Sports category, Page 1744
What a Mess: NASCAR worried about first Bristol dirt race
BRISTOL, Tenn. — NASCAR feverishly tried to save its ballyhooed first Cup Series dirt race since 1970 from turning into a total disaster, the likes not seen since the 2008 tire debacle at Indianapolis made for one of the worst events in the sport’s history. The Cup Series is slated...
NCAA Tournament roundup: Oregon State Elite after beating Loyola
INDIANAPOLIS — Picked to finish dead last in the Pac-12, Oregon State instead might be the last one standing. Led by unflappable guard Ethan Thompson, whose 20 points included a pair of clinching foul shots with 35 seconds left, the No. 12 seed Beavers and their brilliant defense shut down...
Penguins forwards Mark Jankowski, Branton Tanev placed on NHL’s covid-19 protocol list
Pittsburgh Penguins forwards Mark Jankowski and Brandon Tanev were placed on the NHL’s list of players unavailable because of covid-19 protocol. By league rules, the Penguins are not permitted to comment on their statuses. Jankowski was absent from Saturday’s morning skate at PPG Paints Arena in advance of a game...
Penguins recall forward Drew O’Connor from taxi squad
The Pittsburgh Penguins recalled rookie forward Drew O’Connor from their taxi squad. A first-year professional, O’Connor has played in nine NHL games this season and has one assist. The 22-year-old has played in six American Hockey League (AHL) games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season and has five points (three goals, two...
Chad Kuhl rusty in return; Kevin Newman keeps hitting as Pirates lose to Red Sox
It wasn’t so much that Chad Kuhl missed a start in spring training as it was that the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander skipped it to be with his wife Amanda for the birth of his first child, a boy they named Hudson. With 11 days between starts, it was no wonder...
Seton Hill’s Orndorff makes ESPN’s top plays with highlight catch
In a rather unassuming Friday afternoon baseball game in Greensburg, Seton Hill senior Derek Orndorff made some magic in right center field. And the nation got to catch a glimpse of it. Orndorff made a spectacular running catch in the top of the second inning in the undefeated Griffins’ game...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Goalie Carter Hart at heart of Flyers’ struggles
Remember when a member of the Philadelphia hockey media said Sidney Crosby had passed the torch as hockey’s best player to the Flyers’ Claude Giroux? That was in 2012. In the interim, Crosby has 691 points to Giroux’s 596. Crosby has also won two Stanley Cups since — and two...
Moon native Khama Worthy set to step back into octagon at UFC 260
Moon Area native Khama Worthy stepped into the octagon seven months ago and suffered the first loss of his UFC career, now “The Deathstar” is looking to right the ship. On Saturday, Worthy (16-7) will take on Australian Jamie Mullarkey on the UFC 260 Main Card before heavyweights Stipe Miocic...
GM Ben Cherington has transformed Pirates into top-10 farm system but ‘not satisfied at all’
Ben Cherington was adamant from his first day as general manager that his mission was to infuse the Pittsburgh Pirates with more talent, believing their minor leagues needed an overhaul. Where his trades of proven veterans Starling Marte, Josh Bell, Joe Musgrove and Jameson Taillon were viewed as a total...
Pirates middle infield prospects Nick Gonzales, Liover Peguero a ‘very talented odd couple’
Liover Peguero watched Ozzie Smith sprint onto the field, do a handspring followed by a back flip while playing for the St. Louis Cardinals. That’s when Peguero knew he wanted to play shortstop. “I used to be like, ‘Oh my God. I want to be like him,’” Peguero said. “I...
This date in sports history: March 27Video
1939 — Oregon beats Ohio State, 46-33, in the NCAA’s first national basketball tournament. 1942 — Joe Louis knocks out Abe Simon in the sixth round at Madison Square Garden to retain his world heavyweight title. 1945 — Oklahoma A&M beats New York University, 49-45, for the NCAA basketball championship....
Minor league report: Penguins’ losing streak reaches six gamesVideo
Goaltender Alex D’Orio made 23 saves on 25 shots for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 3-1 home loss to the rival Hershey Bears at Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (5-6-3-1) has lost six consecutive games. Forward Jordy Bellerive scored the only goal for the Penguins who were 0 for...
Iowa’s Spencer Lee withdraws from Olympic Trials
Another day, another surprising announcement from one of college wrestling’s most celebrated lightweights. Iowa senior Spencer Lee, fresh off a third NCAA championship that he won while competing with two torn ACLs, made it known Friday he will not compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials next month. “It is not...
Cheery Garcia comes up aces on frenetic Friday at Match PlayVideo
AUSTIN, Texas — Needing to win the final hole to advance, Bob MacIntrye drilled a driver to 3 feet of the cup on he 371-yard 18th hole. Moments later, Sergio Garcia ended one of the record eight sudden-death playoffs with a hole-in-one. Already the most fickle event in golf, the...
Todd Frazier opts out of contract with Pirates, elects free agency
Once expected to platoon at first base for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Todd Frazier instead exercised the opt-out clause of his minor league contract and elected free agency less than a week before the start of the season. Jon Heyman of MLB Network first reported the news. The 35-year-old Frazier, a...
Shaka Smart leaves Texas for Big East’s MarquetteVideo
MILWAUKEE — Shaka Smart is leaving Texas to coach Marquette. Marquette announced the hiring Friday. It comes a week after Marquette fired Steve Wojciechowski and Smart’s Texas team was upset 53-52 by Abilene Christian in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. “Throughout the search, one individual continued to rise...
Thanks to Syracuse and others, Midwest Regions puts madness in MarchVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — It is the region that has caused more busted NCAA Tournament brackets than any other, the quadrant where No. 1 seed Illinois was sent packing by Loyola Chicago, West Virginia was dumped by a team that barely made the field, and Tennessee and Oklahoma State failed to survive...
Florida State charts course for ACC as its ‘new blood’Video
INDIANAPOLIS — North Carolina is long gone. Duke never made it. To find the ACC’s biggest threat at March Madness this year, look past Tobacco Road and into the panhandle of Florida. That’s the home of Florida State, a school where hoops has moved out from the shadows of the...
Tyler Anderson stretched out but Derek Shelton mum on Pirates’ Opening Day starting pitcher
If Tyler Anderson is lined up to be the Opening Day starting pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Derek Shelton isn’t saying. When asked if he was ready to name his starter for the April 1 opener against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, the Pirates manager gave a quick “no”...
Pitt secures commitment from Hawaii transfer wide receiver Melquise Stovall
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi, who lost one transfer wide receiver when D.J. Turner opted to enter the NFL Draft, picked up a commitment from another Friday when Melquise Stovall announced his plans to enroll this year. Stovall (5-foot-9, 190 pounds) played the past two seasons at Hawaii under wide receivers...
Sacrifices paying off for foreign players in NCAA women’s basketball tournament
Michigan’s Hailey Brown says she came very close to opting out of this women’s basketball season. The 6-foot-1 senior forward from Hamilton, Ontario, was struggling with a fear of covid-19 and the travel restrictions she faced as a Canadian with the border being closed. “She’s battled with that, with her...
Flyers make ugly plunge from contenders to a mess in MarchVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Shayne Gostisbehere came out swinging on the state of the Flyers, and the maligned defenseman sprinkled profanities in his R-rated critique of the team. Seems appropriate these days in Philly. The Flyers are certainly NSFW: Not Suitable For Watching. A crowd of about 2,800 inside a dreary Wells...
Sabres begin overhaul by trading Eric Staal to CanadiensVideo
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres’ overhaul has begun, with the spiraling team trading veteran center Eric Staal to the Montreal Canadiens on Friday. Buffalo acquired the Canadiens’ third- and fifth-round selections in the 2021 draft. The Sabres also agreed to retain $1.625 million of the final year of Staal’s...
Penguins’ Casey DeSmith emerging as one of NHL’s top backup goalies
Casey DeSmith’s jersey number (No. 1) is as reminiscent of hockey from a past generation as his height (6-foot) and weight (181) are. DeSmith’s path to the NHL, to borrow a cliche, also came the old-fashioned way: He earned it. Undrafted, DeSmith toiled in the American Hockey League before finally...
Duquesne gets verbal commitment from prep school point guard Primo Spears
Duquesne added a second commitment to its class of 2021 on Friday when point guard Primo Spears told coach Keith Dambrot he plans to enroll this year. 110% Committed ?❤️ pic.twitter.com/ItjWPQrrl0— PrimSpears3 (@primo_spears) March 26, 2021 Spears, 6-foot-2, 188 pounds, played this season at Mt. Zion Prep School in Lanham,...
