Kevin Gorman stories, Page 131
Kevin Gorman: Tom Brady leaving Patriots is stunning, but Steelers should hope it’s for NFC
Tom Brady bid farewell to the New England Patriots on Tuesday, and it was stunning to actually see the NFL’s greatest quarterback leave its dynasty of the past two decades. Before you pooh pooh the Boston boo hoos with a goodbye and good riddance, imagine if this was a Pittsburgh...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: NFL should’ve pressed pause
If Thursday, March 12, 2020, will be remembered as the day the sports world was shut down by coronavirus, this past weekend will be remembered as the one the sports world went silent. No NBA. No NHL. No MLB. No PGA. No NASCAR. No NCAA. No PIAA. No WPIAL. Essentially,...
Kevin Gorman: Canceling NCAA tourney crushing to Robert Morris’ Cinderella storyVideo
Josh Williams knew, but he didn’t want it to be true. On Tuesday, the redshirt senior guard led Robert Morris to win the Northeast Conference tournament championship and earn an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. When the NBA shut down its season Wednesday night, Williams realized he wouldn’t get...
Jameson Taillon: No Pirates tested for coronavirus as MLB shuts down spring training camps
Now that MLB has suspended spring training camps and delayed the start of the season, Pittsburgh Pirates players have to decide whether to stay at spring training, return home or to Pittsburgh. At a time of great uncertainty for Major League Baseball, Pirates MLB Players Association representative Jameson Taillon confirmed...
Kevin Gorman: Shutdown of the sports world showed us that leaders are not to be trusted
In a surreal span of 24 hours, the sports world shut down and sent a mighty message about the power of a global pandemic. The games mustn’t go on. All that talk about concerns over the coronavirus couldn’t convince officials, from preps to the pros, to stop playing the games....
Blue Jays beat Pirates in final game before MLB suspends spring training
In one of the final games before MLB suspended spring training, the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 7-5, on Thursday at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla. MLB announced during the game it decided to suspend spring training games and the start of the 2020 season by at least...
Kevin Gorman: Duquesne ready to check next box on its bucket listVideo
Duquesne has spent the season checking off items on its bucket list, but there’s one empty box that looms large for coach Keith Dambrot and his Dukes. Beating Davidson, St. Bonaventure and even VCU this season? Check. Check. Check. (Even if the last two took a couple of overtimes). Dambrot...
Former Pirates first-rounder Will Craig’s career coming to a crossroads as he heads to Triple-A
Will Craig couldn’t help but watch Josh Bell have a career year last season, knowing his path to the major leagues is blocked by an All-Star at first base. While Bell hit 18 home runs and had 52 RBIs for the Pirates through May, Craig was crushing the ball at...
Kevin Gorman: For Robert Morris senior Josh Williams, this is a dance to remember foreverVideo
Josh Williams started waving his arms up and down as he walked off the floor, and the capacity crowd stood to salute the Robert Morris redshirt senior with a standing ovation as he exited the Northeast Conference championship game. It was a fitting farewell for Williams, who has been on...
Tigers hit 3 homers off Derek Holland in win over Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Derek Holland struck out six batters with no walks and allowed only four hits in 5 1/3 innings against the Detroit Tigers. Problem was, three of them were home runs. C.J. Cron and Jeimer Candelario homered off Holland in the second inning, and Cameron Maybin hit one...
Kevin Gorman: With NCAA tourney in balance, Robert Morris has edge in coach Andy TooleVideo
Robert Morris has a built-in advantage to win the Northeast Conference championship game, and it has less to do with home-court advantage than it does who is on the sideline. Colonials coach Andy Toole has Robert Morris a win away from clinching a berth in the NCAA Tournament, an event...
Pirates pitchers Blake Cederlind, JT Brubaker, Cody Ponce sent to Indy in first spring cuts
The Pittsburgh Pirates made their first cuts of spring training, and they all involved pitchers. Right-handers JT Brubaker, Blake Cederlind and Cody Ponce were optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis. Right-handers Montana DuRapau, Luis Escobar and James Marvel were reassigned to minor league camp at Pirate City. Check out our Pirates coverage...
Fast-rising Pirates OF prospect Jared Oliva’s story helps shape careerVideo
Jared Oliva always knew what he wanted to be: A professional baseball player. What he didn’t know was how to get to the major leagues, especially without a college scholarship offer. Oliva went from former walk-on at Arizona to leading the Wildcats to the College World Series to seventh-round draft...
Kevin Gorman: For Penguins, losing to Capitals was about missed opportunitiesVideo
With a chance to close the gap for first place in the Metropolitan Division, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals played the first period looking like playoff teams. The Capitals resembled their 2018 Stanley Cup champions. Unfortunately for the Penguins, it was their 2019 version. Getting swept in the first...
Despite NHL coronavirus concerns, Penguins allow reporters in dressing room for interviewsVideo
Despite reports the NHL would close dressing rooms to media because of concerns over the coronavirus on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control, the Pittsburgh Penguins allowed theirs to be open Saturday. Elliotte Friedman of Rogers Sportsnet, an NHL rights holder, and Frank Seravelli of TSN, president of the...
Blake Cederlind making noise this spring, showing potential to be future closer for Pirates
Blake Cederlind is making noise for the Pittsburgh Pirates, from his grunting on the mound when throwing a pitch to popping the catcher’s mitt with fastballs that can touch triple digits. Derek Shelton called Cederlind one of the more fun things to watch in spring training after the Pirates manager...
Kevin Gorman: Duquesne’s season serves as reminder that there’s no place like home
The final stop of the season the Duquesne Dukes call their Tour of Pittsburgh was at the only home venue that didn’t require them to go through a tunnel or cross a bridge. Just Forbes and Fifth avenues. A seasonlong renovation of UPMC Chuck Cooper Fieldhouse, which will replace Palumbo...
Kevin Gorman: Pirates catcher Jacob Stallings showed leadership when no one was watchingVideo
As a former third-stringer who was designated for assignment last May, Jacob Stallings understands how unlikely it is that he’s slated to become the starting catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, let alone a leader. Stallings isn’t taking anything for granted, even though he was endorsed the starter in spring training...
Kevin Gorman: For Penguins, March playoff push not as simple as snapping losing streakVideo
Searching for answers to snap a six-game losing streak, Mike Sullivan’s pregame talk to the Pittsburgh Penguins was about simplifying the game by shooting the puck. It took only 99 seconds for that message to sink in as the Penguins turned a quick, two-goal lead into a runaway 7-3 victory...
Kevin Gorman: WPIAL should teach Mars star Michael Carmody lesson in sportsmanship
The WPIAL Class 5A boys basketball championship was a David vs. Goliath matchup that featured 6-foot-6, 290-pound senior Michael Carmody of Mars against 5-10, 150-pound freshman Rodney Gallagher of Laurel Highlands. How Gallagher handled his slingshot in leading Laurel Highlands to a 52-51 victory over the defending champions has been...
Kevin Gorman: Pitt safeties Paris Ford, Damar Hamlin return to finish businessVideo
Paris Ford and Damar Hamlin left their television on the NFL Network all week, watching the scouting combine without wondering whether they should have been in Indianapolis. It’s no coincidence Pitt’s starting safeties bypassed the opportunity to turn pro, so Ford and Hamlin were all smiles Monday that they are...
Pirates address spring training health concerns after 2 coronavirus cases found in Florida
The Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday advised fans, players and staff at spring training “to listen to and rely upon the advice and guidance of the public health experts” after two adults tested positive for coronavirus in Hillsborough and Manatee counties. The Pirates’ spring training stadium, LECOM Park, and minor-league complex...
Kevin Gorman: Development of No. 1 pick Quinn Priester paramount for PiratesVideo
With broad shoulders and a lean, muscular physique, Quinn Priester looked the part while mingling with the major league pitchers in the Pirate City clubhouse. Only nine months ago, Priester was getting ready to graduate from Cary-Grove High School in suburban Chicago. Now, the Pittsburgh Pirates first-round draft pick is...
Pirates finally get first spring training winVideo
It took nine games, but the Pittsburgh Pirates finally got new manager Derek Shelton his first victory of spring training. That it came against the Minnesota Twins only made it sweeter for Shelton, who spent the previous two seasons as their bench coach. Jose Osuna’s RBI double in the sixth...
Kevin Gorman: Tarrick Brock pushing Pirates to be aggressive, smart on bases, in outfield
Tarrick Brock doesn’t flinch when informed the definition of his job description — outfield and baserunning coordinator — involves two of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ biggest problems. At times, the Pirates have looked like the “Bad News Bears” on the basepaths and the Keystone Cops in the outfield. It’s not just...
