The word “tie” is very, very rarely used in Major League Baseball. But, Thursday night at PNC Park in front of 19,991 fans, that's exactly what happened. The Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs tied 1-1 after an extended rain delay (one hour and 23 minutes) in the Pirates' final home game of the 2016 season. It was the first tie in the majors since 2005. The game, which was called in the top of the sixth inning, was declared a tie and not suspended because the game has no effect on the ... Read More
Archives for September 2016
Column: Goalkeeper isn’t only change Riverhounds need to make
The Pittsburgh Riverhounds ended their 2016 season the same way they started it: with a loss. The Riverhounds finished their season with a 6-17-7 record. Five out of their six wins came under head coach Dave Brandt, who took the reins after nine games. The team started the season with Mark Steffens as head coach, but he was fired when the Riverhounds lost to the Lansdowne Bhoys in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Meanwhile, Brandt led the team to five wins, four more draws and plenty of ... Read More
Jaso’s cycle, Taillon’s pitching give Pirates win vs. Cubs
Just one day after being eliminated from playoff contention, the Pittsburgh Pirates had a historic performance from first baseman John Jaso in an 8-4 victory Wednesday night against the Chicago Cubs. Jaso hit for the first cycle in PNC Park's 15-year history after he trippled off Pedro Strop in the seventh inning. “It's an interesting thing,” Jaso said to reporters after the game. “When you have a season where you don't really make it to the playoffs but there are these little moments ... Read More
Franklin, PSU still trusting process despite injuries
There isn't a team in the country quite like the Penn State Nittany Lions — for a multitude of reasons. This year marks the first year since 2013 Penn State has had a full 85 scholarship allotment due to NCAA sanctions as a result of the 2012 child sex abuse scandal. For the past two seasons, the Nittany Lions had a reduced number of scholarships (75 in 2014 and 80 in 2015). Now, for the first time in his tenure at Penn State, third-year head coach James Franklin is on equal footing with ... Read More
COLUMN: Pirates season doomed from the start
Heading into Tuesday night's games, the Pittsburgh Pirates had a magic number of two and were able to secure their fate for the 2016 season. Unfortunately for the Pirates, that magic number was what it took for them to be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. First the Pirates fell 6-4 to the Chicago Cubs and the San Francisco Giants defeated the Colorado Rockies, 12-3. This sequence ends a streak of three consecutive seasons with playoff berths. Now the Pirates fall to ... Read More
Cubs prove too much for Pirates
In his previous start against the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Chad Kuhl didn't make it past the fifth inning, and, Monday night, Kuhl struggled again against the Cubs. Kuhl (5-4) made a mess of the fourth inning and was unable to see it through, and Chicago won its 100th game of the season with a 12-2 victory. This season, the Cubs are now 13-3 against the Pirates, while the Pirates fall to 37-41 at PNC Park and 32-38 against the National League ... Read More
Neal Huntington examines season, team’s future
For what is likely the final time this season, Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Neal Huntington met with reporters to discuss a myriad of topics relating to the past, present and future. Here's an edited transcript of what was said. On pitcher Gerrit Cole’s routine: “Really, his offseason routine has been a good one. We had the challenge in January (right rib inflammation) that we’ll address, but he was working. It’s hard to fault a guy for working when he got off track. Essentially knocked ... Read More
Grades: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles battled it out Sunday afternoon in the Battle of Pennsylvania. The Eagles easily won the battle, crushing the Steelers in a 34-3 victory. Pittsburgh suffered injuries, struggled to drive the ball down the field and had a lackluster pass rush defense. The loss moves the Steelers to 2-1 and second in the AFC North — the Baltimore Ravens are 3-0. Without further ado, here are the grades for Pittsburgh's Week 3 game against ... Read More
Three up, three down: Steelers vs. Eagles
Every so often, even football teams with storied traditions like the Pittsburgh Steelers put together a “throw-away-the-film” type of performance. You know, the game where it's nearly impossible to find anything positive. The type of defeat that, in retrospect, might end up being labeled as the worst regular-season loss in the Mike Tomlin era. In the wake of a 34-3 drubbing by the Philadelphia Eagles (3-0), Tomlin and his staff need to take that tape and burn it, bury it, do anything to rid ... Read More
Legendary golfer Arnold Palmer has passed away at 87
According to multiple reports, golfing legend Arnold Palmer passed away Sunday in Pittsburgh at age 87. Palmer, who was born in Latrobe, PA, is generally regarded as one of the best golfers of all time. Nicknamed “The King,” he won seven major championships (the Masters four times, the U.S. Open once and the Open Championship twice), and his 65 wins on the PGA tour are tied for fifth all-time. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974 and was awarded the Presidential Medal ... Read More