ESPN's Buster Olney has put out his annual rankings of the top rotations and bullpens in baseball. Last year Olney predicted the Pittsburgh Pirates to win the World Series. This year he is equally bullish when it comes to the Pirates starting pitching staff and bullpen. For the starters, Olney has ranked the unit seventh overall (subscription required) in MLB. The New York Mets unsurprisingly were ranked first, followed by the Indians, Cardinals, Cubs, Giants and Dodgers The ranking be ... Read More
ESPN’s Buster Olney predicts Pirates as World Series winner
So, just how good are the Pirates? From 20 straight losing seasons, to back-to-back appearances in the playoffs, the Pirates have gone from basement dwellers to actually contenders. It's one thing for Pittsburgh fans to say it (you know their teams are ALWAYS going to be great, right?). It's also another thing for the local media to say it. But when the worldwide leader in sports says it, you know the Pirates are making noise. On Friday morning, Buster Olney of ESPN released his playoff ... Read More
ESPN suspends Olbermann over Penn State tweets
Talk-show host Keith Olbermann has been suspended for a week and publicly reprimanded by ESPN for comments that he made on Twitter, calling university students “pitiful” after being sent a link to an article about the $13 million fundraising effort by THON. EPSN issued the following statement. “We are aware of the exchange Keith Olbermann had on Twitter last night regarding Penn State. It was completely inappropriate and does not reflect the views of ESPN. We have discussed it with Keith, who ... 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
Steelers sign Gradkowski, re-sign veterans and host Connor
The start of free agency is usually a quiet time for the Steelers In most years - like this one - they are trying to clear cap space instead of spending big money on free agents. If you missed the news yesterday, Mike Wallace cashed in on a deal with the Miami Dolphins that officially makes Antonio Brown the teams No. 1 receiver. The Steelers were able to re-sign Larry Foote to a three-year deal - the team's biggest move so far - as well as Plaxico Burress, David Johnson, Isaac Redman, Jon ... Read More
Steelers Sent The Bus Out On Top; Ravens Trying to do the same with Ray Lewis
The Pittsburgh Steelers know all about what the Baltimore Ravens are trying to do this post-season. A legend on their team, Ray Lewis, has announced that he will be retiring at the end of the season and the team is rallying behind him to try and send him out on top. For the Steelers this scenario played out to perfection during the 2005-2006 season. The player was Jerome Bettis and the Steelers road "The Bus" all the way to Detroit and allowed him to finish his NFL career as a Super Bowl ... Read More
KHL on ESPN
When I first heard about the (possibly short-term) marriage between the Kontinental Hockey League and ESPN, I immediately poured hot coffee on my hand just to make sure that I was awake and alive. First off, the thought of watching hockey in any capacity is akin to winning free Taco Bell for life. I barely even remember what ice skates look like. As was stated by Morgan Freeman in The Shawshank Redemption, “I find I’m so excited I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head.” ESPN’s ... Read More
Pirates led by Pedro and a Wandy-ful performance on ESPN
It's been seven years since the Pirates have been a nationally televised game on ESPN. That was prior to to the All-Star game in Pittsburgh. No one on this current team was here. Last season, John Kruk was pushing for the mothership to make an appearance in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, the Pirates were out of the race by the time ESPN considered it. So with their success last year, ESPN had to consider a trip to Pittsburgh at the beginning of the year right? Actually, no. In their N.L. Central ... Read More