Sports category, Page 2482
First call: Steelers’ Haden defends Tomlin; ‘Baby Shark’ walk-up song leads to homer
Friday’s “First Call” features Steelers players defending the team. The Dodgers’ mammoth opening day at the plate. And one baseball player is using the song “Baby Shark” as his walk-up song. And it works. Haden has Tomlin’s back In response to the wave of criticism against the Steelers this offseason,...
Pitt forward Kene Chukwuka undergoes hip surgery
After playing in pain for much of the season, senior Pitt junior forward Kene Chukwuka had hip surgery Thursday at UPMC. “Kene dealt with back and hip ailments throughout the season,” coach Jeff Capel said. “We are hopeful the surgery will correct the issues and enable him to return to...
Penguins podcast: Previewing Predators and a look at playoff prospects
Penguins beat writer Jonathan Bombulie joins me on our Sided.co podcast. We preview the Penguins’ game Friday against Nashville. We also talk about the injuries to Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin, the roster decisions that will follow their return and some NHL rules debates that may be similar to those...
Football footnotes: Rating NFL rules voting on the ‘Riveron Scale’
For this edition of “Friday Football Footnotes,” I thought we should take a look at all the NFL rule changes — and failed changes — this week at the owners meetings. Let’s figure out which ones the league got right and which ones the league botched. We will do so...
Tim Benz: Even Penguins might not have known what they got in Jared McCann
If you weren’t aware of what the Penguins were getting from the Panthers when they acquired Jared McCann as part of the Derick Brassard trade, don’t worry. It appears they may not have been fully aware, either. Obviously, Jim Rutherford had at least a hope that McCann could be productive....
Chronicling Burrell’s unparalleled wrestling success
Burrell wrestling reigned supreme for the 13th straight season this past season, continuing a streak of WPIAL Class AA championships that is unmatched in the sport. The Bucs defeated Freedom, 54-21, in the district championship match, adding more hardware to an already crowded trophy case. The years of success has...
Duke avoids upset, edges Virginia Tech to reach Elite 8
WASHINGTON — Zion Williamson soared for a two-handed, rim-rattling, crowd-thrilling alley-oop that gave Duke its biggest lead during a tight tussle against Virginia Tech in the East Region semifinals. He is known for his dunks, to be sure, but he can do more. So much more. And now Williamson and...
Scherzer highest-paid player, Red Sox top payroll list again
NEW YORK — Washington pitcher Max Scherzer took over from Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout as baseball’s highest-paid player at $37.4 million and the World Series champion Boston Red Sox remained the sport’s biggest spender for the second straight year, according to a study of major league salaries by...
Purdue reaches Elite 8 with overtime win vs. Tennessee
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Carsen Edwards scored 29 points as Purdue advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000, needing overtime to beat Tennessee, 99-94, on Thursday night after blowing an 18-point lead. The third-seeded Boilermakers (26-9) will play either top-seeded Virginia or No....
Gannon softball hits 8 home runs in conference game
Gannon turned an inconspicuous Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference softball game into a home run derby. The Knights belted eight home runs on the way to a 15-0 win over Mercyhurst in five innings Thursday in Erie. It was the second game of a doubleheader. Mercyhurst (5-18, 1-1) won the first...
Gonzaga bests Florida State, advances to Elite 8
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Gonzaga is in the Elite Eight for the fourth time following a 72-58 victory over Florida State in the opening West regional semifinal on Thursday night. Rui Hachimura scored 17 points to lead the top-seeded Bulldogs, and Brandon Clarke had 15 points and 12 rebounds as Gonzaga...
Preview: Bishop Canevin, Carlynton form co-op for track and field; Char Valley boys look to defend section title
The big change for high school track and field in the Carnegie area is Carlynton and Bishop Canevin forming a co-op. It’s the first time the neighboring schools have combined for track and field, though they are no strangers to joining forces. “We had talked about it for year,” Carlynton...
Chartiers Valley grad Annie Katonka helps Plattsburgh State claim national title
There are few words that can describe this past season for Annie Katonka. The Chartiers Valley grad helped lead the Plattsburgh State women’s hockey team to the NCAA Division III title. The Cardinals topped Hamline, 4-0, in the championship game March 16. “It is an awesome feeling when you work...
Tiger Woods down but not out at Match Play
AUSTIN, Texas — The magical escape by Tiger Woods didn’t keep him from losing Thursday in the Dell Technologies Match Play. He just didn’t lose hope of playing on the weekend. The same couldn’t be said for defending champion Bubba Watson, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed and a host...
Brewers’ Lorenzo Cain takes away HR for final out against Cardinals
MILWAUKEE — Lorenzo Cain fired the ball high into the air and jumped up and down in the outfield, yelling and shaking his head from side to side. “I let them know. Not today,” a grinning Cain said. Not today, indeed. Cain soared above the wall to rob Jose Martinez...
Bryce Harper overtakes Aaron Judge for MLB’s top-selling jersey
NEW YORK — The new No. 3 is the new No. 1. Major League Baseball says that Bryce Harper has the sport’s top-selling jersey, ending a two-year reign for Aaron Judge’s No. 99. Harper signed a $330 million, 13-year deal with the Philadelphia Phillies this spring, and his new No....
Pirates’ rally falls short against Reds on Opening Day
CINCINNATI — The noise from a crowd of 44,049 bounced all over Great American Ball Park in a tense ninth inning Thursday, but Corey Dickerson tried not to hear it. Pitch after pitch, foul ball after foul ball — 12 of one, seven of the other — the Pittsburgh Pirates’...
Andrew McCutchen homers in 1st at-bat with Phillies in rout over Braves
PHILADELPHIA — Bryce Harper struck out twice in green Phanatic cleats in his $330 million debut and bowed to thousands of fans in No. 3 jerseys who gave him rousing standing ovations in the Philadelphia Phillies’ 10-4 win over the Atlanta Braves on Thursday. The other NL MVP pickup this...
2 more West Virginia basketball players seeking transfers
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Two more West Virginia men’s basketball players are looking to transfer and reduce coach Bob Huggins’ already-thin roster for the 2019-20 season. The school said forwards Lamont West and Andrew Gordon have put their names into the NCAA’s transfer portal. West started about half of the Mountaineers’...
Mets’ Jacob deGrom outduels Nationals’ Max Scherzer in opener
WASHINGTON — On a day that Jacob deGrom struck out 10 in six scoreless innings and Max Scherzer fanned 12, it was New York Mets newcomer Robinson Cano who decided the outcome with a homer, an RBI single and head’s-up throw to the plate. Interrupting a pair of performances befitting...
GCC grad Mikayla Bisignani recognized for swimming, academics at Johns Hopkins
Greensburg Central Catholic graduate and Johns Hopkins swimmer Mikayla Bisignani earned two prestigious honors. Bisignani, a sophomore, was the recipient of the Elite 90 award and made first-team All-America in a relay at the NCAA Division III championship meet March 20-24 in Greensboro, N.C. The Elite 90 award is given...
Pirates director of sports medicine encouraged by Polanco’s rehab
CINCINNATI – There remains no definitive timetable for Gregory Polanco’s return from shoulder surgery, but Pittsburgh Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk is encouraged. “He is responding well,” Tomczyk said, noting Polanco has played in three Triple-A games in Bradenton, Fla. “His biggest comment was his entire body was...
No drama as Sidney Crosby takes Penguins MVP honors
Unlike some professional teams in town, there was an utter lack of drama when the Pittsburgh Penguins announced their internal team awards Thursday. Sidney Crosby was voted Team MVP and won the Player’s Player Award, to the surprise of no one. Crosby leads the team and is sixth in the...
Starling Marte pulled from Pirates’ starting lineup with migraine headache
CINCINNATI — More bad health-related news arrived in the clubhouse of the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday when center fielder Starling Marte was removed from the starting lineup with a migraine headache, the team announced on its Twitter account. Marte was replaced in the outfield by J.B. Shuck while Melky Cabrera...
Pirates’ Clint Hurdle appreciates ‘vibe, energy’ of Opening Day
CINCINNATI — Clint Hurdle woke up Thursday morning and made a decision he didn’t regret. The Pittsburgh Pirates manager walked from his hotel to Great American Ball Park, where his team was preparing to open the season against the Cincinnati Reds. “I walked over just to get a piece of...
