Raise your hand if you believed that Ryan Mallett would outplay Ben Roethlisberger and lead the 10-point underdog Baltimore Ravens to a crippling 20-17 defeat of the Pittsburgh Steelers. With their playoff lives on the line, the Steelers (9-6) picked a terrible time to play arguably their worst game of the season to the Ravens (5-10). Mallett took advantage of his first start with the Ravens after being on the street two weeks ago, passing for 274 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, ... Read More
Archives for December 2015
Rested Penguins fight off Wild in road victory
The Minnesota Wild (18-9-6) hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins (16-14-3) tonight resuming NHL action after a short break for the holidays. Patric Hornqvist scored his first goal in over five games and Sidney Crosby finished the game with one goal and one assist in a 3-1 win. Pittsburgh went the first period without scoring, but was able to put up three goals in the second period to give the Penguins a multi-goal lead that allowed the offense to play freely and without pressure. Tonight’s game ... Read More
Week 16 Preview: Steelers inch closer to playoffs, face Ravens in Baltimore
Although this late-season matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens might not have the usual luster fans have grown accustomed to over the years, it does not mean the outcome won't have major ramifications in the AFC playoff race. Winners of five of their last six, the Steelers (9-5) have positioned themselves nicely for a post-season berth but need a victory to maintain their ever-so-slight lead over the New York Jets for the final AFC Wild Card spot. The Ravens (4-10) ... Read More
Pitt getting it done from the free-throw line
If there seems like one major problem that has plagued the Pitt Panthers throughout the Jamie Dixon era, it likely has been poor free-throw shooting. On more than one occasion the Panthers inability to knock down big free throws during crunch time has cost them in a major way. That's not the case any longer. One of this Pitt teams biggest strengths is being able to go to the line and knock down free throws. It hasn't just been one guy either as the entire roster is built with very good ... Read More
Face off Friday: Pirates roundtable
If there's one thing Pittsburgh Pirates fan love, it's debating the team's move during the off-season. The signing of John Jaso and acquisition of Yoervis Medina gave fans plenty of chances to do so. We here at the Pittsburgh Sporting News are no exception. Fellow Pirates contributor Jose Negron and I went back and forth via email on a few key hot stove topics, and that exchange is recounted for you here. On the First Base position... JASON: Jose, it seems as if the Pirates have ... Read More
Pittsburgh Penguins prospect recap
A Pittsburgh Penguins Prospect Recap replaces the weekly Three Up, Three Down for the week of Dec. 14–20 due to a lack of NCAA games last week and a relatively crazy week for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. MAJOR JUNIOR In OHL, Jaden Lindo went without a point in a pair of games with the Owen Sound Attack, but recorded a pair of assists in a 4-3 win over the London Knights on Saturday. Nikita Pavlychev recorded a single assist on Friday night for the Des Moines Buccaneers in the ... Read More
Nassib’s unexpected rise to stardom
Carl Nassib had two dreams when he arrived at Beaver Stadium as a freshman: First, to be an All-American. Second, to play professional football. At first, neither seemed likely, or even possible. Now, however, he stands tall as one of the best college football players in the nation. Nassib’s stardom was unexpected. The six-foot-seven, 272-pound defensive end was a former walk-on, and had never started a game in high school or college. His first career start came in Penn State’s 2015 opener, ... Read More
A history of Pens coaching changes, part 2
43 years after watching his team make their first mid-season coaching change General Manager Jim Rutherford presides over the most recent move. In the years since salary cap was implemented after the 2004-05 lockout the Pittsburgh Penguins have gone through five different coaches. All but one of the four coaching changes were mid-season replacements in which the AHL coach was promoted to replace his predecessor. The Sidney Crosby Era Ed Olczyk took over as Head Coach during a very dark time ... Read More
Pitt wraps up Gotham Classic with win over Western Carolina
For a change this season the Pitt Panthers had a fight on their hands. While most of their non-conference schedule has resulted in blowout wins, the Panthers needed all 40 minutes to take care of visiting Western Carolina 79-73 in the final game of the Gotham Classic Wednesday night at the Petersen Events Center. Pitt trailed with just over two minutes remaining, but a Chris Jones three-pointer with 2:20 remaining gave the Panthers a 68-66 lead. Sheldon Jeter followed with a monster dunk ... Read More
Pittsburgh Pirates find left-handed 1B in John Jaso
The Pittsburgh Pirates had a busy day today as they made several moves, most notably addressing their intended first base platoon by signing left-handed hitting 1B/OF John Jaso to a two-year/$8million contract. Jaso missed most of 2015 due to injury. He is a seven-year veteran having spent parts of his career with the Mariners, Rays and Athletics. For his career, Jaso has a triple-slash line of .263/.361/.406. By far Jaso's biggest tool is the ability to get on base, with an excellent ... Read More