Tree of Life

30 Mar

Riverhounds win opener

published in category: Riverhounds on Monday, March 30th, 2015 – 9:24 am

A hat-trick by Kevin Kerr and two goals from Rob Vincent fired the Pittsburgh Riverhounds to a 5-2 win over the Harrisburg City Islanders Saturday in a blistering start to the USL season at Highmark Stadium.

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The victory gave the Riverhounds the early advantage in the challenge for the Keystone Derby Cup between the in-state rivals and puts the Riverhounds in the win column much quicker than in recent seasons.

Vincent got the Hounds off to a fast start on five minutes to continue his impressive goalscoring form from the preseason. Kerr doubled the lead six minutes later from the Englishman’s assist. Harrisburg narrowed the deficit before half-time before being blown away by the Riverhounds attack in the second half.

“Our game plan was to come out and press hard and we did that really well for 15 minutes,” said Riverhounds head coach Mark Steffens. “We dropped off the press after 15 minutes and fell apart.

“At half-time we told them we had to put the press back on and the guys did a great job with it in the second half.”

Philadelphia Union loanee Zach Pfeffer pulled one back for the visitors on 22 minutes when he snuck behind the Hounds defense to finish low underneath goalkeeper Ryan Thompson.

Kerr put an emphatic stamp on Pittsburgh’s impressive first outing under Steffens by completing his hat-trick in the second half. The Scotsman sent a missile into the back of the net from deep outside the box on 52 minutes. He then rounded Noble once again on 77 minutes after a through ball from Vincent.

Harrisburg tallied a late consolation goal when Garret Pettis converted a penalty on 86 minutes after being felled by Hounds defender Fejiro Okiomah.

Vincent completed the scoring in stoppage time with another fantastic goal, finding the far post from 25 yards while his momentum took him away from goal.

The Riverhounds remain at Highmark Stadium for their next USL contest against the Rochester Rhinos next Saturday. Kick off is at 7 p.m.

Posted in Riverhounds

 

27 Mar

Riverhounds Opener

published in category: Sports Talk Radio on Friday, March 27th, 2015 – 9:29 am

The Pittsburgh Riverhounds and Harrisburg City Islanders are pleased to announce that the clubs will be competing for the Keystone Derby Cup during the 2015 USL season.

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The Keystone Derby Cup will be awarded to the team compiling the best head-to-head record over the four regular season clashes between the Pennsylvania rivals. Goal differential will determine the winner of the trophy in the case of a tie.

Pittsburgh Riverhounds will be displaying the cup in the club’s sports bar at Highmark Stadium from 5 p.m. this Saturday ahead of the season opener. The trophy will travel to Harrisburg for the final two clashes of the series.

“The Harrisburg game is always one of the first that our fans look for on the schedule,” said Riverhounds president Richard Nightingale. “These four Keystone clashes will be vital in determining the playoff hopes of both teams this year.”

Harrisburg holds the historic edge in Keystone Derby games. The City Islanders have finished above the Hounds in six of the past seven years. Harrisburg holds a 5-2 advantage over the past four seasons with three games ending tied.

“Our twelfth anniversary is of great importance for us this season,” said Islanders president Tiago Lopes. “The theme for 2015 is centered around our fans, who will be the twelfth man for us on and off the field.

“The alignment of our matches throughout the season and creation of the Keystone Derby Cup represents how exciting we want this season to be for them.”

Highmark Stadium also hosts the second Keystone clash on May 30. The series transfers to Harrisburg’s Skyline Sports Complex on July 26 with the USL regular season wrapping up on Sept. 19 with the fourth and final derby game.

Tickets for Saturday’s game are still available. Visit Riverhounds.com or call the Highmark Stadium box office on (412) 325-7241 to speak to a ticket representative.

Posted in Sports Talk Radio

 

26 Mar

Steelers Signing

published in category: Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday, March 26th, 2015 – 12:43 pm

The Steelers signed wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey to a one-year contract, the team announced today. Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed.

The seven-year pro enters his second season with the Steelers after signing with the team as an unrestricted free agent (from Indianapolis) in 2014. He was originally drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the first-round (seventh overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft.

Heyward-Bey has played in 88 regular season games with 65 starts and played in two postseason games. He has 172 receptions for 2,413 yards with 12 receiving touchdowns during the regular season.

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Posted in Pittsburgh Steelers

 

26 Mar

Full Wrestlemania predictions – by Donny Chedrick

published in category: Wrestling Reality on Thursday, March 26th, 2015 – 12:17 pm

It is the Sunday that wrestling fans wait for all year. Welcome to Wrestlemania! This year is the 31st edition of the annual spectacle that takes place in early spring. Many memorable moments and surprises are imminent. The card is set, but who are the favorites to win?

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Pre-show match: Fatal-4 Way Tag Team Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship – Kidd and Cesaro (Champions) vs The Usos vs Los Matadores vs The New Day

In my opinion, we, the WWE fans will see one of the more entertaining matches of the night on the pre-show. Copping the same type of match as last year, creative has decided to go with another Fatal-4 Way Tag Team Match to get the fans involved in the show early on. My issue with this match is the absence of The Ascension. Without The Ascension in the match I don’t see any other team walking out of Wrestlemania holding the titles. Only The Usos pose a legitimate threat to win back the titles. If that is the case, The Usos could continue a feud with Kidd and Cesaro out of Wrestlemania. Other than that possibility or a total surprise, I see the champions retaining the titles and showing up the next night on Raw with the gold.
Prediction: Kidd and Cesaro retain

Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Title: Bad News Barrett (Champion) vs Dean Ambrose vs Dolph Ziggler vs Daniel Bryan vs Stardust vs Luke Harper vs R Truth
This is the match that has true potential to steal the show on Sunday night in Santa Clara, California. With seven men vying to bring back legitimacy to the Intercontinental title, and three of the most-popular stars in the WWE right now are in the match. The crowd may be torn between cheers for Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler and Daniel Bryan, but only one man can claim the prize. Although there are seven men carded for the tilt, I only see Barrett as the champion and three others with a chance of pulling it down. In the end, I think the “Yes” movement will prevail and Daniel Bryan will be the new Intercontinental Champion that could be facing a feud with Dolph Ziggler coming out of Sunday.
Prediction: Daniel Bryan claims the Intercontinental Championship, and then turns heel to set up feud with Dolph Ziggler.

Bella Twins vs AJ Lee and Paige
#GiveDivasAChance will be trending when four of the most-popular current divas gear up for a tag team match on the biggest stage of them all, so they better perform. There is very little significance in the match though. With no title on the line, the match is mainly for pride. I see somewhat of a lengthy match to show the WWE universe what these ladies can really do. In the end, I see either AJ or Paige turning on the other causing a Bella Twins win.
Prediction: Paige turns on AJ leading to a win for the Bella Twins.

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
This is a match that will feature some surprises because like last year, it is more difficult to predict the winner because the prize is a trophy, not the main event spot. Cesaro was on a run last year after turning on Jack Swagger, then throwing the Big Show over the top rope to win the inaugural Andre the Giant Battle Royal trophy. This year, there are many different contenders to win including Ryback, The Miz, or even the NXT entrant. I have a dark horse winning the trophy this year now that he has surprisingly emerged as a fan-favorite. We will also see the betrayal that we, the fans have waited such a long time for.
Prediction: Mizdow eliminates The Miz and wins the battle royal.

Seth Rollins vs Randy Orton
This could be one of the tougher matches to predict due to the fact that if Rollins loses this match, he can still be the big winner at the end of the night. However, I think this match could be an instant classic and keep the fans on the feet for the majority of the match. Both men are great performers and this feud has endured a great build to where the two can deliver a stellar match. After viewers see multiple Curb Stomp and RKO attempts, Randy Orton goes back to the old boot and attempt to put Rollins out of commission. After Orton gets the pin fall victory, he will continue to beat on Rollins until J&J Security help Rollins out of the ring. This may not be the last time we see Rollins on Sunday night.
Prediction: Orton hits the boot, then RKO and pins Rollins.

Bray Wyatt vs The Undertaker
Last year, the world was shocked when Brock Lesnar pinned The Undertaker one, two, three in the center of the ring. Now, the “Dead Man” meets the “Eater of Worlds.” In a match between these two big men, the WWE universe doesn’t know if it will be the final time they see Undertaker competing in a WWE ring. If that is the case, The Undertaker will go out on top. I see him winning this match against Bray Wyatt with the famous Tombstone pile driver. After the match, fans will see the Wyatt Family reunite and demolish Undertaker to Bray Wyatt’s delight.
Prediction: Undertaker wins with the Tombstone, but gets buried by the reuniting Wyatt Family following the match.

United States Title Match: Rusev (Champion) vs John Cena
Something tells me John Cena will also be changing his entrance Sunday to show off his patriotism. The WWE has a plan to bring back legitimacy to their mid-card championships and with Daniel Bryan potentially walking out as the Intercontinental Champion, Cena could take a step down and walk out with the US title. We may see Cena break out of the Accolade Sunday night and reverse it with an STF to force Rusev to tap out and take a true loss for the first time. However, that could be too predictable. Late in the match with Rusev feeling the pressure, he may take the easy way out and nail Cena with a chair to lose, but retain the belt. That could leave the possibility of Cena demanding a rematch the next night on Raw and producing some magic for that live crowd.
Prediction: Cena wins by DQ, but Rusev retains the belt.

Sting vs Triple H
The WCW’s biggest star vs (one of) the WWE’s biggest stars finally meet in the same ring. The Vigilante vs The Game. When people first didn’t like that Triple H had this match over The Undertaker, I disagreed with them. I believe that Triple H can put on a better match than Undertaker and he will prove that Sunday. Sting just turned 56 and Triple H is well into his 40’s, but the two will put on a great match. And as we’ve seen a lot in the past, Triple H will go to any level to beat an opponent, which won’t be different Sunday. Sting will kick out of everything. The Pedigree, the second Pedigree, the sledgehammer shots, a third Pedigree, and anything Triple H throws at him. As Triple H is frustrated at not being able to put Sting away, the Vigilante will take advantage and finally muster a Scorpion Death Drop to weaken his opponent. Then, Triple H will tap out to the Scorpion Deathlock leaving Sting to prevail to the fans at Levi’s Stadium.
Prediction: Sting wins by way of submission via the Scorpion Deathlock

WWE World Heavyweight Title Match: Brock Lesnar (Champion) vs Roman Reigns
The main event match will feature its share of fireworks. Brock Lesnar recently resigned with the WWE, meaning he won’t be taking an obvious loss on Sunday night. The match will be fantastic since these two men can definitely do it in the ring. But with the rumors swirling about Wrestlemania 32, I believe the Rock will make a special appearance in the main event and serve as a distraction. Lesnar will get distracted by the Rock, then leading to a school boy pin fall win by Roman Reigns. That’s where the true destruction will begin. Since Lesnar won’t get totally beaten down and lose via the rollup pin, he will destroy Roman Reigns with multiple German Suplexes and a few F5s. After Lesnar is done, the music of Seth Rollins will hit and the fans will see the first-ever Money in the Bank cash in at Wrestlemania. Seth Rollins will walk out as the WWE Heavyweight Champion after hitting the Curb Stomp on an injured Roman Reigns.
Prediction: Roman Reigns wins the initial match, but Seth Rollins will cash in his Money in the Bank contract after Lesnar decimates Reigns.

Posted in Wrestling Reality

 

25 Mar

Mike Tomlin on the offseason

published in category: Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday, March 25th, 2015 – 10:36 am


Posted in Pittsburgh Steelers

 

24 Mar

Kentucky vs. WVU

published in category: College Sports on Tuesday, March 24th, 2015 – 12:49 pm

Former Pitt Coach and Kentucky Assistant Coach Barry Rohrssen joined Junker and Laird to preview the Sweet 16 game vs. West Virginia.

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Posted in College Sports

 

24 Mar

James Harrison Interview

published in category: Ike Taylor, Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday, March 24th, 2015 – 10:24 am

Special Guest James Harrison on the Ike Taylor Show talking about being back with the Steelers.

The Ike Taylor Show is brought to you by Dunkin Donuts, the Preferred Coffee of the Ike Taylor Show and also sponsored by White Deer Run, Cove Forge Treatment Centers.

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Posted in Ike Taylor, Pittsburgh Steelers

 

23 Mar

Wrapping up RMU Hockey Season

published in category: Sports Talk Radio on Monday, March 23rd, 2015 – 1:59 pm

Despite posting its best record in program history and boasting one of the top winning percentages in Division I, the Robert Morris University men’s hockey team did not receive an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament Sunday afternoon.

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The 16-team field was announced at noon on ESPNU, but the 20th-ranked Colonials (28-8-5) will not play a role as they did last year, when they earned the automatic berth that goes to the Atlantic Hockey Conference postseason champion. This year, RMU won the regular season AHC title with a 19-5-4 league record, but fell to Mercyhurst on Friday night in a semifinal heartbreaker.

The Rochester Institute of Technology claimed the AHC playoff crown Saturday with a 5-1 victory over Mercyhurst at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y. The Tigers will be Atlantic Hockey’s lone representative in the NCAA tournament; they will face top-seeded Minnesota State on Saturday in South Bend, Ind., on the campus of Notre Dame.

With the six Division I conferences each handing out an automatic bid to their playoff champions, the only option for the Colonials after the loss to Mercyhurst was one of 10 at-large spots. Since the tournament selection committee relies heavily on a metric called Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) to award at-large bids, RMU was always going to be a long shot to make the field for the second consecutive season.

RPI factors in winning percentage, where RMU ranked fifth in the country at .716, but also opponents’ winning percentage and the strength of opponents’ schedules. Those last two metrics account for 75 percent of RPI, so the Colonials could directly influence only a quarter of what the tournament committee uses to fill out the available at-large spots.

Robert Morris’ RPI consistently stayed in the 20s throughout the season, finishing at 25th. The team with the lowest RPI to receive an at-large berth was Providence of the Hockey East conference, which ended up 15th.

Atlantic Hockey has produced one NCAA at-large team in 12 seasons of play: Niagara in 2012-13. Just like this season’s Colonials, the Purple Eagles won the regular-season title that year. However, RMU’s record this season was actually better than the ’12-’13 Purps (24-8-5 compared to 23-10-5) and their conference records were essentially identical (19-5-4 for RMU, 20-5-2 for Niagara).

The Colonials will watch the NCAA tournament from home, but their season represents further progress on the college hockey landscape for the 11-year-old program. RMU led Atlantic Hockey from start to finish, posting a pair of nine-game unbeaten runs, a program-best seven-game winning streak, a win over nationally-ranked Penn State at the Three Rivers Classic, an outdoor tie against then-No. 13 Bowling Green and rounded out a 14-3-2 home record with a two-game sweep of Niagara in an AHC quarterfinal series.

Individually, senior Cody Wydo became RMU’s first-ever Hobey Baker Award finalist, Derek Schooley was named AHC Coach of the Year and five players in all – Wydo, Zac Lynch, Chase Golightly, Dalton Izyk and Brady Ferguson – received all-league honors in some form.
-by RMU PR Staff

Posted in Sports Talk Radio

 



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