Analysis; Justin Fields Still Has Potential To Be A Special Player

March 20, 2024 4:40 am

Justin Fields went from being considered a franchise quarterback to disregarded by the Chicago Bears in just three seasons. It’s quite a fall for a former first-round pick who showed promise. After more than a dozen QBs switched teams last week in the opening days of the NFL’s free-agent frenzy, the Bears traded Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a conditional sixth-round pick in 2025. The pick becomes a fourth-rounder if Fields ends up playing more than expected. It’s not surprising that Fields was traded, but it was a shocker that the Bears basically gave him away.

March Madness Returns to WJPA-AM

March 19, 2024 9:52 am

Conference championship week is over. Selection Sunday has come and gone. Tonight, the NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship Tournament tips off with the First Four in Dayton. WJPA-AM (1450) is your home for all the exciting moments of March Madness. We’ll bring you live coverage from every site, every game through opening weekend, Sweet 16, Regional Finals, the Final Four and the National Championship games. We’ll have extensive coverage of the Women’s Tournament starting with the Sweet 16 next weekend.

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Last year, a team from New Jersey called Fairleigh Dickinson played its way out of the First Four and then became one of the most improbable bracket-busters in NCAA Tournament history. Two days after winning in Dayton, the Knights upset Purdue, only the second time in history a No. 16 seed beat a No 1 seed. Eight teams begin their NCAA Tournament journey on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, hoping to be the next team to start in Dayton and do some bracket busting. Wagner faces Howard on Tuesday night, followed by Colorado State against Virginia. On Wednesday, Grambling plays Montana State, and Colorado draws Boise State.

Pickett Mum On Moving On From Steelers

March 19, 2024 4:55 am

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kenny Pickett is ready for a fresh start in Philadelphia. The Pittsburgh Steelers traded the quarterback to the Eagles last week. Pickett will serve as the backup QB to Jalen Hurts. The move came hours after the Steelers signed nine-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson to a one-year deal. Pickett said Monday that he “just thought it was time” for him to leave Pittsburgh and called the move to Philadelphia a “good reset.” The New Jersey native grew up an Eagles fan.

Duquesne Coach Keith Dambrot To Retire

March 19, 2024 2:26 am

(WPXI) – One day after possibly the biggest win in his career at Duquesne, head basketball coach Keith Dambrot announced he’s retiring at the end of the year.  Duquesne won the Athletic 10 Conference Sunday as a 6th seed with a 57-51 win over VCU. That earned the Dukes an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. They’ll face BYU Thursday at 12:40pm in Omaha, Nebraska.  It’s Duquesne’s first NCAA bidi since 1977.  Dambrot took the head coaching job at Duquesne in 2017. In his second year, he led the Dukes to its first winning season in nearly a decade.  Dambrot’s relationship with Duquesne runs deep. His late father played there from 1952 to 1954, when the Dukes were number one in the country.

AP Source; Cowboys Rework Dak Prescott’s Contract

March 19, 2024 4:28 am

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — A person with knowledge of the move says the Dallas Cowboys are slightly reducing quarterback Dak Prescott’s massive salary cap hit by reworking his contract going into the final year of the deal. A $5 million roster bonus has been converted into a signing bonus to reduce the 2024 cap hit by $4 million. It’s now at $55 million. The Cowboys can create more salary cap relief with an extension for Prescott. He is coming off a wild-card loss at home to Green Bay that dropped his playoff record to 2-5.

Blake Snell & Giants Agree To $62M, 2-Year Contract

March 19, 2024 4:29 am

A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell and the San Francisco Giants have agreed to a $62 million, two-year contract. Snell has the right to opt out after this season and become a free agent. A 30-year-old left-hander, Snell is 71-55 with a 3.20 ERA in 191 starts over eight major league seasons, winning Cy Youngs in 2018 with Tampa Bay and last year with San Diego.

Crosby Leads Penguins Over Red Wings

March 18, 2024 4:39 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sidney Crosby matched Wayne Gretzky for the seventh-most goals with a single franchise in NHL history, and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Detroit Red Wings 6-3. Crosby, Lars Eller, Reilly Smith and Valtteri Puustinen each had a goal and an assist for Pittsburgh, which won for the second time in three games following a four-game losing streak. Michael Bunting and Drew O’Connor also scored. Crosby’s 583rd career goal, his first in 12 games and No. 33 on the season, helped the Penguins keep their playoff hopes alive after dealing star winger Jake Guentzel at the trade deadline.

Duquesne To NCAA Tournament For First Time In 47 Years

March 18, 2024 4:41 am

Duquesne earned an NCAA Tournament bid for the first time in 47 years, beating fifth-seeded seeded VCU 57-51 to win the Atlantic 10 Tournament championship. The sixth-seeded Dukes (24-11) led by 14 at the half, but bringing home that long-awaited invite to March Madness was a struggle. Duquesne scored only 21 points and shot 5 for 29 from the field in the second half. The small Catholic school in Pittsburgh will head into the NCAA Tournament with an eight-game winning streak. Joe Bamisile led VCU, which was trying to repeat as A-10 tournament champs, with 20 points.

UConn, Houston, Purdue & North Carolina Land Top Seeds

March 18, 2024 4:42 am

Defending champion Connecticut, along with Houston, Purdue and North Carolina are the top seeds in a March Madness bracket that started going haywire even before the pairings came out. Of the four top seeds, only UConn heads into the tournament coming off a win. That played into the Huskies receiving the No. 1 overall seed. The other three top seeds lost in their conference tournaments.

Women’s NCAA Tournament; South Carolina, Iowa, USC & Texas Are Top Seeds

March 18, 2024 4:43 am

South Carolina is the the top overall seed in the women’s NCAA Tournament. The Gamecocks are looking to become the 10th women’s basketball team to go undefeated for an entire season. Caitlin Clark and Iowa also received a No. 1 seed. Both schools are in the Albany Region and wouldn’t potentially face off until the national championship game. Iowa knocked South Carolina out last season in the Final Four. USC and Texas earned the other No. 1 seeds. Tennessee continued its streak of making the tournament every season since it began in 1982.