Pirates/MLB category, Page 226
How will MLB reboot rules impact fantasy baseball interest, Pirates DH, roster strategy
Major League Baseball is coming back! In real life. We think. So that means it’s coming back for fantasy sports players as well. Jeff Erickson of RotoWire joins us to discuss if he’s seeing many leagues canceling because there is only going to be a 60-game season. For those that...
Taking the mound takes Pirates pitcher Jameson Taillon’s mind off MLB negotiationsVideo
For someone sidelined this season, Jameson Taillon had a baseball-filled Tuesday — a day that will go down for its monumental moments. Taillon threw off the mound for the first time in his recovery from a second Tommy John surgery, firing 15 fastballs after making mechanical changes to shorten his...
‘Burgh’s Best to Wear it, No. 67: Francisco Cordova pitched an all-time classic for ’97 PiratesVideo
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. 67: Francisco Cordova Mention the name Francisco Cordova, and one phrase pops into any baseball fan’s head: Combined no-hitter. For one magical night in...
Signing with Pirates, seeing PNC Park for 1st time ‘jaw-dropping’ for top pick Nick Gonzales
Nick Gonzales knew that the number he wore at New Mexico State wasn’t a consideration for the Pittsburgh Pirates, going so far as to remove images of himself wearing a Pirates jersey with No. 21 out of respect for the late Hall of Fame right fielder Roberto Clemente. “I kind...
Pirates ‘excited to return to play baseball,’ expect every player to report to training campVideo
The Pittsburgh Pirates expect every player projected to be on their 30-man roster for MLB’s 60-game season to report by July 1 to training camp — which new manager Derek Shelton has nicknamed “The Deuce” — and plan to use “every square inch” of PNC Park. That was the biggest...
Analysis: What’s on deck with new MLB seasonVideo
NEW YORK — So, where were we? Mid-March, a spring training exhibition between the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla. Even before the final out, both sides had gotten the official word: MLB was shutting down immediately because of the coronavirus pandemic. “It...
Baseball’s back: MLB sets 60-game sked, opens July 23 or 24
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball issued a 60-game schedule Tuesday night that will start July 23 or 24 in empty ballparks as the sport tries to push ahead amid the coronavirus pandemic following months of acrimony. A dramatically altered season with games full of new rules was the final...
Oddsmakers set over/under for Pirates’ wins at 25½ in shortened season
Based on MLB’s 60-game regular season, the oddsmakers at BetOnline.ag set the over-under at 25½ wins for the Pittsburgh Pirates, projecting a last-place finish in the NL Central. With the shortened season, the oddsmakers expect many teams to have the same records. The teams projected to have the best records...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Looking at the Pirates’ potential lineup over a 60-game season
Baseball is back, so the Pittsburgh Pirates are returning to PNC Park. That’s the good news for the sport’s fans. The bad news is MLB and its Players’ Association wasted weeks of preparation by having a labor dispute amid a pandemic. In the time the two sides spent negotiating over...
Penguins, Pirates announcers on challenges of remote play-by-play
Pirates play-by-play man Greg Brown has been calling baseball games since 1989. But never in the way he’s about to try once Major League Baseball returns to play. The covid-19 pandemic is restricting travel for baseball franchises to the point that local broadcasters will only be calling games — in...
Play ball: MLB’s 60-game season to start July 23-24Video
MLB issued a 60-game schedule Tuesday night that will start July 23 or 24 in empty ballparks as the sport tries to push ahead amid the coronavirus after months of acrimony. Each team will play 10 games against each of its four division rivals and four games vs. each of...
Pirates agree to terms with 1st-round pick Nick Gonzales, who expects to sign Wednesday
The Pittsburgh Pirates agreed to terms with first-round pick Nick Gonzales and will sign the New Mexico State shortstop Wednesday, pending his passing a physical exam. Gonzales was en route to Pittsburgh on Tuesday, his father, Mike Gonzales, confirmed to the Tribune-Review. The Pirates selected Gonzales with the No. 7...
Tim Benz: The intangibles behind great Pittsburgh sports memories
Full marks to my radio colleague Adam Crowley at ESPN Pittsburgh. On Monday, Crowley put up a web poll — clearly designed to tweak the masses. A tactic I fully embrace, by the way. More overrated Pittsburgh sports moment— Adam Crowley (@_adamcrowley) June 22, 2020 Psst! Adam, there’s a Mr....
Other intriguing ‘Burgh athletes who wore 69: Pirates’ Bronson Arroyo, Steelers’ Gabe Rivera
Pitt’s Randy Dixon was an All-American offensive lineman, and in the estimation of the Tribune-Review sports staff, the best Pittsburgh athlete to wear the No. 69 jersey, but two others should not be forgotten: • Pitcher Bronson Arroyo, who spent three years with the Pittsburgh Pirates. • Defensive tackle Gabe...
‘Burgh’s best to wear it, No. 69: Pitt’s Randy Dixon, AC/DC fan, an electric choice
The Tribune-Review sports staff is conducting a daily countdown of the best 100 players in Pittsburgh pro and college sports history to wear each jersey number. No. 69: Randy Dixon Running into defensive linemen all day takes a toll on a man. But when it was time to relax, Pitt’s...
MLB players reject proposal; Rob Manfred implements 60-game seasonVideo
After the MLB Players Association executive board rejected an MLB proposal Monday afternoon by a 33-5 vote, commissioner Rob Manfred was forced to implement a 60-game season. The vote ended weeks of negotiations between baseball’s owners and the union. The standoff stalled the start of the season after the sport...
Pirates pitching coach Oscar Marin feels ‘pretty confident’ staff is ready for season to start
Oscar Marin knows being a new pitching coach amid a pandemic is less than ideal, but feels “pretty confident” about the progress the Pittsburgh Pirates staff has made preparing for baseball’s return. “Everything is new to us, new to myself,” Marin said Saturday on 93.7 FM. “I’m working through a...
Pirates pitcher Derek Holland: I feel like fans are on our side in MLB negotiationsVideo
As an 11-year major league veteran, Derek Holland is one of the established players for the Pittsburgh Pirates. As a nonroster invitee to spring training, the left-handed pitcher still is trying to make the team. That didn’t stop Holland from speaking candidly Friday night in an interview with Dan Zangrilli...
Pirates: No positive cases of covid-19 with players or staff at Pirate City in Bradenton
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced Friday that they have not had any positive cases of covid-19 involving any employees, including players, at their spring training and minor league facility in Florida. The Pirates released the statement in response to the Philadelphia Phillies confirming eight positive cases of the coronavirus, including five...
Mark Madden: Top 5 victories in Pittsburgh sports history
I did a tried-and-true (read: clichéd) sports talk bit on Thursday’s radio program, namely the use of a list: Top 5, Top 10, Mt. Rushmore, 1,004 holds, etc. You get the idea. (We’ve now had 100 days without sports. You come up with better.) In this case, it was Top...
MLBPA chief Tony Clark: ‘Unequivocally false’ that MLB, players had reached agreement
A day after their face-to-face meeting, negotiations Thursday for the return of baseball between MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark grew more contentious, as Clark said it was “unequivocally false” that any prior agreement had been reached. Clark announced a counterproposal to the owners’...
U mad, bro? Fans fume about Pirates, MLB labor. Some Steelers angst sprinkled in, too.
I feel like we are experiencing a reverse Michel Therrien when it comes to apathetic baseball fans in Pittsburgh. “Dey prenten’ dey don’t care. But I know dey care.” Baseball fan anger wrapped in disillusionment in the wake of the ongoing labor dispute. That’s the theme for this week’s “U...
Baseball on brink of playing shortened season after impromptu meeting, new MLB offerVideo
Baseball is on the brink of playing a shortened season, following a face-to-face meeting between MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark. According to multiple reports, the players are contemplating a proposed 60-game schedule with games starting July 19 and ending Sept. 27, full prorated...
Pirates manager Derek Shelton says owner Bob Nutting ‘wants to play’ a baseball season
Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton believes that team chairman Bob Nutting “wants to play” baseball this summer, despite reports that some MLB owners are stalling negotiations to avoid a season. Shelton said during his weekly appearance on The Cook and Joe Show on 93.7 The Fan that he spoke with...
Mark Madden: Messy negotiations prove Major League Baseball needs independent commissionerVideo
A week ago, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said he was “100 percent” certain there would be a 2020 baseball season. As of Monday, though, Manfred was “not confident.” Tuesday’s face-to-face meeting with union boss Tony Clark restored optimism games will be played. What happened inside of a week? Nothing resembling...
