Sports category, Page 996
Pirates counting on healthier, happier version of Wil Crowe to be ‘right in the middle’ of bullpen
Wil Crowe wanted to get back to being the pitcher he was at the start of last season instead of the one who finished it on the injured list. His offseason motivation came as much from a Halloween photo as it did stepping on the scale. By early October, the...
Japan shuts down Team USA bats to claim 3rd World Baseball Classic championshipVideo
MIAMI — Team USA manager Mark DeRosa felt confident in his team’s lineup no matter who would throw for Japan on Tuesday night. “It’s crazy deep and crazy good,” DeRosa said. It turns out so was Japan’s pitching staff. Japan used seven pitchers, starting with Shota Imanaga and finishing with...
March Madness allows Tennessee to showcase SEC’s rugged styleVideo
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee coach Rick Barnes once took a team to watch a rugby match in Australia and loved what he saw. Despite what Florida Atlantic coach Dusty May says, that sport isn’t the Tennessee coach’s guide for the rugged style his Volunteers bring to the basketball court. “I...
Deputies: Suspended Alabama player drove 141 mph to evade traffic stopVideo
BONIFAY, Fla. — Suspended Alabama freshman defensive back Tony Mitchell drove over 141 mph while trying to evade deputies before his arrest on drug charges in the Florida Panhandle last week, authorities said. Mitchell and another man, who was a passenger in Mitchell’s car, were arrested Wednesday and charged with...
MLB plans to announce rules tweaks on pitch clock before Opening DayVideo
MIAMI — MLB’s new pitch clock is going to undergo some timing adjustments before it is turned on for games that count. Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred called the changes “significant” but also described them as “clarifications” based on input from players. The alterations are likely to be announced Wednesday, eight...
College basketball staffs specialize to meet roster, NIL demandsVideo
Kelvin Sampson has been around college basketball long enough to remember when preseason practices started in October after a true offseason, teams remained largely intact for multiple seasons and players weren’t permitted to pursue endorsement deals. It might as well be a different planet now. The way Houston’s coach sees...
Keselowski finally seeing results from long rebuild at RFKVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — One of the best things to happen to rebranded RFK Racing came exactly one year ago when NASCAR found an illegal part on Brad Keselowski’s car. The illegal modification was found after just the fifth race of Keselowski’s first season as part owner of the once-proud organization...
Last Match Play, last chance for Kuchar at Tiger’s recordVideo
AUSTIN, Texas — Matt Kuchar has a chance to break at least one record belonging to Tiger Woods, and the Dell Technologies Match Play will be his last chance. That’s because this is the last edition of the Match Play. And for starters, Kuchar feels lucky just to be part...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Sowers, Little stand out for Bloomsburg softball
A local battery is powering the Bloomsburg softball team. Sophomore pitcher Callie Sowers (Hempfield) struck out 11 and scattered seven hits in a 7-0 shutout of IUP. She did not walk a batter. Sophomore catcher Emma Little (Penn-Trafford) had a hit and an RBI in the victory for the Huskies...
With new ‘shark’s teeth,’ Pitt defense hopes to thrive under familiar coaching staff
Brandon George called the process of changing the look of Pitt’s defense not unlike what happens when a shark loses a tooth. “Replace it after one falls out,” he said. A shark enjoys lifelong regeneration of its teeth, but a college football team only can hope to be as fortunate...
Right-handers Luis Ortiz, Yohan Ramirez optioned as Pirates make 8 spring training cuts
The Pittsburgh Pirates made eight more cuts Tuesday, optioning one of their top pitching prospects in right-handed starter Luis Ortiz and righty reliever Yohan Ramirez to Triple-A Indianapolis. The 24-year-old Ortiz, ranked the Pirates’ No. 4 prospect by Baseball America, was 1-1 with a 10.50 ERA and 2.50 WHIP in...
Steelers re-sign reserve CB James Pierre
A week after declining to tender him a contract to prevent him from hitting unrestricted free agency, the Pittsburgh Steelers re-signed cornerback James Pierre to a one-year contract Tuesday. Pierre has appeared in all 50 of the Steelers’ games over the past three seasons since making the team as an...
Willis Reed, leader on Knicks’ 2 title teams, dies at 80
NEW YORK — Willis Reed, who dramatically emerged from the locker room minutes before Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals to spark the New York Knicks to their first championship and create one of sports’ most enduring examples of playing through pain, died Tuesday. He was 80. Reed’s death...
Andrew McCutchen hits 1st homer of spring training as Pirates rally past Phillies
Andrew McCutchen hadn’t played in a Grapefruit League game since March 12 while nursing a sore elbow, but he made a major impact in his return to the Pittsburgh Pirates lineup. McCutchen hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies for his first homer of...
World Baseball Classic final odds, prediction: Who’s favored, USA or Japan?
BY ZACH EWING | Home Field Sports The World Baseball Classic has produced plenty of drama over the past two weeks, and the end result is a final between two world heavyweights: the United States and Japan. But who do the odds favor in such a matchup? At FanDuel Sportsbook,...
Rolling with underdog Pistons, chalk favorite Pelicans: Best bets for March 21
BY SPENCER URQUHART | 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...
Nebraska tight end Eric Ingwerson joins Pitt’s 2024 recruiting class
Pitt continued its strong early start to the 2024 recruiting season Tuesday when tight end Eric Ingwerson announced his verbal commitment to the Panthers. Ingwerson, who will be a senior at Papillion-La Vista South High School in Nebraska, is the sixth member of coach Pat Narduzzi’s current class of prospects...
Match Play a final chance for some players to get in Masters
AUSTIN, Texas — Every shot matters every week on the PGA Tour. It only becomes more evident during certain times of the year, such as the cutoff for finishing in the top 50 for the Masters. Min Woo Lee is one case study. His chances of winning The Players Championship...
Tobin Anderson leaving FDU to replace Rick Pitino at Iona
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — Tobin Anderson is leaving NCAA Cinderella FDU after one story-book season and replacing Rick Pitino at Iona. Iona athletic director Matt Glovaski announced the hiring on Tuesday, just a day after Pitino left to take the job at St. John’s of the Big East Conference. Anderson...
OLSH basketball coach Don Eckerle ‘good to go’ after collapsing at PIAA semifinal game
On a hectic game day, with all of the preparation that needs to be done, coaches can neglect themselves at times, said longtime basketball coach Don Eckerle. That happened to him Monday night. The Our Lady of the Sacred Heart girls coach collapsed after a state semifinal game at Kiski...
Sweet 16 point spreads, odds for each men’s NCAA tournament regional semifinal game
BY ZACH EWING | Home Field Sports With the first two rounds of the men’s basketball NCAA tournament complete, we’re down to the Sweet 16 for another year. Now, with a few days off before the next round, it’s time to look at some point spreads, money-line odds and over/unders...
Penguins forward Jason Zucker remains steadfast in supporting Pride initiatives
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jason Zucker can offer a frugal economy of vocabulary on certain subjects. Like himself, for example. When he was immersed in a recent hot streak that saw him produce nine goals in only eight games, Zucker, either through modesty or superstition, didn’t want to get too deep...
Mark Madden: Badly broken Penguins don’t deserve to make playoffs
The Pittsburgh Penguins are mired in a four-game losing streak. On the season, they have had losing streaks of seven, six and four (twice). The ongoing skid is a good bet to be extended when the Penguins play at Colorado on Wednesday and Dallas on Thursday. That’s 21 losses tied...
Fanatics to take over as NHL jersey maker starting in 2024
The NHL is changing jerseys again. Fanatics is taking over as the league’s on-ice jersey provider beginning with the 2024-25 season, replacing Adidas, which has made them since 2017. It’s the third company to make NHL jerseys since 2005, after Reebok handled them for more than a decade. “It just...
First Call: Ex-Steelers QB finds new home; Steelers Pro Day stops suggest an eye toward front-7 prospects
Tuesday’s “First Call” suggests the Pittsburgh Steelers are heavily scouting defensive front-seven prospects in the NFL draft. An ex-Steelers quarterback has a new home. The Penguins have a Florida Panthers problem. And Duquesne’s football team better get used to playing on the road. Eye on the Hawkeyes Mike Tomlin and...
