"...sports broadcasters now refer to the catching of a ball intended for the player on the other team as a "pick."

Pick is a very utilitarian word in American sports. In addition to the "pick off" mentioned above, in basketball we have "setting a pick" (positioning a player so that the defensive player pursuing an offensive team mate runs into the "pick", thus freeing the offensive man for the score)(this can also be done in football to impede a defensive player from covering his assigned man). And in baseball, we also "pick off" base runners, if they take too long a lead from the base. I suspect the hockey players have similar maneuvers, but I don't follow that sport.