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Kevin Gorman Columns

'Burgh’s Best to Wear It, No. 42: Connie Hawkins soared first with Rens, Pipers
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. 42: Connie Hawkins When its most common association with professional basketball is from a movie, “The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh,” it doesn’t speak great...
Kevin Gorman: Dorin Dickerson warns Bucs that key to playing with Tom Brady is doing things how he wants
Dorin Dickerson doesn’t have to wonder what Tampa Bay Buccaneers skill players are about to experience with Tom Brady as their quarterback. If you want to know what it’s like, the former West Allegheny and Pitt All-American can offer his advice after playing with Brady: “Don’t be a machine. Just...
Kevin Gorman: Tom Brady in Tampa Bay? Another 6th-round QB sees a good fit
With Tom Brady likely headed to Tampa Bay, I found the perfect person to relate to what it’s like to be a former sixth-round pick who played quarterback for the Buccaneers. Where Brady was the 199th pick of the 2000 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots, Bruce Gradkowski was...
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 story 
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...
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....
Kevin Gorman: Duquesne ready to check next box on its bucket list 
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...
Kevin Gorman: For Robert Morris senior Josh Williams, this is a dance to remember forever 
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...
Kevin Gorman: With NCAA tourney in balance, Robert Morris has edge in coach Andy Toole 
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...
Kevin Gorman: For Penguins, losing to Capitals was about missed opportunities 
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...
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 watching 
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 streak 
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 business 
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...
Kevin Gorman: Development of No. 1 pick Quinn Priester paramount for Pirates 
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...
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...
Kevin Gorman: Steven Brault wants to make music on the mound as a starter for the Pirates 
Steven Brault made a major jump for the Pittsburgh Pirates last season, when he began working out of the bullpen and finished as one of their most consistent starters. Well, with the exception of one game. The left-hander went 4-6 with a 5.16 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 113 1/3...
Kevin Gorman: Pirates need Gregory Polanco to be even better than before injury 
Gregory Polanco was feeling the good energy at spring training and kept repeating the same words over and over: Happy. Healthy. Strong. Tough. The Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder is happy to be healthy and stronger after a tough season, one where his surgically repaired left shoulder didn’t respond the way...
Kevin Gorman: Future can't get here fast enough for Pirates prospect Ke'Bryan Hayes
BRADENTON, Fla. Ke’Bryan Hayes is in his second spring training with the Pittsburgh Pirates and, once again, looking like their third baseman of the future. Maybe even the very near future. The Pirates’ top position prospect has been dreaming about making his major league debut, especially since being snubbed for...
Kevin Gorman: Derek Holland makes a pitch as perfect personality for Pirates 
BRADENTON, Fla. — Derek Holland didn’t blink when the first batter he faced as member of the Pittsburgh Pirates hit the second pitch he threw for a home run over the right-field fence. When JaCoby Jones took the 33-year-old left-hander deep in a split-squad game against the Detroit Tigers on...
Kevin Gorman: Travis Williams set to steer Pirates toward chasing championship
BRADENTON, Fla. — When the Pittsburgh Pirates finished their fourth decade without a World Series championship, it became obvious they needed a change in direction. Firing the highest-ranking members of the front office and coaching staff was but a start. Changing the clubhouse culture after a 93-loss season is the...
Kevin Gorman: Derek Shelton hopes Bill Mazeroski's magic rubs off on Pirates 
BRADENTON, Fla. — Bill Mazeroski pressed his right fingertips against the palm of his glove hand, demonstrating the double-play pivot that he made so famous. The Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Famer shared the secret of the sleight-of-hand trick that allowed him to turn two faster than anyone who ever played...
Kevin Gorman's Take 5: Pirates cross paths in spring training, as foes become teammates 
BRADENTON, Fla. – There is a big difference between spring-training stories and regular-season stories, and then there are times when they overlap and become unbelievable stories. Allow me to explain. A great spring training story last year was the return of Jung Ho Kang, who raised eyebrows (and hopes) by...
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