On day 2 of the Pittsburgh Penguins development camp, the 39 prospects divided up into two groups and participated in a 4 on 4 scrimmage. The Penguins played strictly in the neutral zone and put a goal along each wall. The purpose of this camp is to develop the future Penguins and prepare them as future NHL players. Among the prospects are last year's first rounders Olli Maatta and Derrick Pouliot; both are offensive defensemen. Also included are Brian Dumoulin -a defensive prospect ... Read More
Is Landry Jones the Successor to Big Ben?
The Pittsburgh Steelers franchise is well versed in the dichotomy of competing now vs. preparing for the future. This is proven by the team's overall record for the past two decades. Only three sub .500 seasons ('98, '99, '03), and two more where they finished that respective year at 8-8 ('06 & '12). That leaves 15 winning seasons (I didn't even need a calculator to figure that stat) out of 20. In case you are wondering, the team's overall record over that time span, 1992-present, is ... Read More
Jordan Grady, three others from PSAC West named to NABC Honors Court
At the conclusion of the 2012-2013 school year the National Association of Basketball Coaches names players to their Honors Court. With the conclusion of this school year, four men's basketball players from the PSAC West have been named to the list. Jordan Grady of Slippery Rock University is a 6'4" 215 pound native of Cumberland, Maryland. He averaged 1.5 points and 2.1 rebounds last season for a Rock team that finished second in the PSAC West and qualified for the NCAA Division II ... Read More
Pitt’s Dan Mason’s downward spiral continues
Over the course of the past couple of seasons, if there was a story worth rooting for it would have been that of Pitt middle linebacker Dan Mason. Mason's triumphant return to the field after suffering a gruesome knee injury he suffered during an ESPN Thursday night game in 2010 against the Miami Hurricanes was one of heart and determination. But after two long years of rehab to make it back to the field last season, it appeared that Mason couldn't catch a break when he suffered a ... Read More
Prospect Preview: Jason Hendricks, Glenn Carson
With college football right around the corner, the beginning of the 2014 NFL Draft is tagging right along. Through this mini-series, we’ll review junior tape of potential prospects from Pitt and Penn St. To kick things off, a look at Pitt’s Jason Hendricks and Penn St’s Glenn Carson. *Obvious Disclaimer: With a full season to go, scouting reports of players can dramatically change. What is seen on a prospect’s junior tape can be much different than what happens his senior year, for better or ... Read More
Will this finally be the year for the Pirates?
Stop me if you’ve heard this before; the Pittsburgh Pirates are above .500 at the All Star Break. Oh what’s that? You were stopping me, because you have heard this before. The past two seasons, the Pirates have shown signs of breaking the long steak of losing seasons being above .500 at the All Star Break. The team even was in first place in the NL Central in late July. However, the Pirates could not sustain the success and would extend the streak each year, finishing 72-90 and 79-83 ... Read More
Steelers’ Roethlisberger ranked No. 7 on ESPN QB countdown
Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger may be the most unconventional quarterback in the NFL according to ESPN's Ron Jaworski, but at the end of the day all he does is win. In his career Big Ben has won 69 percent of his starts including the playoffs. That alone was good enough for Jaworski to rank Roethlisberger at No. 7 on his current countdown of the starting quarterbacks in the league. Jaworski had some very kind things to say about Roethlisberger, which included him ... Read More
An underclassman shouldn’t win the Heisman Trophy
"With great power, comes great responsibility." Sure, you've heard that old saying many times before, but how many times has it actually been acted upon? Time and time again we see star athletes who have went to the well one too many times. I'm not talking about a pitcher throwing one too many fastballs or a point guard throwing one too many behind the back passes. No, I'm talking about star athletes who get some time in the spotlight for their on-field statistics, and then do something ... Read More
The Penguins odd man out
Tomas Vokoun had an outstanding 2013 playoff performance coming off the pine in support of a flailing, Marc-Andre Fleury. There is no harder position in the NHL than playing goaltender and if your team loses, the goalie is the first player to be put under a microscope. Furthermore, you cannot completely blame Fleury for his inconsistency as the Penguins defense was flat out brutal at times. Throughout hockey circles, a concrete mental game is a must for all elite goaltenders and this is where ... Read More
Adding veterans would be a good idea for the Steelers
The 2013 Pittsburgh Steelers have an abundance of young talent on the roster. However, veteran leadership with proven track records would be a welcomed addition to training camp. The Steelers definitely have some questions heading into camp which is right around the corner as to who is going to start. While I am a firm believer of promoting from within, it's never a bad idea to have depth at pivotal positions. The Steelers will open up training camp with over $4 Million in salary cap space ... Read More