oakland at...
ESPN will remain the home of the College Football Playoff through 2031 under $7.8 billion deal
The College Football Playoff and ESPN announced a $7.8 billion deal Tuesday that will give the network exclusive rights to the expanded postseason through the 2031 season, with the national championship game moving to ABC starting in 2026. Financial terms were not announced, but as previously reported the new six-year...
Minor league report: Nailers routed by FuelVideo
Goaltender Jaxon Castor made 17 saves on 24 shots for the Wheeling Nailers who were routed by the Indy Fuel, 7-2, at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, W.Va. on Tuesday. The result dropped Castor’s record to 6-4-0. Defenseman Davis Bunz and forward William Provost each scored goals for Wheeling (34-25-2-1). Highlights:...
Clemson joins Florida State, becomes 2nd school to sue ACC as it seeks to exit conference
Clemson sued the ACC in a South Carolina court Tuesday, joining Florida State in challenging the league’s right to charge schools hundreds of millions of dollars to leave. The complaint filed in Pickens County says the ACC’s “exorbitant $140 million” exit penalty and the grant of rights used to bind...
Penguins recall forward Jonathan Gruden from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
The Pittsburgh Penguins recalled rookie forward Jonathan Gruden from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL) on Tuesday. Per Cap Friendly, Gruden was recalled under emergency conditions. This marks the sixth time Gruden has been recalled to the NHL roster this season. In 11 NHL contests this season, Gruden has...
Tim Benz: Kenny Pickett’s strengths became his biggest weakness by the end in Pittsburgh
During his first media availability with the Philadelphia Eagles, former Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett acknowledged that he wanted to leave Pittsburgh in advance of Friday’s trade that sent him across the state. He also did little to tamp down a narrative that he pouted his way through much of the...
Former Penguins forward Konstantin Koltsov dies at 42
Former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Konstantin Koltsov has died at the age of 42. According to the Associated Press, the Miami-Dade Police Department said in a statement that no foul play is suspected and his death was an apparent suicide. Salavat Yulaev Ufa, a team in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League (KHL)...
