Tree of Life

18 May

Riverhounds draw at home

published in category: Riverhounds on Monday, May 18th, 2015 – 8:55 am

The Pittsburgh Riverhounds ended their two-game losing streak Saturday with a 1-1 tie against the Richmond Kickers at Highmark Stadium.

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Defender Anthony Arena headed the Hounds level 10 minutes into the second period after his slip allowed his former Houston Dynamo colleague Brian Ownby to put the Kickers ahead in the first half.

The result lifts the Hounds to a 2-3-3 record on the season for nine points.

“Ownby was my roommate in Houston for a year and a half and he’s one of my best friends off the field,” said Arena after the game. “He owes me half of his goal bonus for that one.

“Mistakes happen, but I was fortunate enough to get us back.”

Pittsburgh had no shortage of chances despite failing to find the net in the first half. A cross from full-back Tyler Pasher on 15 minutes was destined for Stephen Okai before finding the hand of Kickers’ defenseman William Yomby. The strange play resulted in a no-call by the officials and an angry Steel Army.

Momentum shifted to the Kickers nine minutes later. Ownby found the net after a turnover by Arena five yards outside the Hounds’ box. The goal was redemption of sorts as Ownby played five games for Pittsburgh last season on loan from the Dynamo.

The Hounds met with stout Kickers defending for the remainder of the first period. Richmond’s backline blocked multiple shots and won every ball that sped through their own penalty area.

Mark Steffens’ side opened up the second half by controlling possession and stringing together multiple passes. They eventually drew level on 55 minutes. Rob Vincent’s corner kick found the head of Arena. He popped the ball past the outstretched arms of Kickers goalkeeper Ryan Taylor to even the contest with his first of the season.

Pittsburgh created the majority of the scoring chances and possession for the remainder of the match.

Calle Brown made his professional debut in net for the Hounds in place of regular starter Ryan Thompson. The Jamaican national team player sat out the contest due to a tweaked muscle in his back. Brown played confidently and made a big stop midway through the second half when he rushed from his penalty area to stop a breakaway attempt by Eli Garner. But Brown wasn’t the only player to make his debut Saturday night.

Newly acquired Serbian midfielder Boris Zivanovic made his Hounds debut when he replaced Vini Dantas on 73 minutes. The former Honved man showed crafty footwork in the little time he played.

The Hounds return to action Wednesday when the West Virginia Chaos visits Highmark Stadium for second round action in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

Posted in Riverhounds

 

15 May

How Bob Walk Got into Broadcasting by Chris Dazen

published in category: Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday, May 15th, 2015 – 10:37 am

The Pittsburgh Pirates broadcasting team in 1994 included the familiar voices of former broadcaster Lanny Frattare, Greg Brown, Steve Blass and Bob Walk. Just a few months prior to opening that 1994 season, Walk still had that burning passion that all professional athletes have inside them. Believing he could still be a useful starting pitcher to some Major League team, he had turned down an offer from the Pirates to come back as a relief pitcher after the 1993 season in which he went 13-14 as starter with a 5.68 ERA.

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“It’s tough to take the uniform off because you know one phase of your life is gone forever and you can never do it again and that gives you pause a little bit,” said Walk, reflecting back on his time back prior to retirement. “But everybody I think knows I’m not even close to what I was say two years ago and its going to be over with soon and I had that feeling.”
Walk had always believed in his arm and was confident in his abilities to earn that Major League roster spot, but was also realistic about his chances based on his age and past performances. No teams came calling for Walk to be a starter, but he received a phone call that was about as unexpected as he could imagine.

“I got a phone call asking if I was interested in retiring and becoming a broadcaster,” said Walk. I had never given this any thought in my mind before, in my life. I never talked to anybody about this kind of thing. In my mind it was a practical joke.”

Mark Driscoll, the then vice president of broadcasting for the Pittsburgh Pirates, was responsible for that “practical joke” and wanted to get a sense of where Walk was at in his own right about carrying on his pitching career. It was no secret that Walk was nearing the end of his shelf life as a starter, but that was the opportunity he was looking for. At the age of 37, Walk knew his chances of being a starting pitching were nearing a close, and what Driscoll was offering was something Walk could not find at the time; a chance to be part of a Major League club.

“I’m 37 and was only going to play another year or two anyways so this might be an opportunity to stay in the game which is very hard to find,” Walk said,” I just basically said yea I would be interested and we talked some more and came in for an interview and they liked me and gave me a one year tryout.”
Twenty two years later, Walk’s voice has become just as familiar to Pirate fans as his once regular playing day look of long flowing hair and thick to pencil thin mustaches (a look captured in a Pirates bobble head give-away back in 2007). Walk’s pitching career ended with a lifetime record 105-81, which included an 82-61 mark with the Pirates.

Walk has been through a lot of emotions in both facets of his career from being a World Series winner in 1980 with the Philadelphia Phillies and pitching in division championships in 1990, ’91 and ’92 with Pirates to the twenty consecutive losing seasons Pittsburgh endured from 1993 to 2012 as both a player and broadcaster.

“I can remember early on when I first started doing this for the first couple of years, being upset at things in between innings , taking my headset off and just sitting there and stewing, and then I didn’t do that for awhile.” said Walk.
Losing so much and so frequently really took a lot out of Walk as a broadcaster and he admitted to losing his emotion while calling meaningless games during such times of frustration.
“The games kind of really didn’t mean a whole a lot other than you found yourself looking at guys and thinking are they going to be able to get better,” said Walk. “You were like analyzing talent. It was like a six month long spring training… who’s going to be part of the answer, who’s not?”
With recent success back in Pittsburgh, Walk finds himself getting emotional again and the excitement has returned to the booth.
“The expectations add a degree of stress on the wins and losses that weren’t there before.” said Walk
A lot feelings Walk has for this team are deeply rooted in just how long he has been with this organization. He has been a mainstay with the Pirates organization for 31 years, joining them as a free agent in 1984 when he was 28 years old. Now at the age of 58, Walk is still calling games, but his agenda is not what it once was. He’s been to countless cities and seen more than most, but Walk has certainly thought about his life after baseball, even if it is not close.
“I’ve always thought if the Pirates agree that I would like to do it at least somewhere into my early, maybe mid 60s. I don’t want to be somebody that is 80 years old. You go around baseball and see that in a lot different places, I don’t really understand it. At some point, you know, don’t you just want to enjoy your life?” said Walk about his idea retirement situation.
Walk has a point. Baseball is 162 games often played over 180 plus days. That does not leave a lot of free time for those who play the game. Since Walk jumped right into the booth after his playing days were over, he has not had the luxury of being able to just sit down and enjoy family life during the summer.

“Being a Major League baseball player and then immediately being teams broadcaster has been a great life, but there are some things that happen during the summertime that everybody else, really takes for granted, summer picnics and just silly things like going to Yellow Stone or just whatever. I’ve never in my life been able to do those sort of things, I would like to someday and I would like to while I can still get around pretty well” says Walk.
While Walk in his own words has had “two equal careers”, there is no denying his accomplishment as a broadcaster. He joins a distinguished list as being one of only five men with at least 20 years of service behind the microphone for Pirates. He joins Greg Brown (22 years), Bob Prince (28 years), Steve Blass (30 years) and Lanny Frattare (33 years).
Walk has left his mark on the city of Pittsburgh and when the day finally does come for him to retire, he can finally go on that summer family picnic he has been waiting for.

Posted in Pittsburgh Pirates

 

15 May

Offseason acquisitions making immediate impact for Pirates by Jose Negron

published in category: Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday, May 15th, 2015 – 8:23 am

It is very rare that the Pittsburgh Pirates are ever in the running for top free agent players during the offseason signing period. Though they have one of the lowest payrolls in the game of baseball, it is possible that the organization might have had the most underrated offseason based on who they acquired and the influence that they have had up to this point in the season.

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It may be a surprise to most, but utility infielder and outfielder Sean Rodriguez currently leads the Pirates in hitting with a .351 batting average. Now, he does only have 37 at bats in 27 games this season, but he has made the most of the opportunities that he has been given. Rodriguez, who was acquired in the offseason after spending the last few seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays, has played at four different positions this season for the Pirates. While having success at several positions around the diamond, Rodriguez has also been able to find consistency at the plate when getting the chance. With the combination of versatility on defense and his strong presence at the plate, it is a definite possibility that Rodriguez can continue making an impact as the season goes on, while also seeing his name on the starting lineup card more often.

Catcher Francisco Cervelli was another one of the Pirates key offseason acquisitions, coming to Pittsburgh from the New York Yankees in a trade for reliever Justin Wilson in November. Cervelli’s role with the club has been simple, yet very important based on the fact that he is replacing Russell Martin, who is arguably one of the best catchers in the game. Thus far, it seems as if Cervelli has been up to the task. Aside from being in charge of a talented pitching staff, Cervelli has also held his own at the plate. Though his power numbers aren’t exactly decent, the 29 year old backstop is hitting .279 in 26 games this season and has driven in four runs in the process. Although the task of replacing one of the top catchers in the game is a hard one, the Pirates have received solid production from Cervelli, backup catcher Chris Stewart, and even Tony Sanchez, who was hitting .375 in three games before being sent down to Indianapolis. The fact of the matter is that this certain scenario is a work in progress. It is yet to be seen whether or not this current group of catchers can help lead the Pirates to another playoff run as Martin was able to do in each of his two years in Pittsburgh, but they are surprisingly looking impressive in the early parts of the season.

Arguably the biggest acquisition the Pirates made during the offseason was the signing of South Korean shortstop Jung Ho Kang. Despite not knowing how his successful career playing in South Korea would translate to the Major League level, the Pirates signed the 27 year old to a four year, 11 million dollar deal in January. After starting the season off of the bench and playing occasionally at various positions around the infield, Kang has found playing time more easy to come by lately with the recent struggles of Josh Harrison. With the woes of star players including Harrison and Andrew McCutchen, Kang has made a huge impact for the Pirates at the plate, which has prompted Manager Clint Hurdle to continue placing his name in the starting lineup. This season, Kang is hitting .298 with two home runs and nine RBI in 23 games. It was expected that Kang was able to give the Pirates depth when it came to their infield, both on defense and at the plate, but the fact that his success has translated well to the Major Leagues means that he can provide a lot more to an offense that is struggling to find any type of consistency at the moment.

It is not always the big names that make the biggest impact. Every team needs depth in their starting lineup and within their bench. It was Josh Harrison last year who surprised the baseball world with the success he had when given the opportunity to contribute in the lineup every day. Each of the new Pirates acquisitions have made an impact in various ways throughout the first 35 games of the season. It will undoubtedly be interesting to see how good this team can be once the star players heat up and if the Pirates underrated offseason acquisitions can continue to make an impact as the season progresses. If these certain things happen, it is not unrealistic to think that the Pirates can overcome their current struggles and eventually finish off the season by making a deep run into October.

Posted in Pittsburgh Pirates

 

14 May

Grad Transfer Rule is for the PLAYERS

published in category: College Sports on Thursday, May 14th, 2015 – 2:20 pm


Posted in College Sports

 

14 May

Steelers signing draft picks

published in category: Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday, May 14th, 2015 – 12:56 pm

The Steelers have signed their fifth-round selection, tight end Jesse James, from the 2015 NFL Draft. Financial terms of the four-year deal were not disclosed.

James (6-7, 261), who was the 160th overall pick, played collegiately at Penn State. He hauled in 78 receptions for 1,005 yards with 11 touchdowns in his Nittany Lion career. James’ 11 scoring grabs set a Penn State record among tight ends.

James is the fifth of the Steelers’ eight draft selections from the 2015 NFL Draft to sign with the team.

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Posted in Pittsburgh Steelers

 

14 May

RMU Hoops Class

published in category: College Sports on Thursday, May 14th, 2015 – 12:50 pm

Robert Morris University head men’s basketball coach Andrew Toole announced the program’s 2015-16 recruiting class Thursday, which includes five freshman and one junior college transfer.

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Joining RMU for the 2015-16 campaign are freshman guards Matty McConnell (Oakdale, Pa. / Chartiers Valley), Jordan Lester (Sammamish, Wash. / Eastlake), Isaiah Still (Rahway, N.J. / Union Catholic) and Steven Whitley (Norfolk, Va. / Fork Union Military Academy), freshman forward Joe Hugley (Gaithersburg, Md. / Magruder) and junior college forward Billy Giles (Richmond, Va. / Allegany College of Maryland).

“We’re excited about our recruiting class, and I’m excited about the potential of this group,” Toole said. “We expect they’ll come in and work as hard as they can and embrace the success we’ve had as a program.”

McConnell and Still signed National Letters of Intent (NLI) with the Colonials in the early signing period of November of 2014, while Lester, Whitley, Hugley and Giles signed NLI’s with Robert Morris in the spring.

“We sat down as a staff and identified some of our weaknesses, and I think we’ve addressed what our needs are,” Toole said. “Backcourt depth was an area we really needed to focus on, and four of our recruits are guards. We’re hoping that group comes in and competes for minutes and pushes our returning players.”

The recruiting class joins a group of four returning starters and seven letterwinners from a squad that finished with an overall record of 20-15 (.571) in 2014-15, including a mark of 12-6 (.667) in the Northeast Conference.

RMU claimed its eighth NEC Tournament title and subsequent bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2015 by earning a 66-63 victory at St. Francis Brooklyn (3/10/15) in the championship game of the 2015 NEC Tournament.

In the 2015 NCAA Tournament, the Colonials posted an 81-77 win against North Florida (3/18/15) in Dayton, Ohio, as part of the 2015 NCAA First Four before falling to Duke (3/20/15), the eventual 2015 national champion, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Charlotte, N.C.

RMU’s appearance in the 2015 NCAA Tournament marked the seventh postseason appearance for the Colonials in the last eight years. During that span, the Colonials have appeared in the 2009, 2010 and 2015 NCAA Tournament, the 2008, 2013 and 2014 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and the 2012 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT).

Returning as starters for RMU in 2015-16 are guards Rodney Pryor and Kavon Stewart and forwards Elijah Minnie and Aaron Tate.

Pryor paced the Colonials in scoring in 2014-15 by averaging 15.6 points per contest while also grabbing an average of 4.7 rebounds per game. Pryor was named the 2015 NEC Tournament Most Valuable Player (MVP) after averaging 14.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in three games.

Minnie averaged 6.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game as a freshman in 2014-15 and established a Robert Morris single-season record for blocks (36) and a freshman mark for field goal percentage (.547). Stewart produced averages of 6.1 points and 4.6 assists per contest, while Tate supplied averages of 3.8 points and 4.4 caroms per game.

RMU enters the 2015-16 campaign with an overall record of 183-96 (.656) over the last eight years, both a school and league record. Over that span, the Colonials rank ninth among mid-major programs in victories.

Robert Morris 2015-16 Recruiting Class

Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Year Hometown / High School
Billy Giles F 6-7 185 Jr. Richmond, Va. / Allegany College of Maryland
Joe Hugley F 6-7 200 Fr. Gaithersburg, Md. / Magruder
Jordan Lester G 6-1 190 Fr. Sammamish, Wash. / Eastlake
Matty McConnell G 6-1 190 Fr. Oakdale, Pa. / Chartiers Valley
Isaiah Still G 6-6 185 Fr. Rahway, N.J. / Union Catholic
Steven Whitley G 6-4 210 Fr. Norfolk, Va. / Fork Union Military Academy

Billy Giles (F) – Signed a National Letter of Intent with Robert Morris in May of 2015 … Started all 29 games for Allegany College of Maryland in 2014-15, averaging 23.6 points and 14.9 rebounds per game … Led National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I in rebounding while ranking third in scoring … Shot 55.9 percent (273-for-488) from the field and 68.2 percent (131-for-192) from the free-throw line … Compiled 111 blocks, an average of 3.8 per contest … Registered 58 steals, an average of 2.0 per game … Reached double figures in scoring in each of Allegany’s 29 games, eclipsing the 20-point plateau on 19 occasions and 30-point threshold eight times … Scored a career-high 40 points against Northern Virginia Community College (2/19/15), finishing 18-for-25 from the field and 4-for-8 at the free-throw line … Played his prep basketball at Douglas S. Freeman High School.

Joe Hugley (F) – Inked a National Letter of Intent with RMU in April of 2015 … In 2014-15 as a senior at Magruder averaged 16.6 points and 9.1 rebounds per game … Established a Magruder single-season school record with 88 blocks, an average of 3.5 per contest … Named the 2015 Montgomery Sentinel Co-Player of the Year … Earned a spot on the the 2015 All-Montgomery 4A Conference First Team and was selected to the Washington Post All-Met Honorable Mention squad … Selected to play in the 2015 Roundball Classic All-Star Game … Named a Capital Classic NoVA/MoCO All-Star.

Jordan Lester (G) – Joined the Colonials by signing a National Letter of Intent in May of 2015 … As a senior at Eastlake in 2014-15 provided averages of 21.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.1 steals per game … Named to the 2015 All-Kingco Conference First Team … Led the conference in free-throws attempted per game (9.1) and free throws made per contest (7.0) … Selected as team captain and team most valuable player (MVP) in 2014-15.

Matty McConnell (G) – Signed a National Letter of Intent with Robert Morris in the early signing period in November of 2014 … Led Chartiers Valley to the 2015 Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) Class AAAA championship with a 78-67 victory over North Allegheny by scoring 34 points … Led the WPIAL in 2014-15 in scoring at 29.5 points per game while averaging 9.1 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 4.9 steals per contest … Converted 57 percent of his shots from the field and 78 percent at the free-throw line … Named the 2015 Player of the Year by both the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review … As a junior in 2013-14 averaged 21.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 5.1 steals per contest … Finished his prep career by scoring 2,018 points.

Isaiah Still (G) – Inked a National Letter of Intent with the Colonials in the early signing period in November of 2014 … As a senior in 2014-15 averaged 19.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals per contest … Earned a spot on the 2015 NJ.com All-Non Public Third Team … As a junior in 2013-14 produced averages of 18.1 points and 5.1 caroms per contest.

Steven Whitley (G) – Signed a National Letter of Intent with RMU in May of 2015 … In 2014-15 at Fork Union Military Academy in Fork Union, Va., provided averages of 16.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game … Played his prep basketball at Booker T. Washington High School in Norfolk, Va.

Quotable

Andy Toole on recruiting at the junior college level …
“We’ve been really fortunate in the junior college ranks the last few years, from Karvel Anderson to Aaron Tate to Rodney Pryor. We think Billy shares some characteristics with those guys. He’s a kid that’s battled adversity to get the opportunity he’s getting at RMU, and he’s grateful for that. He has a tremendous motor, and while his statistics jump off the page at you, his toughness and his activity are going to carry over to the Division I level. He has a chance to be a really productive piece to our rotation.”

Andy Toole on replacing all-time leading rebounder Lucky Jones …
“Lucky left a large footprint on this program throughout his four years in a Robert Morris uniform. Not only with his individual stats with his scoring and rebounding, but with the number of wins he was able to be a part of. His personality and toughness are going to be tough to replace, and it won’t be easy. We’ve had some impactful players gradate from our program during my tenure, and we’ve been able to replace those guys. This will be as tough a test as any of those. Our returning guys are going to have to elevate their games to help us replace Lucky, and the new guys are going to have to come in and infuse some energy into the program with the way that they play.”
-By RMU PR Staff

Posted in College Sports

 

14 May

Pat Bostick on Pitt by Chris Dazen

published in category: College Sports on Thursday, May 14th, 2015 – 9:35 am

Former Pitt Panther quarterback Pat Bostick has had many career aspirations in his young life. Coming out of Manheim Township High School located in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, he was considered to be one the top quarterbacks in the country and one the top 50 overall prospects. His future in football seemed bright. It still is, but now its behind the headset in a radio booth and not the one in his quarterback helmet.

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In 2011 Bostick decided to forgo his final year of eligibility to play football for the University of Pittsburgh and pursue a life covering the sport he grew up playing.
“I guess my career aspirations at first where to go in the NFL and play at the highest level I could possibly play at,” recalls Bostick about his early college hopes. “I realized pretty quickly how hard that was going to be and realized I needed to have a backup plan, a plan B which really was plan A, the NFL was plan B”.

Bostick’s time spent playing football at the University of Pittsburgh (2007-08,2010) amounted to three years, playing in a total of 19 games (nine as a starter) while completing 184 passes for 1,814 yards, 11 touchdowns (nine passing, two rushing) and 19 interceptions. Bostick had a very underwhelming career on the field based on numbers alone. But numbers do not always tell the story in most cases.
The story of Bostick’s college football career is not measured by numbers, but more so in emotions. He was part of two of the most memorable Panther football games in the last decade. In 2007, he was behind center as the Panthers upset the No. 2 ranked West Virginia Mountaineers 13-9. He facilitated the Panthers only touchdown of the game helping upset the Mountaineers and their chance to play in the national title game.

“Everywhere I go I get thanked for that game by Pitt fans, not every day, but people thank me for that game. So I feel lucky as hell to have been there and been a part of it. It will go down as one of the greatest games I have ever seen or played in, probably the greatest. It’s pretty damn special.” said Bostick.

Just a year later, in 2008, Bostick once again started in what he calls the most “memorable game” he has ever played in. Pitt faced Notre Dame in an exhilarating quadruple overtime game resulting in a 36-33 Panther victory which helped make them bowl eligible for the first time since 2004. Bostick led the Panthers back from a 17-3 halftime deficit, and tied the game on a fourth-and-6 with 2:22 left in the fourth quarter.

“Knowing that it kind of sparked our year and got us to a bowl game for the first time in four years, that means more to me personally,” said Bostick on the win.
Bostick took a redshirt for the 2009 season and came back in 2010 as the backup to starting quarterback Tino Sunseri. Bostick decided to focus on getting his masters forgoing his fifth season of playing eligibility (he earned his bachelor’s degree in just three years). Unsure of where life after playing would take him, Bostick knew pretty quickly coaching was not something he wanted to pursue, so he kept his options open.

“Going into my senior year I got engaged to my longtime girlfriend and I just didn’t want to have to move around like coaches do, so I kind of fell into wanting to be in athletics,” recalls Bostick. “I wanted to be in sports, whether that was broadcasting or whether that was PR, anything, marketing, I wanted to learn about it. My career aspirations took shape later in my college career and they were far different than they were at first.”

Being a full time student athlete can be busy, but Bostick says that being on a college campus and not taking advantage of the resources surrounding him would have been “foolish”. One of those resources was E.J. Borghetti, the Executive Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations at Pitt, who Bostick calls “one of the best”. Bostick did a media relations internship while on campus and Borghetti helped him learn the other side of football during that time.

“I got chance to know a lot of the press in town; radio, TV, writers. They knew me because I was a player, but I got a chance to know those guys and know that business and that helped me shape my aspirations from a media standpoint and in sports by getting to know those guys and seeing the role that a PR department for a large athletic enterprise plays,” said Bostick.
One of Bostick’s biggest chances in his young professional career came when an opening to call one of Pitt’s spring games on television became available to him. Bostick was hesitant at first thought because he had never done television, but accepted and it lead him to an unforeseen opportunity as a full time radio analyst for Pitt football games.

” I thought this was a pretty natural step. I get to talk right to the fans and analyze the game of football,” said Bostick about his television chance. “I got that opportunity and I guess that was my audition and next thing you know I was on the radio. It happened so fast and unbeknownst to me.”
Bostick took over the color man job held by analyst and former Pitt All-American, Bill Fralic, who decided to step away from the booth and focus on his business in Atlanta. The transition at first was an adjustment for Bostick, as he had to remind himself that he was to critique and give fair evaluation of both teams.

“I’m working for my school, I’m allowed to be a little bit of a homer but I think the biggest change was being fair. It was hard for me at first being fair and honest in my evaluation of what was going on as an analyst with guys I played with. I stepped away and immediately got into it,” said Bostick.
Bostick’s adjustment to the booth has been nothing but professional and he has become a natural alongside long time voice of the Panthers, Bill Hillgrove. Being a former quarterback has given him a personal edge when it comes to being able to read a give immediate analysis on a play.
“I have to know everything as a quarterback; you have to know what the wide receiver is doing what the right guard is doing, what the defense is doing, everything about the play. So I was immediately able to take that perspective to the broadcast booth and try to get into the mind and thought process of not only the coaches, but every position,” said Bostick.
While being a former quarterback has given Bostick the knowledge to analyze plays, he says there is nothing that gets him through a game better than preparation, and Hillgrove remains the foundation to Bostick’s success in the booth.

“Bill has charts, he has a system on gameday…It’s like a game of battleship. He’s got magnetic pieces on who’s in the game. The process and the system is what allows him to go out there and just tell the story and that’s what makes him remarkable to work with,” said Bostick about Hillgrove’s approach to calling games. “From day one, it’s always a bit of a marriage between color analyst and a play-by-play guy and Bill makes it so easy. His cues are so clear on when I should talk and I shut up until his cues come on.”

Bostick is entering his fifth year alongside Hillgrove and also serves as the assistant director of development for the Panther Club, the athletic department’s official fundraising office. While his career is just starting, Bostick is unsure where life will take him. Ideally he would like to remain at Pitt, but if an opportunity came to elevate his broadcasting career to a national level, he would consider it.

Bostick has a successful future ahead of him and the choices he makes to shape his professional career lie in his hands. Unforeseen chances and opportunities along with his dedication to the University of Pittsburgh have lead him on his current path in life, but there is one opportunity that he has no control over. But it is the one he wants more than anything.
“It’s to call Pitt in the national championship game,” says Bostick “and win the whole damn thing.”

Posted in College Sports

 

13 May

Pirates on 4-Game Win Streak

published in category: Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday, May 13th, 2015 – 11:14 am

Bucs Broadcaster John Wehner joins Junker and Laird to talk about the 4-game win streak.

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Posted in Pittsburgh Pirates

 



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