IN BRIEF
PITTSBURGH - Pitt is back.
The University of Pittsburgh's athletic program Thursday unveiled a new logo for its 19 intercollegiate sports teams that might look familiar. The block-letter, navy blue and gold "Pitt" is reminiscent of the logo the Panthers wore as early as the 1920s.
The new logo means the school is embracing the Pitt nickname again.
The school's teams had a script-letter Pitt logo from 1973 to 1996. In 1997, the school began using "Pittsburgh" on its uniforms and logos.
"Even when it was de-emphasized, the Pitt moniker never left the consciousness of our fans," Athletic Director Jeff Long said in a statement. "I recall saying upon my appointment as athletic director that I believe there are appropriate times to be recognized as 'University of Pittsburgh' and other times when we want to be recognized as 'Pitt.'"
Seneca Valley senior swimmer Stacie Safritt will be signing a letter of intent to continue her academic and athletic careers at the University of Pittsburgh April 26.Safritt won four gold medals at the WPIAL Class AAA championships last month before earning a state title in the 200 medley relay two weeks later.
WASHINGTON - Vinny Castilla's triple rattled around in the right-field corner, bringing home the first major league runs in this city in 34 years Thursday. Most of the 45,596 fans rose and jumped in place, making RFK Stadium sway once again.The national pastime was back in the nation's capital.Castilla had three hits and four RBI, Livan Hernandez was nearly flawless until the ninth, and the first-place Nationals beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-3 Thursday night in Washington's first regular-season baseball game since Sept. 30, 1971.
NEW YORK - Four players projected to be taken in the middle to low rounds of next week's NFL draft have tested positive for marijuana, a source said Tuesday.The four include two from Wisconsin: defensive tackle Anttaj Hawthorne and guard Jonathan Clinkscale; defensive tackle Eric Coleman of Clemson and safety Atcheson Conway of Bowie, according to a source within the league who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Defending champion Venus Williams blamed exhaustion for her upset loss Thursday to Tatiana Golovin at the Family Circle Cup.Williams lost 7-5, 6-4 on a blustery day. It was the first time this year that Golovin, a Frenchwoman ranked No. 25 in the world, had beaten a top-10 player.Justine Henin-Hardenne, who spent much of last season ranked No. 1, defeated Iveta Benesova 6-2, 6-3 and faces No. 1 seed and top-ranked Lindsay Davenport on Friday.Davenport dispatched qualifier Viktoriya Kutuzova 6-3, 6-1 in Thursday's late match.
