Tree of Life

03 Jun

Tomlin Setting the Tone During OTAs by Josh Taylor

published in category: Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday, June 3rd, 2015 – 4:37 pm

If it appears that Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is a little bit more energetic and involved during this year’s organized team activities, don’t be alarmed. He is, and the response has been positive.

Tomlin was visibly vocal the entire day Wednesday from the stretching until the offense vs. defense drills, and it was apparent, especially to the newcomers.

“You don’t see that very often,” said quarterback Tajh Boyd, who was signed as a free agent this spring. “When you think of a head coach, you think more of a manager; just a guy who makes sure all the coaches are doing their jobs. But when he’s out here it’s like everything is his position. It’s inspiring.”

Defensive end Cam Heyward says the veterans are also taking notice of Tomlin’s initiative as well.

“You see the competition, and I think Coach T starts some of it,” Heyward said. “He wants guys to respond. He wants guys to win their one-on-one’s and it’s definitely showing up out here.

— Heyward was asked about his contract situation in relation to New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan, who signed a five-year extension that could be worth as much as $60 million. But the former first-round pick says it’s not a concern to him.

“I really didn’t notice, but some guys brought it to my attention,” said Heyward. “That’s what I have an agent for. I let him handle the negotiations, and I can sit back and just play football.”

Heyward, who is due to make $6.9 million this season, is in the final year of his rookie contract.

— Boyd, who will likely compete for the third-string quarterback spot, says having wide receiver Martavis Bryant (his former Clemson teammate) on the roster has helped him get better acclimated to Pittsburgh.

“It’s funny because the roles are reversed a little bit,” Boyd said. “I was at Clemson before he got there, and now I’m coming over here and asking him questions to see what’s going on and how much he’s grown in a year.”

“He’s only in his second year, but his mindset is like a fourth or fifth-year veteran,” said Boyd of his former college pass-catcher. “The guy is going to be special.”

Boyd also says he’s learned a lot from veteran quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger and Bruce Gradkowski both in an out of the huddle.

“The way Ben takes control, the way he takes command — it’s because of the work they put in,” he said. “Right now I’m just trying to do as much as I possibly can to earn my keep.”

Boyd says he came up with the nickname “Uncle Bruce” for Gradkowski because of his outgoing personality and willingness to help teach the younger quarterbacks.

“Whenever I’ve got a question, whenever I need something answered, he’s right there,” he said. “It’s been a joy to work with him.”

— File this under “Things You Don’t See Everyday”: coaches from Pitt and Penn State talking and laughing on the same sideline.

Penn State head coach James Franklin and a few members of his staff were in town from Happy Valley taking in practice on the South Side. Pitt boss Pat Narduzzi, whose office is in the same complex as the Steelers, eventually met Franklin on the sideline.

Tomlin noticed the two talking together, then stood between them and jovially announced, “I am officially planted on the fence between them.”

The three men paused for a photo that Tomlin later posted on his Twitter page:

Good to see them playing nice. For now.

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Posted in Pittsburgh Steelers

 

03 Jun

Dri Archer and Steelers Special Teams

published in category: Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday, June 3rd, 2015 – 12:22 pm

Live report from Steelers practice with Josh Taylor checking in with Junker and Laird on Dri Archer and special teams.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Saint Vincent College have unveiled the logo for the 50th Training Camp at the school, it was announced today.

“We are very proud of our history and tradition of holding training camp at Saint Vincent College,” Steelers President Art Rooney II. “The Pittsburgh Steelers and Saint Vincent College have a great history of working together, and we look forward to our 50th training camp this summer at Saint Vincent College. Our fans have always enjoyed coming to Latrobe to support the team as we prepare for the season, and we are excited they will be able to enjoy this special occasion with us again this year through many events and highlights on campus.”

The logo, designed by Saint Vincent College art director George Fetkovich of the Department of Admission, Marketing and Communications in collaboration with the Steelers, will be displayed on campus throughout the team’s 2015 Training Camp.

Through their first three decades in the NFL, the Steelers held their training camps at a variety of locations, as far east as New England and as far west as Wisconsin. In 1966, for the third straight summer, training camp for the Steelers was at the University of Rhode Island. The team was there through the first four weeks of a five-game preseason schedule. Then, after a loss in Green Bay to Vince Lombardi’s Packers, Coach Bill Austin wanted the team closer to Pittsburgh because the 1966 regular season was due to open with a home game against the New York Giants on Sept. 11. With no practice fields of their own at the time, the Steelers turned to Saint Vincent College. The team arrived in Latrobe on Aug. 29 and spent a couple of weeks on campus going through final preparations for the 1966 regular season. In 1967, the Steelers conducted their entire training camp at Saint Vincent College.

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Posted in Pittsburgh Steelers

 

03 Jun

Cutch on another MVP run?

published in category: Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday, June 3rd, 2015 – 10:23 am


Posted in Pittsburgh Pirates

 

02 Jun

Stone Cold vs. Lesnar

published in category: Wrestling Reality on Tuesday, June 2nd, 2015 – 2:27 pm


Posted in Wrestling Reality

 

02 Jun

Ike Taylor Show

published in category: Ike Taylor, Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday, June 2nd, 2015 – 10:27 am

The Ike Taylor Show is brought to you by Dunkin Donuts, the Preferred Coffee of the Ike Taylor Show.
Ike talks about coaching at the OTA’s plus a check in with the Baltimore Ravens.

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Posted in Ike Taylor, Pittsburgh Steelers

 

02 Jun

Pirates rotation looks to continue stellar stretch in June by Jose Negron

published in category: Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday, June 2nd, 2015 – 8:28 am

It is often that the game of baseball tends to be unpredictable. A team can go from struggles to success, or vice versa, in an instance. The Pittsburgh Pirates have been firing on all cylinders as of late, but as we all know, this hasn’t been a recurring trend throughout the first several games of the Pirates season. However, as the calendar turns to the month of June, the Pirates could be poised for an even more successful stretch of baseball. Especially if history repeats itself.
In the last four seasons under manager Clint Hurdle, the Pittsburgh Pirates have been excellent in the month of June. Entering last night’s game against the San Francisco Giants, the Pirates held a 67-40 record in the month of June under Hurdle, which ranks as the best record in the National League. During those first four months of June, the Pirates have averaged 4.58 runs per game and the pitching staff has an ERA of 3.49.

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Despite an up and down beginning to the month of May, the Pirates ended the month with two consecutive sweeps of the New York Mets and Miami Marlins, and a four game split with a San Diego Padres team that is a lot better than they may seem.

The Pirates had won eight of their last ten games, including a seven game winning streak, going into last night’s contest with the San Francisco Giants. Things have been clicking for the Pirates in every aspect of the game, especially when it comes to the guys taking the mound to start the game.
During the ten game stretch, the pitching staff emerged as a huge threat to any team they went up against. In five games spanning from May 22 through May 26, all five Pirates starters including Gerrit Cole, AJ Burnett, Francisco Liriano, Charlie Morton, and Jeff Locke all picked up victories while all allowing less than two earned runs. The ten game span allowed the Pirates to run through the rotation, and while the first go around was literally perfect, the second wasn’t as perfect, but still stellar. Following another win by Cole in the finale against Miami on May 27, the rotation didn’t find the same success against San Diego that allowed them to take away two sweeps from the Mets and the Marlins. Burnett picked up the win in game one of the series, even while giving up four earned runs in 5.2 innings. Despite the less than exceptional performance, Burnett still holds a 1.81 ERA on the season. A day later, Francisco Liriano had another stellar performance, giving up only three hits and striking out 11 batters in six shutout innings. Unfortunately for the 31 year old left hander, he wouldn’t get the victory as the Buccos would lose on a walk off grand slam by Derek Norris in the bottom of the ninth inning, snapping the Pirates seven game winning streak. In game three of the series, Charlie Morton picked up his second straight victory after pitching seven solid innings and giving up one earned run on three hits, while Jeff Locke only lasted four innings in the series finale, giving up six runs on eight hits while taking the loss in a 7-1 Padres victory.

With what I have seen from the Pirates starting rotation in the previous three series, there is reason to be excited about what is to come in the month of June. As I have said before, Gerrit Cole has solidified himself not only as the ace of the Pirates staff, but as one of the best pitchers in baseball. Entering last night’s start in San Francisco, Cole held a 7-2 record with a 2.11 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 64 innings. I know there is a lot of competition in the National League, but the guy could be making a case to head to his first All Star game and even be considered a top CY Young Candidate.
Francisco Liriano has proved in his last two starts that he disagrees with me on that statement. Despite a horrid performance against Minnesota on May 19, his stat lines against New York and San Diego really speak for themselves and he has proved to hopefully have his struggles behind him. His command looks to be spot on and with back to back ten plus strikeout games, he looks to be back to the Frankie we all know and love.

AJ Burnett has been an interesting case this season. The man who returned to Pittsburgh following a one year stint in Philadelphia has proved to be a huge offseason acquisition for the Pirates. Though the veteran has said that this season is most likely his last, he is not pitching like a 38 year old. He currently sits fourth in the National League in ERA and will likely be a huge asset as he attempts to help lead the Pirates into the postseason one final time.
Charlie Morton, who recently came off of the disabled list, has been solid in his first two starts of 2015. Morton is not a strikeout pitcher, but he doesn’t have the nickname “Groundball Chuck” for no reason. His sinker has allowed him to accumulate ground ball outs and if he can continue to do that and have good command of his other pitches, he is bound to continue being a solid fourth option in the Pirates rotation.

The fifth spot in the rotation has been the most interesting spot for the Pirates. Despite a solid outing for Jeff Locke against Miami on May 26, he was knocked around in his last start against San Diego and I’m starting to wonder how long he’s going to remain in the rotation. The former National League all-star is 3-3 with a 5.34 ERA this season and could be seeing the end of his time in the starting rotation, at least for the time being. Though Clint Hurdle has confirmed that Locke will make his next scheduled start, the Pirates do have backup plans. Vance Worley, who was moved into the bullpen to make room for Morton, does seem to have more of an upside than Locke. He had a stellar year last season and, if given the opportunity again, he may be able to return to his old form. Another option could be Casey Sadler. Sadler has actually made an appearance as a starter this season and proved to be impressive. In one spot start, Sadler pitched five solid innings giving up two runs on four hits, while striking out five Milwaukee Brewers on April 12. If Locke struggles in his next start, I wouldn’t be surprised if the fifth starter opportunity is passed on to someone else. It will be very interesting to see who the replacement is and if either of these two players would be considered to fill the void.

It is safe to say that the Pirates starting rotation is heating up at the right time, while entering what the past four years have proved to be the team’s hottest month. With the offense clicking better than it has all season long and the pitching staff dominating opposing hitters, the Pirates have shown that they have what it takes to compete with the likes of the St Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central Division. Let’s just hope that the success we have witnessed in the last few weeks can become a recurring trend throughout the month of June and throughout the rest of the season.

Posted in Pittsburgh Pirates

 

01 Jun

Exclusive Steelers Interviews

published in category: Ike Taylor, Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday, June 1st, 2015 – 4:06 pm

Exclusive Steelers interviews with Jarvis Jones, Steve McLendon and Daniel McCullers.

The Steelers have signed their seventh-round selection, safety Gerod Holliman, from the 2015 NFL Draft. Financial terms of the four-year deal were not disclosed.

Holliman (6-0, 218), who was the 239th overall pick, played collegiately at Louisville. In 27 games as a Cardinal, he totaled 63 tackles, 14 interceptions, six pass breakups and one sack. Holliman was the recipient of the Jim Thorpe Award in 2014, after tying the NCAA record for interceptions in a season with 14 (Al Worley, 1968 Washington).

The Steelers have now signed each of their eight draft selections from the 2015 NFL Draft.

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Posted in Ike Taylor, Pittsburgh Steelers

 

01 Jun

Elimination Chamber 2015 Review By Dan Mader

published in category: Wrestling Reality on Monday, June 1st, 2015 – 8:22 am

“These are just going to serve as another RAW in terms of quality.”

WRONG.

Somehow, someway, the WWE managed to pull off another strong PPV event with the Elimination Chamber. The difference with this event was that it was a WWE Network exclusive and would not be offered on regular pay-per-view television. The fact that this show took place only 2 weeks after Payback, and 2 weeks prior to Money in the Bank raised some questions about how well it would perform. As this event was randomly thrown into place a few weeks ago, the card had some very intriguing matches and it delivered in almost all of them. The buzz before and after the event was centered on the match between NXT Champion Kevin Owens and US Champion John Cena and rightfully so. But we’ll talk more when we get there.

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The pre-show featured Zack Ryder against Stardust in a quick little match. Nothing too great and Stardust picked up the win against Long Island Iced Z rather quickly. Rumors are running rampant about Stardust possibly wrestling actor Stephen Amell at SummerSlam in August and although denied by Amell, I think that there is a definite possibility that it occurs.

In the first ever Tag Team Elimination Chamber match, the six teams involved did a great job at creating a mayhem-induced pace of action. Kalisto hung on to the top of the chamber like a spider and fell onto the other combatants which was a cool spot. Each team had a moment to shine and proved that they are part of a tag division looking to improve on depth. Los Matadores was eliminated first by The Ascension. The Lucha Dragons also fell waste to The Ascension before the Prime Time Players (who I had the chance to interview 2 years ago) eliminated them. My favorite to win, Tyson Kidd and Cesaro, was eliminated by the PTP as well. The New Day, who were competing under the Freebird Rule (all members of team can participate) successfully defended their championships by defeating the Prime Time Players in a match that although was chaotic, succeeded in showcasing the WWE tag team division’s depth.

Nikki Bella successfully defended her Divas Championship against Naomi and Paige in another chaotic contest. A bunch of random but exciting moves were performed by these 3 who probably wanted to prove themselves a little considering the Lynch/Banks match at NXT: Unstoppable was incredible. I enjoyed this match and it succeeded in quick entertainment.

Here’s a quick story. January 25, 2014. I had the opportunity to interview one wrestler from the Ring of Honor locker room for my college newspaper. I chose Kevin Steen. I had been a fan of his for 7+ years and at the time, he was just about finished in ROH as rumors of him signing with the WWE were widespread. As Kevin Kelly came to me and said “I got Steen for you.”, I smiled wider than I ever had before. This was my opportunity for a great interview with a great talent. It was 10 minutes and I loved every second. However, if you would have told me that in 7 months, Steen would sign with the WWE, win the NXT Title in 13 months, and within a year and a half, challenge John Cena to a match at a WWE PPV, I would have laughed harder than ever before. Fast forward to May 18, 2015. Steen, now known as Kevin Owens, shows up during John Cena’s US Open Challenge. He doesn’t have a match, but he does powerbomb Cena and step on the US Title. He gets elevated from NXT Champion to main roster mega heel in one night. The match was then announced for tonight. One on one, non-title, Cena vs. Owens. I figured because it was a non-title match that Owens would somehow find a way to win. Being a mega heel, a distraction, foreign object, or some other unforeseen underhanded way of winning would give Owens the victory. I also figured that due to the WWE releasing 2 new Kevin Owens shirts before the PPV, that anything other than at least Owens standing tall, regardless of victory, would occur. As the match began and progressed, I increasingly feared a dreaded Attitude Adjustment out of nowhere leading to Cena winning. For years and years I have seen Cena overcome so many “odds” to win so many big matches and I was losing hope for Owens fast. The match itself was incredible. Great heel/face tradeoffs with both men, and multiple finishers for each. The springboard stunner and top rope legdrop were used by Cena. Owens missed an incredible looking moonsault from the top rope that Vader would be proud of. He did however, connect on an Attitude Adjustment on his own, and hit a senton from the top rope. After two clotheslines in a row that turned Owens inside out, Owens ducked a third and lifted Cena up for a destructive pop-up powerbomb in the center of the ring. As Owens covered Cena and the referee’s hand hit the mat for 3, it seemed as if the world stopped. I was stunned and said nothing as those around me were screaming in disbelief and happiness. Never in a million years would I have believed that Kevin Owens, who I had followed since 2007 and even got the privilege to interview, would defeat the face of the WWE in the center of the ring. After his victory, a 3:16-esque promo was delivered by Owens.

“John Cena, your time is way up. My time is now! And the champ is HERE!”

Although a clean victory against Cena elevates Owens high into the echelon of WWE, he now faces a rematch against Cena at the Money in the Bank PPV in 2 weeks and it will be very interesting to see how this story continues to pan out. All in all, this feud, although short, has captivated many fans and has garnered almost more attention than any in the WWE right now.

After this match, the crowd did not recover well. Emotionally drained and weak this crowd seemed after Owens and Cena stole the show, and the matches that followed didn’t seem to deliver nearly as well. Neville vs. Bo Dallas was next, which featured two former NXT Champions who are really at opposite ends of the spectrum. Dallas has been sporadic at best on WWE television while Neville has been showcased well and has won some important matches early in his WWE tenure. Neville won this match with the Red Arrow and I still see a promising future for him, as long as he keeps winning.

Aside from the ending to Owens/Cena being untouchable, I was shocked just as much with the ending to the Intercontinental Championship Elimination Chamber Match. With King Barrett being eliminated first, by R-Truth of all people, this match was interesting from the get go. Due to his fractured foot, Rusev was replaced by Mark Henry. After R-Truth was eliminated, Henry didn’t fare well either, being eliminated by Sheamus. After Dolph Ziggler got eliminated by Sheamus as well, it seemed as if it would be easy pickings for the Celtic Warrior to win the IC Title. However, in a finish I certainly did not see coming, “The Big Guy”, Ryback, hit Sheamus with the Shell Shocked and won his first singles title. It will be interesting to see where this win takes Ryback as the summer progresses.

After two solid Chamber matches and Kevin Owens pinning John Cena clean in the center of the ring, the main event STILL didn’t occur. That shows that even though this seemed like a show just thrown together haphazardly, it had some unforeseen depth. I’ll try to make my take on this match between Ambrose and Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship short and sweet. The match was back and forth, had a ton of interference by the end of it, and ended with Dean Ambrose walking out with the title. BUT, it was by way of a Disqualification and “Dusty Finish”, which is a term for an ending with a small technicality being the cause for a reversal of a decision. This was used by Dusty Rhodes during his matches while he was head booker. Rollins threw the referee into Ambrose as he came off the top rope. Ambrose struck the referee with his knee and hit the Dirty Deeds DDT on Rollins. With no referee in sight, he covered Rollins and waited for another referee to appear. One did, and made the 3 count, which was as much of a surprise as the ending to Owens/Cena. After the crowd popped huge for the win and the announcers sold it with great fervor and energy, Kane told the referee that Rollins was actually disqualified for throwing the referee into Ambrose. Technically, Ambrose wins the match, but he doesn’t win the belt. His “Lunatic Fringe” attitude took over, however, and he ran through the crowd with the WWE World Heavyweight Title, alongside his former Shield brethren, Roman Reigns. As it seems to me, Seth Rollins looks like he will still be the champion by the time SummerSlam rolls around, and Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns will both be knocking at his door.

Until then, Money in the Bank is in 2 weeks and no WWE World Title match has been set yet. 6 members of the Money in the Bank Contract Ladder Match have been announced and along with the others to be named soon, it’s shaping up to be one of the best yet. (Ziggler/Neville/Orton/Reigns/Kingston/Sheamus have been announced at the time of this) As always, the Money in the Bank Ladder Match will be heavily hyped, and for good reason, as 87% of winners have gone on to successfully cash-in and win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Of course, current WWE Champion Seth Rollins was the latest to cash-in, being the first to do it at a WrestleMania. An early favorite for this match in my opinion would be Roman Reigns, who would likely cash in at SummerSlam, with or without Brock Lesnar in the discussion. It remains to be seen, however, who the other entrants (probably 2) are going to be. I would not be completely shocked if Lesnar is actually in this match and it would elevate this match’s interest twofold.

Reflecting on the WWE Elimination Chamber event as a whole, we all learned a few valuable things. The tag-team division has great depth, all the former members of The Shield are dominating the main event scene, and Kevin Owens is the real deal. I see nothing but a great future for Owens and it’s been incredible to see him rise through the business to where he is today. I thought this Network exclusive PPV was another nice segway into the Money in the Bank in 2 weeks and that show will begin a road to SummerSlam that will no doubt be filled with excitement, uncertainty, and Brock Lesnar.

Posted in Wrestling Reality

 



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