Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 144

On a night when the Pittsburgh Pirates proved there’s still some fight left in a last-place team, Joe Musgrove thought it was time. It was time to put a foot down on the mound, which he did while helping carry the Pirates to a 3-2 victory Friday against the Chicago...

Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said practice was lighter Friday to prepare players for, perhaps, the most important day of training camp. That will be Saturday, when he will conduct the second and final live scrimmage of the summer. Those players looking to impress coaches get their last, best chance to...

From Tommy John to Jameson Taillon, 466 MLB players have underwent ulnar collateral ligament surgery, some of them two or more times. Commonly called Tommy John surgery, it is named after the pitcher who had the first one performed on him by Dr. Frank Jobe on Sept. 25, 1974. John,...

Trying to identify Pitt’s most naturally gifted athlete is a process without a right answer. The cornerbacks, running backs and wide receivers run faster than anyone else, but the linemen on both sides of the ball pack the most punch. Dave Borbely’s money is on left tackle Carter Warren. “He...

It’s not often you hear a head coach admit he’s not capable. But Pat Narduzzi said Thursday morning he stays away from the offense for that reason. Plus, as the Pitt coach pointed out, “Offensively, Whip’s going to run it. It’s his show.” Narduzzi played linebacker at Youngstown State and...

The news for Jameson Taillon couldn’t have been worse. During Taillon’s flexor tendon surgery Tuesday, Dr. David Altchek determined Taillon also needed Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. The Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher, who started the season atop the rotation but hasn’t pitched since May 5, will miss the entire...

The game is called Throwback Tackle, and Jaylen Twyman isn’t going to lie. He wasn’t the best at it. Played on a concrete parking lot or any open space, the game begins when someone throws a football high in the air, behind his back and toward a crowd of 10...

When Pitt conducted its first scrimmage of the summer, Kirk Christodoulou didn’t meet the standard he set last season. Coach Pat Narduzzi noticed during Saturday’s session, of course, and wasn’t afraid to talk publicly about it Tuesday. “I expect more out of him,” Narduzzi said. “He’s not a rookie anymore....

Alex Kessman was a boxer in high school. David Kessman, his father, is a Marine. And, admirably, he wants to hit at least 90 percent of his field-goal tries this season. Anyone questioning Kessman’s attention to detail, toughness and ambition need not worry. “Kess is a perfectionist, as we all...

Pitt assistant coach Jason Capel’s return to Italy was a triumphant one. The Panthers concluded their three-game tour of Italy on Monday with a dominant 104-41 victory against the Vicenza All-Stars. Pitt was 3-0 in Italy, with victories against Vicenza, Florence, 103-53, and The Netherlands B team, 60-55. “This trip...

Mitch Keller will get his turn to try to stop the Pittsburgh Pirates’ eight-game losing streak when he starts against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night. Game time is 10:07 p.m. at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. The Pirates’ recalled Keller from Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday. It will be the...

The Pittsburgh Pirates will open the 2020 season March 26 in Tampa against the Rays and then play four more games before April 1 in the schedule released Monday. The season-opening road trip includes three games against the Rays on March 26, 28 and 29 and three in Wrigley Field...

Those on the outside of the Pitt training facility look at the Panthers offensive line and see inexperience. Junior Jimmy Morrissey, who is inside those walls every day, looks at it another way. “These young guys, they’ve been waiting,” said Morrissey, Pitt’s starting center since 2017. “They’re really not that...

Neal Huntington indicated Sunday on his radio show that his job as the Pittsburgh Pirates general manager could be in jeopardy if the team continues to lose. But he added he and his staff continue to work to put the team back “in a postseason hunt” and to determine what...

Freshman Justin Champagnie filled up his stat line Saturday while leading Pitt to a 103-53 victory against the Florence All-Stars in Livorno, Italy. Champagnie scored 16 points, which would have been good enough for a player fresh from high school. But he also added eight rebounds and two assists and...

Francisco Cervelli’s long road to recovery will reach a critical point Sunday when he begins a rehab assignment as a catcher in Double-A Altoona. Cervelli, who had been the Pittsburgh Pirates’ regular catcher since 2015, has been on the injured list since May 26 with a concussion, the sixth of...

The first week of any training camp typically is packed with plenty of happy talk and unfettered hope. That’s how it was at Pitt, even after the discouraging news Friday of defensive end Rashad Weaver’s season-ending knee injury. Coaches don’t want it any other way. Sour faces and attitudes won’t...

Two days ago, Pitt defensive line coach Charlie Partridge was praising Deslin Alexandre, a previously obscure sophomore defensive end from Pompano Beach, Fla. Partridge liked what he had seen from Alexandre through the first days of training camp and was encouraged that Pitt’s depth at the position was improving. Partridge...

Like most football coaches, Pat Narduzzi prefers to conceal his emotions. The window into what he’s thinking often is closed to those outside his team. Sometimes, though, it’s just not possible to hide your deepest feelings. Friday morning was one of those times. Quietly, thoughtfully, Pitt’s coach stepped in front...

For a team that spent the previous two days sightseeing, the Pitt squad responded better than anyone could have expected Thursday to win its first game in Italy, 60-55, against The Netherlands “B” team. The game was played at Fonte RomaEur in Rome after the team had visited the Colosseum,...

There are some things best not discussed in polite company. The possibility of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ losing 100 games is one of them. It has happened only seven times in club history that dates to 1887. The record is 113, set in 1890. Manager Guy Hecker was not asked to...