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Woodall Leaves Street Life Behind

J. Brady McCollough, Pitt. Post-Gazette

Literally a New Dawn at Penn State

Joe McIntyre, Philadelphia Inquirer

Burnett Deal Would Help Pirates

Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

West Virginia Says So Long to Big East

Dave Hickman, Charleston Gazette

Tray Woodall sits leaning forward on the beige loveseat fit for a bachelor pad, Xbox 360 controller in hand, his long fingers directing "GQTray1" around a wartime setting on the ...(full article)

It's 5:15 a.m. on a Friday in State College, and Penn State head football coach Bill O'Brien struts onto his team's practice field outside the Lasch Football Building holding a c...(full article)

The Big 12 needs Louisville because West Virginia needs a neighbor. The Big 12 needs Louisville, because this West Virginia thing needs to work for long-term conference stabilit...(full article)

Seems there are two prominent schools of thought around here regarding the Pirates' pursuit of A.J. Burnett from the New York Yankees: 1. The Pirates will blow this. They won't m...(full article)

The two sides finally announced Tuesday morning that they have agreed to part ways, ending four months of legal wrangling for what is believed to be a $20 million settlement. Nei...(full article)

More Recent Articles

Yankees Had to Unload Burnett

cipient of the fans' boos and the tabloids' jeers. Questions about his status bogged down each of manager Joe Girardi's daily press briefings. He is too overpriced to be a reliev...

Sources: Yanks Want More for Burnett

The proposed trade between the New York Yankees and Pittsburgh that would make A.J. Burnett a Pirate is close but not quite done, and there are indications that the Yankees are p...

WVU's Parting Is Anything But Sweet

Take me home, country roads. But we'll need planes, trains and automobiles to get there. West Virginia's ugly divorce from the Big East finally became official Tuesday morning, o...

Bottom Line: Steelers Owe Ward Nothing

If it has been said once, it has been said hundreds of times. The Steelers owe Hines Ward. They owe him a job. They owe him an immediate answer about his future. They owe him resp...

Rooney's Meddling Very Un-Steelers-Like

This is what we know about a story that continues to grow and may not go away anytime soon. We know Mike Tomlin has appeared in two Super Bowls, winning one. He's one ...

Steelers Owe Ward Respect

Just to get this on the record: I won't complain if the Steelers release Hines Ward, given his performance last season, the three young receivers ahead of him and that he'll turn...

Big Ben in Steelers' Power Struggle

The Steelers' clumsy coordinator shuffle clearly was aimed at making one man a lot less comfortable. The quarterback. That is what makes this drama so compelling. How does Ben Roet...

10 Big Questions This Offseason

How will the fit be between Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and new Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Todd Haley? Haley's in-your-face style isn't for everyone, but my hunc...

Erroneous Perceptions Dog Haley

There's a perception out there that Steelers new offensive coordinator Todd Haley is a tyrant. It's one thing to be emotional, a good thing actually in a sport as competitive as ...

Goodell Great for NFL, If Not for Steelers

It was about 90 minutes after Super Bowl XLIII, a game that always will be remembered here because of the Steelers' fabulous comeback against the Arizona Cardinals. NFL commissio...

O'Brien Focused on Super Bowl, Not Signing Day

National Signing Day was coming and Bill O’Brien, new headman at Penn State, didn’t seem too obsessed. Or, well, hardly even concerned. “I’m looking forward to getting b...

Is It Time for Crosby to Retire?

Sid the Kid, meet Sid the Ambassador. Hockey Ambassador. Concussion ambassador. No skating involved. Nobody trying to leave an imprint of your body in the boards. Just one very inf...

O'Brien Juggles Super Bowl and Signing Day

As most of Bill O'Brien's peers in the business of big-time college football spend Wednesday huddled by fax machines, the new Penn State coach will be hundreds of miles from camp...

Hard Not to Notice a Broken Neck

One can choose to study the Sidney Crosby injury saga through the maddening prism of its particulars. One could dissect every detail of every visit to every doctor to what now mi...

'Inexcusable' Call Dooms W. Virginia

West Virginia did what it needed to do to tie Saturday's game against No. 3 Syracuse and a point-blank shot with 8 seconds to go had everyone on the sideline jumping and screamin...

Great Man Who Made Great Mistake

For two hours, they honored the late hero-villain. Humans always become better people when they are dead. It is the nature of eulogies. So, feeling both grief and persecution, th...

Crosby's Neck Injury Raises New Concerns

Maybe the news that Sidney Crosby suffered some sort of neck injury will turn out to be a moot point. Maybe Crosby, who has resumed skating and remains hopeful of returning to ac...

Paterno Service 1st Step in New Legacy

Every funereal shade of gray in nature's catalog draped Penn State for the occasion of Joe Paterno's public memorial service, a perfectly lachrymose contrast to the brilliant col...

No Coach Will Ever Equal Paterno's Power

Now that Joe Paterno has passed on from Happy Valley we must ponder whether we will ever see his like again. But please understand, I am now writing about Coach Paterno. Let us f...

Penn State Recruits Few Stars

A seemingly endless stream of negative headlines. Prolonged coaching limbo that left men on the verge of getting fired selling the school that was about to fire them. A new head co...

Pitt Losing Fan Support

When Steelers defensive end Brett Keisel gets the biggest cheer at a Pitt home basketball game against a Big East Conference opponent in a football season when the Steelers get T...

A Last Look at His Numbers

Legendary Penn State football coach Joe Paterno died Sunday at age 85, a little more than two months after he was fired midway through his 46th season leading the Nittany Lions. ...

Remembering Paterno at His Best

Maybe you will never be convinced Joe Paterno was a good man who made one catastrophic mistake, but do you have time for just one story?   In 2000, Penn State freshman defensive ...

No Bitterness in Paterno's Final Days

In the moments after Joe Paterno died, it became common for people to write and say that he died of a broken heart. He did not. Joe Paterno died of lung cancer and the complicati...

Old Joe Would Shame Young Joe

What would young Joe Paterno have said about old Joe Paterno? What would young Joe, intent on his "Grand Experiment," in which athletic excellence and intellectual rigor entwined ...

Life Ends in Jumble of Confusion

In death as in life, timing matters. Had Joe Paterno died Jan. 22, 2011, he’d have been hailed as the one coach who’d negotiated the murky waters of contemporary coll...

Coach Gone, But Paterno the Institution Remains

A pair of smoky, dim glasses hovering on the sldeline. Herschel Walker in 1982 was high-socked invincibility to a six-year-old, but he met a miserable end in the 1983 Sugar Bowl ...

Remembering a Complicated Legend

"Virgil's ability to plumb the complexity of human affairs is a key to his greatness, a key to his relevance for us today. We live in an age in which simplistic versions of reali...

Broken Heart for Soul of Penn State

When time does what it does, and the full measure is taken, Joe Paterno’s legacy will be a fine and remarkable thing. It will be very close to what the great man hoped and drea...

Cancer's Timing All the More Painful

If the cancer had been more kind, it would have come earlier. The cancer would have come, say, in late summer. Joe Paterno would have been deified then, with the funeral of a ...

Judge Paterno on Whole Book, Not Last Chapter

Can a great man's life be judged by its final two months? Joe Paterno died Sunday morning, and that central question remains unanswered. An American legend passed and his le...

Conflicts Go to Grave With Paterno

As recently as Nov. 4, 2011, a memorial service for Joseph Vincent Paterno probably could have been held in a packed Beaver Stadium, the massive football monument on the outskirt...

Joe Paterno Dies a Tarnished Legend

  Perhaps the most ironic element when looking at the way Joe Paterno lost his job as Penn State's football coach after 46 seasons lies in the fact that Paterno, as a young ma...

'Joe Wanted ... to Say Goodbye'

Former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno appeared near death Saturday night as friends and family were summoned to his hospital bedside for a final goodbye, a source close to...

Sad Irony in Paterno's Final Days

There is considerable confusion in what feels like the somber final days of Joe Paterno's life. The winningest coach in college football history was reported dead on Saturday by ...

Malkin's Excellence Keeping Penguins Afloat

Since Sidney Crosby exited the lineup Dec. 5, the Pittsburgh Penguins have limped to a 9-9-0 record in his absence. If not for the heroics of Evgeni Malkin, things could be a whol...

Where Did It Go Wrong for Pitt?

Jay Bilas is sure to ask the question. So will Digger Phelps and Dick Vitale. "What is wrong with Pitt?" The eyes of the college basketball world will be focused on the slumping P...

PSU Board Recalls Decision to Fire Paterno

It was growing late on the night of Nov. 9, 2011. John P. Surma, the chief executive of U.S. Steel and the vice chairman of Penn State University’s board of trustees, sat at ...

Crosby Will Never Be the Same Again

What will Sidney Crosby 3.0 be like? How long will he last? Those are a couple of the questions that we can now fairly ask about the world’s best hockey player who, in the lates...

Paterno's Words Can't Mask His Failings

“My thing was play as hard as you can, don’t be stupid, pay attention to details, and have enough guts in the clutch that you’re not afraid to make a play. Some things I th...

Paterno Ignorant But Not Innocent

What becomes so obvious while reading Sally Jenkins' extraordinary interview piece with Joe Paterno is that Paterno still doesn't fully comprehend his role in a scandal that stil...

Syracuse Improves to 20-0

This year’s Orange surpassed the previous record of 19 straight wins to open a season set in the 1999-2000 campaign. But while the Orange countdown to the record had been und...

Paterno Is Certainly No Victim

Is it just me or do way too many people believe Joe Paterno is a victim? His wife, Sue, who says he "deserved better" after 61 years of loyal service to Penn State. The many folk...

JoePa Opens Up About Scandal, Sandusky

Joe Paterno, 85, worked in the Penn State football program for more than 60 years, the final 46 as head coach. His 409 coaching victories are the most in the history of college fo...

Penguins Mock 'Ridiculous' Crosby Story

So much for the idea that athletes don't read newspaper clippings about them or their team. The Pittsburgh Penguins, in a response to a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review story Friday morni...

Penguins Snap 6-Game Slide

Hockey players are a superstitious bunch, but Friday the 13th was lucky for the Penguins. Whether they realized it or not. "I don't know what day it is. I don't know what date it i...

Pirates Can Build on Decent Core

To capitalize on the steps the Pittsburgh Pirates took last year, they went into this offseason with a plan: emulate the Houston Astros’ “Killer B’s” core ...

Criticism of Crosby Unfair

Want the truth about Sidney Crosby? OK, you'll have it. Let's start with three critical things you should know about the Penguins' captain, based upon conversations I've had the p...

Pitt Falling Apart, Brick by Brick

So whose walk in the black forest appears the most ominous at this exact moment; who has it worst: Pitt's alleged basketballing Panthers, Pittsburgh hockey-balling Penguins, or y...

Capitals Shut Out Penguins

Tomas Vokoun told his teammates before Wednesday night’s meeting with the rival Pittsburgh Penguins that he planned to be involved in the contest, not just by making saves ...

Tough Calls on Steelers' Icons

The Steelers didn't leave Denver entirely empty-handed after that life-sucking loss Sunday night. As they slumped out of the locker room, luggage and long faces in tow, each paus...

No Signs of a Penguins Turnaround

The company line coming from the Penguins' room Tuesday night was surprisingly upbeat. It sure seemed as if coach Dan Bylsma told the players to keep things positive despite the ...

Caps-Penguins Rivalry Lacking Excitement

Not long ago, Ovi vs. Sid was appointment viewing for fans and the rivalry the NHL used to market its game to the masses. But when the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins ...

Tebow, Broncos Stun Steelers in OT

Well, gag those obnoxious Steelers fans with a Terrible Towel. Tim Tebow and the Broncos shocked Pittsburgh with an 80-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas on the first play ...

Why the Steelers Lost to Tim Tebow

So far this season, Tim Tebow has been bad, then good, then bad again, then kind of OK for a while, then amazingly, atrociously bad. In Sunday's playoff game against the Steele...

Walk-Off Winner: Overtime Is Tebow Time

This time, it really was Tebow time. Tim Tebow was the reason the Denver Broncos defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-23 in overtime Sunday in the NFL playoffs. The numbers (10 o...

DePaul Hands Pitt 4th Straight Loss

DePaul handed Pitt its fourth consecutive loss tonight, a 84-81 setback at Allstate Arena. The loss marks the longest losing streak during Jamie Dixon's nine seasons as head coac...

Mendenhall Out; Redman to Start

Rashard Mendenhall has been lost for the playoffs, but Max Starks isn't worried about a drop-off in the running game as the Steelers prepare for a wild-card game in Denver. Consi...

Steelers' Mendenhall Has Torn ACL

Rashard Mendenhall has a torn anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, in his right knee and will be placed on injured reserve by the Steelers. The 24-year-old halfback will have surge...

Jagr Makes Most of Spotlight

He is nearly 40 now, and even he would admit that he is far past his prime; a level of brilliance matched by only a select few since his decline began. The legs don't quite churn...

Malkin, Neal Step Up for Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins' top-line center is surging at the holidays, piling up point after point in game after game as he tries to win another NHL scoring title.   Last seas...

Hot-Shooting Irish Burn Pitt

That wasn't Notre Dame's burn offense on display Tuesday night in a Big East Conference opener at Joyce Center. That was merely the Fighting Irish's young players burning Pitt at...

Wagner Spoils Pittsburgh's Holiday

Pitt lost one game against a non-conference opponent in the first nine seasons in the Petersen Events Center. Now, in the span of five weeks, the Panthers have dropped two non-co...

Malkin Making Up for No Crosby

As the Pittsburgh Penguins wrapped up practice Thursday before leaving on a long plane ride to Winnipeg, Evgeni Malkin wore a game-type look of determination on his face as he bore...

Steelers Might Hold Big Ben Out

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin hasn't announced his intentions at quarterback publicly or within the organization, but it's widely believed in the front office that Ben R...

Biggest Win of Season for 49ers

Though darkness and light, times of struggle and moments of elevating success, the 49ers held on tight Monday night. They did what they had to. They didn't lose their grip through ...

Pittsburgh's Birch Leaves Program

Khem Birch is leaving Pittsburgh after just 10 games.  The 6-foot-9 Canadian, the highest-ranked player to commit to the Panthers in the history of the program, told CBSSport...

Penguins Fail Litmus Test vs. Bruins

If the Penguins-Boston Bruins game Monday night were a measuring-stick game, the Penguins are in a lot of trouble. They were beaten, 3-1, in their building and the game didn't fe...

Caps Can't Break Funk vs. Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins inspire fiery performances from the Washington Capitals. Thursday night’s visit to Verizon Center, with new Coach Dale Hunter behind the Capitals&rsq...

Surging Rangers Fend Off Penguins

In the end it was gritty, not pretty, and that actually made last night’s 4-3 Rangers’ victory over the Penguins at the Garden even more impressive. Because even afte...

Penguins Bury Senators Early

From the book of don't blink or you'll miss it, the Ottawa Senators came out and dominated the Penguins Friday night at Consol Energy Center. Kept the puck in the Penguins end. G...

Will Crosby's Return Help Ovechkin?

We don't ask much of Sidney Crosby. No, not much, just that he rescue hockey from the doldrums, return to the sensational form he was in at the time of his concussion nearly 11 m...

Former President Favored Secrecy

One of the great paradoxes of the Penn State scandal is evident on the face of Graham B. Spanier, the university’s ousted president. “You know how he’s got that p...

Sandusky's 'Make-Believe World'

The college football world knew him as the "Dean of Linebacker U," the defensive coach who helped Penn State win two national championships. But Jerry Sandusky saw himself as a "...

Fans Flock to Paterno Statue

Car after car stopped outside Beaver Stadium on Saturday, as people hopped out and snapped pictures of friends or family. The bronze statue of legendary Penn State football coach...

Lightning Defeat East-Leading Pens

Steven Stamkos has had one fight in his NHL career, so when the Lightning center Thursday night threw punches at the head of Pittsburgh's Matt Niskanen, it was worth noting. The ...

'Victim Four' Tells His Story

For Victim Four, it isn’t about a single shower. His story begins with a surrogate father and turns into a nightmare.   It is about several years of alleged abuse. It s...

JoePa Sold House to Wife for $1

Joe Paterno transferred full ownership of his house to his wife, Sue, for $1 in July, less than four months before a sexual abuse scandal engulfed his Penn State football program a...

Long Beach St. Upsets No. 9 Pitt

Pitt was hoping to get its defensive issues corrected in time for Long Beach State's visit to the Petersen Events Center Wednesday night. The 49ers only added to the growing conc...

Sandusky Media Blitz an Odd Choice

We talk about the presumption of innocence in this country, and the law says that it is supposed to apply even to Jerry Sandusky. The law says it applies to Sandusky even after J...

Judge Volunteers at Sandusky Charity

When Jerry Sandusky was initially arraigned, as previously reported by Sara Ganim, prosecutors requested $500,000.00 bail and that Sandusky be required to wear a leg monitor. Dis...

Locals Still Hold JoePa in Esteem

This is the first Saturday of the rest of Joe Paterno’s life. He has worked the sidelines for Penn State every Saturday in the fall since 1950. Now he is out as head coach,...

Reflecting the Week, Lions Fall

Graham Zug used to call this place home. Until a year ago, he was a Penn State receiver. His older brother was part of the school's Blue Band. As Zug stood behind the Nittany Lions...

Just 1 Paterno, Jay, on Sideline

The Penn State quarterbacks coach, Jay Paterno, grew up here on McKee Street, less than a mile from campus and a short walk from the football field that his father’s coachi...

Pittsburgh Sports News

WPIAL makes 'no specific findings'

The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) has decided not to take any action ...

DUI charge dropped as Ward pleads g

Prosecutors in DeKalb County, Ga., dropped drunk-driving charges against Steelers receiver Hines War...

2012 High School Musicals

You know spring is almost here when it's time to present the annual list of Western Pennsylvania hig...

Bedard hunts for a big season

Erik Bedard had only spent a day and a half in Florida, but he heard some familiar conversation in t...

Fleury right on the mark as Penguin

Marc-Andre Fleury has had games like this before. Chances are good that he'll have quite a few more,...