In the wake of the Pittsburgh Steelers gut-wrenching loss to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Divisional playoff this past Sunday, many fans are still trying to cope with the fact that a season with so many ups and downs is now over. The loss to the Broncos was in many ways a caricature of the season as a whole; agonizingly close, yet in the end, something would happen to sabotage the Steelers in the end. Although the loss in Denver meant hopes of a seventh Super Bowl title will have a to wait ... Read More
Archives for January 2016
Pitt caught sleeping in loss to NC State
If you thought the Louisville game was bad you have another thing coming. Pitt, playing its third game in six days, did its best to set the game of basketball back decades for the second time in that span in a 78-61 loss to visiting North Carolina State Tuesday night at the Petersen Events Center. North Carolina State (11-8, 1-5 ACC) entered the contest winless in ACC play, but delivered the knockout punch from the opening tip, as the led by as many as 28 in the first half. Pitt (15-3, ... Read More
Pitt’s James Robinson Named Candidate for Senior CLASS Award
Pitt point guard James Robinson is having an excellent season on the court and is being recognized not only for his performance on the hardwood, but his performance off it as well. Tuesday, Robinson was named one of 30 candidate for the 2015-16 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate basketball. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. ... Read More
Steelers extend two; sign 10 to futures contracts
The Pittsburgh Steelers got a jump start on the offseason on Tuesday, extending the contracts of a pair along with signing 10 players to Reserve/Future contracts. Center/guard Chris Hubbard and fullback Roosevelt Nix were signed to one-year contract extensions. Financial terms of the contracts were not disclosed. Hubbard has appeared in eight regular season games for the Steelers the past two seasons after spending the 2013 season on the practice squad. Nix was signed to a ... Read More
COLUMN: Is Penn State rebuilding or reloading?
At his introductory press conference earlier this week, current Tennessee Volunteers and former Penn State Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Bob Shoop now famously said, “I like the fact that this isn’t a rebuild." Is Penn State really in a rebuilding mode? Or is it reloading? To some, after the week and offseason Penn State has had, it may seem like Happy Valley is in a rebuilding mode after all based on the amount of staff and player turnover recently. For those keeping track at home, the ... Read More
Will the National League’s top-heavy lean affect Pirates?
In case you missed it, many teams got better in the National League this offseason. A lot better. If we take an early look at the landscape as we stand in frigid January temperatures, we can see a caste system of sorts taking shape. There are the perennial contenders out west. The San Francisco Giants got considerably better than they did last year by bringing in Jeff Samardzjia, Johnny Cueto and Denard Span. The Los Angeles Dodgers took a huge hit in losing Zack Greinke to the Arizona ... Read More
Steelers vs. Broncos: AFC Divisional Round grades
The Pittsburgh Steelers playoff run ended on Sunday against the Denver Broncos. The Steelers, who were certainly the underdogs of the game, had a lead over the Broncos up until the fourth quarter. Suddenly, the Broncos were back up on top, and the Steelers were sent packing their bags to head back to Pittsburgh with a defeat under their belt. However, all is not lost for the Steelers. The team had many key injuries this season and will get back injured players by the likes of Le'Veon Bell, ... Read More
Pitt falls from AP Poll
The Pitt Panthers stay in the AP Poll was a short-lived one. After losing to Louisville last Thursday, the Panthers found themselves on the outside looking in of the Top 25, even though they closed the week with a dominating win over Boston College. Pitt had been ranked No. 20 heading into last week. This week they are the first team outside the Top 25 with 184 votes. The Oklahoma Sooners are No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since the final two weeks of the ... Read More
Three up, three down: Steelers vs. Broncos
Agonizingly close to earning a trip to New England to play in the AFC Championship game, the Pittsburgh Steelers were unable to hold a one-point fourth-quarter lead and would eventually falter to the Denver Broncos, 23-16. It was a gutty peformance by a Steelers team ravaged by injuries, but ultimately their efforts came up just short and will leave everyone to wonder what could have been with healthy group playing in Denver. In our final installment of Three up three down, let's take a look ... Read More
Penguins recall defenseman Derrick Pouliot
The Penguins recalled defenseman Derrick Pouliot from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, announced by Jim Rutherford Monday morning. Pouliot currently leads Wilkes-Barre/Scranton defensemen, ranking seventh in the AHL with 23 points in 37 games. Pouliot is making his first NHL premiere this season after playing in 34 games last season for the Penguins, and scoring his first NHL goal against the Florida Panthers. Overall last season, he scored two goals and five assists, ... Read More