News » which ranks third in the nation in

NEW YORK -- The banged-up New York Yankees are getting an unexpected but much-needed rest. New Yorks game against the Pittsburgh Pirates that was scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Friday was postponed six hours before game time due a forecast of inclement weather throughout the night. The game will be made up as part of a single-admission doubleheader Sunday with the opener starting at 1:05 p.m. Only tickets for Sundays game will be honoured. Its the first one-ticket doubleheader hosted by the Yankees since Sept. 29, 2004, against Minnesota, according to STATS. Pittsburghs Edinson Volquez (1-3) was scheduled to face New Yorks David Phelps (0-0) Friday night in the Pirates first game at the newest version of Yankee Stadium, which opened in 2009. Phelps will now start Saturday and Hiroki Kuroda will be given an extra day of rest. He and Vidal Nuno will start in the doubleheader, the order still to be determined. This is the third postponement for each team this season. The rain gives Yankees outfielder Ichiro Suzuki an extra day of rest. He has not played since Sunday, when he hurt his back attempting a catch in Milwaukee. Once healthy, Suzuki should see more playing time because Carlos Beltran was placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday with a bone spur in his right elbow. "Im getting better but not to the point where Im capable of swinging the bat 100 per cent," Beltran said Thursday. The Yankees (21-19) are coming off back-to-back shutouts of the crosstown rival Mets with Masahiro Tanaka winning 4-0 Wednesday, his first complete game in the major leagues. A night later, rookie Chase Whitley pitched two-hit ball for 4 2-3 innings of a 1-0 win that gave the New York a split of the four-game Subway Series. Whitley made his major league debut in place of ace CC Sabathia, who is on the 15-day disabled list with a right knee injury. Phelps was scheduled to make his third start since replacing Michael Pineda in the rotation. Phelps first joined the rotation when Pineda was suspended 10 days for having pine tar on his neck in a game at Boston. The right-hander remained in the starting five when Pineda injured a muscle in his upper back pitching a simulated game April 29, during his ban. Phelps gave up four runs and eight hits over five-plus innings Sunday, when the Yankees lost 6-5 in the bottom of the ninth at Milwaukee. The Pirates (17-23) come to New York after a 4-3, walkoff loss Thursday, also at the Brewers. Former Yankees reliever Mark Melancon blew the save filling in for injured closer Jason Grilli. The Pirates have not won in New York since the start of interleague play, losing three in a row in 2005 and 07. They took one of three in Pittsburgh in 2008. Pirates catchers Chris Stewart and Russell Martin both played for the Yankees, and theyve seen how the new ballpark can be hitter friendly for batters swinging from the left side. "Every stadium kind of has their pros and cons, and thats definitely one of them for left-handers, and some right-handers like to go the other way," Stewart told MLB.com. "Ive seen popups over there that have sailed out." That could bode well for slugging third baseman Pedro Alvarez, who grew up in the Bronx and has eight homers. The ballpark also suits Ike Davis well. The first baseman will be returning to the city where he played his entire career for the Mets in Queens until being traded to Pittsburgh on April 18. Cheap Pirates Jerseys . Canada will host the second stop on the circuit, the 2014 Skate Canada International in Kelowna, British Columbia from October 31 - November 2, 2014 at Prospera Place. Pittsburgh Pirates Pro Shop . How foolishly wrong I was. Forget the now inherent corruption and back handed favours that plague the beautiful game. Goal Line Technology? Youre having a laugh. As for them penalty cheating bandits, footballs lawmakers upend them by awarding the penalty to the opponent each time a player attempts to con the referee into awarding ghost penalties. https://www.cheappiratesjerseys.us/. -- DeMarcus Cousins had 25 points and 16 rebounds to help the Sacramento Kings snap a seven-game losing streak by defeating the Chicago Bulls 99-70 on Monday night. Pittsburgh Pirates Store . TSN Hockey Insiders Pierre LeBrun and Bob McKenzie both reported Thursday that there have been ongoing trade discussions between the Oilers and Los Angeles Kings over forward Sam Gagner. Pittsburgh Pirates Shirts . "He started putting me on the ice to strengthen them at the suggestion from a doctor," he said. Weight said it wasnt a pretty sight at the rink in St. Clair Shores, Mich. "I looked like Forrest Gump," he joked.MEMPHIS - The NCAA Tournaments No. 1 overall seed clashes with this years biggest Cinderella story in the South Region Final on Saturday evening, as the top-seeded Florida Gators take on the 11th-seeded Dayton Flyers at FedExForum. Coverage begins on TSN today with March Madness Tip-Off at 5pm et/2pm pt. Daytons unlikely run to the Elite Eight began in thrilling fashion in the opening matchup of the second round on March 20, as it used a last-second bucket to push past No. 6 seed Ohio State, 60-59. It logged another upset in the third round by defeating third-seeded Syracuse, 55-53, only to have its least challenging contest in the Sweet 16, that being an 82-72 win over Stanford on Thursday. This marks the third Elite Eight appearance for the Flyers all-time, with their last coming back in 1984. As the top overall seed, Floridas surge to the Elite Eight has hardly come as a surprise, but that hasnt made it any less impressive. It took care of business against a pesky 16th-seeded Albany in the second round (67-55), dominated ninth-seeded Pittsburgh in the third round (61-45), and ousted fourth-seeded and red-hot UCLA in the regional semifinals (79-68). The Gators, who are riding a program-record 29-game winning streak, are the only team in the nation to qualify for the Elite Eight in four consecutive seasons, although they have not moved on to the Final Four since winning back-to-back national titles in 2006 and 2007. The Flyers and the Gators are meeting for the first time in history, and a date in the Final Four awaits the winner. Trailing by one midway through the first half of their Sweet 16 matchup with Stanford, Dayton surged ahead with a 16-4 run and barely broke a sweat the rest of the way, as they outshot the Cardinal from the field in the 10-point victory (.483 to .379). Pacing four players in double figures was Jordan Sibert, who poured in 18 points on 44-of-9 shooting from 3-point range.dddddddddddd Devin Oliver and Kendall Pollard each tallied 12 points, while Matt Kavanaugh added 10 points to the winning effort. On the season, Dayton has displayed impressive balance at both ends of the court. The squad averages 72.5 ppg on 46.5 percent field goal efficiency (including 37.5 percent from beyond the arc), and its offensive production is usually good enough to support a solid defensive approach (.437, 67.1 ppg). Sibert paces the unit with 12.5 ppg, having drained 83 3-pointers at a 43 percent clip. Oliver (11.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and Dyshawn Pierre (11.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg) are active in the rebounding battle, while Vee Sanford narrowly misses the double-digit scorers club with 9.7 ppg. The Gators saw their double-digit lead in the second half shrink to just one point with 10 minutes to play against UCLA, but they rebounded by going on a 10-0 run to create separation en route to the 11-point victory. The squad shot 50 percent from the field while holding the potent Bruins to just 3-of-18 shooting from 3-point range. Michael Frazier put up 19 points on 5-of-8 from beyond the arc, Scottie Wilbekin netted 13 points and Casey Prather and Dorian Finney-Smith contributed 12 and 10 points, respectively. Floridas offensive output this season has been impressive, as it converts better than 46 percent of its total shots in putting up just over 70 ppg, but the primary reason for its overwhelming success has been due to its elite team defense, which ranks third in the nation in permitting a mere 57.8 ppg, with both Wilbekin (13.1 ppg) and Patric Young (10.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg) being named to the SEC All-Defensive Team. Prather (14.0 ppg) shoots a lofty 60.7 percent from the field, Frazier (12.7 ppg) has made 110 long-range buckets at a 44.9 percent rate, and Finney-Smith (9.0 ppg, 6.7 rpg) brings an added presence to the paint. ' ' '