CHICAGO -- Gerrit Cole's stellar September continued on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field and the Pirates regained the top National League Wild Card spot with four regular-season games remaining. Cole tossed six strong innings and drove in two runs to lead the Bucs to an 8-2 win over the Cubs that moved them a game ahead of Cincinnati for the first Wild Card, as the Reds lost to the Mets. The Pirates also remained two games behind St. Louis in the NL Central with a Cardinals win over the ... Read More
Archives for September 2013
Key points from the Penguins 3-2 shootout win over Chicago
The Penguins defeated the Blackhawks 3-2 in a shootout on Monday night but the result is insignificant to say the least. Not only was this a preseason game, but the Hawks played without five of their top six forwards (Toews, Kane, Sharp, Hossa, Saad) as well as their top defensive pairing (Keith, Seabrook). However, there are some observations worth noting in the Penguins' fifth preseason game: Jeff Zatkoff looked strong for the Penguins which has suddenly become important since Tomas ... Read More
With Vokoun out, Pens are left searching for answers
The Pittsburgh Penguins were hit hard this past week as Tomas Vokoun will be out indefinitely with a blood clot. Vokoun has 300 wins and 50 shutouts to his resume and played like a MVP in last years postseason. More importantly, Vokoun has become a leader in the locker room and a calming presence in the eye of the storm. Exhibition games are tough to gauge how well someone is playing especially since the Penguins have split squads. However, Fleury allowed three goals on his first six shots ... Read More
A Yinzer’s letter to Big Ben
Dear Ben, There seems to be a rift between what the Steelers fan base expects of you and what you expect of yourself. While you may be able to justify to yourself your own actions (or lack thereof), the excuses you are making are insufficient to quell our collective doubts. We see your performance (or lack thereof) week in and week out in high definition and from all camera angles. You cannot hide or deceive when your exposure is all-encompassing. We watched you commit four turnovers ... Read More
Pirates beat Cubs in close one; clinch playoff berth
CHICAGO -- The Pittsburgh Pirates are going to the playoffs. No, you did not read that wrong, they are going to the National League playoffs. With their 2-1 victory tonight over the Chicago Cubs today, the Pirates will be playing in October for the first time since 1992. The Pirates got on the board early, as the second batter of the game, Neil Walker, hit a solo home run. There wasn't much for the Bucs offense after that until the top of the ninth inning, when Starling Marte had one of the ... Read More
Steelers Week 3 report card after loss to Bears
Not many predicted an 0-3 start to the season for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but that is what five turnovers and a defense incapable of making a big play will get you. The Steelers fell behind early Sunday night to the Chicago Bears and fought back to pull within four points in the second half, but turnovers doomed the offense and the defense once again couldn't get off the field on third down. Add all of that up and you get a 40-23 loss with no end in sight to the Steelers' ... Read More
Steelers Struggle Continues
This was a game the Pittsburgh Steelers usually have. Backs against the wall, playing at home, Al and Cris in the booth. The stage was set for The Win That Righted The Ship. Instead, the Steelers came out flat and never fully recovered. A very good Chicago Bears team left Heinz Field with a 40-23 win. It's soul-searching time in the Steel City. At 0-3, the Steelers' season is on life support in September. Next up is a long flight to London, where they'll take on the similarly ... Read More
IUP Football moves to #7 in AFCA Top 25
WACO, TX – After improving to 3-0 on the season, IUP has moved up one spot to No. 7 in the newest American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Top 25 Poll, released on Monday. The Crimson Hawks defeated Seton Hill 26-0 in Greensburg on Saturday night despite five turnovers and 286 yards of total offense. Erik Finklea (Cincinnati, OH/Woodward) ran for 76 yards and two touchdowns and Dorian Lane (Pittsburgh/Woodland Hills) had a 39-yard interception return for a touchdown. The ... Read More
Tyler Glasnow: Pirates Minor League Player-of-the-Year
Tyler Glasnow, this years Pirates minor league pitcher of-the-year, held up to his preseason #9 ranking on the Pirates Prospects list as he recorded a 9 - 3 record for Class-A West Virginia while recording a 2.18 era in 24 starts while striking out 164 batters and walking 61. The great numbers weren't part of Glasnow's plan at the start of the season. It was strictly work to get better. "My focus at the beginning of the year was to not really think of results, not really think of stats," said ... Read More
Where’s the competition?
The Big 10 conference has been known as a powerhouse football program for decades for having grueling tough schedules. However, how does a school become a powerhouse? Is being a powerhouse determined by the number of championships you have? Having a consistent winning record? The successful teams you play and regularly defeat? If you consistently have a winning record, but play very weak teams, are you really powerful? These days, we get to watch powerhouse programs such as Penn State and ... Read More