Building from within has always been the Pirates’ mantra. That’s been no more evident than this season from Gerrit Cole’s electrifying debut, Jordy Mercer’s offensive boost at short, and a solid spot start by Brandon Cumpton. So which Pirates’ are sailing smoothly through the minor leagues and which are struggling to keep their head above water? The Good Vic Black/RP AAA: The closer at Indianapolis, Black sports an excellent 2.62 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in 24 innings of work. According to ... Read More
Wild Things fall short in battle for first place
Despite a strong start for Wild Things pitcher Shawn Blackwell, the first place Evansville Otters were able to knock the ball around a little bit in the fourth inning en route to a 3-0 victory over the Wild Things, securing first place in the Eastern Division for now. It seemed that Blackwell was getting into a groove, pitching 3.1 innings of no-hit baseball before finally surrendering a double to CJ Henry, who would be driven in by the next batter Nick Schwaner to start the downfall for the ... Read More
Power lifeless in 59-21 loss to the Philadelphia Soul
In a game where two or three defensive stops can usually win you a game, The Pittsburgh Power forced four turnovers against the Philadelphia Soul and lost by 38 points because Pittsburgh had seven turnovers of their own. Pittsburgh’s first four possessions went as follows; Turnover on downs, Kickoff fumble off the net, interception, interception. Needless to say it was 21-0 before all of the Power faithful had even found their seats. Derek Cassidy’s strong play from last week against San ... Read More
Crosby wins Ted Lindsay Award
Sidney Crosby was award the Ted Lindsay award, Saturday night. Formerly known as the Lester B Pearson, the Ted Lindsay award is given to the most outstanding player voted on by the players. It is Crosby's second such award, the first coming in 2007. Crosby had a chance to win the Art Ross Trophy for most points, and the Hart Trophy for Most Valuable Player, but lost both when he was injured on March 30th. Crosby broke his jaw and missed the last quarter of the season. Marty St. Louis ... Read More
All 22: The Mike Wallace Affect
On the whole, the 2013 offseason was not kind to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rashard Mendenhall ended up in Pittsburgh West, Keenan Lewis to the Big Easy, and James Harrison to the Bengals. But arguably the toughest blow was letting Mike Wallace go to the Dolphins. It can be argued it was a decision made out of financial necessity but there’s no question the team is losing a playmaker. A prime example of that from Week 6 against Tennessee. Personnel: Deuce Route Concept: Go Route ... Read More
Yinzer of the Week: Andrew McCutchen
The Pittsburgh Pirates have taken over the town of Pittsburgh now that the Penguins have been eliminated from the NHL playoffs. The Buccos won four of their six games this week, including two big wins against the defending World Series Champions. Everyone knows that there's one man on this roster who can step up and be labeled as a superstar, and, this week, he can add Yinzer of the Week to his repertoire. Andrew McCutchen has been heating up as of late, trying to overcome his slow start. The ... Read More
Week 13 Preview: Philadelphia Soul Vs. Pittsburgh Power
What significance does the date June 4th, 2011 have for the Pittsburgh Power? That is the last time the Power (3-8) beat a team with a winning record at the Consol Energy Center. That day they beat division rival Cleveland to take the division lead and create some excitement for the Power faithful. Another opportunity presents itself as the cross-state division rival Philadelphia Soul (6-5) come to town licking their wounds from an earlier 53-48 loss to the Power a few weeks ago. If the ... Read More
Locke goes seven strong as Pirates down Dodgers 3-0
The Pittsburgh Pirates are the fifth team to reach 40 wins this season and Jeff Locke has been there since the first one. In fact, he's the only pitcher remaining in the rotation since Opening Day. AJ Burnett and Wandy Rodriguez are both on the DL, James McDonald is in AAA on a rehab assignment and doesn't look close to returning, and Jonathan Sanchez was outright released back in early May. That left Locke, who did nothing but go out and mow down Dodger hitters through seven ... Read More
Wild Things use home runs to overcome Otters
On a night where Shawn Smith had a stellar performance on the mound, the Wild Things offense came alive with three home runs to propel one of the league's hottest teams to a 6-1 victory. The Wild Things started the night out early, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first. After a groundout to start the inning, CJ Beatty reached on a single. Two pitches later Jovan Rosa drove him in on a two-run home run to give Washington a two-run lead. Later in the inning, Stewart Ijames drove in ... Read More
LaMarr Woodley is in Shape and ready to play for Steelers
Back in 2011 LaMarr Woodley was on pace to, at least, be considered for the NFL’s defensive player of the year award. Woodley led the Pittsburgh Steelers roster through eight games with nine sacks including two sacks of Tom Brady in a week 8 match-up. However, late in the third quarter Woodley came off the edge after Brady and came up lame with a hamstring injury. In 2012, Woodley battled another hamstring injury as well as other injuries that plagued his entire season and he finished with ... Read More