Sports category, Page 978
5 things to know about 2023 Pirates’ home openerVideo
Andrew McCutchen, A.J. Burnett, Russell Martin and an expected sold-out crowd decked out in black jerseys and T-shirts should make for quite a spectacle at the Pirates’ home opener Friday. There will be plenty to see and enjoy before the Pirates (4-2) take the field to face the Chicago White...
Draft prep 101: How the QB draft class may influence who Steelers select at pick 17
Each day this week, “Breakfast With Benz” will get you ready for this month’s NFL Draft by posting daily “Draft 101” podcasts. Former NFL and college scout and current Steelers Nation Radio host, Matt Williamson, joins Tim Benz for daily podcasts breaking down draft-eligible players in different position groups. Our...
Pirates farm report for April 7, 2023: Travis Swaggerty stars in Indy doubleheader sweep
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 2-4) after losing its first four games of the season, Indianapolis swept a doubleheader from Louisville (Reds) on Thursday. In the first game, a 5-3 win, RF Travis Swaggerty went 1 for 3 and hit his first home run. RHP Luis Ortiz (1.08) allowed one run on three...
UMass’ Tory Verdi will be Pitt’s new women’s basketball coach
The University of Pittsburgh will hire UMass’ Tory Verdi as its next women’s basketball coach. The school made the announcement Friday morning. Verdi will bring to Pitt a wealth of experience as a head coach and assistant on the high school, collegiate and WNBA levels. The Minutewomen improved steadily under...
Champion LSU women accepting Biden invitation to White House
BATON ROUGE, La. — LSU’s national champion women’s basketball team will accept an invitation from President Joe Biden to visit the White House. University spokesman Michael Bonnette confirmed LSU’s intentions on the matter Thursday, a day after Tigers star forward Angel Reese suggested during a podcast interview that her team...
Penguins keep playoff hopes afloat with vital win against Marc-Andre Fleury, Wild
The greatest era in the history of the Pittsburgh Penguins largely began when they drafted a gangly 18-year-old goaltender named Marc-Andre Fleury in 2003. On Thursday, that era — or at least the 16-year playoff streak it has produced — was on the line in many ways as the Penguins...
Minor-league pitcher calls Padres’ Fernando Tatis ‘cheater’ after monster HRVideo
A San Francisco Giants minor leaguer called Fernando Tatis Jr. a “cheater” on Twitter after the suspended San Diego Padres superstar hit a mammoth home run Wednesday night in a Triple-A game while on a rehab assignment. Kade McClure of the Sacramento River Cats responded to a tweet that included...
The Modern Masters? On-course interviews a change at Augusta
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Augusta National has taken another surprising step toward modernization: The Masters allowed for a walk-and-talk during the opening round when Rory McIlroy answered questions for the ESPN telecast while playing the ninth fairway. Then, Max Homa later joined the fun, making a live guest appearance during his...
Masters 13th hole goes from relative gimme to hardest par 5Video
AUGUSTA, Ga. — The 13th hole at Masters went from the easiest of the four par 5s a year ago to the most difficult in Thursday’s first round after modifications at Augusta National. “I birdied it today, so I didn’t not like it today,” defending Masters champion Scottie Scheffler said...
Mark Cuban says keeping Kyrie Irving is priority, supports Jason Kidd
DALLAS — Though Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says re-signing Kyrie Irving is the team’s top offseason priority, he doesn’t view it as a “Kyrie or bust” scenario. The billionaire businessman who has stayed mostly silent on Mavericks matters this season also is showing support for coach Jason Kidd with...
Brooks Koepka living large at Masters, leads with Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka shared the lead Thursday in the Masters, and that’s about all they had in common. Not the way they started their rounds at Augusta National. Certainly not the tours they represent — Rahm a loyalist on the PGA Tour, Koepka a surprise...
New world order: LIV looks to make its mark at MastersVideo
AUGUSTA, Ga. — As Phil Mickelson walked to the first tee — his LIV loyalties prominent on his cap, shirt and bag — he fist-bumped with a young girl hanging along the ropes before acknowledging the familiar cheers that have followed him throughout his career. “Go Phil!” “Go get ‘em,...
Tiger Woods’ painful Masters walk results in opening 74Video
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tiger Woods split the fairway with his opening shot Thursday, confidently plucking his tee from the ground before his ball had even landed, and set off with grim-faced determination for a steamy trek around Augusta National. The rest of his day at the Masters was mostly just...
European tour wins case with LIV Golf after panel rulingVideo
The DP World (European) Tour was within its rights to sanction members who competed on the Saudi-funded LIV Golf without permission, an independent tribunal ruled Thursday. An appeal panel at Sport Resolutions found that a number of players, including Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood, committed “serious breaches” of the European...
Pat Narduzzi’s day packed tight, even in the spring
Clocks on the South Side barely crossed midday Thursday when Pat Narduzzi walked off the practice field, muttering, “Long day.” Pitt had just completed its 12th of 15 spring practice sessions, and now it was time for Pitt’s ninth-year head coach to speak to several inquiring media members. (No injury...
Garcia chastises Masters media to stop talking about LIV-PGAVideo
Sergio Garcia is tired of talking about the LIV-PGA Tour feud. After opening the Masters with a 2-over-par 74, Garcia shot back at reporters who asked Thursday if this felt like a normal event with all that’s going on away from the course. “Totally normal,” Garcia said. “You guys need...
Fading a couple dogs in NBA crunch time and an MLB parlay: Best Bets for April 6
BY JIM DERRY | Home Field Sports Each day, one of our experts will offer up a best bet (or two or three) that mobile sportsbooks are offering. It might be a traditional spread bet, a player prop or one of the various odds boosts that books offer. Here are...
What the betting odds say about Steelers’ chances in 2023
BY SHANE JACKSON | Home Field Sports Contributor Mike Tomlin doesn’t have losing seasons. That’s not an opinion; the longtime Pittsburgh Steelers coach has yet to finish below .500 since taking over the team in 2007. Even when expectations are low, Tomlin manages to get the most out of his...
Penguins assign forward Alex Nylander to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after quick recall
The Pittsburgh Penguins assigned forward Alex Nylander to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL) on Thursday, hours after they recalled him under emergency conditions in advance of their home contest against the Minnesota Wild. There was no word on which of their incumbent forwards were potentially unavailable for Thursday...
Penguins defenseman Mark Friedman fined for embellishmentVideo
Penguins defenseman Mark Friedman was fined $2,000 for embellishment by the NHL on Thursday. Per a release from the league, Friedman violated NHL Rule 64 which is “designed to bring attention to and more seriously penalize players (and teams) who repeatedly dive and embellish in an attempt to draw penalties.”...
‘A great memory’: Rich Hill to start Pirates home opener 6 years after near no-hitterVideo
When Rich Hill takes the mound for the Pittsburgh Pirates’ home opener Friday against the Chicago White Sox, it will bring back memories of a night where he flirted with perfection and took a no-hitter into the 10th inning at PNC Park. That game is a good memory for the...
First round-caliber CB Christian Gonzalez among 4 hosted by Steelers in pre-draft visits
Prospects at positions of need continue to parade through UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, with highly regarded cornerback Christian Gonzalez headlining four prospects hosted by the Pittsburgh Steelers for official pre-draft visits Thursday. TCU guard Steve Avila, South Carolina cornerback Darius Rush and Georgia Tech defensive lineman Keion White also were...
2024 women’s basketball national title odds: See where LSU stands in quest to repeat
By ZACH EWING | Home Field Sports The odds to win the 2024 women’s college basketball national title are out, and the favorites to win the NCAA championship next year are familiar. That includes reigning champion LSU, which is the second-favorite at +700, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The Tigers likely...
2024 men’s college basketball NCAA tournament odds: Another national title for UConn?
By ZACH EWING | Home Field Sports If you still don’t consider the UConn men’s basketball team to be a “blue blood” after its dominant run in this year’s NCAA tournament, next year may give you another data point in that direction. The Huskies are favored to win the national...
Former Minnesota running back Trey Potts commits to Penn State
Ahead of last year’s Penn State-Minnesota game, there were a noticeable number of Golden Gophers fans outside Beaver Stadium wearing customized “POTTS” jerseys. Those friends and family members will have to get new gear this year. Trey Potts, a Williamsport native and Minnesota running back, is transferring to Penn State...
