Yearly Archives 2015

Of all games for the Pittsburgh Steelers to come out unenthused and lackadaisical, this was certainly not it.  After falling behind in the first half for the second consecutive week, Ben Roethlisberger & Co. couldn’t complete the comeback, as the Steelers fell to the Baltimore Ravens, 20-17.

In a game in which the Steelers had everything to play for and the Ravens really didn’t have anything to play for other than to beat their division rival, the home team played harder throughout the entire game and it certainly made the difference down the stretch.

With this loss, coupled with the victories by the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets, and now, not only did the Steelers not clinch the playoffs this week, but they have a strong chance of missing the postseason altogether...

Posted in Game Recaps & Reactions

With the New Year nearly upon us, the Pittsburgh Pirates still have some work to do to be ready for Opening Day 2016.  At the top of the list continues to be the starting pitching rotation and first base.

The Bucs announced yesterday afternoon that they signed John Jaso to a two year contract.  Worth $8MM over the life of the deal, the catcher/fist baseman/outfielder will earn $4MM each year.

While he is listed as a multiple position holder, Jaso is limited defensively.  He has played a total of just five MLB innings at first base.  He was used primarily as a designated hitter with the Tampa Bay Rays, but there is no doubt that he was brought in to serve as the left-handed half of the Pirates’ first-base platoon.  Mike Morse and Jason Rogers, both righties, are also in the mix.

This...

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Officially the playoffs do not begin for three more weeks, but for the Pittsburgh Steelers it has already begun.  They are currently battling the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets for two Wild Card positions.  This week they matched up against their toughest remaing opponent, the Denver Broncos.  Denver may not have a high powered offense, but with one of the best defenses in the league, they are a dangerous foe.

Pittsburgh was able to capitalize early on a Broncos fumble, by turning it into a 2yd TD run by DeAngelo Williams.  After that Denver was able to exploit a weak Steelers secondary to score three straight touchdowns, before the Steelers got back on the board with a Chris Boswell 24yd FG...

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As Clint Hurdle said last weekend, “we never win the offseason”.  And just as it is every offseason, the Pittsburgh Pirates have fallen well behind other teams in terms of notable trades and acquisitions.

This week, the Bucs made two signings to help compensate for the loss of Neil Walker.  On Tuesday (officially announced Thursday), the Pirates re-signed Sean Rodriguez, and just yesterday, they announced a trade for corner infielder/outfielder Jason Rogers.

The Rodriguez signing was all about his defensive versatility.  With Walker out of the picture and Jung Ho Kang returning from a serious injury, Rodriguez serves as an important depth piece next season.  In his career, he has spent time at every position on the field except for pitcher and catcher...

Posted in News & Features

This afternoon’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals had huge playoff implications for both teams.  For Pittsburgh, it was nearly a must win game, as they are trying to keep pace with the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets in the AFC Wild Card race.  For Cincy, they were looking to lock up and clinch the AFC North division with a win.  With so much on the line, tension and emotions were running high, as was evident by the “extracurricular activities” throughout the afternoon.

When all was said and done, though, the Steelers out-muscled their AFC North rivals, beating them handily by a 33-20 score.

Andy Dalton left the game in the first quarter after having only thrown 5 passes with a serious thumb injury.  A.J. McCarron took his place for the rest of...

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Compared to many teams in Major League Baseball, the Pittsburgh Pirates have been rather quiet so far this offseason.  Still, as we all know, the Bucs have an agenda – to compete for the postseason and a division title by making cost-effective and smart baseball moves through trades and free agent acquisitions.

Following the trade with the New York Mets which sent Neil Walker to the Big Apple for left handed starter Jon Niese, the Pirates still had some work to do before their lineup and rotation were ready for next season.

The Pirates signing of right hander Juan Nicasio on Thursday brought some more depth to their bullpen for 2016.  With rumors swirling at the Winter Meetings surrounding closer Mark Melancon, Nicasio joins the late inning group of Tony Watson and Arquimedes Caminero.

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By now, we all have heard – The Pittsburgh Pirates have traded second baseman Neil Walker to the New York Mets in exchange for left handed starting pitcher Jonathon Niese.

Walker, having just turned 30 earlier this fall, was the Pirates’ first round pick in 2004 out of Pine-Richland High School in Gibsonia, PA. After debuting in 2009, he quickly made a name for himself as one of the better second basemen in all of baseball. He hit 23 homeruns in 2014 on his way to winning a Silver Slugger award, and he hit .269 with 16 homeruns in 2015.

Niese, a 29 year old lefty, brings eight years of Major League experience to a team in need to immediate starting pitching. In 2015, he started 29 games, boasting a 4.13 ERA...

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A few days ago, we posted an article related to the activity (or lack thereof) of the Pittsburgh Pirates so far this offseason.  As we are now in the middle of MLB’s Winter Meetings in Nashville, the Bucs haven’t made an acquisition, while other clubs, with the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals being the most relevant, making several in the past week.

The consensus among Pirates fans seems to be split at this point – some are trusting in the system and Neal Huntington to make the right move(s) at the right time, while others are fuming that the Bucs haven’t made a move yet, and are falling farther behind their N.L. Central rivals by the day.

There is no denying that the Pirates need to fix some holes in their lineup if they are going to compete for a division title in 2016...

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The Pittsburgh Steelers are currently in a log jam for two Wild Card positions in the AFC.  With five games remaining, three against their division and two against division leaders, Pittsburgh needs to start putting complete games together if they hope to return to the post season.  That journey began tonight against the Indianapolis Colts.

Turnovers, which cost the Steelers dearly last week against the Seattle Seahawks, dominated the first three posessions of the game.  Pittsburgh would fumble the opening kickoff, the Colts would give the ball back, and the Steelers returned the favor with another fumble.  Luckily for Pittsburgh those two early turnovers would lead to only a 3-0 deficit.

The Steelers tied the game with a field goal, before intercepting Matt Hasselbeck for the second t...

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As is the case in every offseason, pressure is on the every team to, in some way, get better than they were last season. For the Pittsburgh Pirates, their season ended in the Wild Card playoff game for the second consecutive season. For a team that won 98 games in 2015 but weren’t able to lock up their division, the goal for next season HAS to be, once again, to finally win the N.L. Central.

Yesterday was a busy day for Major League Baseball, as some huge names on the free agent market found new homes. In addition to the official announcement of the signing of David Price to the Boston Red Sox, Zack Greinke signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and John Lackey signed a two year deal with the Chicago Cubs. The St. Louis Cardinals, having finished second in the bidding to the Red Sox in th...

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