Pittsburgh

RON JAWORSKI treats opportunity like a Doberman treats prime rib. So when Tim Tebow was released by the New York Jets on April 29, Jaworski took a shot by reaching out to the unemployed quarterback and offered him a roster spot with the Soul. He's still waiting for a reply. "I haven't heard back from him and I'm not going to push it," said Jaworski, one of the Soul's owners. "If he decides he wants to play Arena Football, we'll make a spot for him. " Jaworski and Soul coach Clint Dolezel sent Tebow a list of plays they had in mind for him, most were around the goal line.

Dan Raudabaugh threw seven touchdown passes and set the team's single-season record as the Soul beat Pittsburgh, 69-34, on Sunday night at the Wells Fargo Center. Three of Raudabaugh's TD tosses went to Tiger Jones. Raudabaugh's third-quarter score to lineman Greg Ryan broke the franchise record of 90 set by Tony Graziani in 2005. It was the first catch of the season for Ryan, who was signed on June 13. Raudabaugh has 94 touchdown passes and 16 interceptions. Rayshaun Kizer had pair of interceptions to lead the defense.

AGENDA What: Pittsburgh (3-10) at Soul (11-3) When: Sunday, 6:05 p.m. Where: Wells Fargo Center (19,500) TV: The Comcast Network Radio: None Internet: UStream.com or PhiladelphiaSoul.com Tickets: Team's website or 888-789-SOUL (ext. 3) About the Power: Only win in last eight games was a forfeit by Cleveland on June 8 … The Power's quarterback is Bryan Randall, who led Virginia Tech to the Sugar Bowl after the 2004 season?…?Former NFL quarterback Mike Tomczak was brought in midseason as the offensive coordinator.

PITTSBURGH - So, when was the last time Villanova and Pittsburgh met when neither team was in the Top 25 (or, for that matter, really anywhere near it)? Maybe back in the old Eastern Eight days. These days, they're headed in opposite directions. Pitt, which has made the last 11 NCAA Tournaments, has now won four straight after losing the eight before that while dealing with injury issues, particularly to point guard Tray Woodall. The Panthers (15-9, 4-7 Big East) beat Villanova (10-13, 3-8)

PITTSBURGH - Officials overseeing a closed Roman Catholic church say someone, somehow, stole the building's organ - and the 200 massive pipes required to play it. Skip Hary, business manager of St. Justin's Church, said he was baffled that anyone could get the organ out of the building. He said it would either have to be maneuvered down narrow flights of steps or lowered over a balcony. The pipes could only be accessed by a ladder into the ceiling. There were no signs of forced entry, police said.

PITTSBURGH - Villanova couldn't close the deal with Pittsburgh in regulation Sunday, and the 23d-ranked Panthers came through in overtime behind James Robinson and Talib Zanna for a 73-64 Big East victory over the Wildcats at the Peterson Events Center. The Wildcats (18-12, 9-8 Big East), who never trailed in the second half, held a 57-54 lead after JayVaughn Pinkston hit a free throw with 59.5 seconds to play. But Robinson knocked down a wide-open three-pointer with 33.3 seconds remaining, and Villanova couldn't come up with the game-winner on its last possession.

PITTSBURGH - Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, whose chance political ascendancy made him one of the youngest heads of a major American city, announced Friday that he would not seek reelection, just 11 days after saying he would. Ravenstahl, 33, has held office since 2006, when, as City Council president, he rose to fill the position when Bob O'Connor died. Controversy and criticism continue to build following revelations that the Police Bureau's Special Events and Finance Offices were under investigation by the FBI and IRS. Deputy Police Chief Paul Donaldson said he believed federal authorities were investigating misappropriation of funds.

CANTON, Ohio - Willie Roaf was in an unfamiliar role - the center of attention in front of a large crowd, being singled out for something good. No, make that something great. With current Saints players standing and cheering, the former New Orleans offensive tackle led a charge of linemen into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday night. Four linemen were included - Roaf, Chris Doleman, Cortez Kennedy, and Dermontti Dawson - along with running back Curtis Martin and 1950s cornerback Jack Butler.

PITTSBURGH - About 7 minutes. That's all the Flyers needed to hang on. Clinging to a 1-0 lead, the Flyers were 7 minutes away from kicking off their playoff push with an important two points. Seven minutes away from ending Pittsburgh's precious 11-game winning streak for the third season in a row. Seven minutes away from surviving a hellacious third-period onslaught against a team that is now tied for the league lead in wins when trailing after two periods this season.

Eli Carter scored 14 points, Dane Miller added 11 points and 12 rebounds, and Rutgers crushed reeling Pittsburgh, 62-39, on Tuesday night. The Scarlet Knights (10-7, 2-2 Big East) held the Panthers to 21 percent shooting (12 of 57) while sending host Pittsburgh (11-6, 0-4) to its fifth straight loss, the longest losing streak in coach Jamie Dixon's nine years. Marquette 83, St. John's 64 - Davante Gardner had career bests with 22 points and 15 rebounds to lead the No. 25 Golden Eagles (13-4, 2-2 Big East)

Saturday at 7:05 p.m., Wells Fargo Center TV: Comcast Network. Records: Soul, 3-3; Power, 1-5. About the Soul: They are seeking their first win against an Eastern Division opponent. . . . The Soul lead the series with the Power, three games to one. . . . Quarterback Dan Raudabaugh has thrown at least five touchdowns in 11 of his last 14 games and hasn't thrown an interception in his last 94 pass attempts. . . . The Soul defense is ranked No. 1 in the Arena Football League in fewest average rushing yards allowed at 14.8 per game and fewest rushing touchdowns allowed, three.

The 5K race kicked off Pittsburgh's marathon weekend without a hitch as the starting gun firing precisely as planned at 8 a.m., unleashing more than 2,000 runners. With the statue of Honus Wagner and a sparse but upbeat crowd looking on, it took all of the runners nearly two minutes to get to the starting line near PNC Park on West General Robinson Street between Tony Dorsett Drive and Mazeroski Way. The last of the runners to get underway in the UPMC Health Plan/UPMC Sports Medicine Pittsburgh 5K Run was a man who juggled three balls, apparently needing more of a challenge than the 3.1-mile course.

GROWING UP IN Philadelphia during the Great Depression, Robert Perloff knew what it was like to hustle for a buck. He peddled newspapers, worked as a soda jerk and movie usher and took other menial jobs to help his family get through the desperate financial times. When he was 12, his father, Meyer Perloff, committed suicide. It was a wrenching loss that he later described in a touching newspaper essay after he had become a distinguished professor of business administration and psychology at the University of Pittsburgh.

PITTSBURGH - A gorilla at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium has given birth for the second time in as many years. Zoo officials said Monday they did not know the gender of the baby because they had not gotten close enough to Moka, the mother, to find out. Officials are keeping their distance while the baby bonds with Moka, zoo spokeswoman Tracy Gray said. Moka will likely carry the baby on her chest for three months. The same gorilla gave birth to a male last year, but that baby died after four months.

PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Zoo plans to close the African painted dog exhibit where a boy was mauled to death last fall and move the 10 wild canines once kept there to other zoos, the zoo's president announced Wednesday, and a prosecutor suggested the investigation into the death was all but over. Barbara Baker, president of the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, said the zoo staff and surrounding community still "need time to heal" from the death of 2-year-old Maddox Derkosh, who was killed Nov. 4 when he fell from the railing of an observation platform and was attacked by several dogs.

The new American Airlines may close a flight operations center outside Pittsburgh in a couple of years, and the jobs would move to American's larger operations control center in Dallas, US Airways chief executive officer Doug Parker said. Parker, who will lead the new American after the merger with US Airways, said this week that no decision had been made, but that the combined airline, which will be based in Fort Worth, Texas, would not need two operations control centers. Many of the 500 workers who now coordinate US Airways' 3,000 daily flights near the Pittsburgh airport will be offered jobs in Dallas, he said.

PITTSBURGH - Sentencing has been delayed for a former city of Pittsburgh employee who took bribes connected to a police-car equipment project, so she can continue to cooperate with an ongoing FBI investigation into police department business. Christine Ann Kebr pleaded guilty to accepting $6,000 in bribes to help a man fraudulently obtain a $327,000 contract to install radios and computers in city police cars. She was scheduled to be sentenced next week, but on Tuesday, a judge delayed the hearing until May 15. Attorneys for former city police Chief Nate Harper have acknowledged monitoring the case and expected him to be indicted on related charges by a federal grand jury that instead accused him of stealing nearly $32,000 money from a fund fueled by a fee the city charges bars and other businesses that hire its officers to work off-duty security details.

Hope on N.D. flood action FARGO, N.D. - U.S. Sen. John Hoeven provided a spark for flood-fatigued officials in his home state Monday, announcing that a measure that authorizes a proposed Red River diversion project should reach the Senate floor in April or May. The North Dakota Republican said language for the proposal was approved last week by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. He believes the bill to approve the nearly $2 billion project will pass the Senate, and then it would go to the House.

PITTSBURGH - About 7 minutes. That's all the Flyers needed to hang on. Clinging to a 1-0 lead, the Flyers were 7 minutes away from kicking off their playoff push with an important two points. Seven minutes away from ending Pittsburgh's precious 11-game winning streak for the third season in a row. Seven minutes away from surviving a hellacious third-period onslaught against a team that is now tied for the league lead in wins when trailing after two periods this season.

PITTSBURGH - It was supposed to be a week for the Flyers to get recharged and have three grueling practices that would prime them for a playoff run. Instead, two of their regulars - forward Danny Briere and defenseman Nick Grossmann - were injured during workouts and missed Sunday night's game in Pittsburgh. The injuries were not revealed by general manager Paul Holmgren until Sunday. Holmgren would only say they both had upper-body injuries and were listed as day-to-day. Grossmann, whose 82 blocked shots placed him third in the NHL, took part in Sunday's morning skate.