Make no mistake about it: these Penguins are Jim Rutherford’s team. The Penguins general manager continued to put his mark on his team, making a pair of deals before Monday's trade deadline, acquiring defensemen Ben Lovejoy and Ian Cole. As the Penguins roster in currently constituted, Rutherford has either signed or traded for 11 of the 24 players on the team, more than predecessors Ray Shero (9) and Craig Patrick (4). In addition to the lineup, the Rutherford has replaced the entire ... Read More
Archives for March 2015
Pittsburgh Pirates win Spring Training opener
The Pittsburgh Pirates used three home runs to win 8-7 in Dunedin, Fl., against the Toronto Blue Jays in a game which served as both teams Spring Training openers. Pedro Alvarez hit the first Pirates home run, a three-run shot to left field off Blue Jays pitcher Aaron Sanchez. Sanchez would allow a total of five runs and four hits in 1.1 innings pitched. The Pirates scored their other two runs against Sanchez when Jaff Decker hit a double off the center-field wall. Decker was 2-3 on the ... Read More
RMU’s Marcquise Reed named 2015 NEC Rookie of the Year
A big reason for the success of the Robert Morris men’s basketball team this season has been the play of freshman guard Marcquise Reed. Tuesday Reed was honored, as well as a couple of his teammates, with some NEC hardware. Reed was named the 2015 Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year, become the fourth RMU student athlete in history to capture the award. During the regular season Reed averaged 14.9 points per game, ranking seventh in the NEC. He also has posted a team-high 56 steals ... Read More
Brandon Cumpton out with elbow discomfort
Pittsburgh Pirates’ fans woke up Tuesday morning hearing the three most ominous words: Dr. James Andrews, after pitcher Brandon Cumpton stated he felt pain in his elbow after live batting practice at Pirate City. Andrews’ visits normally do not end well and the Pirates hope that Cumpton caught the injury early enough to avoid Tommy John surgery, a fate top pitching prospect Jameson Taillon met last season. According to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Cumpton first noticed ... Read More
Dick Hoak: A Pittsburgh legend; the college years
It’s hard to think of Pittsburgh Sports legends and not include the name Dick Hoak on any list. The mere fact that Hoak accomplished what he did in both his playing and coaching career without ever leaving his backyard makes Hoak’s accomplishments that much more special. Those not familiar with Hoak, he not only was a high school standout at Jeannette High School, but took those talents to Penn State University where he excelled on both sides of the ball. From there Hoak was drafted by the ... Read More
Jose Tabata sacrifice fly proves winner in Pirates scrimmage
The Pittsburgh Pirates played its annual Black-Gold scrimmage with Team Black defeating Team Gold 2-1 Monday at McKechnie Field in Bradenton, FL. This game was the first time fans got the opportunity to see Jung-ho Kang. Kang played in three innings registering a first inning ground out to short in his lone at-bat. "That's when I realized, 'Game on.' It helped a lot to get to play [before facing other teams], to get a feel for it," Kang said to the assembled media. Fans cheered loudest ... Read More
Steelers release Lance Moore
When the Pittsburgh Steelers signed veteran Lance Moore last offseason, many people were excited about the role that Moore could play in the Steelers offense. But instead of being a replacement for Jerricho Cotchery and Emmanuel Sanders, Moore turned out to be a big disappointment in his only season with the Steelers. After signing a two-year deal last year, Moore won't be around to see the end of it as the Steelers released the veteran on Monday. Moore was a healthy scratch during the ... Read More
Penguins bring back defenseman Ben Lovejoy
After already swapping Robert Bortuzzo for Ian Cole, the Pittsburgh Penguins have added yet another player to the fold on trade deadline day, and this one is a familiar face. Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford has also acquired former Penguins defenseman Ben Lovejoy from the Anaheim Ducks. Lovejoy, now 31, has spent the last three seasons in Anaheim after starting his career with the Penguins as an undrafted free agent out of Dartmouth. He has 248 NHL games on his resume – 98 with the ... Read More
Penguins acquire defenseman Ian Cole
It took a while, but the Pittsburgh Penguins have found the defensive help they were looking for at the traded deadline. They waited until late in the day on Monday, but eventually acquired defenseman Ian Cole from the Saint Louis Blues. Cole, a 26-year old native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, was the Blues’ first-round pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. He’s played in 165 NHL games, all with Saint Louis, scoring nine goals, 21 assists and recording 142 penalty minutes. In 2014-15, he’s had his best ... Read More
Power play leads Pens past Blue Jackets
In the Pittsburgh Penguins first two games against the Columbus Blue Jackets this season – a pair of one-goal losses – the Pens went 0-for-6 on the power play despite taking 11 shots with the man advantage. In Sunday night’s 5-3 win over Columbus, the Penguins power play went 3-for-6 on 14 shots and accounted for the entire margin of victory. The teams took a little while to adjust to the odd 5:00 p.m. start, and the first period was scoreless until the 17:33 mark, when James Wisniewski ... Read More