Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 115
Pitt brings high hopes into the start of training camp
Pat Narduzzi won’t admit it. More to the point, he doesn’t want to admit his team can be exceptionally good this season. What coach wants to put undue pressure on his team, especially one at Pitt, where the Panthers have only one double-digit victory total (10 in 2009) since Jackie...
Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour says college football ruled by covid-19
Penn State’s Sandy Barbour logged off Thursday from her 104th Big Ten athletic directors meeting since March 12 – yes, she has been counting them — with one overriding thought about the 2020 football season: If it’s not safe, it won’t happen. And, given Gov. Tom Wolf’s suggestion that high...
Penn State ranked No. 7 in preseason coaches poll
With the return of quarterback Sean Clifford and eight other starters on offense, Penn State is ranked No. 7 in the Amway/USA Today preseason college football coaches poll, released Thursday. Clifford threw for 2,654 yards and 23 touchdowns and rushed for five more scores while leading Penn State to an...
Penn State football planning to have no fans in stands at Beaver Stadium this season
Unless Gov. Tom Wolf dramatically extends his guidelines for capacity at outdoor gatherings, Penn State’s football season will be conducted in front of rows and rows of empty seats at Beaver Stadium. In addition, even if games are played, Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour said revenue losses will be...
Pitt opens season with 4 consecutive home games; Clemson road trip set for finale
The ACC released dates for its 11-game, reconfigured football schedule Thursday, giving Pitt four home games to start the season, including the opener against nonconference opponent Miami (Ohio) on Sept. 12 at Heinz Field. There are two open dates, but they don’t appear on Pitt’s schedule until the eighth week...
Penn State opener set for Sept. 5 vs. Northwestern, part of Big Ten’s revised schedule
Penn State plans to open the season Sept. 5 at Beaver Stadium against Northwestern as part of the Big Ten’s revised 10-game, conference-only football schedule. The schedule spans 12 weeks, with each Big Ten team receiving two open dates. The Big Ten constructed the schedule, keeping in mind the possibility...
Pirates drop to MLB-worst 2-9 after loss to Twins
For nine minutes Tuesday during the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 7-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins, umpires suspended play and chased everyone off the field. A drone was flying overhead at Target Field, possibly endangering everyone below. The drone flew away quickly, but for Derek Shelton, it symbolized how bizarre the year...
From bleachers to the mound at PNC Park, ‘big fan’ Randy Dobnak prepares to face PiratesVideo
Back in the days when Pittsburgh Pirates fans were permitted in PNC Park, many of them hung over the outfield railings, yelling at their heroes, hoping to get a wave in return. South Park’s Randy Dobnak was among them. He’s coming back to PNC Park on Wednesday, but he won’t...
JT Brubaker will make 1st MLB start Thursday, replacing Mitch Keller in Pirates’ rotation
Only the venue will be new for JT Brubaker on Thursday at PNC Park when he makes the 100th start of his professional career — but his first in the major leagues. Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton said Brubaker will take Mitch Keller’s spot in the rotation. Keller is on...
‘Burgh’s best to wear it, No. 27: Kent Tekulve shut the door for Pirates’ last World Series squadVideo
The Tribune-Review sports staff is conducting a daily countdown of the best players in Pittsburgh pro and college sports history to wear each jersey number. No. 27: Kent Tekulve Fortunately for Kent Tekulve, he had a will that was as resilient as his right arm. He used both to become...
Pirates cough up lead, allow Twins to walk to victory
Love baseball? Stay up-to-date with the latest Pittsburgh Pirates news.When the baseball rocketed off Max Kepler’s bat in the sixth inning of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 5-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins, Cole Tucker made an instinctive move forward. It was a move he quickly regretted. All it took was one...
Pirates pitcher Cody Ponce’s debut memorable, even in defeat
Cody Ponce wasn’t in the game long enough to break a good sweat, but in the end, that little detail didn’t matter. He pitched only to the Chicago Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo and Javier Baez, two of the best players in the National League, in the 11th inning of the Pittsburgh...
Pirates place Michael Feliz on 45-day injured list
Michael Feliz’s season appears to be over. The Pittsburgh Pirates placed the right-hander on the 45-day injured list Monday with a right forearm/elbow strain. Feliz was injured Saturday night while pitching against the Chicago Cubs in Wrigley Field. “We realized we need to have some more tests run,” manager Derek...
Penn State lands commitment from class of ’22 quarterback Beau PribulaVideo
Penn State added a third verbal commitment to its class of 2022 when quarterback Beau Pribula of Central York announced on Twitter his intention to enroll. Pribula (6-foot-2, 202 pounds) has 12 scholarship offers, including Penn State’s Big Ten foes Nebraska, Northwestern and Rutgers, plus Temple, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Wake...
Derek Holland stretches career to 12th season, finds new home with Pirates
Derek Holland’s phone erupted with an alert Sunday morning while he chatted with reporters on a Zoom conference call from Chicago. It was time for him to spit, the preferred method used for players’ covid-19 tests. What? No nasal swab? “Hell, no,” Holland said. “If they did, I’d retire. I’ll...
‘Burgh’s best to wear it, No. 28: Half-century after World Series triumph, Steve Blass remains ‘a Pirate for life’
The Tribune-Review sports staff is conducting a daily countdown of the best players in Pittsburgh pro and college sports history to wear each jersey number. No. 28: Steve Blass Steve Blass’ biography could have only one title: “A Pirate For Life.” And so it was named. Pittsburgh Pirates chairman of...
Pirates swept by Cubs, waste Steven Brault’s strong start
When analyzing the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 2-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs in 11 innings Sunday, you must consider the painful truths: • The Pirates (2-7) are not taking advantage of the gift runner rule inserted into baseball in this 60-game season. They have started four extra innings in two games...
Pirates place Mitch Keller, Michael Feliz on injured list, acquire pitcher Tyler Bashlor from the Mets
Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers Mitch Keller and Michael Feliz, who left the game Saturday night in Chicago, were placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday. On a busy day for transactions and news about pitchers, the Pirates also acquired right-hander Tyler Bashlor from the New York Mets in exchange for cash....
Toe tap led Pirates’ Colin Moran to head of class among home-run hitters
Colin Moran is swinging the bat so well through the Pittsburgh Pirates’ first eight games that even a foul ball deserves mention. His manager, Derek Shelton, can’t stop talking about one Moran hit Friday night against Chicago Cubs left-hander Kyle Ryan. “It was aggressive,” said Shelton, who mentioned it before...
Mitch Keller, Michael Feliz leave with injuries in Pirates’ 4-3 loss to Cubs
The Pittsburgh Pirates have scored five runs in the ninth inning of their two losses in the past two nights to the Chicago Cubs — a total of one in the other 16. Sounds like a team that doesn’t quit. Actually, right now that’s the best remark you can make...
Pirates’ Mitch Keller injured, leaves game against Cubs in 3rd inning
The Pittsburgh Pirates lost another starting pitcher Saturday night when Mitch Keller left the game at Wrigley Field in the third inning. Keller, who allowed home runs to Ian Happ and Javier Baez earlier in the inning, threw a 1-0 pitch wide and in the dirt to the Chicago Cubs’...
Pirates’ Steven Brault learns to adapt in strange season
The airplane lands. Players get on buses that speed directly to the hotel. Pittsburgh Pirates players are expected to spend all of their free time, eat all their meals and attend meetings in the hotel. Some don’t dare venture into a buddy’s room, even playing video games remotely. The smart...
Josh Bell, Colin Moran homer too late in Pirates’ 6-3 loss to Cubs
Josh Bell hopes five swings of the bat in the ninth inning Friday night will ignite the Pittsburgh Pirates’ offense. But back-to-back home runs by Colin Moran and Bell couldn’t turn around the Pirates’ fortunes in a 6-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs (5-2) at Wrigley Field. Bell, who displayed...
Pitt head trainer Rob Blanc retiring after 32 years
When head trainer Rob Blanc walked into Pat Narduzzi’s office last week, Pitt’s coach thought someone was injured or ill. Actually, the news was almost that bad. Blanc told Narduzzi he is retiring after 32 years, all of them as Pitt’s head football trainer. Blanc, 60, served eight football coaches....
Pat Narduzzi pleased with Pitt’s 22-day streak without positive testVideo
Even if he felt compelled to criticize the reconfigured ACC schedule that sends Pitt to three southern states, Pat Narduzzi doesn’t have the time. “Give me a team to play. Give me some white lines and green fields and go play,” he said Friday during a Zoom conference call with...
