http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/ All Sports en-us Copyright 2012, post-gazette.com. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 14:39:55 -0500 15 http://www.post-gazette.com/includes/2007design/images/150x30pg_now_logo.gif http://www.post-gazette.com/ 144 39 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208865-100.stm?cmpid=sports.xml The Penguins have returned forwards Colin McDonald and Jason Williams to their farm team in Wilkes-Barre. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 14:06:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208756-361-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml The newly crowned top 3-point shooter in WPIAL boys basketball history has helped his team reach the playoffs his senior season. Micah Mason broke the WPIAL record for career 3-pointers and helped Highlands earn a spot in the postseason Tuesday with a 72-60 win against visiting Deer Lakes in Class AAA Section 2. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 10:58:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208712-139.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Alberto Contador vowed Tuesday to return to the pinnacle of cycling, maintaining his innocence in the face of a two-year doping ban that stripped the Spanish star of his 2010 Tour de France title. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208713-139-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml The World Anti-Doping Agency on Tuesday urged U.S. federal authorities to quickly hand over evidence collected in their lengthy probe into seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong and doping in American cycling. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208715-143.stm?cmpid=sports.xml The Big Ten, which helped squash the notion of a four-team playoff to crown a national champion in college football several years ago, is taking another look. "All of the Big Ten athletic directors are comfortable exploring the possibility of a four-team playoff," Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis said. "Four is better than two." Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208716-66.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Two days after their grueling season concluded with a tense victory against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI, the New York Giants took a victory lap in Lower Manhattan. The celebration kicked off with a parade that wound north up Broadway's Canyon of Heroes, amid a sea of confetti, horns and fans in blue jerseys, and ended with a ceremony at City Hall Plaza, where Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg presented the players with keys to the city. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208717-66-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml If the Steelers wanted an offensive coordinator who will be tough on quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, they found the right person in Todd Haley. As an offensive coordinator with the Arizona Cardinals, Haley often got into arguments and in-your-face debates with some of his top players, including star quarterback Kurt Warner. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208718-87-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml 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 football. But many say Haley frequently steps over the line, that he is headstrong, confrontational and difficult to work with and for. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208719-142.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Memphis is the latest school to sign up for a spot in the new Big East. A person familiar with the decision says Memphis is joining the Big East for all sports in 2013. The Big East announced it would hold a teleconference today with commissioner John Marinatto, University of Memphis President Shirley C. Raines and Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson, though it did not give any details about what would be discussed. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208741-449.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Freshman Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 13 points and 13 rebounds and top-ranked Kentucky easily passed its toughest Southeastern Conference test to date with a 78-58 victory against No. 8 Florida. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208743-135.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Duquesne freshman P.J. Torres texted his coach in November before the team's nationally televised game at Arizona: "I'm ready to play coach." Ron Everhart disagreed. It was a big TV game after all, and he questioned his freshman's motives. Torres didn't played that night. "Everybody here was 'the man' in high school. I came here with the high school mindset. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208745-175.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Winning on the road in the Big East is a tough task. Pitt has come to understand just how difficult it is this season after posting winning records in conference road games for three consecutive seasons. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208747-169.stm?cmpid=sports.xml For most of this season, the top of scoring sheet has been fairly predictable for Robert Morris. Redshirt junior Velton Jones nearly always is there. Leading the Colonials with 16.8 points per game, he has been the team's top scorer in 15 of 25 games. Behind Jones is usually sharpshooter Coron Williams, who leads the team with 56 3-pointers and averages 11.0 points per game. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208757-275-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Paul Pierce passed Larry Bird for No. 2 on the Celtics' career scoring list, finishing with 15 points as Boston increased its winning streak to five in a row with a 94-84 victory against the visiting Charlotte Bobcats. Pierce needed nine points to tie Bird's total of 21,791. He had seven points at halftime, then hit a 3-pointer with 10:23 left in the third quarter to pass Bird. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208771-61.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Martin Brodeur stopped 30 shots for his first shutout this season and the record 117th of his NHL career Tuesday night, and the visiting New Jersey Devils beat the Eastern Conference-leading New York Rangers, 1-0, for their fifth consecutive win. David Clarkson gave Brodeur all the offense he needed with a first-period, power-play goal. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208772-61-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Evgeni Malkin has a Stanley Cup ring, an NHL scoring championship and a playoff MVP award. What he does not have, at least in parts of North America, is a public presence equal to his accomplishments. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208774-66.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Steelers tight end Weslye Saunders has been suspended without pay for the first four games of the 2012 season for violating the NFL's policy on performance enhancing substances. Saunders, an undrafted rookie in 2011, is eligible to participate in all preseason games and practices before his suspension begins Sept. 1. This is not the first time Saunders has had off-the-field problems. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208781-61.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Used to be that a bad game would rattle Marc-Andre Fleury, causing him to follow it with one that wasn't much better. Not anymore, though. He proved that again Tuesday night, when he did just about everything possible to earn a victory for the Penguins against Montreal at the Bell Centre. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208724-61.stm?cmpid=sports.xml MONTREAL -- Rene Bourque, Lars Eller and Tomas Plekanec scored during a eight-round shootout to give Montreal a 3-2 victory over the Penguins at the Bell Centre tonight. Tue, 7 Feb 2012 22:28:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208661-100.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Former Kansas City Chiefs coach Todd Haley has been hired as the Steelers new offensive coordinator, replacing Bruce Arians, the team announced today. Tue, 7 Feb 2012 15:42:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208666-100.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Steelers tight end Weslye Saunders has been suspended without pay for the first four games of the 2012 season for violating the National Football League's policy on performance enhancing substances. Tue, 7 Feb 2012 14:23:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208554-66-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin has never won the NFL's coach of the year award. Quarterback Eli Manning has never been the league's MVP. With two Super Bowl victories in the past five seasons, though, they have emerged as the NFL's top coaching-quarterback tandem. And the best might be yet to come. Tue, 7 Feb 2012 08:33:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208549-87-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml 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 commissioner Roger Goodell was at a private party, his tie off, his sleeves rolled up and a cold adult beverage in his hand. Tue, 7 Feb 2012 08:13:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208592-449.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Bobby Cremins knew he had nothing left to give his College of Charleston players when he walked away from the game last month. Cremins said he was physically exhausted and advised by his doctor to make drastic changes or risk jeopardizing his long-term health. "I had nothing. I had no gas. The tank was empty," Cremins said Monday. "The kids knew. They could feel it." Tue, 7 Feb 2012 00:01:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208595-275-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Lou Williams nailed the go-ahead 3-pointer, scored 14 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, and dampened Kobe Bryant's record-setting game while leading the Philadelphia 76ers to 95-90 win against the Los Angeles Lakers Monday night. With "Beat L.A.!" Tue, 7 Feb 2012 00:01:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208547-139.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Three days after U.S. prosecutors dropped their investigation of doping claims against Lance Armstrong, fellow Tour de France champion Alberto Contador was stripped of his 2010 title when sports' highest court rejected the Spanish cyclist's story that contaminated meat caused him to fail a drug test. Tue, 7 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208548-63.stm?cmpid=sports.xml The Colorado Rockies acquired veteran right-hander Jeremy Guthrie from the Baltimore Orioles on Monday, a move that bolsters their young rotation. In exchange, the Rockies send reliever Matt Lindstrom and right-hander Jason Hammel to the Orioles. Tue, 7 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208550-66-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick gave clear instructions to his defensive unit: Let the runner score. Playing the odds and inviting critics, the calculating coach told his players to get out of the way, open a wide path for Ahmad Bradshaw and give Tom Brady a chance to win the Super Bowl in the final 57 seconds. Unusual? Certainly. Crazy? Not at all. Tue, 7 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208551-61.stm?cmpid=sports.xml He didn't look bad on a line with Steve Sullivan and Cal O'Reilly, even though he was playing out of position. He added a nice dimension to the No. 2 power play, as well, even though the second unit isn't exactly his natural habitat. Tue, 7 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208552-175.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Dante Taylor's career has not turned out the way he envisioned, and his detractors can argue when he finally bottomed out. It seems a good bet, though, that his two-game stretch in January against Rutgers and Marquette are certainly in the discussion. Taylor did not score in those games three days apart in mid-January. Tue, 7 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208556-66-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml For the third consecutive year, the Super Bowl set a record as the most-watched television show in U.S. history. The Nielsen Co. said Monday that an estimated 111.3 million people watched the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots, 21-17, Sunday night in Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Tue, 7 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208575-139-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml While sports events across Europe fall victim to the deep freeze, the Dutch are welcoming the drop in temperatures, hoping that the revered "Eleven Cities" speed skating race can be staged later this month for the first time in 15 years. Tue, 7 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208588-61.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Buffalo Coach Lindy Ruff broke three ribs in what was described as "a freak accident" after he was upended by defenseman Jordan Leopold in practice Monday. Ruff was hurt near the end of practice during a puck-chase drill when Leopold was trying to cut off forward Ville Leino. Tue, 7 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208589-61.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Phil Kessel scored twice and Mikhail Grabovski assisted on Toronto's first two goals to lead the surging Maple Leafs past the visiting Edmonton Oilers, 6-3. The Oilers played without coach Tom Renney, who stayed back at the team hotel after taking a puck in the head during the morning skate. The cut required stitches and left Renney experiencing headaches. Tue, 7 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208590-61-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Jordan Staal isn't the biggest name on the Penguins' injured list. He isn't even the biggest name center there. But he is the one who figures to be the first to get back in their lineup. Tue, 7 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208593-175.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Gorgui Dieng returned from a sprained right ankle to score 15 points and freshman Chane Behanan added 12 rebounds as No. 24 Louisville (19-5, 7-4) beat Connecticut (15-8, 5-6), 80-59, for its fifth win in a row. Louisville looked like the team ranked fourth in the nation at 12-0 and nothing like the one that dropped five out of seven three weeks ago. Tue, 7 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208612-361.stm?cmpid=sports.xml West Mifflin's Ciara Patterson did everything she could, but it wasn't enough to defeat the No. 1-ranked girls basketball team in WPIAL Class AAA. Patterson had 24 of her game-high 38 points in the second half, but by then the Titans were just playing catch-up. South Park beat West Mifflin (7-9, 6-3), 76-50, Monday night to clinch the Section 4 title for the second consecutive season. Tue, 7 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208613-361-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Basketball Box Scores Tue, 7 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12037/1208510-100.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Pitt running backs coach Eddie Faulkner has resigned and will become the tight ends coach at Wisconsin. Mon, 6 Feb 2012 18:10:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12037/1208496-100.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Just a day after Super Bowl XLVI, two Pittsburgh-area residents and two Floridians today filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court accusing the National Football League of selling them tickets for unfinished seats at last year???s Super Bowl XLV. Mon, 6 Feb 2012 14:03:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12037/1208458-66.stm?cmpid=sports.xml INDIANAPOLIS -- Eli Manning is elite, for sure. A king of comebacks, too. And far, far more than Peyton's little brother now. Spot-on from beginning to end, Eli Manning won his second NFL championship -- and second Super Bowl MVP award -- for leading the New York Giants to a 21-17 victory against the New England Patriots. Mon, 6 Feb 2012 10:25:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12037/1208439-67-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml According to one poll released last week, 55 percent of U.S. adults said they planned to tune in to Sunday's Super Bowl as much or more for the commercials than for the game. If that's true, and if those viewers also spend any time on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter, odds are this was a pretty disappointing year for them. Mon, 6 Feb 2012 09:21:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12037/1208389-61-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml NEWARK, N.J. -- The Penguins won't have to conduct an in-depth evaluation to figure out what went wrong in this one. Not when their No. 1 goalie -- the guy who has been so good, for so much of this season -- was out of the game in less than 23 minutes. Mon, 6 Feb 2012 00:36:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12037/1208442-275.stm?cmpid=sports.xml The city of Seattle has been working behind the scenes the past eight months with a hedge-fund manager to bring an NBA team back to town -- possibly as early as next fall if the Sacramento Kings fail to get a satisfactory deal for a new arena, newly released documents show. The city Friday turned over the documents to The Seattle Times under a public records request. Mon, 6 Feb 2012 00:35:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12037/1208387-61-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml On an afternoon when another New York team was on the minds of many fans at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers did their best to emulate the Giants by physically wearing down Philadelphia Flyers. Mon, 6 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12037/1208388-61-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml NEWARK, N.J. -- It used to be all about the numbers with Ilya Kovalchuk. Well, some of the numbers, anyway. Mostly, goals. To some extent, assists. Plus-minus? Uh, not really. But Kovalchuk, a New Jersey winger who scored one goal and set up two others in the Devils' 5-2 victory against the Penguins Sunday at Prudential Center, is a different player these days. Mon, 6 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12037/1208400-142.stm?cmpid=sports.xml PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Darryl Bryant's 3-pointer with just over a second left in overtime gave West Virginia an 87-84 victory Sunday against Providence in a Big East Conference game at Dunkin' Donuts Center. The two teams exchanged leads throughout the extra period, and Providence's Gerard Coleman made 1 of 2 free throws to tie it at 84-84 with 10 seconds left. Mon, 6 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12037/1208401-449-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Penn State coach Coquese Washington had a simple message to her team: The game is long, so have some patience and keep playing. That's exactly what happened Sunday afternoon. Because despite making only one of their first 18 shots and trailing by 15 points in the first half the No. 19 Lady Lions (18-5, 8-3 Big Ten) rallied for a 68-65 victory at Minnesota (12-13, 4-7). Mon, 6 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12037/1208403-175-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Tray Woodall keeps getting better, and Pitt keeps on winning. There are more intricate details involved in Pitt's four-game winning streak for sure, but Woodall's stellar play is just about all one needs to know as the Panthers continue their late push for an NCAA tournament berth. Mon, 6 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12037/1208441-136.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Kyle Stanley rebounded from a devastating loss to win the Phoenix Open in Scottsdale, Ariz., overcoming an eight-stroke deficit Sunday in a comeback as unlikely as his collapse a week ago at Torrey Pines. Mon, 6 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12037/1208443-139-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml I'm happy for the Giants' Tom Coughlin, who, in any given season, goes from coaching for his job to coaching in the Super Bowl. I'm happy for America, which, for one day, shows the world it still is the No. 1 superpower for spectacle and sport. And, of course, I'm happy that the somewhat evil Patriots lost. Mon, 6 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12037/1208449-66.stm?cmpid=sports.xml INDIANAPOLIS -- Mario Manningham is no longer the New York Giants' forgotten receiver. Manningham emerged from the shadow of Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz with a catch that will rival David Tyree's Super Bowl helmet grab four years ago, helping the Giants knock off the New England Patriots, 21-17, in the NFL championship game Sunday. Mon, 6 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12037/1208451-66.stm?cmpid=sports.xml INDIANAPOLIS -- Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw looked back, saw no one chasing him, and paused at the goal line. Could it really be this easy to score the winning touchdown in a Super Bowl game? Mon, 6 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12037/1208453-66-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml INDIANAPOLIS -- It's still two years away, but there should be optimism that a cold-weather Super Bowl in northern New Jersey in 2014 won't be a frigid one -- at least based on the past two years. Once again, the weather Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., was perfect for a Super Bowl: sunny, with temperatures around 40 degrees and almost no wind. Mon, 6 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12037/1208457-66-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml INDIANAPOLIS -- In a town that Peyton Manning once owned, little brother Eli ran off with the bacon again. Mon, 6 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208405-100-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml INDIANAPOLIS -- The New York Giants thwarted the New England Patriots for the second time in four years with a fourth-quarter comeback to snatch the Super Bowl and history from Tom Brady's hands. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 22:50:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208374-142.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Tray Woodall scored a career high 29 points and Ashton Gibbs added 24 to lead Pitt to a 79-70 victory against Villanova this afternoon at the Petersen Events Center. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 16:25:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208373-61.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Ilya Kovalchuk scored one goal and assisted on two others to lead New Jersey to a 5-2 victory today over the Penguins at the Prudential Center. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 15:47:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208250-66-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Mike Tomlin calls it the sticky Lombardi because of all the handprints that stick to the trophy after the NFL commissioner awards it to the new Super Bowl champions. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:08:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208343-275.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Rookie Kyrie Irving made a driving layup in traffic with 15.8 seconds left to give the Cleveland Cavaliers a 91-88 victory against the defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks Saturday night at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:03:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207908-148.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Considering how many books on pro football are released every year, it's eye-opening that a definitive biography of the best man ever to take a snap from center has never been published. That man, of course, is Bart Starr, and if you didn't know that, then it is especially important that you read "America's Quarterback" by Keith Dunnavant, the most important book on pro football this season. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207911-140.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Outdoor enthusiasts who traverse the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail are hiking, skiing and snowmobiling for joy. They are celebrating the Jan. 28 completion of a new bridge that spans the Pennsylvania Turnpike and rejoins the 70-mile trail stretching along Laurel Mountain from the Youghiogheny River at Ohiopyle to the Conemaugh Gorge near Johnstown. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207914-140.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Saturdays: Family Nature Hour. Powdermill Nature Reserve, Rector. Nature stories, outdoor exploration of trails. Free, 1 p.m. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207929-287.stm?cmpid=sports.xml The National Ski Areas Association reports the 2010-11 season had the most skier/snowboarder visits on record -- 60.54 million, thanks to "an improving economy and snowfall totals 27 percent above average" at ski resorts nationally. Local, regional and national ski areas would appreciate just an average amount of snow this season. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207930-287.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Unseasonably warm weather across the Midwest and Northeast this winter has dealt a blow to local and regional resorts for the first half of the snowsports season, delivering less natural snow and sustained snowmaking temperatures than in most years. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207932-37.stm?cmpid=sports.xml It was an offer I couldn't turn down: An invitation to share a house here with three longtime ski companions and an opportunity to conduct some "product evaluation" at three snow- and sun-blessed New Mexico resorts. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207978-358.stm?cmpid=sports.xml A Lancaster County hunter has been treated for rabies after field dressing a deer Jan. 20 in Valley Township, Chester County. The deer later tested positive for rabies. "The hunter contacted us about his concerns that the deer was unfit for human consumption," said John Veylupek, a wildlife conservation officer for the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207980-358.stm?cmpid=sports.xml BELLEFONTE, Pa. -- The limestone streams of central Pennsylvania famously pour from the ground at precisely the cool temperatures favorable to trout. But on a chilly January mountain morning on Spring Creek, the brown trout waited for some warming sunlight to break through the clouds. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207982-61-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml It would make sense, of course. When a guy's medical records from a 13-month period look like Sidney Crosby's do, making a few adjustments might seem prudent. Might seem, for example, like a good time to spend some more time out on the perimeter. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208039-66.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Teams seeking revenge for a previous Super Bowl loss don't always find it. Just ask the Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208259-175.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Victories against Georgetown and West Virginia have rejuvenated Pitt's hopes of bucking the odds and making the NCAA tournament after the Panthers' first 0-7 start to Big East play. But the Panthers know they nearly have no margin for error the rest of the season, and that the easiest route to the NCAA tournament is paved by winning the remaining four home games. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208261-450.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Lucky Jones scored 17 points and Anthony Myers had 15, leading Robert Morris to a Northeast Conference victory against Mount St. Mary's, 67-62, Saturday in Emmitsburg, Md. The game was close throughout, but the Colonials (17-8, 8-4 NEC) rallied from a five-point halftime deficit and outscored the Mountaineers, 39-29, in the second half to secure the win. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208266-61-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml It seemed, at the time, to be a completely unnecessary penalty. Looked that way in hindsight, too. But Kris Letang saw things a bit differently from ice level Saturday as the middle of the third period in the Penguins' 2-1 victory against Boston at TD Garden approached. He figured he was doing something that might help the Penguins to preserve their one-goal lead. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208270-61.stm?cmpid=sports.xml TD Garden is not the most hospitable venue in the NHL. The team that resides there is big, tough and talented, and fans can be pretty hostile at times. Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is aware of all that. Probably more than most. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208281-136.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Spencer Levin remained in control Saturday at the Phoenix Open in front of the largest crowd in tournament history at Scottsdale, Ariz., shooting a 3-under 68 to take a six-stroke lead into the final round. A crowd of 173,210 in perfect conditions at TPC Scottsdale's Stadium Course broke the record of 170,802 set in the third round in 2008. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208284-63-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml If you think Prince Fielder signing with his father's team last month is going to help continue to bridge the gap between son and 1990s Tigers star Cecil Fielder, think again. Dismissing talk of an "improving" relationship with his son, Cecil Fielder told the St. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208287-287.stm?cmpid=sports.xml A career milestone and a rare family reunion. All of which left Lindsey Vonn in tears, and it made for a perfect day. Vonn captured her 50th World Cup victory, winning a downhill Saturday on the demanding Kandahar course in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, with temperatures plunging to minus-13. "It's crazy. I am at a loss for words. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208289-66.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers won the 2011 Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player award in a landslide. Rodgers earned 48 votes to two for New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees in balloting by a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the NFL. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208290-66-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Fantasy league types will want to pay particular attention to one Super Bowl commercial today. The league will run an ad introducing the "Perfect Challenge," a deceptively simple new fantasy game that will begin next season. Each week, participants must pick an eight-player lineup out of the entire NFL. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208294-66-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml The road for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2012, selected here Saturday and inducted in Canton, Ohio, this summer, must go through Pittsburgh. Of the six new Hall of Famers, four have strong Pittsburgh connections. Among those elected were former Steelers Jack Butler and Dermontti Dawson, and former Pitt Panthers Curtis Martin and Chris Doleman. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208298-66-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml The legend of New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski includes the most scrutinized left ankle in town, a nickname befitting a caveman and hands as large as a cereal box. Or a laptop. Or a legal pad. Put them all together and it helps explain to some degree why his was the overriding story line this week. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208335-135-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml For 10 seasons and 14 consecutive games the Richmond Spiders owned Duquesne. Saturday night, that all changed. Leading from start to finish, Duquesne knocked off Richmond, 81-72, in the Chuck Cooper Classic with a dominating performance at sold-out Palumbo Center. "I'm really satisfied we were able to do that tonight. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208337-61.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Ilya Kovalchuk's fists outshined his team's sparkling special teams. Kurtis Foster scored two power-play goals as the visiting New Jersey Devils held on for a 6-4 victory Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers. Kovalchuk, Dainius Zubrus, Zach Parise and Alexei Ponikarovsky also scored for the Devils, who have won three in a row and will play host to the Penguins today. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208338-361-0.stm?cmpid=sports.xml Basketball Box Scores Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500