Hints of change have been coming for weeks and viewers will notice a full-fledged new look and name for the regional sports network that carries the Pirates and Penguins beginning July 14. That’s when AT&T SportsNet becomes a reality. Viewers have probably noticed small AT&T ...

In Steelers country, and around the world, the name “Rooney” stands for something: excellence, integrity, vision, winning. The family is one of the most respected in all of sports, known for big-picture thinking, strong values and a culture of excellence, all of which have contributed ...

On Tuesday, the local running community will celebrate Independence Day with the 43rd running of the Angie Gioiosa July 4 Memorial Race. We all owe a debt of gratitude to the Altoona Running Club for instituting this wonderful tradition, and to the Hollidaysburg Area YMCA for shepherding it ...

Perhaps the biggest story related to Penn State football so far this offseason, and arguably one of the biggest during the James Franklin Era, was overlooked, a non-starter, for most of the media that covers the program. What attention it did get was a single photo, buried fairly deep in a ...

Dick Hoenstine and I were teammates on the 1953 Roaring Spring entry in the Blair County Baseball League. Hoenstine normally played for his hometown of Claysburg, but that town’s Blair League team folded after the previous season. Wanting to continue to play on Saturdays, the only day the ...

Commentary LAS VEGAS — The real fun will come before the fight, and what a spectacle it should be. Put Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor on a stage together to promote their fight and anything can happen. Put them together in a ring, though, and it’s an absolute ...

Commentary Today is Father’s Day. It’s a chance to tell your favorite guy thanks for all he’s been and done for you over the years. It’s usually celebrated with a small gift, perhaps a shirt or tie or wallet. In many cases, few words are expressed. And that’s a shame. I wrote ...

The signs of man’s impact on the planet are plain for anyone to see. You do not need to look to global temperature, sea level rise, or melting ice. The signs have been here for as long as we have lived, and all we need do is look and remember. Has anyone seen the smog dangers in China as ...

It’s not easy to tell by their on-air interactions, but the relationship between Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic, longtime co-hosts of “Mike & Mike” on ESPN Radio, has apparently gotten a bit frosty. Maybe really cold, according to a recent report by respected sports media reporter ...

In 1535, some French wordsmith gave the world the term loial, or loyal as we call it today. I would bet that he or she never could have possibly fathomed that a gruff, hardworking blue collar man with a heart of gold would define it so perfectly in a little place called Altoona. For the ...

All the hubbub about the Tennessee resident who tossed a catfish on the ice during Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final was a bit much. First, almost everyone from arena management to the broadcast partner and even the players had to expect it to be attempted. Sure, it’s kind of a “hockey ...

I’m writing to publicly acknowledge Derek Martin and the Altoona Curve for including the players of Team Shag on the field during the recent home run derby with Jose Canseco. The entire experience, from playing baseball on a professional field to hearing the cheers from thousands of fans ...

Here’s my reason for watching hardly any regular season hockey: playoff hockey. Playoff hockey — with its drama, fervor and passion — matters. Every check, every pass and every shift … they all matter. Every single goal matters, too. So the past several weeks have been spent ...

Here’s my reason for watching hardly any regular season hockey: playoff hockey. Playoff hockey — with its drama, fervor and passion — matters. Every check, every pass and every shift … they all matter. Every single goal matters, too. So the past several weeks have been spent ...

Here’s my reason for watching hardly any regular season hockey: playoff hockey. Playoff hockey — with its drama, fervor and passion — matters. Every check, every pass and every shift … they all matter. Every single goal matters, too. So the past several weeks have been spent ...

Saint Francis sits at an elevation of roughly 2,000 feet. Not rarified air, at least not in any literal sense. Figuratively, however, the SFU athletics program has reached heights in 2016-17 that it has never achieved before. To be sure, past Red Flash teams have had occasion to shine. ...

In an ultimately deserving and somewhat unsurprising move, it became public this week that Beth Mowins will work the second game of a Week 1 NFL doubleheader on “Monday Night Football” on Sept. 11. She’ll be just the second woman to call an NFL regular season game and the first since ...

Commentary LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — Ryan Howard was once one of baseball’s most feared sluggers, an MVP and World Series champion, the toast of Philadelphia. So what’s he doing here, in the sprawling suburbs of Atlanta, a minor leaguer at age 37, playing alongside a bunch of 20-somethings, ...

Michael Phelps hasn’t gotten the urge to return to swimming. Not yet anyway. The winningest athlete in Olympic history is clearly enjoying marriage, fatherhood and a newfound willingness to speak out on contentious issues such as doping. But, in a tantalizing concession that he ...

Some sports fans think there’s nothing better than playoff hockey. Others might tell you there’s nothing more exciting than an overtime game during the Stanley Cup playoffs. For me, it’s about the team, the timing and the talent. Once the playoffs begin, and if the Penguins remain ...