Last year at this time, the Pitt basketball program was preparing to celebrate having turned out a lottery pick when Steven Adams was drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder. This year when the NBA Draft comes and goes, it could do so without hearing Lamar Patterson’s, Pitt’s only NBA hopeful, name called. For a while Patterson was projected to be a mid- second round pick and while that could still be the case, it seems over the course of the past month that Patterson’s draft stock has fallen ... Read More
Archives for June 2014
Price Outduels Morton as Rays Salvage Game from Pirates
Charlie Morton's rough first inning proved costly as David Price went 8 1/3 strong to defeat the Pirates 5-1 on Wednesday afternoon. Morton didn't have the most adequate start allowing three runs in the first. Desmond Jennings led off the game for the Rays with a single and quickly scored as Ben Zobrist followed with a RBI triple that was misplayed by Andrew McCutchen. Zobrist then scored on a fielding error by Jordy Mercer. The Rays got their third run of the inning off of a Kevin Kiermaier ... Read More
Shaquille Doorson decommits from Pitt; signs with Rutgers
There’s still a long way to go until Jamie Dixon and the Pitt basketball program opens up the 2014-15 season, but unfortunately they will be doing so without incoming freshman Shaquille Doorson. Many were excited that the big man initially committed to Pitt, but Doorson has officially decommitted from Pitt and will be heading to Rutgers instead. Someone had to go as the Panthers were over their scholarship limit and Doorson appeared to be the odd man out, but it appears to be a mutual ... Read More
Gerrit Cole to Start Saturday
Bill Brink of the PG has reported that Pirates starter Gerrit Cole will be activated from the 15-day DL (shoulder fatigue) and will start on Saturday against the Mets at PNC Park. Cole will start Saturday, Hurdle said, but he declined to say what that meant for the rest of the rotation.— Bill Brink (@BrinkPG) June 25, 2014 Prior to his injury, Cole posted a 6-3 record with a 3.64 ERA with 69 strikeouts and 25 walks in 76 2/3 IP. In his previous seven starts, Cole was 4-1 while ... Read More
Mike Johnston hired as Penguins head coach
The process took a while for new Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford, but he has finally settled on a new head coach for the organization. As speculated that man is Mike Johnston. Many feel that Rutherford did just settle on Johnston as a coach but plenty of reports would suggest that he was one of the Penguins initial candidates before the job was thought to go to Willie Desjardins before he spurned the Pens to take the head coaching job with Vancouver. Johnston was also ... Read More
Pirates Hold Off Rays 6-5
Jeff Locke took a strong start into the eighth inning as the Pirates defeated the Rays 6-5 to at least earn a road series victory. Locke was given a good cushion before allowing his first run of the game as the Pirates (39-38) led 4-0 after three innings. Andrew McCutchen started the scoring in the first with a RBI groundout. Cutch helped add to the lead in the third. Starling Marte and McCutchen recorded RBI singles and Neil Walker -- in his first game off of the DL -- hit a sac fly. Locke ... Read More
Sid takes home three awards
On a night where the NHL's best players wore suits instead of sweaters, and walked on a red carpet instead of a sheet of ice, Sidney Crosby collected three more awards to add to his cabinet. Crosby's 104 points (36 g, 68 a) led the NHL, giving him his second Art Ross of his career. As a result, he also won his second Hart Trophy as league MVP, and third Ted Lindsay award; MVP as voted by his peers. These accomplishments may be overshadowed by the Penguins early exit in the playoffs and ... Read More
Pirates’ Josh Bell named to Futures Game
Perhaps the best part of Major League Baseball's All-Star Break has nothing to do with watching the game's best take the field at the same time or MLB's top sluggers launch balls into orbit during the Home Run Derby. Instead it is getting the opportunity to watch the showcase game for the next wave of young superstars known as the Futures Game. And just like years of the past, the Pittsburgh Pirates will be represented, this time by outfielder Josh Bell. The former second-round pick is ... Read More
Walker Activated from DL, Tabata DFA’d
The Pirates have activated 2B Neil Walker from the 15-day DL (appendicitis). To make room on the active roster, the team has outrighted Jose Tabata to Triple-A Indianapolis. Prior to his injury, Walker was on track for a career year batting .280/.452/.805 with eight doubles, 11 home runs and 35 RBI in 62 games. He currently sits in second in NL All Star voting for second basemen (1,328,959) behind Chase Utley (2,090,110). Tabata started the season off of the bench and took over in right ... Read More
Are Ben Roethlisberger and Todd Haley on the same page?
Much has been made for the last two-plus years over the relationship of Pittsburgh Steelers franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Steelers’ offensive coordinator Todd Haley. While their relationship got off to a rocky start and the Steelers offense seemed stuck in quicksand for most of Haley’s two seasons in Pittsburgh, things really started to click, not only for Roethlisberger but the Steelers offense as a whole, the second half of last season. As a result Haley’s job security is ... Read More