Longtime writer and editor Mark Roth of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has been named winner of the Joanie Award for excellence in journalism related to lung cancer for 2009. The award and $5,000 prize are given yearly by Uniting Against Lung Cancer.

Mr. Roth's winning entry comprised the June 2009 articles "Does lung cancer get short shrift?" and "Lung cancer patient takes aggressive tack." His articles were chosen, a spokeswoman for the foundation said, because of the new elements about the disease, the funding environment and the reasons lung cancer deserves more attention.

A committee including producers and managers from such news organizations as ABC and NBC News, CNN and The Columbia Journalism Review made the selection. Past winners have included staffers from ABC, NBC, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, Newsday and Ladies' Home Journal.

Mr. Roth will receive the award at the foundation's annual benefit Nov. 18.

Clinics to help young baseball players, pitchers especially, to improve skills and reduce chances of injury will be held this weekend and next. Sponsored by UPMC Sports Peformance and All American Baseball, the clinics are for baseball players 12 and older.

Since 2006, UPMC Sports Performance has offered a baseball conditioning program that has been shown to increase the speed at which pitchers pitch, strengthen the rotator cuff and the core, and decrease muscle fatigue and post-game soreness.

This year the program has been combined with All American Baseball's throwing program, which has emphasized identifying and correcting flaws in throwing mechanics.

The clinic Saturday will be held from noon to 2 p.m. at UPMC Sports Performance's North Campus, 1035 Executive Drive, Gibsonia. The clinic Nov. 14 will be held from noon to 2 p.m. at the All American Baseball Center East Campus, 9100 Commerce Circle, Trafford. The fee for each is $160. For more information, or to register by phone, call 412-380-7000.

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