Two seasons ago, the Pirates wrapped up their 18th consecutive losing season by August 20th. They would finish with a record of 57-105. Last season, the Pirates finalized their epic collapse with an 82nd loss on September 14th. This season, the Pirates waited until September 30th before breaking their own North American record for consecutive losing seasons. Rest assure there is improvement. I am not talking about the team's ability to delay what has been the inevitable over the last ... Read More
Pirates lose 82nd game of season
The Pirates racked up their 82nd loss of the season and completed their twentieth consecutive losing season with another heartbreaking loss. Wandy Rodriguez had another decent outing, but could not get credit for the win. He pitched six innings, struck out seven, and allowed two runs. Tony Watson and Jason Grilli each did fantastic out of the bullpen and had scoreless innings, with Grilli striking out the side. Joel Hanrahan came into the game with a 3-2 lead, but blew his fourth save of the ... Read More
Duquesne Rallies to win 4th Straight
The Duquesne Dukes have made it a habit as of late getting out of the gates slow and coming on strong in the fourth quarter. It’s not the ideal recipe for head coach Jerry Schmitt’s team, but it’s been working as the Dukes used another big fourth quarter performance to come from behind and defeat Saint Francis 24-21 in NEC Conference play. “It’s certainly not the way we want to keep playing,” said Schmitt. “I don’t want to be in that situation all of the time. I’m glad we play well in the ... Read More
Summit Series 40th Anniversary: Canada vs. USSR
Before there was the 1980 Olympic “Miracle on Ice”, there was the 1972 Summit Series that pitted Canada vs. the Soviet Union. It was truly one of hockey’s biggest moments. Canada was a dominant force, with players like Bobby Clarke, Stan Mikita and Phil Esposito, among many others. Not to be outdone, the Soviet Machine was humming by ’72, lead by all-time great goaltender Vladislav Tretiak and long-time star Boris Mikhailov. It was an eight game series, set to take place in both Canada (first ... Read More
Robert Morris in search of first win vs.Lafayette
It's been a rough start to the 2012 season for the Robert Morris Colonials, dropping their first three games by a combined score of 97-24; certainly not the start to the season that Colonials' head coach Joe Walton was hoping for. Following a bye week, RMU gets back in action Saturday, but things won't get any easier as they host unbeaten Lafayette (3-0). To come away with a win, the Colonials offense must get going. That's a possibility after they got back quarterback Jeff Sinclair last ... Read More
Deem’s preview of the weekend’s top games
Carolina at Atlanta looks like a good match up on paper, but if Carolina comes out and plays the way they did against the Giants last week, this will be over very quickly. The Falcons are coming off a dominant win over San Diego in which the offense and defense played great. Matt Ryan is the highest rated quarterback in the NFL after three weeks and I look for him to continue that trend this week against the Panthers secondary. Cam Newton needs to bounce back and prove to his doubters he can win ... Read More
Deem’s Week 4 NFL Spread Predictions
I hope to bounce back after a rough last weekend, here are my latest selections for week 4. New England -4.5 vs Buffalo Detroit+4.5 vs Minnesota Carolina vs Atlanta -7.5 San Francisco -4.5 vs NY Jets San Diego vs Kansas City +1 Tennessee vs Houston -12 Seattle vs St Louis +3 Miami vs Arizona -6 Oakland +7 vs Denver Cincinnati -3 vs Jacksonville New Orleans vs Green Bay -8 Washington vs Tampa Bay -3 NY Giants +1 vs Philadelphia Chicago vs Dallas -3.5 ... Read More
Are The Pittsburgh Pirates Allergic To Winning?
After today’s loss to the New York Mets, there is absolutely no margin for error if the Pittsburgh Pirates hope to end their 19-year losing streak. If the Pirates truly want to crush their fans hearts in style, they should win four games then lose the last two and finish just below the mark. That seems to be how they do things around here. Look at the fact they got to 16 games over .500 and most experts, including myself, thought there was no way in hell even the Pirates could blow such a ... Read More
Why there is an NHL Lockout
Much has been written about the current NHL lockout, and what (if any) progress is being made. However, many writers, myself included, have been derelict in our duty of explaining why the lockout occurred to begin with. As every good historian knows, knowing why something happened is as important as knowing what happened. Let’s begin with the Collective Bargaining Agreement set forth by the league after the 2004-05 lockout. This agreement put the current salary cap structure (which is tied to ... Read More
Sidney Crosby talks NHL Lockout, training and more
While Pittsburgh Penguins fans would love to see superstar Sidney Crosby back on the ice for a full 82-game season this year, it doesn't look like that's going to happen.This time around it has nothing to do with Crosby's health, but instead it is the current NHL lockout that is keeping the Penguins' captain and his teammates of the ice.Similar to his teammates, Crosby is itching to get in game action, but that's not on the agenda right now as the players remain locked out by the league."You ... Read More