March 5, 2026 12:18 pm
Andrew McCutchen won’t be returning to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2026. McCutchen and the Texas Rangers have agreed to a minor-league deal with an invite to spring training, as first reported by Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. The agreement is pending a physical. McCutchen’s deal with the Rangers solidifies a rocky end to his second stint in Pittsburgh. The 39-year-old, who spent the last three seasons in Pittsburgh after first returning to his original organization in 2023, made several posts on social media in recent weeks after it was clear the Pirates were heading in a different direction. McCuctchen, who had served as the Pirates primary designated hitter since returning, slashed .239/.333/.367 with 22 doubles, 13 home runs and 57 RBI in 135 games last season. It was once assumed that McCutchen, a fan favorite and the face of the Pirates in the 21st century, would end his career in Pittsburgh, the city in which he’s established his permanent residence. But in the end that was not the case.
March 5, 2026 4:28 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Chauncey Wiggins scored 18 points with the help of 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point range and Lajae Jones scored 18 points, and Florida State withstood Pittsburgh’s rally to beat the Panthers 75-74 on Wednesday night. Robert McCray V scored 14 points for Florida State (16-14, 9-8 ACC) which shot 48% (28 of 58). Barry Dunning Jr. scored 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, reserve Nojus Indrusaitis scored 17 points, Cameron Cohren 14 and Damarco Minor scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Pitt (11-19, 4-13).
March 5, 2026 4:30 am
Lou Holtz, the College Football Hall of Fame coach who led Notre Dame to a national championship and won 249 games over 33 seasons at six schools, has died. He was 89. Notre Dame announced on Wednesday that Holtz died in Orlando, Florida, surrounded by his family. Spokeswoman Katy Lonergan said a cause of death was not provided by the family. Holtz became the first and so far only coach to lead six different teams to bowl games during a career in which he compiled a record of 249-132-7. At Notre Dame, he went 100-30-2 in 11 seasons.
March 5, 2026 4:32 am
The New England Patriots have informed wide receiver Stefon Diggs that he’ll be released when the new league year begins next week, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team hasn’t announced its intention. Diggs posted a goodbye on social media, thanking the Patriots for the season. Diggs led the team with 85 receptions and 1,013 yards receiving with four touchdowns in his only season in New England, helping the Patriots reach the Super Bowl.
March 4, 2026 4:31 am
BOSTON (AP) — Marat Khusnutdinov and Casey Mittelstadt scored less than a minute apart early in the first period and the Boston Bruins held on for a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Pittsburgh’s Erik Karlsson scored just 42 seconds into the game, but Khusnutdinov tied it at 1-1 when he snapped the puck high inside the far post past Penguins goalie Stuart Skinner at 5:10 of the first. Mittelstadt scored 50 seconds later when gathered in the rebound of Nikita Zadorov’s shot and fired past a diving Skinner. Skinner had 26 saves. Boston’s Jeremy Swayman made 34 saves.
March 4, 2026 4:32 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh has fired women’s basketball coach Tory Verdi. Panthers athletic director Allen Greene announced the decision after the Panthers missed the ACC tournament following an 8-23 record, including a 1-17 mark in conference play. The move came weeks after former Pitt players filed a lawsuit against Verdi and the university, alleging they were subject to Verdi’s abusive coaching practices and the school did nothing to stop him. The university has denied the allegations. Verdi went 29-66 in three seasons with the Panthers.
March 4, 2026 4:34 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar has been suspended for the 2026 season by Major League Baseball following his second positive test for a performance-enhancing drug. Profar tested positive for exogenous testosterone and its metabolites, the commissioner’s office said, which means testosterone that was not produced by his body. Because it was a second offense, the length of Profar’s suspension was 162 games. An All-Star in 2024, Profar was suspended for 80 games last March 31 following a positive test for Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG), a hormone that helps production of testosterone. He issued a statement then saying: “I would never willingly take a banned substance.”
March 2, 2026 2:46 am
The PIAA released the state basketball playoff brackets early Sunday afternoon, including the sites/times for the eight teams from Washington & Greene Counties still playing. WPIAL 6A girls champion Canon-McMillan is the only local team to host a first-round game. The Big Macs will entertain District 3-8th Gov. Mifflin Friday with a 6 pm tip-off. Chartiers-Houston, Fort Cherry and Burgettstown girls, along with the Ringgold boys all open PIAA play Friday on the road. Peters Township and Trinity girls, plus the Jeff-Morgan boys, all begin the state playoffs on the road Saturday afternoon. PIAA Brackets
Friday, Mar. 6 (District – finish)
6A Girls 3-8 Gov. Mifflin at 7-1 Canon-McMillan, 5:45 pm, WJPA.com Watch/Listen Here
2A Girls 7-3 Chartiers-Houston at 9-2 Kane, 5:45 pm, WJPA.com Watch/Listen Here
2A Girls 7-6 Fort Cherry at 10-1 Wilmington, 7 pm
2A Girls 7-7 Burgettstown at WPIAL champion Neshannock, 7 pm
5A Boys 7-8 Ringgold at Dist. 3 champion West York, 6 pm
Saturday, Mar. 7
5A Girls 7-4 Peters Township at 3-3 Susquehannock, 12:45 pm, WJPA.com, Watch/Listen Here
5A Girls 7-7 Trinity at Dist. 6 champion Hollidaysburg, 12:45 pm, WJPA.com, Watch/Listen Here
2A Boys 7-6 Jeff-Morgan at Dist. 9 champion Redbank Valley, 1 pm
March 3, 2026 4:34 am
The Boston Bruins will try to keep their 10-game home win streak intact when they play the Pittsburgh Penguins. Boston has a 33-21-5 record overall and a 22-8-1 record in home games. The Bruins have given up 184 goals while scoring 198 for a +14 scoring differential. Pittsburgh has gone 16-7-6 on the road and 31-15-13 overall. The Penguins have a 7-6-5 record in games decided by a goal. The matchup Tuesday is the second meeting between these teams this season. The Bruins won 1-0 in the previous meeting.
March 3, 2026 4:30 am
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Duke star freshman Cameron Boozer had a pair of long, thick and inflamed scatches wrapped around his right shoulder after a lopsided win at N.C. State. The victory secured the outright Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title for the Blue Devils. Boozer finished with 26 points in the 93-64 win. He joked that “the Wolfpack got me” afterward with “long claws.” Boozer says the scratches came from one of the Wolfpack’s big men after halftime.
