April 1, 2026 4:28 am
CINCINNATI (AP) — Oneil Cruz homered twice and Ryan O’Hearn hit a three-run shot as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-3. O’Hearn and Bryan Reynolds went back-to-back in the second inning. Cruz finished with three hits and three RBIs. He also scored three times. The Reds were held hitless until Jose Trevino singled off reliever Hunter Barco with one out in the seventh. Pirates rookie starter Bubba Chandler tossed 4 1/3 innings with six strikeouts, but also walked six. Sal Stewart and Elly De La Cruz hit consecutive homers off Barco to trim the Pirates’ lead to 6-3 in the eighth.Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly was ejected in the eighth for arguing with plate umpire Jordan Baker.
April 1, 2026 4:30 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Rickard Rakell, Anthony Mantha and Egor Chinakov scored first-period goals as the Penguins raced past Detroit 5-1. Evgeni Malkin added an assist for his 1,399th career point in his return from an upper-body injury that forced him to miss four games. The Penguins remained in second place in the Metropolitan Division with the victory. Dylan Larkin scored his 30th of the season but Detroit’s postseason hopes took another hit following its fourth loss in five games.
April 1, 2026 4:32 am
PHOENIX (AP) — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says he has no plans to end the league’s Rooney Rule despite recent objections from Florida’s attorney general, who wrote that the league’s minority hiring guidelines violate Florida state law. Goodell was speaking on Tuesday at the end of the NFL league meetings. He acknowledged the changing political landscape for diversity initiatives in the U.S., but added that he didn’t believe there should be any legal issues with the league’s policy. Also on Tuesday, the NFL’s competition committee approved a one-year rule for the upcoming season that would allow the replay center in New York to correct “clear and obvious mistakes made by on-field officials that impact the game” in case of a work stoppage involving the NFL Referees Association.
April 1, 2026 4:31 am
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Tiger Woods says he’ll step away and seek treatment after his SUV crash in Florida. Woods made his comments Tuesday, four days after the crash that led to his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence. Woods pleaded not guilty on Tuesday in his driving under the influence case. The plea came hours after a sheriff’s report said he had pain pills in his pocket and showed signs of impairment at the crash scene last week. I’s the second time Woods has taken a leave following a car crash. In 2009, he announced a leave after his SUV plowed into a fire hydrant and tree outside his home near Orlando.
March 31, 2026 4:23 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Anthony Mantha had two goals and an assist, Rickard Rakell scored twice and the Pittsburgh Penguins rallied to defeat the New York Islanders 8-3 in a crucial game in the competitive Eastern Conference playoff race. The Penguins trailed 3-1 midway through the second period before scoring four times in less than 6 1/2 minutes to take over. Their seventh goal on their 28th shot eight minutes into the third chased Ilya Sorokin, who was done in by porous defense in front of him. Pittsburgh with the regulation victory leapfrogged New York into second place in the Metropolitan Division, 90 points to 89.
March 31, 2026 4:24 am
CINCINNATI (AP) — Chase Burns allowed one hit in five innings for his first major league win, leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 2-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Burns (1-0) walked three and struck out seven, including Jared Triolo with two on and two outs in the fourth. Conner Phillips retired three straight for his first career save. Elly De La Cruz singled leading off the fourth against Braxton Ashcraft (0-1) for the Reds but was thrown out trying to steal second. Sal Stewart walked, took third on a single by Eugenio Suárez and scored on a sacrifice fly by Spencer Steer. Suárez scored on a triple by Will Benson to cap the scoring in a third straight win for Cincinnati.
March 31, 2026 4:27 am
PHOENIX (AP) — The NFL is moving forward with plans to begin hiring and training replacement officials in the next several weeks because negotiations with the referees’ union have been unsuccessful, two people with knowledge of the discussions told The Associated Press. Both people spoke on condition of anonymity Sunday because the conversations are private. The league and the NFL Referees Association have been negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement since the summer of 2024. The current CBA expires on May 31. The NFL has increased its offer to a 6.45% annual growth rate in compensation over a six-year labor deal, but the NFLRA wants 10% plus $2.5 million for marketing fees, the people said.
March 31, 2026 1:03 am
Survive & advance. The Men’s Basketball tournament Final Four is set–#1 Arizona will take on #1 Michigan, #2 UConn will play #3 Illinois on Saturday. Meanwhile the women moved to the Elite 8 round, with two spots decided Sunday–#1 UConn & #1 UCLA both winning. WJPA-AM (1450) is your home for the NCAA Men’s & Women’s Basketball Championships, right through the finals next Sunday & Monday.
Monday, March 30
Women’s Elite 8
#1 Texas > #2 Michigan, 77-41
#1 South Carolina > #3 TCU, 78-52
Sunday, March 29
Men’s Elite 8
#1 Michigan > #6 Tennessee, 95-62
#2 UConn > #1 Duke, 73-72
Women’s Elite 8
#1 UConn > #6 Notre Dame, 70-52
#1 UCLA > #3 Duke, 70-58
March 30, 2026 4:38 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Ryan O’Hearn had three hits and two RBIs, including a go-ahead single in the 10th inning, and the Pittsburgh Pirates threw out the potential tying run at the plate to hold off the New York Mets 4-3 for their first victory this season. Henry Davis added a critical RBI single off New York reliever Richard Lovelady with two outs in the 10th, and the Pirates got another home run from Brandon Lowe as they salvaged the series finale to avoid their first 0-3 start since 2015. Dennis Santana pitched a perfect inning for the win, and José Urquidy got three outs in his Pirates debut for his second major league save.
March 30, 2026 4:41 am
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Bruce Cassidy is out as coach of the Vegas Golden Knights, who fired him Sunday and replaced him with John Tortorella. General manager Kelly McCrimmon announced the move a day after the team lost three in a row and six of its past seven games. Tortorella joins Vegas for his 24th NHL season as a head coach. He was not in the league this year and was an assistant for the U.S. at the Milan Cortina Olympics when it won gold. He coached Tampa Bay to the Stanley Cup in 2004. Cassidy led the Golden Knights to the Cup in 2023 and was fired less than three years later.
