If you’re a sports fan, you’ve been there. Defending your territory and your team from those who want to bring it down. Team allegiances often pit friends against friends, or even complete strangers against one another. It’s simply imbued in our DNA. Without that passion, sports wouldn’t be anything more than another TV show, with a rotating cast of characters. But it’s not. It’s a living, breathing organism that can cause grown men to fall to their knees in sorrow, or spring to their feet in ... Read More
Archives for September 2012
Pirates lose fourth in a row, fall 5-1 to Astros
The Pirates are a tough team to figure out. Within a two week span, they got swept by the Padres before taking two-of-three against the Cardinals. Just when it looks like they figured it out, they get swept by the Brewers in Milwaukee with their three best pitchers starting for them. Thank goodness for the Buccos, the Dodgers, Cardinals and other teams in the wild card race are struggling as well. Entering today's game against the Houston Astros, the Pirates remained just 1.5 out of the race. ... Read More
Former La Roche assistant Bob McGraw joins Slippery Rock’s staff
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Bob McGraw, a former assistant coach at La Roche College, has joined the Slippery Rock University men's basketball coaching staff in the role of a volunteer assistant, Rock head coach Kevin Reynolds announced Monday. “Bob is a tremendous addition to our staff,” Reynolds said. “His experiences as a NCAA Division III assistant basketball coach will make an immediate impact on our basketball program. His addition will allow us to continue our plan of recruiting and ... Read More
IUP ranked in top 25 for first time since 2008
WACO, TX – IUP appears at No. 23 in the latest version of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Coaches' Poll, as it was released on Monday afternoon. The 2012 debut in the poll for the Crimson Hawks marks the first time since November of 2008 that IUP is ranked in a national poll. The bump into the top 25 comes after an impressive 33-6 season-opening victory over visiting Southern Connecticut on Saturday at George P. Miller Stadium. Senior Harvie Tuck (Akron, OH/St. ... Read More
NFL power rankings and predictions
Wow. Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday that Mario Manningham made the sideline grab to help the Giants defeat the Patriots for the Super Bowl. Now, in just two days, the NFL season officially kicks off when the aforementioned Giants will take on the Cowboys to kick off the season. How will your favorite team do? How will your favorites teams offseason moves or draft moves help your team? Here are my NFL power rankings and predictions for the upcoming NFL season. 1. ... Read More
Berardi’s baseball update: The race is heating up
Updated Playoff Races - 10/3 Every week I will update you on the playoff races going on in the majors along with who those teams will face in the upcoming week. (Take note, All GB are based on loss column ONLY. I don’t believe in the ½ game stat because those are games that can be controlled by a team. AL East Baltimore took two of three from the Yankees over the weekend to close the gap in the East. New York had a seven-game lead at the start of August but the Orioles won't go away. 1. ... Read More
The next six games are crucial for the Pirates
After a promising series against St. Louis, the Pirates went into Milwaukee confident, and came out without a victory. With A.J. Burnett, Jeff Karstens, and James McDonald being the three pitchers in Milwaukee this weekend, a sweep is the worst possible thing that could have happened to the Bucs. They fell one game into the wild card standings, and are now 1.5 behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. The wild card is looking like it's coming down to four teams. The Atlanta Braves and St. Louis ... Read More
A father & big leaguer: Jordy Mercer is having the best year of his life
Jordy Mercer grew up in Oklahoma with the dream of being a big league baseball player. From his time playing little league in Taloga, Oklahoma, to playing at Oklahoma State University, Mercer held on tight to his dream of making the show. Being a third round pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2008 draft was the start of his journey, but he was still a long way off from showing up in Pittsburgh. While playing in the Pirates system, Mercer got married and while making the big leagues was ... Read More
Robert Morris loses to national champion North Dakota State 52-0
Fargo, N.D. - September 1, 2012 - The Robert Morris University football team dropped its 2012 season opener Saturday night as defending national champion and preseason No. 1/2 North Dakota State claimed a 52-0 non-conference decision at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome. Playing in front of a standing-room-only crowd of 18,769, the largest crowd that RMU has ever competed in front of, the host Bison used good field position throughout the game to launch a number of short scoring drives. ... Read More
Nathan’s D2 roundup
California 30, Hillsdale 24 The Vulcans defense came up big in the closing minutes of last Thursday's showdown with Hillsdale to pickup the win over the No. 17 ranked Chargers. Senior defensive back Rontez Miles broke up a potential touchdown as time expired to give California coach Mike Keller his first win. The squads battled to a 14-14 tie midway through the second quarter before senior quarterback Peter Lalich connected with Mike Williams on a five-yard pass to take the seven-point ... Read More