Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 157

The Pittsburgh Pirates activated relief pitcher Kyle Crick to the roster Tuesday after he spent 11 days on the 10-day injured list with right triceps tightness. Crick, who allowed no runs, hits or walks in two innings before being placed in the injured list, could help relieve some issues in...

Barry Trotz appreciates and respects what Robin Lehner has done for the New York Islanders in the first three games of their playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. But the Islanders coach isn’t kidding when he says, “Playing goal for us is the easy thing.” Lehner has stopped 98 shots...

Pitt received its second commitment from the class of 2020 Saturday when offensive lineman Michael Statham announced on Twitter he will enroll next year. 110% COMMITTED pic.twitter.com/niMc3jL0pI— Michael Statham (@_bigmike57) April 14, 2019 Statham, who attends St. Frances High School in Baltimore, has nine scholarship offers from Power 5 schools,...

These players stood out Saturday in Pitt’s Blue-Gold Game: Offense Quarterback Kenny Pickett After a tough ending to last season, Pickett used some new techniques taught to him by offensive coordinator Mark Whipple (footwork, etc.) and looked confident in the pocket. He completed 10 of 14 passes for 125 yards...

Placing too much significance on spring football is often folly, but three Pitt players were so sure in their declarations after the Blue-Gold Game on Saturday that they should not be ignored. • In his own words, wide receiver Tre Tipton is “lovin’ life,” a revelation that actually hit him...

Two Pitt players switching positions, one who has battled a variety of injuries and a redshirt sophomore who moved onto the No. 1 offensive line two weeks ago were named winners of the Ed Conway Award as the most improved players in spring ball. Former safety Phil Campbell, who is...

Pitt will celebrate its football program — past and present — Saturday with its spring game at Heinz Field. It’s an opportunity to get a look at what Pat Narduzzi, his coaches and players have worked on for the past month, and to maybe meet the game’s honorary coaches, former...

After playing four games for the Single-A Bradenton Marauders, Gregory Polanco will shift his rehab assignment to Triple-A Indianapolis, where he is scheduled to play Saturday night against the Charlotte Knights. Polanco, who had shoulder surgery in September after hitting a career-high 23 home runs for the Pittsburgh Pirates, played...

Aaron Donald, the two-time defending NFL Defensive Player of the Year of the Los Angeles Rams, is doing more than lifting weights at the University of Pittsburgh Performance center. Pitt announced Friday morning that Donald, a Penn Hills graduate who was the nation’s most dominant defender in 2013, has made...

Pat Narduzzi said junior center Jimmy Morrissey won’t play in Pitt’s Blue-Gold Game on Saturday at Heinz Field, but his recovery from season-ending foot surgery is going well. Which is good news considering he is Pitt’s most experienced offensive lineman and perhaps its most valuable player on offense who doesn’t...

When Pitt senior defensive tackle Amir Watts made safety Jazzee Stocker the first pick in the spring game draft Thursday, he shouted, “You’re the first pick. We want to make you a very rich man.” But Watts’ co-captain on the gold squad, senior wide receiver Maurice Ffrench, had another reason...

Most mornings this spring around 7 a.m., Pitt safeties coach Cory Sanders expected a text message from sophomore Paris Ford. “Coach, you there?” “He wanted to get some extra work,” Sanders said, “which a lot of those guys do.” With only two of 15 practices remaining this spring, Pitt’s secondary...

The Pittsburgh Pirates recalled infielder Kevin Kramer from Triple-A Indianapolis to replace infielder Kevin Newman, who was put on the 10-day injured list with a laceration on his right middle finger. There are currently 10 players on the Pirates’ injury list. Newman’s placement is retroactive to Tuesday. He was injured...

Aaron Donald will get the chance to improve on his 0-1 record as a Pitt spring game coach when he opposes former Panthers running back LeSean McCoy at 1 p.m Saturday in the Blue-Gold Game at Heinz Field. Donald, a former Pitt All-American defensive tackle who has developed into the...

Duquesne’s roster lost another player Wednesday — the fourth in three days — when 6-foot-11 freshman center Dylan Swingle entered the NCAA transfer portal. Swingle did not play last season, accepting a redshirt in his first year on campus, but he’s the second 6-11 player to make plans to transfer...

The Pittsburgh Pirates are only nine games into the season, but it feels like mid-July with all the news that has swirled around the team since Opening Day. It started with unexpected bullpen failures, followed by a four-game sweep of Cincinnati Reds, who don’t look to be as improved as...

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Chris Archer could miss his next scheduled start after he was suspended five games and fined an undisclosed amount of money by Major League Baseball for throwing behind Derek Dietrich of the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday. Pirates pitcher Chris Archer and Reds outfielder Yasiel Puig, as well...

Duquesne sophomore Eric Williams Jr., the last scholarship player on the roster not recruited by coach Keith Dambrot, has put his name into the NCAA transfer portal and announced his intentions to leave the program. Williams made the announcement on Twitter. The loss of Williams, a 6-foot-6, 205-pound guard, is...

Felipe Vazquez was so certain trouble was brewing Sunday at PNC Park, he felt it through walls, down a hallway, up some stairs and into the clubhouse. It was the fourth inning of what would become the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 7-5 victory against the Cincinnati Reds, and the final blow in...

Jason Martin described his first three days with the Pittsburgh Pirates as “crazy,” but he got down to a business Sunday at PNC Park in a game marred by a benches-clearing dustup in the fourth inning. He singled, doubled and recorded his first major league RBI in his second consecutive...

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ two most valuable relief pitchers, Keone Kela and Felipe Vazquez, were ejected in the top of the fourth inning Sunday after Pirates and Cincinnati Reds players rushed onto the field when Pirates starter Chris Archer threw behind Derek Dietrich. Also ejected were Reds manager David Bell, right...