February 4, 2022 3:22 am
CLEVELAND (AP) – Basketball Hall of Fame head coach Bill Fitch has died at 89. Fitch was the original coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers and guided the Boston Celtics to the 1981 NBA Championship. His 25-year NBA coaching career also included stops with the Houston Rockets, New Jersey Jets and Los Angeles Lakers before retiring in 1998. No cause of death was given.
February 2, 2022 10:02 pm
The WPIAL Wrestling Team Tournaments opened Wednesday with the first two rounds. In Class 2A, #5 Mt. Pleasant avenged an earlier loss to Beth-Center, knocking out the #4 Bulldogs. #1 Burrell, #2 Burgettstown and #3 Quaker Valley also reached the semifinals. Class 3A has the top four teams advancing to Saturday’s action as #1 Waynesburg, #2 Latrobe, #3 Connellsville and #4 Canon-McMillan each won two dual meets to move on. The semifinals and finals are set for 12 noon Saturday at Chartiers-Houston (2A) and Peters Township (3A). Click Here for the WPIAL Team Tournament brackets.
Class 2A, Semifinals (12 noon), Finals/Third-Place (15 minutes following conclusion)
#2 Burgettstown vs. #3 Quaker Valley on WJPA-FM (95.3) or Listen Here
#1 Burrell vs. #5 Mt. Pleasant
Semifinals winners wrestle for first place, losers for third
Class 3A, Semifinals (12 noon), Finals/Third-Place (15 minutes following conclusion)
#4 Canon-McMillan vs. #1 Waynesburg on WJPA-AM (1450) or Listen Here
#2 Greater Latrobe vs. #3 Connellsville
Semifinals winners wrestle for first place, losers for third
February 3, 2022 4:00 am
UNDATED (AP) – Brian Flores says his lawsuit against the NFL alleging racist hiring practices will continue even if he becomes a head coach again this offseason because the league needs change.
According to the lawsuit, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross told Flores he would pay him $100,000 for every loss during the coach’s first season because he wanted the club to “tank” so it could get the draft’s top pick. The lawsuit alleges that Ross also pressured Flores to recruit a prominent quarterback in violation of the league’s tampering rules. It says that when Flores refused, he was portrayed as an “angry Black man” who is difficult to work with and was derided until he was fired. Flores was fired last month after leading the Dolphins to a 24-25 record over three years.
February 3, 2022 3:58 am
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – The NCAA generated more than $1.15 billion in revenue in 2021, returning to normal after the cancellation of the men’s basketball tournament because of the pandemic in 2020 cost the association and its member schools $800 million. The majority of the revenue is distributed back to its more than 1,200 member schools. The 350 Division I schools that can participate in the basketball tournament earn the bulk of it, mostly through shared payouts to conferences.
February 2, 2022 3:02 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) -Dmitry Orlov scored his second goal of the game in the final minute of overtime to give the Washington Capitals a 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Orlov scored the winner at 4:17 of OT, beating goaltender Tristan Jarry on the blocker side with a wrist shot. Nic Dowd scored a short-handed goal and Daniel Sprong also scored for the Capitals, who won their second straight. Ilya Samsonov made 43 saves for the Capitals. Samsonov denied Sidney Crosby his 499th career goal with a stop on a breakaway in overtime. Pittsburgh scored three power-play goals. Bryan Rust had two and Evgeni Malkin one. Jarry made 28 saves for the Penguins, who lost four straight games for the first time this season.
February 2, 2022 3:07 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Fired Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores sued the NFL and three teams on Tuesday over alleged racist hiring practices for coaches and general managers, saying the league remains “rife with racism” even as it publicly condemns it. The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court, said the hypocrisy was on display with the chilly treatment Flores received from the Dolphins after he refused to accept a $100,000-a-game offer from the club his first season to “tank” so it could secure the top draft pick. The lawsuit sought class-action status and unspecified damages from the league, the Dolphins, the Denver Broncos and the New York Giants, along with unidentified individuals. Flores, 40, was fired last month by Miami after leading the Dolphins to a 24-25 record over three years. They went 9-8 in their second straight winning season, but failed to make the playoffs during his tenure.
February 2, 2022 3:05 am
NEW YORK (AP) – A contentious 90-minute negotiating session between locked out players and Major League Baseball today brought little development Tuesday. A session on noneconomic issues is set for Wednesday and there is no date for the resumption of talks on the core matters, such as luxury tax thresholds. Owners are scheduled to meet from Feb. 8-10 in Orlando, Florida, making it less likely there could be negotiations over those days. In a sign of the lack of progress, the union has started to distribute withheld money to players from its stoppage fund.
February 2, 2022 3:04 am
BEIJING (AP) – The three-day torch relay for the Beijing Olympics has started with an 80-year-old former speedskater carrying the flame. The relay has been shortened considerably because of concerns about the coronavirus. Luo Zhihuan ran the first leg. He is the country’s first internationally competitive speedskater. The torch will be carried through the three Olympics zones. It starts with downtown Beijing. The Beijing Games have already been impacted on a scale similar to that experienced by Tokyo during last year’s Summer Olympics. China says only selected spectators will be allowed to attend the events.
January 31, 2022 2:07 am
WPIAL basketball enters the home stretch, the final two weeks of section play. Playoff berths have already been clinched by girls teams at Peters Township and Trinity along with the Wash High boys. The top four teams in each section qualify and only section games count in that process. Here’s a look at where each Washington County team stands as we move into the final two weeks of the regular season.
Boys
6A Canon-McMillan (2-4) and Peters Township (1-5) are on the bottom of the six-team section but each has a win against a team above them. With four games left, they’ll need to beat beat each other as well as Baldwin, the current final qualifier from Section 2.
5A Trinity (0-6) is last in Section 2 and trails the last playoff spot by two games with four to play. But the road is not impossible for the Hillers with games remaining against the two teams right above the. Trinity must beat Moon Tuesday (a game we’ll have on WJPA-AM) and West Allegheny next week to keep hopes alive in Section 2. Ringgold (2-4) is tied with Thomas Jefferson for fourth place in Section 1. The two meet at Ringgold Tuesday, Feb. 8.
3A Wash High (8-0) has earned a playoff spot and leads Section 4, two games ahead of Brownsville with four games left. Charleroi (3-4) has dropped to fifth place, a game back of Waynesburg. McGuffey (1-6) is two games back of Waynesburg. Beth-Center (0-8) can not make the playoffs.
2A Fort Cherry (5-1) is one game back of Section 2 leader Carlynton. The Rangers host the Cougars Friday night (hear that game on WJPA-FM). Chartiers-Houston (2-4) sits in 4th place and can clinch a playoff spot with a win at home Tuesday against Northgate. Burgettstown (0-6) two games back with four left to play, including games against the section leaders. California (2-3) is in 4th place in Section 4, one game ahead of Bentworth (1-5). California has one game to make up vs. Frazier.
1A Avella (0-5) is in last place in Section 2, 1.5 games back of the final playoff position.
Girls
6A Peters Township (6-3) has clinched its berth and is currently in 3rd place in Section 2, one game back of second-place Upper St. Clair. Canon-McMillan (0-8) is in last place and can not reach the playoffs.
5A Trinity (8-0) leads Section 3 and has clinched a playoff berth. The Hillers have rolled past most section foes but edged Thomas Jefferson by four last week. Trinity hosts Albert Gallatin Thursday. The Colonials gave Trinity its closest challenge prior to the TJ game. Ringgold (2-5) is currently tied for fifth, a half-game back of Connellsville. The two split their regular season games.
3A Charleroi (3-4) has the best mark of the four county teams in Section 2, and that’s good enough for fourth place. The Cougars have games left with Brownsville (5-3), McGuffey, Bentworth (2 games) and Wash High. McGuffey (3-5) and Bentworth (2-6) are longshots at best. Wash High (0-9) can not qualify.
2A California (4-2) is in third place in Section 2, three games better than fifth place. The Trojans clinch a berth with one more win. Beth-Center (0-5) is one game back of Carmichaels for the final berth. Burgettstown (5-0) leads Section 3 with five to play including a pair of games with winless Northgate. Fort Cherry (3-2) is third, Chartiers-Houston (2-3) fourth, both likely to make the post-season. The Bucs & Rangers play at Fort Cherry Saturday (tentatively set for 1:30 pm on WJPA-FM).
1A Avella (3-3) is currently third in Section 2, losing to the top two teams, beating the three teams below them.
February 1, 2022 3:52 am
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Tom Brady has retired after winning seven Super Bowls and setting numerous passing records in an unprecedented 22-year-career. He made the announcement in a long post on Instagram. Brady has long stated his desire to spend more time with his wife, supermodel Gisele Bundchen, and three children despite still playing at the top of his game.The 44-year-old Brady goes out after leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title last season and NFC South championship this season.
