Sports category, Page 321
Steelers show interest in Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka, the anti-diva wide receiver in his class
From Antonio Brown to Diontae Johnson to Chase Claypool to George Pickens, Mike Tomlin has coached his share of problematic wide receivers on the Pittsburgh Steelers over the past decade. The first three played their way out of the organization via trade, and the jury remains out on whether Pickens...
No. 16 Maryland beats Penn State 68-64 to inch closer to double bye in Big Ten tourneyVideo
UNIVERSITY PARK — Derik Queen had 23 points, Ja’kobi Gillespie scored 19 and No. 16 Maryland beat Penn State, 68-64, on Saturday. The Terps inched closer to a top-four seed and a double bye in the Big Ten Tournament. Selton Miguel added 17 points for the Terrapins (22-7, 12-6 Big...
Paul Skenes introduces new pitches in spring debut, as 4 homers lift Pirates past Orioles
SARASOTA, Fla. — The first start of spring training came later than Paul Skenes wanted and with more pitches than he preferred but with results that left the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander satisfied. Skenes introduced two new fastballs to his pitch repertoire, using both his cutter and two-seamer a handful of...
Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic scheduled to start against BruinsVideo
Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic is scheduled to start Saturday’s game against the Boston Bruins at PPG Paints Arena. Coach Mike Sullivan announced Nedeljkovic’s status approximately two hours before the opening faceoff. In 30 games this season, Nedeljkovic has a 12-11-5 record, a 3.22 goals against average, an .891 save...
With value of running backs increasing, Ashton Jeanty and deep position group hope to cash in
INDIANAPOLIS — Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty noticed running back values declining just as his college career started to take off. Then he watched the resurgence of free agent acquisitions Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry and Josh Jacobs and realized things were back on the upswing — just as Jeanty was...
Jamie Little’s return to IndyCar part of a busy year for Fox Sports announcer
Motorsports viewers might associate Jamie Little with Fox’s coverage of NASCAR’s Cup Series. But Little will be seen across more of Fox’s motorsports coverage this year. Little will be one of the pit reporters Sunday when Fox carries its first IndyCar race from the streets of downtown St. Petersburg, Florida....
Josh Rawitch Q&A: Hall of Fame president discusses Dave Parker’s induction and more
BRADENTON, Fla. — Josh Rawitch watched in amazement how becoming a Hall of Famer touched Jim Leyland, from the tears in his eyes upon arriving and meeting the staff in Cooperstown, N.Y., to getting choked up while delivering his induction speech. As president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Steelers’ indecision could cost them
As anybody with a brain knew, Matthew Stafford will not be a Steeler. A report says that the Steelers called the Los Angeles Rams about Stafford, but the quarterback had zero interest in coming to Pittsburgh. (Stafford decided to stay with the Rams.) As Jarrett Bailey of The Sporting News...
Minor league report: Penguins, Filip Larsson shut out CrunchVideo
Goaltender Filip Larsson made 31 saves for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 2-0 win against the Syracuse Crunch at the Upstate Medical Arena at The Oncenter War Memorial in Syracuse, N.Y. on Friday. Larsson improved his record to 9-4-3 while recording his fifth shutout of the season, tied for most...
NFL coaches value face-to-face interviews with draft prospects
INDIANAPOLIS — DeMeco Ryans has experienced the NFL Scouting combine as a player, assistant coach and head coach. He values the opportunity to meet draft prospects this week. “It’s being able to sit down across from the player face to face and be able to hear their story, hear their...
What happens after a PGA Tour player shoots a 59? Jake Knapp is about to find out.Video
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Jake Knapp shot 70 on Friday at PGA National in the second round of the Cognizant Classic. That’s slightly above the average score — 68.64, to be exact — for those coming back to work on the PGA Tour a day after joining golf’s under-60...
Pirates pitcher Braxton Ashcraft stays in zone, with focus on stuff over results against Rays
BRADENTON, Fla. — Braxton Ashcraft has learned not to dwell on the negative, so the Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher was focused on how his pitches felt more so than the results of his first spring training outing. Yet Ashcraft couldn’t hide his displeasure that he allowed two runs on four hits...
North Allegheny teams repeat, Sylvia Roy, McClellan Clark shine on Day 2 of WPIAL Class 3A swimming championships
North Allegheny’s trek into WPIAL girls swimming history is alive and well after capturing a 17th straight title Friday at Pitt’s Trees Pool. The Tigers finished with 415 points to win to finish first at the Class 3A championship meet. On the boys’ side, North Allegheny made it three straight...
Despite tough 3-game test, Duquesne looks to replicate last year’s late-season surge
Because last season for the men’s basketball team at Duquesne ended with such exhilarating high notes in March, it’s easy to forget where they were at the end of February. Exactly where they are this season. A year ago, Duquesne’s last game in February was a win over La Salle...
No shortage of quarterbacks trying to catch attention of Steelers, other NFL teams at combine
INDIANAPOLIS — Because they don’t have any of their quarterbacks from the 2024 season under contract, the Pittsburgh Steelers have used the offseason to heavily scout the prospects. The process began at the Shrine and Senior Bowl all-star events and continued this week at the NFL Combine. General manager Omar...
Slumping Pitt aims to manufacture late-season momentum vs. ranked Louisville
Three more regular-season games remain for Pitt before the ACC Tournament, and the slumping Panthers (who are 4-10 since Jan. 7) will need as strong of a showing as possible if any postseason aspirations are to be kept on life support. Next week, contests against N.C. State and Boston College...
Jack Suwinski searches for consistency, finding a new place in Pirates’ lineup after down year
BRADENTON, Fla. — After answering the best season of his career with the worst, Jack Suwinski lost not only his spot in the starting lineup for the Pittsburgh Pirates but any guarantees on the major league roster. That was humbling for the 26-year-old outfielder, who led the Pirates with 26...
Tim Benz: After Alex Nedeljkovic’s meltdown, Penguins were able to ‘shush’ negative thoughtsVideo
At least for one night, the Pittsburgh Penguins got to shush all the negativity. Ironically, on Max Talbot “Shhhhh!” bobblehead doll night, the Penguins pretty much replicated the script of that memorable incident from the 2009 playoffs. On Thursday, they stormed back from the same score against the same opponent,...
First Call: Another round of Brandon Aiyuk trade rumors; Roman Wilson was ‘at no point’ NFL game ready for Steelers
Get ready for another round of Brandon Aiyuk trade drama. We give you some more texture to Roman Wilson’s lack of participation during the 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers season. You’ll be introduced to a potential Steelers draft prospect with a local connection. Plus, we preview the Penguins’ busy weekend and update...
Solid relief appearance offers Penguins goalie Joel Blomqvist a dose of confidenceVideo
Given his rookie status, with only 13 games of NHL experience heading into Thursday evening, it seems appropriate for netminder Joel Blomqvist to receive some patience and understanding from the Pittsburgh Penguins management and fans alike. Certainly more than what should be granted to veterans Tristan Jarry or Alex Nedeljkovic....
Belle Vernon rewards retiring coach with school’s 1st WPIAL title since 1978
A retirement party at Petersen Events Center for one of the WPIAL’s winningest boys basketball coaches might seem a bit outlandish. Yet three weeks after Joe Salvino shared his retirement plans, he and his Belle Vernon players were there to celebrate. North Catholic tried to crash the party, but the...
Penguins rally past Flyers after goalie Alex Nedeljkovic’s outburst over being pulled
Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic has a pretty predictable pattern. In the event of a loss, he blames himself. In the event of a win, he credits his teammates. That approach has made him one of the most popular individuals in the team’s dressing room. “We know how hard he...
Robert Morris men win, clinch their 1st Horizon League regular-season titleVideo
After four agonizing seasons in the Horizon League, Andy Toole finally is back on top. And the longtime Robert Morris men’s basketball coach is hoping for even more. “We’ll enjoy this tonight and then we’ll be back to work (Friday) trying to figure out what we’ve got to do to...
Erica Gribble pours in 31 points to lead Greensburg Central Catholic girls to 7th WPIAL titleVideo
Taking a break from her scoring barrage, Erica Gribble zipped a wide, cross-court pass down the baseline to a waiting Jayla Peterson in the far corner. Peterson calmly drained a 3-pointer to tie the score with 1 minute, 35 seconds remaining. Seconds later, Peterson completed a three-point play to give...
Feisty Penguins forward Michael Bunting out following appendix removal
Whatever the Pittsburgh Penguins hope to accomplish with the remainder of their season, they’ll have to do it without the services of forward Michael Bunting for the foreseeable future. The vexing, gritty net-front presence will be sidelined indefinitely following surgery to remove his appendix. Further details of his ordeal were...
