A mere seven days after signing Jack Thompson to their squad, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds have announced another signing: Jack Thompson's older brother, Nick Thompson. Nick Thompson was signed by the Riverhounds early Friday afternoon, a day before the Riverhounds faced FC Montreal at Highmark Stadium. The elder Thompson is a familiar face for head coach Dave Brandt. Thompson played at Messiah College for all four years, but during his freshman and sophomore seasons (2008, 2009) he was ... Read More
Archives for June 2016
Penguins should consider all options at goaltender
The Penguins should trade Matt Murray. I’ll wait a minute while you scream at me at the top your lungs. Done yet? No? Now? OK, hear me out. The Penguins have a problem at goaltender. There’s only one net and they have two quality players in Murray and Marc-Andre Fleury. That’s not an ideal situation for any team, but some have made it work. The Penguins even seem as if they would be willing to try make it work. “If it was in a perfect world and (head coach Mike Sullivan) and ... Read More
Mets knock Locke out of game early in Pirates loss
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jeff Locke took his medicine last start allowing 11 runs in 4.2 innings and a similar fate awaited him Wednesday night in an 11-2 loss to the New York Mets. After a stretch in which Locke (5-5) was the most dominant pitcher, his last two starts have his ERA at 5.92. Locke lasted four innings in this game allowing seven runs on nine hits. Three of those runs were allowed in the first inning. Each of the first three batters reached base before Wilmer ... Read More
Taillon’s gem against Mets one Pirates sorely needed
“Pressure is a privilege,” Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jameson Taillon said after Tuesday's game against the New York Mets. And, on the big stage of the majors for only the second time, he sure made quite the impression. The 24-year-old righty had a no-hitter going into the seventh inning against the reigning National League champions. The Pirates won, 4-0. “I said after my first start, ‘I don't think I could draw it up any better than to get a win,’ and I did,” Taillon told ... Read More
Pirates move Gerrit Cole to DL, Jameson Taillon recalled
The Pittsburgh Pirates officially put pitcher Gerrit Cole on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to June 11 with a right tricep strain. In his place, they called up pitcher Jameson Taillon. Taillon (0-0, 4.50 ERA) will start Tuesday night's game against the New York Mets and Jacob deGrom (3-2, 2.80 ERA). Cole was injured in the third inning of Friday night's game against the St. Louis Cardinals, and he was lifted from the game as a precaution. Over the weekend, Pirates general manager Neal ... Read More
Penguins’ 2016 Stanley Cup win reminder that nothing in sports is certain
Rewind to 2009. The Pittsburgh Penguins had just won the Stanley Cup and were beginning to look like the start of the next NHL dynasty. It's hard to blame anyone for thinking Pittsburgh would be the next Gretzky-era Edmonton Oilers. Captain Sidney Crosby was only 21 years old, fellow center Evgeni Malkin was 22 years old and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was just 24 years old. The Penguins were loaded with young, superstar talent — and most of them were under team control for years. On June ... Read More
Despite great playoff performance, Crosby not right choice to win Conn Smythe
When Sidney Crosby was named the winner of the Conn Smythe trophy moments after the Pittsburgh Penguins had secured their fourth Stanley Cup victory last night over the San Jose Sharks, it was the name most people expected. Understandable, considering Crosby's effort throughout the playoffs and, in particular, his dazzling performance in Sunday's Cup-clinching victory in San Jose. It could be argued that Crosby's effort in that Game 6 against the Sharks alone was enough to secure the award ... Read More
Pitt QB Nate Peterman shows off trick-shot abilities all across Pittsburgh
The next time you find yourself aimlessly clicking around YouTube, do yourself a favor. Scroll your curser up to the search bar and enter “Nate Peterman trick shot.” Click on the first video, and you’ll see Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Nate Peterman throwing an impressive array of trick shots. As a part of Pitt’s beefed-up social media presence on its YouTube channel, PittLiveWire, Peterman completes feats of both great distance and accuracy. For his unorthodox target practice, his chucks ... Read More
Much-needed rest on the way for Pirates
It has been 31 consecutive days where the Pirates have been required to be inside a major league clubhouse,and that streak will come to an end tody. Today, the Pirates flew to New York for a series against the Mets. "It's not something we're used to," Chris Stewart admitted. "We're used to a mental and physical break every once in a while. It seems like the entire last month, we've been in the field or traveling or some sort of baseball activity. It's definitely been a grind but each day ... Read More
Column: It’s time for Pirates’ excuses, cliches to stop
If there is a team which needs a break more than the Pittsburgh Pirates, I would love to hear who. That's because there is no one who needs a break more desperately then them, especially after playing uninspired baseball in an 8-3 loss Sunday to the St. Louis Cardinals. It was a team which looked tired in every way and played like it, too. Sure there can be many excuses made for the loss but flat out the Pirates just need a day to get right again. Pirates manager Clint Hurdle only ... Read More