After every Pittsburgh Pirates victory, broadcaster Greg Brown says, "Raise the Jolly Roger!" This year, not only was the record of the Pirates raised but so to were their ratings on Root Sports. According to information from Nielsen in THIS Forbes.com article on the 29 Major League Baseball teams in the United States, the Pirates ratings on Root Sports were up 8 percent with a 9.15 ratings average compared to an 8.49 ratings average in 2014. The 9.15 rating was good for third in all of ... Read More
Pirates prospects prep for 2016 in Arizona Fall League
Each fall, top prospects from Major League Baseball's 30 teams convene in the Arizona for the Arizona Fall League in hopes of honing their skills in order to continue pursuing their Major League dreams. Six teams make up the league which kicked off action earlier today. The AFL serves as a proving ground for these prospects as they compete with and against prospects from other organizations. Each team is made up of prospects from five teams. This year prospects from the Pittsburgh ... Read More
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitching staff anaylsis
Today, we take a look at how the Pittsburgh Pirates pitching staff, in particular the starters, performed and what is to be expected of them next year. Overall, the Pirates pitching staff finished with a 3.21 ERA as a unit. Eight starting pitchers were used throughout the 162-game season combining for a 3.51 ERA. Let's take an individual look at the pitching staff and the six starters who appeared in the rotation down the stretch: The Starters Gerrit Cole The Season: The ace of ... Read More
WPIAl Week 6 review: Clairton tops Jeannette
Class AAAA Mt. Lebanon 31, Bethel Park 20 Bethel Park - 0 - 20 - 0 - 0 - -- - 20 Mt. Lebanon - 7 - 0 - 10 - 14 - -- - 31 ML -- Eddie Jenkins 1 run (Garrett Montilla kick) BP -- Kelsey Tischler 28 FG BP -- Tischler 22 FG BP -- Levi Metheny 3 run (Tischler kick) BP -- Metheny 3 run (Tischler kick) ML -- Montilla 32 FG ML -- Edgar Parilla 98 interception return (Montilla kick) ML -- David Harvey 1 run (Montilla kick) ML -- Jenkins 17 run (Montilla ... Read More
2015 Pirates review: Position players
As the Pirates season comes to an abrupt end after 98 win, we take a look at what the players did to get them there and what is next for them. Today, we take a look at the starting lineup for most of the season: The Starters Francisco Cervelli (C): The Season: Acquired in the offseason from the New York Yankees, Cervelli was a rock behind the plate for the Pirates this season. The backstop hit .295 in 130 games slugging .401 with an on-base percentage of .370. Defensively speaking, ... Read More
WPIAL Week 6 preview
Class AAAA Bethel Park Black Hawks vs. Mt. Lebanon Blue Devils The undefeated Blue Devils host Quad Central division rival Bethel Park Friday night at Mt. Lebanon Stadium. The Black Hawks are riding a three-game winning streak since falling to Woodland Hills in Week 2. Mt. Lebanon is coming off an 18-point victory over Peters Township last week. With a win, Bethel Park would stay in the hunt to win the Quad Central division. Prugar's Prediction: Bethel Park 42, Mt. Lebanon 38 Class ... Read More
PIAA votes in favor of six-class structure
High school athletics in Pennsylvania will have a brand new look next fall as a new classification system for the 2016-17 academic year was voted upon and passed. The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association board of directors voted to expand classifications in football to six from four which it is at for 2015-16 academic year. The PIAA board voted in favor of the six-class structure by way of a 26-4 vote. Football classifications were not the only classifications which changed ... Read More
Wpial Week 5 preview
Class AAAA Upper St. Clair Panthers vs. Woodland Hills Wolverines Upper St. Clair heads to the Wolvarena to take on undefeated Woodland Hills in Quad North division action. The Panthers are coming off a Week 4 loss to North Allegheny, but remain 2-1 in division play so far on the year. Woodland Hills returns home after two road games in a row in hopes of continuing their winning ways and stellar defense. The Wolverines have not given up more than 23 points in any game this ... Read More
Steelers beat Rams, but suffer huge loss
The Pittsburgh Steelers may have beat the St. Louis Rams 12-6 today, but it came at a cost. With 5:30 left in the third quarter, Steelers Nation let out a collective gasp as their star quarterback laid on the turf writhing in pain. On a pass play, Ben Roethlisberger moved up in the pocket to avoid the rush from the Rams and found the helmet of Rams strong safety Mark Barron with his left leg. Roethlisberger would not return to the field the rest of the game with a left knee injury. The St. ... Read More
Prugar’s Picks: Week 4 recap
Class-AAAA Shaler 30 Butler 20 Shaler - 7 - 16 - 0 - 7 - -- - 30 Butler - 6 - 6 - 8 - 0 - -- - 20 S -- Jack Quinn 20 pass from Killian Bozzo (Anthony Friel kick) B -- Kelley Kuharic 20 pass from Shad Stepp (kick failed) S -- Jack Quinn 1 run (kick failed) S -- Friel 49 FG S -- Bozzo 10 fumble return (Friel kick) B -- Luke Michalek 19 run (kick failed) B -- Damien Pickett 2 run (Dom Noel pass from Stepp) S -- Jeremy Barnhart 58 run (Nick Friel kick) Prugar's Prediction: Shaler 21 ... Read More