15 Feb
published in category: Sports Talk Radio on Friday, February 15th, 2013 – 4:20 pm
Congratulations to Plum's Joey Randazzo for winning the TribLIVE Radio High School Hockey Athlete of the Week. He starred in and scored a goal in the PIHL All Star game.
Listen to Inside High School Hockey every Wednesday 3pm to 4pm on TribLIVE Radio.
13 Feb
published in category: Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Steelers, Sports Talk Radio on Wednesday, February 13th, 2013 – 4:06 pm
PITTSBURGH, PA (February 13, 2013) – The Pittsburgh Power announced today their most ambitious promotional schedule in team history. Starting with the home opener Saturday, March 23 against the Utah Blaze, Power fans will receive premium giveaway items at each CONSOL Energy Center game along with unlimited $1 Smith's hot dogs and $1 7UP fountain drinks.
Pittsburgh Power fleece blankets will be given to the first 5,000 fans on March 23 and will kick off the 9-game giveaway extravaganza, courtesy of Trib Total Media. Other Power promotional items include caps, umbrellas, footballs, freezer mugs, t-shirts, earbud headphones, cooler bags and aluminum water bottles, all to the first 5,000 fans. "We'd like to thank all our sponsors for making these items available to our fans," said Matt Shaner, co-owner. "It's been an extremely productive off-season as we've refocused our marketing efforts completely to enhance the in-game experience," Shaner added.
All Power fans will also be able to enjoy unlimited $1 Smith's hot dogs and $1 7UP fountain drinks at every game this season. "We are thrilled to be able to offer these incredible values to our fans this season," said NFL Hall of Famer and Power co-owner Lynn Swann. "I'd like to recognize our friends with the Dr Pepper Snapple Group and Smith's Hot Dogs, as well as the Pittsburgh Penguins, CONSOL Energy Center and Aramark, who helped us facilitate this amazing opportunity," Swann remarked.
Giant Eagle Family Fun Packs will also be available for all 9 Power home games. Starting at $70, each package includes 4 great lower level seats and $5 of food and beverage value on each ticket, redeemable at any CONSOL Energy Center concession stand. Fans can purchase up to 8 Giant Eagle Family Fun Pack tickets for each game. Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle is the 21st largest supermarket retailer in North America and their popular Fun Pack program has been a hit with Pittsburgh area sporting events and family shows for the past six years. Giant Eagle Family Fun Packs are available not only at Giant Eagle Ticketmaster locations, but everywhere Pittsburgh Power tickets are sold.
The Power have also partnered with a non-profit/charitable partner for each of their 9 home games, with details of the partnerships to be announced next week.
Individual tickets for all Pittsburgh Power home games start at just $15 and will go on sale Friday, February 15 at 10:00 a.m. at the Dick's Sporting Goods Box Office at CONSOL Energy Center, all Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at (800) 745-3000 and online at ticketmaster.com.
PITTSBURGH POWER 2013 PROMOTIONAL SCHEDULE
March 23 Pittsburgh Power vs. Utah Blaze 6:00 p.m.
Fleece Blankets to first 5,000 fans: Presented by Trib Total Media
$1 Smith's Hot Dogs & $1 7UP Fountain Drinks to all fans
March 29 Pittsburgh Power vs. Jacksonville Sharks 7:00 p.m.
Sports Caps to first 5,000 fans: Presented by UPMC Sports Medicine
$1 Smith's Hot Dogs & $1 7UP Fountain Drinks to all fans
April 28 Pittsburgh Power vs. San Antonio Talons 2:00 p.m.
9" Replica Footballs to first 5,000 fans: Presented by Tower Tire
$1 Smith's Hot Dogs & $1 7UP Fountain Drinks to all fans
May 4 Pittsburgh Power vs. Orlando Predators 7:00 p.m.
Earbud Headphones to first 5,000 fans: Presented by SportsTalk on TribLIVE Radio
$1 Smith's Hot Dogs & $1 7UP Fountain Drinks to all fans
May 18 Pittsburgh Power vs. Tampa Bay Storm 7:00 p.m.
T-Shirts to first 5,000 fans
$1 Smith's Hot Dogs & $1 7UP Fountain Drinks to all fans
May 25 Pittsburgh Power vs. Cleveland Gladiators 7:00 p.m.
Freezer Mugs to first 5,000 fans: Presented by Esmark
$1 Smith's Hot Dogs & $1 7UP Fountain Drinks to all fans
June 15 Pittsburgh Power vs. Philadelphia Soul 7:00 p.m.
PA Lottery Tickets to all fans 18 & Older & Umbrellas to first 5,000 fans:
Presented by PA Lottery & thisTV Pittsburgh
$1 Smith's Hot Dogs & $1 7UP Fountain Drinks to all fans
June 29 Pittsburgh Power vs. New Orleans VooDoo 7:00 p.m.
Cooler Bags to first 5,000 fans: Presented by Smith's Hot Dogs & 7UP
$1 Smith's Hot Dogs & $1 7UP Fountain Drinks to all fans
July 13 Pittsburgh Power vs. San Jose SaberCats 7:00 p.m.
Aluminum Water Bottles to first 5,000 fans: Presented by Trib Total Media
$1 Smith's Hot Dogs & $1 7UP Fountain Drinks to all fans
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13 Feb
published in category: Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday, February 13th, 2013 – 8:26 am
The Pittsburgh Penguins had Paul Martin quarterbacking the top power play in practice, on Tuesday, with Kris Letang and Matt Niskanen working with the second unit as they continue to recover from their lower body injuries.
Could it be a sign of things to come for this Penguins team? The power play has been trending upward over the last four games, going 6-16. Surprisingly, the Penguins are third in the league in PP% at 28%, trailing only the St. Louis Blues and Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Penguins seem to be gaining confidence with the man advantage and Paul Martin seems to exude that smooth, silent, yet confident, attitude with the puck that Sergei Gonchar had here in the burgh and still has in Ottawa. Obviously, Martin lacks the type of shot Gonchar had, but the Penguins have moved their strategy away from the umbrella setup and more towards the overload since Gonchar's departure in 2010. This season, it looks like the Penguins have finally figured it out.
Martin's job is not to provide the big blast from the point, but rather to move the puck intelligently to his forwards, allowing them to create plays closer to the net. When Kris Letang was scratched before last Thursday's game against Washington, Martin was given time on the top power play. The result was a major success as the Penguins scored three power play goals on four opportunities. Even better, Martin was on the ice for all three goals.
While the Penguins have gone 2 for 9 in their last two games on the power play, they still seem to be having an easier time entering the offensive zone and getting set up. Is it possible that Paul Martin is the secret behind the power play? Does he fit in better than Kris Letang because he's less erratic and more confident?
For Martin's sake, here's hoping.
Everyone has pointed out the quick turnaround from Paul Martin this season. Even ESPN has an article up, talking about how he did not want to be traded in the offseason, despite having two bad years in Pittsburgh leading to his branding as public enemy number one. The soon-to-be 32 year old defenseman has been great this season, without a doubt. He leads the team in ice time, averaging 26 minutes per game, which also ranks 11th highest in the league. A player of that caliber is an asset to any competitive team.
But is Paul Martin worth $5 million dollars a year?
No. At least not on a team that is already loaded with non-physical, puck-moving defensemen. By comparison, Alexander Edler's contract extension will give him the same amount of cash, per year, as Martin. When healthy, Edler scores double digit goals per season and is a force on the power play. The only time Martin has scored double digit goals was playing for the Elk River Elks in Minnesota; high school.
Other players making around the same figure as Martin: Dustin Byfuglien, Keith Yandle, Niklas Kronwall, Dennis Wideman, and Matt Carle.
The Penguins still have two buyouts available which they will surely use to free themselves of replaceable cap casualties. Paul Martin has been an asset on this team, so far, but he will need to be a power play aficionado to stay on this team in the future. His impact needs to be felt on a grander scale, especially with the team pursuing more top six forwards, and contract talks looming at the end of this season with Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin.
08 Feb
published in category: Sports Talk Radio on Friday, February 8th, 2013 – 3:14 pm
Congratulations to Latrobe Goalie Shane Brudnok, who is only giving up 1.68 goals per game, for winning the TribLIVE Radio High School Hockey Athlete of the Week.
Listen to Inside High School Hockey every Wednesday 3pm to 4pm on TribLIVE Radio.
08 Feb
published in category: Ike Taylor, Pittsburgh Steelers, Sports Talk Radio on Friday, February 8th, 2013 – 10:12 am
PITTSBURGH, PA (February 8, 2013) – Pittsburgh Power announced today that they have renewed their radio broadcast partnership with TribLIVE Radio for the 2013 season. Veteran sportswriter John Harris will join Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor on all 18 regular season broadcasts this season. The first radio broadcast of the season will be Saturday, March 23 as the Power take on the Utah Blaze. Kickoff at Pittsburgh's CONSOL Energy Center will be 6:00 p.m.
The station debuted in January 2011 and was the radio home of Pittsburgh Power Football last season. Fans can access the Power broadcast on the Internet (http://SportsTalk.TribLIVE.com) or on their web-enabled mobile phone by downloading the free TribLIVE Radio app for iPhone and Android. The Pittsburgh Power radio broadcasts add to TribLIVE Radio's full menu of sports talk broadcasting 7 days a week. Featuring well-known sports talk personalities, a variety of Pittsburgh area athletes and veteran Trib columnists. TribLIVE Radio continues to be a dynamic part of Trib Total Media's multi-media network of daily and weekly newspapers, weekly shoppers, websites, digital services, targeted direct mail, promotional products and strategic partnerships. Trib Total Media products and services deliver news, information and advertising to over 1.2 million readers across Western Pennsylvania every week.
John Harris currently hosts the "Ike Taylor Show" with the two-time Super Bowl champion on TribLIVE Radio. Harris is also a columnist and sports writer for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, where he has covered the Steelers along with college and pro sports since 2006. An award-winning journalist, Harris has also worked for the Philadelphia Inquirer, St. Petersburg Times, Toledo Blade, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Lexington Herald-Leader and Booth Newspapers. In a career spanning three decades, and covering Super Bowls, NCAA football championships, Final Fours, NBA Finals, Kentucky Derbys, Stanley Cup Finals and the Winter Olympic Games, Harris has hosted the "Ike Taylor Show" since 2011. He has appeared on ESPN's Outside the Lines and has been a frequent guest on numerous radio shows across the country.
Star of the popular "Ike Taylor Show" on TribLIVE Radio, Ike Taylor is a 10-year veteran of the National Football League who has won two Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers. A New Orleans native, Ike attended the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, where he didn't play football until his junior year when he was featured at running back for the Ragin' Cajuns. Switched to cornerback as a senior, he was drafted in the fourth round of the NFL Draft by the Steelers in 2003, and became a starter two years later, where he has been a fixture on defense. Regarded as an elite shutdown corner assigned to the opponents' top receiver, Taylor led all active NFL cornerbacks when he played in 135 consecutive games until missing the final four games in 2012 with an injury. Taylor is the only active cornerback to start in three Super Bowls. Among the most recognized and popular Steelers, Taylor has hosted television shows locally during the football season. Taylor also has been featured regularly on ESPN and the NFL Network and can be heard on radio programs across America.
07 Feb
published in category: Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, February 7th, 2013 – 8:52 am
Late Wednesday night, the Penguins traded defenseman Ben Lovejoy to the Anaheim Ducks for a 5th round pick in the 2014 NHL draft. Simultaneously, the Penguins recalled Upper St. Clair native, Dylan Reese from Wilkes-Baare.
Lovejoy started the season as the seventh defenseman for the Penguins. After two games, he was given Simon Despres's starting spot. But, after Matt Niskanen went down with a lower body injury, the Penguins inserted Lovejoy back into the lineup, only to see the defense struggle mightily.
After an embarrassing 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders, Lovejoy was scratched for Robert Bortuzzo and the Penguins never looked back. Thanks to stellar defensive play and timely scoring, the Penguins have won four in a row, and with Matt Niskanen looking to return, GM Ray Shero had to make a move.
If Shero decided to keep Lovejoy, he would have eight defensemen on the NHL roster which would mean sending somebody down. Given the consistency from Robert Bortuzzo and the high potential of Simon Despres, Shero was out of options. He couldn't send Lovejoy down without putting him through waivers, a mistake that was already made when the Penguins lost Brian Strait to the Islanders. In the end, it was better to get something for Lovejoy than nothing.
By all accounts, Ben Lovejoy is an upstanding person. Fans got a chance to see him in the HBO 24/7 documentary. Lovejoy scored his first NHL goal before taking a puck to the face. When he met with reporters after the game, he teared up over his accomplishment.
Ben Lovejoy signed an AHL contract with the Wilkes-Baare/Scranton Penguins in 2007. He played one year with Boston College and three years with Dartmouth. Lovejoy's name is on the Stanley Cup with the rest of the 2008-2009 Pittsburgh Penguins, despite not playing in any of the playoff games.
Unfortunately, he never fit in with the Penguins' system. He was a serviceable player leading up to last year's playoffs before everything melted down. His turnover in game two against the Flyers led to a goal from Sean Couturier and Lovejoy never quite recovered. His instincts, skating, positioning, defensive and offensive qualities were average at best, and on a team with so many young defensemen, both in the NHL and waiting in the wings, Lovejoy was never going to maximize his potential in a Penguins uniform.
The Penguins look to have their seven defensemen set as long as they can stay consistent throughout the season. In the event Ray Shero decides to trade for a more veteran defenseman, he will have one less roster spot to worry about.
The Penguins have puck-moving defensemen in Matt Niskanen, Simon Despres, Kris Letang, and Paul Martin while Robert Bortuzzo, Deryk Engelland, and Brooks Orpik are more defensive-minded. The call up of Dylan Reese is just to bide time for Matt Niskanen's return.
Of course the probability of injury is always high, but it's pretty clear the Penguins already have better options in mind.
06 Feb
published in category: Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday, February 6th, 2013 – 9:36 am
1) All of a sudden the Pirates have starting pitching depth. A.J Burnett will be the opening day starter for the Bucs, barring another spring training bunting snafu. Burnett will headline a rotation which also includes Wandy Rodriguez, James McDonald, Jeff Karstens, Jeff Locke and Francisco Liriano.
Rodriguez is entering his first spring training with the Pirates and will hope to continue where he left off at the very end of last season, when he recorded seven quality starts in the last eight games he pitched. McDonald is coming off his best year as a MLB pitcher but fell apart toward the end of the season finishing with a 12-8 record despite starting 10-3. Karstens was originally let go by the team after last season but was resigned when Francisco Liriano broke his non-throwing arm. We basically know what to expect from him. Locke is the most pro-ready starter coming from Triple-A Indianapolis and it looks like he will make the Pirates opening day roster, if not as a starter then as a relief/spot start guy. Liriano is the Pirates newest addition, I think. Technically the Pirates and Liriano haven't finalized what is looking like a two-year deal. Liriano is a hard throwing, left-handed strikeout pitcher who was brought in presumably to replace Erik Bedard, a hard throwing, left-handed strikeout pitcher. It is worth noting that the Pirates are also supposedly in negotiations with former Colorado Rockies' pitcher Jonathan Sanchez, in case the Liriano deal falls through.
Despite having seemingly great depth in the starting rotation, a few of the Pirates starters have had injury issues in the past. Liriano ended the 2011 season on the DL when pitching for the Twins, not to mention the voided contract this winter as a result of a broken arm, and Karstens only managed 15 starts for the big club last year. Also concerning are the full season capabilities of McDonald and Locke. McDonald was dreadful in the second half of last season causing him to be shut down before his final two starts and Locke, potentially being a first year starter in the MLB, who knows what to expect?
Ridiculous Prediction Number One: A series of unfortunate events, whether they be performance or health related, will force the Pirates to include highly touted prospect Gerrit Cole in the opening day rotation. Cole will go on to be the youngest twenty game winner since Dwight Gooden for the 1985 New York Mets on his way to earning NL Cy Young honors.
2) The Pirates will enter the 2013 season with one of the fastest outfields in the Majors. That means two things for the Bucs; speed on the base paths and the ability to track down fly balls, especially in the notoriously deep leftfield notch at PNC Park. Not such a ridiculous predication, Starling Marte will start in left field for the Pirates, and obviously McCutchen will patrol center.
The right field situation is quite uncertain, possible candidates include to start in right include Travis Snider, Alex Pressley, Jose Tabata and Garrett Jones. Of these four players, Snider is the best defensively, Pressley is the fastest, Tabata has the most experience playing outfield in the Majors and Jones has the most powerful bat.
It is likely Jones will platoon at first base with Gaby Sanchez and play right a handful of times. If Marte can prove to be an effective leadoff hitter it will hurt both Tabata and Pressley's chances to start on a regular basis. With Marte's speed, he has leadoff hitter written all over him, which leaves Snider to be the most viable candidate to start in right.
Ridiculous Prediction Number Two: The Pirates outfield wins all three NL Golden Glove Awards at the conclusion of the 2013 season. Considering the consistency in which the award is presented to players in consecutive years it is not hard to imagine McCutchen winning his second straight. Marte has the speed and the arm to patrol the spacious left field at PNC Park, which should boost his Range Factor and Defensive WAR metrics. And Travis Snider, did you see the superhuman homerun robbing catch he made against the Mets last year? Enough Said.
If you didn't see Snider's catch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ov7N6XYrMtc
3) The Pirates are in line for what seems like a promising season. Fans of most MLB teams wouldn't consider ending the season with a .500 record promising, but here in Pittsburgh, winning baseball is kind of a sensitive subject. If the Bucs can play a full season like they played the start of the last two then there will be a lot of happy Pirates fans come October. No matter how good of a season the Bucs have it seems unlikely they will be able to beat out the stacked Cincinnati Reds for first place in the NL Central division. If the Pirates make the playoffs it will likely be in a wildcard position.
Ridiculous Prediction Number Three: The Pirates will play a MLB playoff game at PNC Park in 2013. The same could be said for most teams, but if the Pirates can stay healthy and perform the way they have proved they can in the past it could be an exciting season. That being said, I'm going to have to see this one to believe it.
Have a ridiculous Pirates prediction of your own? Send me a tweet @MikeTGaffney and let me hear it.
References:
www.baseball-reference.com
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/pittsburgh_pirates/index.html
04 Feb
published in category: Sports Talk Radio on Monday, February 4th, 2013 – 9:06 am
Congratulations to South Fayette's Ryan Schultz for winning TribLIVE Radio High School Hockey Athlete of the Week. He has 20 goals and 15 assists on the season.
Listen to Inside High School Hockey every Wednesday 3pm to 4pm on TribLIVE Radio.