MLB spring training brings attention to robot umps, WBC
Just 102 days after a thrilling World Series ended with the Los Angeles Dodgers becoming the first repeat champion in a quarter century, pitchers and catchers are back on the field Tuesday as spring training begins with an initial focus on ABS and WBC. In what could be the last...
Browns tight end David Njoku says it’s time for a new home
CLEVELAND — David Njoku appears to be looking to leave the Cleveland Browns after playing tight end for the franchise for nine seasons. “The time for me to find a new home has come,” Njoku posted on social media Monday night. NFL free agency begins next month. The 29-year-old Njoku...
Duke surges to No. 11 in Top 25 women’s poll with 15-game streak
Duke climbed up to No. 11 in the Associated Press women’s basketball Top 25 poll Monday thanks to a 15-game winning streak. The Blue Devils took over sole possession of first-place in the ACC last week with a one-point victory over then-No. 6 Louisville. Duke, which jumped six places this...
‘Don’t jump in them’: Olympic athletes’ medals break during celebrationsVideo
MILAN — Handle with care. That’s the message from gold medalist Breezy Johnson at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics after she and other athletes found their medals broke within hours. Olympic organizers are investigating with “maximum attention” after a spate of medals have fallen off their ribbons during celebrations on...
Arizona holds No. 1 spot for 9th week in AP Top 25
Arizona remained firmly atop the Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll for a ninth consecutive week Monday, whereas Houston jumped back into the top five and Kentucky returned to the rankings for the first time since December. Tommy Lloyd’s Wildcats (23-0) claimed all 59 first-place votes in the...
Pitt women’s basketball coach sued by former players alleging hostile environment
Six women who previously played basketball at Pitt are suing coach Tory Verdi and the school, alleging he created a hostile environment, abused players psychologically and retaliated against them after they complained. The individual lawsuits were filed Friday in federal court in Pittsburgh. They include claims for violations of Title...
Lindsey Vonn’s father says he wants her to retire after Olympic crash
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Lindsey Vonn’s father said Monday that the American superstar will no longer race if he has any influence over her decision and that she will not return to the Winter Olympics after breaking her left leg in the downhill over the weekend. “She’s 41 years old,...
Olympics roundup: 2 golds in 3 days for Swiss skier Franjo von Allmen; Eileen Gu wins silver
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Swiss skier Franjo von Allmen won the first gold medal of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics over the weekend, and he added another on Day 3. It’s turning into quite the Olympic debut for von Allmen, who partnered with Tanguy Nef to win the team combined...
After winning Super Bowl 60, Seahawks face challenges to repeat as champions
SAN FRANCISCO — Less than 24 hours removed from hoisting the Lombardi Trophy for the first time, Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald was aware of his team’s new standing across the league. After beating the New England Patriots, 29-13, on Sunday to win the team’s second Super Bowl, the...
U.S. reaches 1st Olympic curling mixed doubles final, will face Swedish siblings for goldVideo
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Korey Dropkin whooped and hollered and directed a string of fist pumps to a small pocket of American curling fans chanting “U-S-A! U-S-A!” The U.S. is headed to the mixed doubles final at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics — and has quashed the title hopes of...
‘Loaded for bear’: Jeff Capel expects tough task from Duke, freshman phenom Cameron Boozer
Over the weekend, when Jeff Capel sat down to begin preparing for Duke’s Tuesday evening visit to Petersen Events Center, it marked the first time he had watched the Blue Devils at length this season. As a Duke alumni himself and a coach in the ACC, Capel was doubtless aware...
Mark Madden: Super Bowl showed value of franchise quarterback, and other observations
That Super Bowl was so boring I couldn’t glean an entire column from it. So what we got is refreshing sports notes. (I was going to write them using either Spanish or redneck. I couldn’t decide.) • For Steelers fans, the big takeaway from the Super Bowl is that Seattle...
NASCAR emerges from federal antitrust lawsuit bruised but ready for its 78th season
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — In the days following the 2004 Hendrick Motorsports flight that killed all 12 people aboard, Bill France Jr. and Mike Helton showed up at Rick Hendrick’s front door in Charlotte, N.C. France, terminally ill at the time, was the chairman of NASCAR, the stock car racing...
Tim Benz: Are Steelers fans playing the wrong ‘what-if game’ after Seattle’s Super Bowl win?
My Super Bowl gathering Sunday night couldn’t have been the only one in Pittsburgh that had this kind of conversation. “What if the Steelers had been willing to outbid Seattle for Sam Darnold?” There were plenty of reports that the Steelers made an offer for his services. To what extent...
Kicker, punter come up big for Seahawks in a Super Bowl devoid of early touchdowns
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — During a defensive struggle in the first half, the Seattle Seahawks got the consistency and cushion they needed — from their kicker. Jason Myers connected on a Super Bowl-record five field goals, scoring the first 12 points of the game to help the Seahawks pull away...
Patriots’ Drake Maye had pain-relieving injection in shoulder before 3 turnovers in Super Bowl loss
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Drake Maye was a dependable and steadying force for the New England Patriots this season. The second-year quarterback never got the chance to be that when his team needed him most in the Super Bowl. Maye was the NFL’s most accurate passer during the regular season...
U.S. coach Mike Sullivan is tight-lipped early about his plan at the Olympics
MILAN — Mike Sullivan wanted his players to get their blood moving, break out a sweat and adjust to a new time zone with most of them fresh off flying across the Atlantic Ocean. He did not want anyone to read much else in to the first U.S. practice at...
Under-the-radar signing Parker Wotherspoon has been a hit for PenguinsVideo
Parker Wotherspoon doesn’t necessarily have strong recollections of Dan Hamhuis’ time with the Pittsburgh Penguins. His memory just isn’t that strong. But to be fair to Wotherspoon, Hamhuis spent only five days with the Penguins and never even suited up for them. On June 25, 2010, the Penguins acquired the...
Joe Starkey’s Cup of Joe: Great defense still wins championships. If only the Steelers had one
Cup of Joe: Starkey on sports in 350 words or less This part of Dan Graziano’s Super Bowl piece on ESPN.com stood out, in the context of Art Rooney II wanting to bring Mike Tomlin back after nine years of not coming close to a playoff win (before Tomlin fired...
‘Be yourself’: In 1st spring as Pirates manager, Don Kelly accepts advice from Hall of Famer
Don Kelly is past the pinch-me phase of being manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, yet the Mt. Lebanon and Point Park alum was so stunned by one fun factoid that he let out a hearty laugh in disbelief. After Mike Sullivan was relieved of duties in April after 10 seasons...
Pirates add big bat by agreeing with DH Marcell Ozuna on 1-year contract
The Pittsburgh Pirates completed the final piece of the puzzle in an aggressive offseason designed to add some pop to baseball’s least productive offense by agreeing Monday morning to a free-agent deal with Marcell Ozuna. Ozuna will sign a one-year contract for $12 million, pending the passing of a physical,...
Lindsey Vonn breaks leg in downhill crash at Winter Olympics, in stable condition at hospitalVideo
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Lindsey Vonn’s defiant bid to win the Winter Olympic downhill at the age of 41, on a rebuilt right knee and a badly injured left knee, ended Sunday in a frightening crash that left her with a broken leg and saw her taken to safety by...
Madden Monday: The Seahawks are ‘worthy winners,’ but Super Bowl LX ‘a fitting cap to a really bad NFL season’
In this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden of TribLive and 105.9 The X doesn’t mince words when it comes to discussing Seattle’s 29-13 win over New England in Super Bowl LX. “I think it was a fitting cap to a really bad NFL season. I thought this was one...
First Call: ‘Odds are increasing’ that we’ll see a 2nd year of Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh; George Pickens status update in Dallas
Monday’s “First Call” has some Pittsburgh Steelers news about Aaron Rodgers that may have been buried by Super Bowl Sunday festivities. A former Steeler is getting the franchise tag. A retired Steelers coach likes the decision to hire Mike McCarthy. And I pat myself on the back for some wise...
Seahawks ride their ‘Dark Side’ defense to a Super Bowl title, pounding the Patriots 29-13
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Defense won this championship. Devon Witherspoon, Derick Hall, Byron Murphy and the rest of Mike Macdonald’s ferocious unit pummeled Drake Maye, and the Seattle Seahawks beat the New England Patriots 29-13 on Sunday to win the franchise’s second Super Bowl. Sam Darnold threw a touchdown pass...
