The 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates gave something to fans they had been waiting over 20 years for — hope. The long, painful streak of losing seasons finally came to end, and yes, there was even playoff baseball in October at PNC Park. Just a few years ago, this seemed next to impossible. During most, if not all of the 20 years of losing, there was a sense that things would never get better. One-hundred loss seasons, poor drafting (Brian Bullington over Zach Greinke?) and the perennial off-season ... Read More
Is Franklin worth the risk?
When I met newly hired Penn State football coach James Franklin back in 2008, he was the recruiting coordinator at Maryland, and I, a Track and Field coach at Seneca Valley High School. I was preparing some of my athletes for the PIAA State Championships and Franklin was there to recruit Raiders QB, CJ Brown. As he watched me working with one of my relays at practice, he approached to talk. The interaction we had, all of 10 minutes, made an impression on me. He asked insightful questions, he ... Read More
Breaking down Team Canada
If there is one thing that Canada embraces more than anything, its their beloved sport of Hockey. Anticipation, and a lot of debate has surrounded selection for Team Canada's Olympic Hockey team, which looks to defend their gold medal performance in Vancouver in 2010. Earlier yesterday, Team Canada's General Manager, Steve Yzerman, ended months of speculation, and said debate over who would represent their country in Sochi. Some choices were obvious, but quite a few were not. With exactly one ... Read More
Let’s Make A Deal – Trade Options For The Pens
Even in the the midst of the latest stretch of winning hockey where the Penguins have gone 8-2-0 in their last ten, one of the hot button topics continues to be what the Penguins might do in terms of trades. Questions remain to be answered...Where do the Pens look to upgrade? Do they look for another scoring forward to play on a line with Crosby or Malkin? Do they look for additional grit and toughness that could play on a third or fourth line, and additionally help with the penalty kill? What ... Read More
Athlete Spotlight: Brianna Schwartz – Shaler High School
When you start to put together a list of the standout athletes to be a part of the WPIAL, its a who's who of some of the greatest to ever participate in high school athletics anywhere in the country. The names are legendary and you spend hours listing them, many who went on to greatness at the collegiate and professional levels. Some are household names, Joe Montana, Tony Dorsett, Arnold Palmer, Susie McConnell-Serio, Swin Cash, and Olympic medalist Lauryn Williams. How about Bill Fralic, Norm ... Read More
Where do the Penguins go from here
Injuries happen...Two simple words, but words spoken often when it comes to the 2013-14 Pittsburgh Penguins. In spite of the almost comical number injuries that seemingly never end, the Penguins keep winning. How are they doing it? How can it possibly continue? Ultimately, even with the impressive 14-point lead the Penguins hold in the Metropolitan Division, these questions, among others, invariably will continue to be asked, and in the wake of a string of disappointing playoff exits in recent ... Read More