‘Andrew will always be a Pirate’: Marcell Ozuna signing could spell end of McCutchen era
BRADENTON, Fla. — Ben Cherington is aware one of his most celebrated moves this offseason could be his most controversial for the Pittsburgh Pirates, considering what the writing on the wall means for a franchise great. By agreeing to a one-year contract worth $12 million with free-agent slugger Marcell Ozuna,...
With Super Bowl in the books, NFL teams can soon start work on roster construction
The arrival of the offseason doesn’t mean the NFL takes time off. A Super Bowl champion was crowned Sunday and the draft is still two months away, but the league’s calendar is far from empty. In the days ahead, teams have free agents to sign, potential draft picks to evaluate...
Super Bowl averages 124.9M viewers in U.S., Bad Bunny’s halftime 128.2 million, both short of records
Sunday night’s Super Bowl and Bad Bunny fell short of setting records for most watched U.S. broadcast and halftime show. Seattle’s 29-13 victory over New England averaged 124.9 million viewers on NBC, Peacock, Telemundo, NBC Sports Digital, and NFL+, according to Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel rating system. That fell...
McIlroy says pendulum swings in PGA Tour’s direction with return of Koepka and Reed
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Rory McIlroy believes the pendulum has swung more in the PGA Tour’s favor with the return of Brooks Koepka from LIV Golf and Patrick Reed leaving the Saudi-funded league and being virtually assured a tour card for next year. “I’m all for anything that makes the...
Winter Olympics recap: Mikaela Shiffrin out of medals again
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Make that seven straight races without a medal for Mikaela Shiffrin at the Winter Olympics. The American skiing standout was given the ideal platform to win the new team combined event after partner Breezy Johnson led the opening downhill leg on Tuesday. Shiffrin was the last...
U.S. dominates Canadian women in Olympic hockey for pool-play sweep
MILAN — Hannah Bilka scored twice, and the United States’ youth and speed overwhelmed a Canadian women’s hockey team missing its captain in a 5-0 win at the Milan Cortina Games on Tuesday. The lopsided victory clinched first place for the U.S. in Group A entering the quarterfinals and continued...
Patriots QB Drake Maye has no plans for surgery on throwing shoulder
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye said he doesn’t plan to have any surgical procedures on his throwing shoulder this offseason, after receiving a pain-relieving injection before their Super Bowl loss. “Just get some time off. Time’s the best healer. Definitely just need time off,” Maye said...
Justin Verlander returns to the Detroit Tigers on a $13 million, 1-year contract
LAKELAND, Fla. — For his 21st season in the majors, Justin Verlander is going back to the beginning of his career. All the way back to Motown. Verlander returned to the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday, agreeing to a $13 million, one-year contract with his first big league team. The three-time...
Joe Starkey’s Mailbag: Would Mac Jones be a good option for Steelers?
You ask. I answer. It’s time for a weekly Q&A mailbag that appears Tuesdays at TribLive.com. We had a banner first three weeks. This is no time for a trap game. Apologies for the delay this week. Most of the questions come via “X,” but you can also hit me...
Reigning NASCAR champion Kyle Larson adds team owner to his renowned racing resume
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Kyle Larson’s latest racing endeavor might be more challenging than “The Double.” The two-time and reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion recently started his own micro-racing team for his kids. Trucks, trailers, cars, engines, parts, shop space, employees, Larson added it all for his 11-year-old son, Owen,...
Former Pirate Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Red Sox finalize 1-year, $6M contract
BOSTON — Former Pittsburgh Pirates utilityman Isiah Kiner-Falefa and the Boston Red Sox finalized a $6 million, one-year contract Tuesday. Kiner-Falefa can earn $500,000 in performance bonuses for plate appearances: $100,000 each for 300, 350, 400, 450, and 500. The 30-year-old hit .262 with two homers, 40 RBIs and 21...
Where will the Steelers, others pick in the 1st round of the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh?
The Las Vegas Raiders are officially on the clock. On the day Klint Kubiak was introduced as the team’s head coach, the NFL announced its final draft order for the first round. Las Vegas has the No. 1 pick for 2026. Many of the draft positions previously were known, including...
New Penn State coach Matt Campbell says Latrobe’s Alex Tatsch could be next great at Linebacker U
Despite being widely regarded as “Linebacker U” for a rich tradition on defense, Penn State had an obvious lack of depth at the position over the past two seasons. It was never more apparent than when Tony Rojas suffered a season-ending injury early in 2025. The Nittany Lions had no...
Olympics are here for many NHL stars who waited half their careers or more for this
MILAN — Nathan MacKinnon knew he wouldn’t make Canada’s 2014 Olympic team as an 18-year-old NHL rookie, whereas Germany’s Leon Draisaitl and Czechia’s David Pastrnak were still a year away from being drafted. Canadian Connor McDavid and American Jack Eichel were just 17 and Auston Matthews 16 when the best...
Neck guards are mandatory in hockey at the Olympics. That’s an adjustment for NHL players
MILAN — There will be a big visual difference between hockey at the Milan Cortina Olympics and the version played in the NHL: Every player is required to wear a neck guard. “I haven’t worn a neck guard since youth hockey,” U.S. forward Brady Tkachuk said. “But it’s good.” The...
NFL has a short break before it’s time for the combine, free agency and the draft
Don’t blink because the NFL will be back in less than two weeks. Now that the Seattle Seahawks have been crowned Super Bowl champions, it’s on to the 2026 season. That will kick off with the annual scouting combine from Feb. 23-March 2 in Indianapolis. Free agency follows March 9...
Stuart Skinner meshing well in Penguins’ locker room, with Arturs Silovs in net
As a preteen, Stuart Skinner attended a goaltending camp in Toronto put on by youth development coach Eli Wilson. When Skinner was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 12, he thought back to that camp and two people in particular whom he crossed paths with there. The first was...
First Call: Calvin Austin on his uncertain future with Steelers; Marcell Ozuna’s PNC Park struggles
Tuesday’s “First Call” has some revealing quotes from one of Pittsburgh’s top wide receivers. We look at a challenge facing Marcell Ozuna now that he is a Pittsburgh Pirate. Pitt gets good news about a Panthers basketball alum in advance of the club’s big game against Duke on Tuesday night....
Tim Benz: We may already be looking at an Aaron Rodgers decision deadline
According to what ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting, we may be coming up on a soft deadline from the Pittsburgh Steelers to Aaron Rodgers regarding a decision about his playing status next year. During an appearance Monday on the “Pat McAfee Show,” Schefter told the program that many on the...
Adding Marcell Ozuna solves DH dilemma but creates confusion in projecting Pirates roster
A team once infamously dubbed a “hodgepodge of nothingness” by Dennis Eckersley now has a lineup littered with All-Stars after the Pittsburgh Pirates added another in Marcell Ozuna. By agreeing with Ozuna to a one-year contract worth $12 million Monday, the Pirates not only pushed their payroll above $100 million...
Even with Marcell Ozuna, Pirates’ offseason moves are tough to evaluateVideo
The Pittsburgh Pirates made some national headlines Monday by signing former Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna to a one-year, $12 million contract. Even before that acquisition, The Athletic’s Jim Bowden recently released his grades for how Major League Baseball organizations performed this offseason. The former Cincinnati Reds general manager...
Westmoreland County campus clips: Saint Vincent men heating up down stretch
Like any coach, Saint Vincent’s D.P. Harris wants his team to play at its best basketball late in the season. The Bearcats appear to be rounding into postseason form with the Presidents Athletic Conference men’s tournament just around the corner. SVC moved to 14-7 overall and 9-3 in the conference...
No. 9 Kansas beats top-ranked, previously undefeated Arizona
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Flory Bidunga had a double-double, and No. 9 Kansas defeated top-ranked and previously unbeaten Arizona, 82-78, on Monday night. Arizona (23-1, 10-1 Big 12) entered Allen Fieldhouse with the second-longest winning streak in Division I men’s basketball. Kansas (19-5, 9-2) played without freshman guard Darryn Peterson, who...
Raiders officially hire Klint Kubiak as head coach after his Super Bowl win with Seahawks
HENDERSON, Nev. — The Las Vegas Raiders made it official Monday by announcing Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak will be their next head coach. Kubiak arrived in Las Vegas on Monday fresh off a 29-13 Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday. Among the questions facing...
Despite Super Bowl loss, Patriots believe they have ability to return and win more titles
Just as New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel had done throughout his team’s surprise run to the NFL’s biggest stage, he made sure he was the first person to offer hugs to his players as they exited the field following Sunday’s Super Bowl loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Yes, the...
