Tree of Life

08 Jul

Pitt Hoops Schedule

published in category: Sports Talk Radio on Tuesday, July 8th, 2014 – 1:12 pm

Eight home games at the Petersen Events Center, its first-ever Maui Invitational appearance and a road game at Indiana highlight the University of Pittsburgh’s 14-game 2014-15 non-conference basketball schedule released on Tuesday. Pitt’s entire schedule, ACC regular season dates, television appearances and tipoff times will be announced at a later date.

Eleven of Pitt’s potential non-conference opponents were ranked among the nation’s top-150 in Ratings Percentage Index last season. Over the last 13 seasons, Pitt has ranked among the nation’s best programs in RPI and has played a variety of top teams in its non-conference schedules including Duke, Wisconsin (twice), Oklahoma State (twice), Florida State (three times), Washington (twice), Ohio State (twice), Texas (twice), Tennessee (twice), South Carolina (twice), Georgia (twice), Auburn (twice), Alabama, Memphis, Maryland and Michigan.

As part of the Maui Invitational, the Panthers will play three games from Nov. 24-26 at the Lahaina Center in Maui, Hawaii. Potential opponents include Arizona, San Diego State, Kansas State, Missouri, BYU, Purdue and host Chaminade. Matchups and ESPN tipoff times will be announced at a later date. For more information on tickets and travel packages, visit http://www.pittpantherssportstravel.com/.

Pitt will play four total games on its trip to Hawaii as it has also scheduled a road game against the University of Hawaii on Friday, Nov. 21 at Wailuku, Hawaii’s War Memorial Gym. Due to NCAA rules, programs that schedule a road contest against a team in Hawaii are granted an extra game. That is why the Panthers will play 14 contests instead of the typical 13-game non-conference schedule.

Pitt will also travel to Indiana on Tuesday, Dec. 2 as part of the 2014 ACC/Big Ten Basketball Challenge Presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods. The contest will be televised nationally on one of the ESPN family of networks: ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU.

The Panthers will open their season against Niagara on Friday, Nov. 14 at the Petersen Events Center. The contest is the first of eight non-conference home games including Samford (Maui Invitational game, Nov. 16), St. Bonaventure (Dec. 13), Manhattan (Dec. 17), Oakland (Dec. 20), Holy Cross (Dec. 23), Florida Gulf Coast (Dec. 30) and Bryant (Feb. 2).

Pitt will play Duquesne in the 83rd annual City Game at the Consol Energy Center on Friday, Dec. 5. Ticket information for the City Game will be released at a later date.

Additionally, Pitt will host exhibition games against Indiana, Pa. (Oct. 31) and Philadelphia University (Nov. 7). The Panthers will also host two preseason scrimmages: Oakland Zoo Scrimmage (Oct. 9) and the Maggie Dixon Heart Health Fair/Fan Fest and Blue-Gold Scrimmage (Oct. 18).

Pitt’s 2014-15 ACC opponents were announced on April 22 as the Panthers will play four teams on a home/road basis: Boston College, Florida State, Louisville and Syracuse. Pitt will host nine games at the Petersen Events Center including Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Syracuse. The Panthers’ 2014-15 road opponents are Boston College, Duke, Florida State, Louisville, North Carolina State, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.

Posted in Sports Talk Radio

 

08 Jul

Power win 10th straight

published in category: Sports Talk Radio on Tuesday, July 8th, 2014 – 8:25 am

The Pittsburgh Power (13-3) avoided a scare in the Graveyard, holding off the New Orleans VooDoo (2-13) on the road, 48-43. The Power have won ten-straight contests heading into their second Bye Week in 2014.
Tommy Grady and Prechae Rodriguez worked their magic connecting for five touchdowns on the night. Grady finished the game 21-of-37 for 296 yards and seven touchdowns, moving into tenth place all time in Arena Football history for passing touchdowns.
After the teams traded turnovers to start the game, New Orleans got on the board first with a touchdown pass from VooDoo quarterback Adam Kennedy to Courtney Smith. The VooDoo defense forced a turnover on downs to end the first quarter and capitalized early in the second period with a Kennedy touchdown run to give New Orleans a 14-0 lead.
Pittsburgh finally got on the board with 8:04 left in the first half when Grady and Rodriguez linked up to make it 14-7. The Power defense forced a turnover on downs, which enabled the Power to tie things up at 14 on a four-yard touchdown pass from Grady to fullback Tommy Taggart.
The Power and VooDoo traded touchdowns late in the second period to make it 21-21, but New Orleans was able to sneak ahead before heading into the locker rooms with a 45-yard field goal from kicker Jose Martinez.
The Power received the ball to start the second half, allowing them to take their first lead of the contest under three minutes into the period with a 12-yard strike from Grady to Rodriguez. Kennedy and the VooDoo answered with a eight-yard pass to Quorey Payne, but Pittsburgh reclaimed a 34-31 lead heading into the fourth on another Grady-to-Rodriguez connection.
It didn’t take long for the VooDoo to climb back on top in the final frame with Kennedy finding the end zone on the ground for the second time to make it 37-34 New Orleans. Grady and Rodriguez answered to put Pittsburgh up with 10:36 left in the game, then Maurice Fountain sacked Kennedy on fourth down to swing momentum fully in Pittsburgh’s favor. Grady found wide receiver Hank Edwards for an eight-yard touchdown that put the Power up by two scores with one minute left to play. Kennedy and Larry Beavers hooked up for a 37-yard score, but it was too late for the VooDoo’s comeback attempt with the Power coming out on top, 48-43.
The Power have their second Bye Week of the season before traveling to Des Moines for their second meeting with the Iowa Barnstormers on July 19. Kickoff between the Power and Barnstormers is set for 8:05 p.m. ET.
AWARD WINNERS
Russell Athletic Offensive Player of the Game:
Prechae Rodriguez, Pittsburgh
Riddell Defensive Player of the Game:
Demarcus Robinson, New Orleans
J. Lewis Small Playmaker of the Game:
Quorey Payne, New Orleans
Cutters Catch of the Game:
New Orleans WR Quorey Payne’s 4th Quarter Touchdown
AFL Highlight of the Game:
New Orleans DB Demarcus Robinson’s Interception Return

Posted in Sports Talk Radio

 

07 Jul

Bucs sweep Philly

published in category: Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday, July 7th, 2014 – 10:24 am


Posted in Pittsburgh Pirates

 

02 Jul

Clint Hurdle Show

published in category: Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday, July 2nd, 2014 – 10:20 am


Posted in Pittsburgh Pirates

 

01 Jul

Awards for Power players

published in category: Sports Talk Radio on Tuesday, July 1st, 2014 – 1:23 pm

Two Pittsburgh Power players have earned weekly Arena Football League Awards for their performances in the team’s Week 16 win over the Jacksonville Sharks. The League has named Power QB Tommy Grady the Russell Athletic Offensive Player of the Week and have rewarded WR Prechae Rodriguez with the Cutters Catch of the Week.
Tommy Grady paced the Power in their win over Jacksonville completing 24 of his 37 passes for 334 yards and tied a single-game franchise record with nine touchdown passes. Grady finished off a tremendous June with 1,114 yards and 30 touchdowns.
Prechae Rodriguez caught ten passes in Week 16, but none of which were more impressive than his second quarter touchdown reception where he elevated over a defender and flew over the boards all while maintaining possession. Rodriguez finished the game with a team-high 165 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Grady joins Rodriguez as the only other Power player to earn Offensive Player of the Week honors in 2014. Rodriguez won the award for his performance against Philadelphia in Week 14. Rodriguez becomes the second Power player to win Catch of the Week after Tyrone Goard did it in Week 13 against New Orleans.
Power Grady and Rodriguez will look to continue to provide offensive firepower in Week 17 as Pittsburgh travels to New Orleans for a Monday night showdown with the VooDoo. Kickoff from the Smoothie King Center on July 7 is set for 8:30 p.m. ET.
NOTE: Power defensive back Al Phillips has also been named a candidate for the Week 16 AFL MVP. Phillips had nine tackles and an interception in Pittsburgh’s win on the road in Jacksonville. MVP voting opens up Wednesday, July 2 at 1:00 p.m. ET on the Arena Football League’s website.

Posted in Sports Talk Radio

 

30 Jun

Pens offseason by Brian Wudkwych

published in category: Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday, June 30th, 2014 – 8:28 am

If there is one thing that can be certain about new PenguinPens2s general manager Jim Rutherford, it’s that the man isn’t afraid of change.

Rutherford has already made some serious changes in an attempt to make the Pittsburgh Penguins into the perennial Stanley Cup contenders that many thought they would be following their jubilant 2008-2009 campaign when they brought the Cup back to Pittsburgh.

But a funny thing happened, or more properly, a funny thing didn’t happen. The Penguins didn’t win the cup again; in fact, the Penguins didn’t even get a sniff of Lord Stanley’s fabled trophy. The closest that the team came was the humiliating conference finals sweep at the hands of the Boston Bruins back in 2013.

And so, here we are. With a new GM, and new coach, and potentially a new roster — a new roster that may or may not have the make up of a team poised to make a push at the Cup.

Firing Dan Bylsma was a move that Rutherford had to do. Former GM Ray Shero represented stability within the organization. He hired Bylsma during the team’s Stanley Cup season and stuck with him all the way until their eventual demise this summer.

Bylsma was by no means a bad coach, and Shero was certainly not a bad GM, but it had become clear that neither man was capable of getting the team another cup, at least not in the timely manner that Mario Lemieux and company were expecting.

When Rutherford fired Bylsma it was a move that made sense in a lot of sense considering that the Penguins were looking for a complete make over. That being said, I don’t think anyone expected the coaching search to last as long as it did, and I doubt that many casual fans knew who Mike Johnston was.

Johnston, who was the coach of the Portland Winterhawks in the Western Hockey League, is a coach that prides himself on his team’s ability to possess the puck and play an up-tempo offensive system. His offensive strategy and coaching philosophy fit the Penguins and their high-caliber offensive attack.

Johnston may not have been the most popular choice among fans, many were looking for the team to hire someone with NHL head coaching experience, but Johnston does provide the team with a fresh start and has a chance to wake up an offense that was almost non-existent in the playoffs last year.

James Neal was a guy that would have probably thrived in Johnston’s system, but he is off to Nashville in a trade that brought forwards Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling to the Penguins. Hornqvist and Spaling both represent the kind of players that the Penguins want, two-way players that have the ability to play on the special teams. The trade was more than likely a representation that Rutherford wants the Penguins to shed their top-heavy look and become a more balanced team that can roll out four lines on a consistent basis. The trade to get rid of Neal was the first step towards that goal.

Benefiting most from Rutherford’s roster shakeup are Brandon Sutter and Simon Despres. Their situations couldn’t be more different, but they both will benefit from the new regime.

Sutter is finally on the way to getting legitimate third line wingers. We got a glimpse of what Sutter was able to do in the playoffs, especially on the power play and with players that are on his skill level his numbers could skyrocket. That’s not to say that Sutter hasn’t been a productive player since coming over in the trade that sent Jordan Staal to Carolina, but he hasn’t exactly been complimented by a cast of good line mates. Expect Sutter to have a career year, whether it be with Hornqvist, Spalding, Bennett or someone that Rutherford picks up when free agency opens on July first.

Despres, on the other hand, may finally get a chance to prove why the Penguins selected him with the 30th pick back in 2009. Bylsma seemed to have a problem with the young defenseman and gave him a short leash. Despres is a player that is polarizing physically, standing at six-feet four-inches and 218 pounds, and brings a physical aspect onto the ice for the Penguins.

Despres has a chance at a fresh start with a new coaching staff and fits the mold for what the team is trying to do. Ushering in the crop of young defenseman should be a top priority for the team. The depth is there to fill the potential void of Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen and the young guys would free up cap-space as well.

Rutherford has his work cut out for him, and although change can be a long and tumultuous process, it is necessary if the team expects to win the Stanley Cup while its stars are still in their prime.

Posted in Pittsburgh Penguins

 

29 Jun

Power win 9th straight

published in category: Sports Talk Radio on Sunday, June 29th, 2014 – 9:50 am

The Pittsburgh Power (12-3) won their ninth-straight game Saturday night with a 64-48 win on the road over the Jacksonville Sharks (5-9.) It was the Power’s first win over the Sharks in franchise history.
Power quarterback Tommy Grady shined in the win completing 24 of his 37 pass attempts for 353 yards and nine touchdowns. All three of his receivers finished the contest with multiple touchdowns.

Things started off badly for the Power when wide receiver Prechae Rodriguez put the ball on the turf on Pittsburgh’s first play from scrimmage. Jacksonville capitalized one play later with a 19-yard touchdown run by Jared McGriff-Culver to put the Sharks up 7-0 early. Pittsburgh responded with a Tommy Grady touchdown pass to Shaun Kauleinamoku to tie things up. Pittsburgh swung momentum back in their direction when Power defensive end Jake Killeen sacked Jacksonville quarterback R.J. Archer in the end zone for the Power’s league-leading 5th safety to give Pittsburgh a 9-7 lead. Pittsburgh added to that lead with another connection between Grady and Kauleinamoku that made it 16-7.

Kauleinamoku caught eight passes on the night for 73 yards and two touchdowns.

The Power opened up the second quarter with a six-yard touchdown pass from Grady to wide receiver Hank Edwards to make it 23-14. Pittsburgh’s defense came up big once again when Power Mac linebacker James Bryant scooped up a McGriff-Culver fumble. Pittsburgh added two touchdown passes from Grady to wide receiver Prechae Rodriguez to take a 37-21 lead into the locker rooms at halftime.

Rodriguez hauled in a team-best 10 receptions on the night amassing 165 yards and three scores.

The Power and Sharks traded scores throughout the third period with Pittsburgh leading 51-35 heading to the final frame. Jacksonville’s Terrance Smith kicked off scoring in the fourth with a three-yard touchdown reception. Jacksonville then recovered an onside kick, but Pittsburgh got the ball back immediately with an interception by defensive back Al Phillips. Pittsburgh kept their foot on the gas with a Grady touchdown pass to Edwards followed by a Latarrius Thomas interception that set up Grady and Edwards for a final time.

Edwards finished the game with six receptions for 115 yards and four touchdowns.

Smith and the Sharks added one last touchdown late in the fourth, but it was too late as Pittsburgh picked up their ninth-straight win 64-48.

Pittsburgh looks to stay hot as they travel to the Big Easy for a Monday night showdown with the New Orleans VooDoo. Kickoff from the Smoothie King Center on July 7 is set for 8:30 p.m. ET.

AWARD WINNERS

Russell Athletic Offensive Player of the Game:

Tommy Grady, Pittsburgh

Riddell Defensive Player of the Game:

Al Phillips, Pittsburgh

J. Lewis Small Playmaker of the Game:

Prechae Rodriguez, Pittsburgh

Cutters Catch of the Game:

Prechae Rodriguez’s touchdown catch over the boards

AFL Highlight of the Game:

Prechae Rodriguez’s 49-yard touchdown reception

Posted in Sports Talk Radio

 

29 Jun

Riverhounds lose 1-0

published in category: Sports Talk Radio on Sunday, June 29th, 2014 – 9:49 am

In a battle of two teams trying to work their way out of the bottom of the USL PRO League standings, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds fell to the Dayton Dutch Lions 1-0, on a rainy Saturday evening at Highmark Stadium.

Eli Garner’s goal in the 18th minute would be enough to hand the Riverhounds their ninth league loss of the year.

It was a disappointing result for the Riverhounds, on a night when they managed to control possession and create numerous scoring chances.

“I thought it was very good, we had a lot of chances to score, and we put so much work into it. We kept battling and couldn’t get one to go in,” said Riverhounds head coach Niko Katic.

Dayton used a quick restart to their advantage to score the game’s lone goal.

After gaining advantage, Dayton’s Guilherme Felix put the ball down quickly, delivered a long ball toward the top of the penalty area. As Riverhounds goalkeeper Hunter Gilstrap came out to play the ball, Dayton’s Eli Garner beat him to the ball, took one touch to the right and comfortably passed the ball into the open goal to give the Dutch Lions the early 1-0 lead.

“It was one mistake, we didn’t step to the ball quick enough to not let them play it, but that’s what happens in professional soccer sometimes,” said Katic.

As the second half began, the game was delayed for approximately 50 minutes as severe weather came through the City of Pittsburgh.

Once the threat of lightning was gone, play resumed a little after 9 o’clock under a continuing hard downpour.

Both teams struggled to string together too many quality chances initially, but the Riverhounds could not finish on some opportunities in the attacking third into the late stages, with the best chance coming when a Danny Earls cross connected with Jose Angulo, who headed the ball over bar in the 90th minute.

But that was the theme for much of the night for the home side.

In the 4th minute, Earls, moving to his left, with some space, delivered a strike from 25 yds, that hit the left post.

In the very next sequence, Joseph Ngwenya attempted a shot while falling over that Dayton’s goalkeeper Matt Williams turned away with a diving save.

After a nice build up of possession in the 31st minute, a wild sequence ensued.

After receiving a ball on the left side, just outside the box, Earls chipped ball toward the far post. Joseph Ngwenya’s header was punched to the right by a diving Dayton goalkeeper Matt Williams. As Angulo came flying through to try to head the ball back into the net, he missed the ball and with a lot of momentum going forward, fell hard into the back of the net, bending the front of the goal backwards.

Play had to be stopped for a few minutes while Highmark Stadium staff nudged the goal back into place.

The RIverhounds continued to add pressure.

In the 40th minute, while falling backward near the top of the penalty area, Angulo was able to push through a pass between two defenders to the left to Ngwenya, who made a cut-back, and drilled a right footed shot at close range, right at Williams who made the stop.

Dayton had another dangerous opportunity in the 42nd minute. On a corner kick sent to the far post, Garner tried to one time it past Gilstrap who initially knocked the ball away. As the ball ascended back to Garner, he tried to drive it through again and it was saved by a lunging Anthony Obodai who headed the ball out of the goal to avert danger.

And then the second half brought the delay, and sloppy play affected by rain, and another home defeat for the Riverhounds.

The Riverhounds held the edge in shots (13-7) and corner kicks (8-6), in a match that had 31 fouls (Riverhounds had 15).

Riverhounds Interim Head Coach Niko Katic mixed up his starting eleven, going with the line-up that included: Gilstrap (GK), Anthony Obodai, Andrew Marshall, Sterling Flunder, Alfonso Motagalvan, Rob Vincent, Earls, Kevin Kerr, Mike Green, Jose Angulo. Seth C’deBaca and Matt Dallman entered the match in the 66′ for Motogalvan and Green. Miro Cabrillo and Mike Seth also came on in the late stages for Kerr and Ngwenya.

With the win, Dayton (4-10-2) pushed six points past the Riverhounds (1-9-5) in the USL PRO table.

“We keep changing things, keep trying to find the best line-up. We’ll get there, maybe on Tuesday night in Dayton,” said Katic.

It was the first game of a home-and-home series between the two teams, as they will have a return match in Dayton on Tuesday, July 1st.

“As a coach, we can only take it one game at a time. One training session at a time and keep getting better. Hopefully it will pay off,” said Katic.

Posted in Sports Talk Radio

 



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