Good morning, Pittsburgh. Here's your day in sports for Wednesday, September 16, 2015. What's on tap for today: The Pirates (87-57) will go up against Chicago Cubs (83-61) Jake Arreita in what could be a preview of the NL Wild Card game. A.J. Burnett takes the mound for the Bucs at 7:05 p.m. ROOT Sports Pittsburgh. The Riverhounds will host the first-place Rochester Rhinos in their final home match of 2015 tonight. The Hounds are one point out of playoff position with two games to ... Read More
Pens will bring 53 players to camp on Thursday
After a long offseason, the Pittsburgh Penguins will step on to the ice for the first time in the 2015-16 season this week. It’s been the second consecutive offseason of change for the franchise. A year ago, the team completely restructured the front office and coaching staff. This offseason, the team has been put up for sale, opened a new practice facility and brought in 16 players – most notably, right-winger Phil Kessel -- that will be taking to the ice wearing a skating penguin for the ... Read More
Penguins rookie tournament recap
The Pittsburgh Penguins went 2-1 over the weekend at the annual rookie tournament in London, Ontario. On Friday, they defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 in overtime, then on Saturday they beat the Ottawa Senators, 4-1, and finally on Sunday, they fell to the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-2. They came out as the overall winners for the weekend, earning four of a possible six points. Defensemen Derrick Pouliot got to demonstrate the results of his summer training with Gary Roberts in Toronto. Pouliot ... Read More
AM Joe: Bucs close to 2.5 games back on Cardinals
Good morning, Pittsburgh. Here's your day in sports for Saturday, September 12, 2015. What's on tap for today: The rest of the NFL kicks off the 2015 season today, starting at 1:00 p.m. KDKA-TV, CBS The Pirates (85-56) Have a Sunday matinee at 1:35 as the go for the series win in their four-game slate with the Milwaukee Brewers (62-80). Francisco Liriano will start for the Bucs. A win would put them just two games back of St. Louis for first place in the NL Central. ROOT Sports ... Read More
Who is the next great Pittsburgh-born NHLer?
Almost everyone knows about Ryan Malone, R.J. Umberger, Josh Gibson, J.T. Miller, Vince Trocheck and other current NHL players that are from the Pittsburgh region. But what about the next generation of Pittsburgh hockey talent? Just like Malone idolized Mario Lemieux, and Miller grew up during Jaromir Jagr's reign as the best player in the world, there is a group of young players that have developed in Western Pennsylvania since Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have taken up the Penguins ... Read More
Column: Gonchar provides little value to Pens blueline
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced the signing of Sergei Gonchar to a professional tryout contract in early August, giving the veteran blueliner a chance to earn a spot on the final roster. While Gonchar enjoyed five productive seasons in Pittsburgh, scoring 259 points in 322 games and winning a Stanley Cup in 2009, at 41 years old, the team needs to break the habit of recycling veteran players and instead, finally allow a younger defensive corps to develop. With the innate ability to ... Read More
AM Joe: Deebo or Batman?
Good morning, Pittsburgh. Here's your day in sports for Thursday, September 10, 2015. What's on tap for today: The Pirates (83-55) are back at PNC Park after a 4-5 road trip to Milwaukee, St. Louis and Cincinnati. A.J. Burnett (above) will make his return to the starting rotation after missing six weeks with a forearm injury. The Bucs are hosting the Brewers for four games this weekend. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. ROOT Sports Pittsburgh The Steelers will kick off the 2015 National ... Read More
Can the Penguins afford Cody Franson?
The Pittsburgh Penguins are still looking to bolster their blue line for the upcoming season and are rumored to be one of the teams attempting to woo free agent defenseman Cody Franson. Franson was drafted by the Nashville Predators and spent the first four years of his career as a minor leaguer or a third-pairing defender in their organization. They traded him to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2011 and, over the past four seasons, he improved into a solid top four defenseman before getting ... Read More
AM Joe: Steelers kick off big day in Pittsburgh sports
Good morning, Pittsburgh. Here's your day in sports for Saturday, August 29, 2015. What's on tap for today: The Steelers (1-2) will make the four hour journey north to Buffalo, New York to take on the Bills (1-1) at 4:00 p.m. in their fourth of five preseason contests. Defensive end Stephon Tuitt (ankle) is out, while quarterback Michael Vick may make his Steelers debut. KDKA-TV The Pirates (78-49) will host the Colorado Rockies (51-74) at 7:05 p.m. for the second game of their ... Read More
Pens ink top prospect Daniel Sprong
The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed their top pick from the 2015 NHL draft, second-round selection Daniel Sprong, to a three-year, entry-level contract. Sprong, 18, fell to the Penguins with the 46th overall selection, despite being rated as a first-round talent by many prognosticators. The 6-foot tall, 180 pound right-winger recently participated in the Penguins prospect development camp at Consol Energy Center in July and was named to roster for the team’s rookie tournament squad that will ... Read More