Tree of Life

09 Jun

JHay June Bug Deebo Jr.

published in category: Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday, June 9th, 2011 – 8:04 pm

Pittsburgh already has a J. Harrison on one of its' sports rosters.

The incumbent would be James of the Steelers, who has put together a resume that includes two Super Bowl rings (one as a starter), four Pro Bowls, a Defensive Player of the Year award, 49 sacks, the body-slamming of a Cleveland Browns fan who had run onto the field of play, several thousand dollars in fines from NFL Commish Roger Goodell, a book about his life ("Never Give Up"), a few notable off-field incidents, a 6'0 / 250 lb. physique that slings an incredible amount of poundage in a weight room, and the longest play in Super Bowl history (the "Harrison Hundred").

The newbie is Josh of the Pirates.

He has seven games under his belt with a resume that includes seven hits, six of which are singles. His physique is listed at 5'8 inches tall, and generously so. No books, records, fines, awards, plays named after him, nor on-field fan encounters just yet.

However, "Hairy" has impressed. Meaning Josh.

Actually, upon hearing that teammate Garrett Jones had recently called him "Hairy," Josh responded with an "I'd really prefer if people don't call me that. I've always been JHay. Other nicknames [I've heard] have been Young Buck, or June Bug. They're just throwing out all types. But it's all good fun."

Fun, and successful. Perhaps it's coincidence, but the Pirates have a 5-2 record so far with JHay starting in the infield. Small sample size, yes, but Josh is proving there's nothing wrong with the small stuff.

"I feel very comfortable," said JHay during the Diamondbacks series in early June. "Confident at the plate, confident in the field. I just come in every day ready to play, do whatever i can. The fans have taken me on pretty well, and it's always a good feeling to come to a new team and not know anybody and know that the fans are behind you. We've been playing some good ball and just want to keep that rolling and keep the fans happy."

Harrison has flat played good ball wherever he has been.

To start the season and prior to his MLB debut on May 31st, the speedy JHay hit .321 with 8 stolen bases in 37 games with AAA affiliate Indianapolis.

In 2010 with AA Altoona, June Bug hit .300 with 75 RBI and 33 doubles en route to an Eastern League Championship.

In 2009, split between the Pirates and Chicago Cubs minor league systems (coming to Pittsburgh in the trade involving John Grabow and Tom Gorzelanny), Young Buck hit .311 with 30 steals.

And in three seasons at the University of Cincinnati, his final as Big East Player of the Year, Harrison hit .358 with 192 runs, 246 hits, and 253 RBI in 173 games.

In short, no pun intended, Josh Harrison has hit over .300 his whole life.

He's played short, too, as in shortstop. Although that was in high school and in some college games. The Pirates have placed him primarily at third base with a cameo at second. Josh, however, admits his favorite players growing up were shortstops Barry Larkin and Ozzie Smith ("watching highlights"), and that he has the tools in his bag.

"I'm just grateful I have a chance to play somewhere, but [SS] is not out of my mind. The more versatile you are the more helpful you can become in double switches, or anything. I had it down in the minor leagues, and if they throw me in here or there, I've got it in my background."

That could be helpful moving forward for JHay, considering Pedro Alvarez would seem to have dibs on the hot corner when healthy, and likewise Neil Walker at 2B. Ronny Cedeno's hold on the pivot could be much less secure going forward despite recent solid play (44 straight games without an error and 15 of 16 games safely reaching base).

Whatever happens, Harrison has shown he's going to fight just like his ballclub has been. "It's never over until the last out," Josh says with a cliche. "Clint [Hurdle] says it every game whether we're winning or losing. We're going to battle the whole game."

One watch of JHay and you can see that energy, passion, and the baseball smarts that sometimes aren't obvious in every Big Leaguer.

Not to mention speed, the likes of which beat out a throw to second base in a key comeback win on June 7th in the 'Burgh. When placed at the top of the Bucco lineup, Harrison creates a speed surge between outfielders Jose Tabata and Andrew McCutchen. Question is, who's fastest of the three?

"We haven't raced yet," Josh said, smiling. "Tabby and Cutch, they're some burners, though. I'm just glad to be on a team with some more fast guys. Anytime we get on base we can put pressure on the defense, and we might allow someone behind us to get a good pitch to hit or the defense to panic and throw the ball away. My steals will come, but I've got to get on base to do that."

And while the hits totals haven't been overwhelming yet (a .241 average through seven contests), Josh Harrison's impact has been tangible in clutch hits, solid play in the field and in things that don't show up on a box score. It's not quite Deebo Harrison stuff just yet, but Deebo Jr. has a nickname's working feel to it in the Pittsburgh summer.

Posted in Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Steelers

 

09 Jun

Now is the best time to have fun playing fantasy sports on TribLIVE

published in category: Uncategorized on Thursday, June 9th, 2011 – 11:07 am

If you have yet to try TribLIVE's new daily fantasy sports game, have we got a treat for you. If you sign up for a new account on pittsburgh.fanduel.com and deposit money in it by end of day Friday, we'll put an extra $10 into your account on Saturday. And that extra $10 is on top of our new user deposit bonuses. This means you can get up to $30 for free from us, giving you a nice cushion to begin your path to fantasy dominance. Take on your friends in head-to-head games or play in our big prize tournaments. There's lots of fun to be had. So what are you waiting for? This extra bonus is around for an exceptionally short time. So head to pittsburgh.fanduel.com to sign up and deposit now.

Posted in Uncategorized

 

07 Jun

Pirates Select Gerrit Cole; Strengthens Potential Rotation by Jon Pennline

published in category: Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday, June 7th, 2011 – 8:36 am

In their 129 year history, the Pittsburgh Pirates have been known for their hitting more than their pitching. The biggest names in the franchise are encased in the Hall of Fame for their efforts at the plate and in the field; position players. Look at the names: Wagner, Kiner, Clemente, Stargell, Parker, Bonds, Bonilla; immortals of Pittsburgh's past. In the 70's they were nicknamed the Pittsburgh Lumber Company, backed by their strong lineup and an above average pitching staff. That hasn't changed over the years.

Until today.

The Pirates selected Gerrit Cole, a 6'4 220 lbs right-handed pitcher from UCLA. Cole is a power pitcher in ever sense of the term. Armed with a fastball that has reached triple digits (as high as 102) with the endurance and strength to maintain velocity throughout the game. Cole also possesses a sharp slider and a plus-change up. He's projected as a front-line starter who should easily handle a 200+ inning workload per season.

However, these tools come with some concern. With a 6-8 record 3.31 ERA, Cole did not exactly dominate in his final year at UCLA due to lack of control. Yes, the walks were low (24), but Cole's fastball was catching too much of the plate due to a few mechanical flaws and he was getting hit. The high workload is also a concern as Cole threw 114 innings this season, averaging 15 pitches per inning. Also, given Cole's high velocity, the risk of injury is always going to prevalent. Stephen Strasburg, the first overall pick in 2009, required Tommy John Surgery last year despite having no previous history of arm issues. His velocity was in the same range as Cole's. For once, the Pirates need to get lucky with a first round pick.

One thing is certain, the Pirates are serious about building up their rotation. They took 7 prep pitchers in the first 10 rounds last year, including first round pick, Jameson Taillon. Taillon was labeled the future ace of the Pirates' rotation and now he has competition with Gerrit Cole. Although hitting on all of these prospects seems unrealistic, it's hard as a Pirates' fan, to not picture a future rotation of Cole/Taillon/Heredia at the top with Stetson Allie closing. With some of the aforementioned draft picks starting off quickly (Cumpton, Waldron, Mcpherson), the Pirates are certainly building their staff into one of baseball's best, down the road. With Starling Marte and Tony Sanchez approaching their major league debuts, the Pirates are quickly building a competitive team. With these last two drafts, Huntington has shown he's looking for something bigger.

If defense wins championships in football, pitching wins championships in baseball. The San Fransisco Giants won the World Series last year with one of the best rotations in the league. Their rotation was constructed with 4 former first round draft picks (Cain, Lincecum, Zito, Bumgarner). The Philadelphia Phillies have loaded up on their pitching staff, acquiring Cliff Lee to accompany Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels. As the steroid era dies down, pitching becomes as important as it ever was. The Pirates are constructing their team to the strength of the era: power pitching with Jameson Taillon, Luis Heredia, Stetson Allie and Gerrit Cole all projecting to have plus fastballs (cruising 94-97). While they may have missed Anthony Rendon, the best bat in the draft, they have built up their staff to a point where they will be allowed to make a trade for a big bat, if needed. At this point it is impossible to project how this team will look two years from now, however, for the first time in a long time Pirates fans have a reason to be excited. The days of the Pittsburgh Lumber Company are gone, replaced by a potential pitching rotation that could be among the best in baseball. Since nothing is guaranteed, please hold off on the nicknames.

Posted in Pittsburgh Pirates

 

06 Jun

Bucs Grab a Cole #1

published in category: Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday, June 6th, 2011 – 7:57 pm

He was a Yankees fan growing up, and then turned down a $4 million dollar signing bonus the Yankees offered him coming out of high school.

He walked just 24 this year in 114 innings pitched, yet MLB Network gave him a grade of 3 out of 10 in the control category of their draft analysis.

He just became the #1 overall pick in the 2011 draft, and he lost more games than he won in the Pac-10 Conference this season.

His agent is Scott Boras.

Meet Gerrit Cole of UCLA, the 100mph Pirates' man.

Speed kills. Kills all potential concerns.

I asked Cole's college coach last week whether throwing 100mph is overrated, and John Savage said "It's not. His fastball is as big as I've seen in college, it affects the timing of the hitters. He sits at 95-98 mph, and touches 100 and 101 mph a few times a game. That's different from touching 96. He throws bullpens at 94, 95. You just don't see that. And he can hold the velocity. He maintains his stuff throughout the game."

That sells it for me.

You can talk all you want about the risk of taking a pitcher compared to the stability of taking the top position player on the board, but I'll take the guy who can fill the seats every 5th day at PNC Park and win big games like flame-throwers can do. 376 strikeouts in 322.1 innings pitched in the past three years speaks for itself.

Throw in the durability fact that Cole hasn't missed a start in three years at UCLA, his "bulldog" makeup, his 6'4 / 220 lb. athletic frame, and I'll endorse the Pirates 2011 1st-overall pick as the smart move.

Now, in 2013 when Cole starts pitching in PIttsburgh for good will the fastball alone be enough?

No. The Pirates have two years to get his supplementary stuff together.

As is, Savage describes Cole's changeup right now as a "good, major league caliber. He had it going earlier in the year and he's backed off it some." Savage also says his slider is "good" and sits at 88-89 mph.

Cole has the talent, and GM Neal Huntington made the right pick. The pressure now shifts to owner Bob Nutting to write the check, and then Development Director Kyle Stark to get busy.

Posted in Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Pirates

 

06 Jun

TUESDAY ON TRIBLIVE RADIO

published in category: College Sports on Monday, June 6th, 2011 – 5:44 pm

10a-WTAE Channel 4's Josh Taylor in studio

12:10-Mike Casazza of Charleston Daily Mail who broke the WVU Coaches Beef

12:30-Phil Steele on why he's picking Pitt to win the Big East and play in a BCS Bowl

2:15-Poker Pro Jonathon Little playing in the World Series of Poker

3pm-Super Steeler Franco Harris

3:30-New York Jets Spotlight-32 Teams in 32 Days

4pm-Diamondbacks Outfielder Xavier Nady

5pm-Wrestling Reality One on One with Justin LaBar

Posted in College Sports

 

06 Jun

TODAY ON TRIBLIVE RADIO!

published in category: Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Steelers, Wrestling Reality on Monday, June 6th, 2011 – 9:11 am

9:30a-Justin LaBar-host of Wrestling Reality stops by studio to preview tonight's WWE Raw

10a-Trib Columnist John Harris

12n-Trib Columnist Kevin Gorman

2p-UCLA Coach John Savage on Pirates #1 Pick Gerrit Cole

2:30-Live Coverage of Penn State Press Conference with New Hoops Coach Pat Chambers

3p-Stillers 365

3:30-San Diego Chargers PBP Man Hank Bauer-32 Teams in 32 Days

4p-Trib Gambling Expert Mark Gruetze

4:25p-Bruce Marshall of VegasInsider.com

5p-Pittsburgh Sports Depot Show

Posted in Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Steelers, Wrestling Reality

 

03 Jun

Coming Up Today on TribLIVE Radio

published in category: Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Steelers, Sports Talk Radio on Friday, June 3rd, 2011 – 8:37 am

10a-Trib Columnist Kevin Gorman in studio

10:30a-MLB.com Draft Expert Jonathon Mayo

11a-Rob Rossi

12:10-Dan Shonka of Ourlad's Guide on Pryor playing in the NFL

12:30-Versus Hockey Analyst Darren Pang

2:30-Raven Alexis appearing at Blush this week

3pm-Stillers 365

4pm-Fantasy Sports Friday-E-mail your fantasy football and baseball questions to sportstalk@tribweb.com

Posted in Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Steelers, Sports Talk Radio

 

02 Jun

Hanging Around: Pirates' Three Games Under After Two Months by special guest blogger Jon Pennline

published in category: Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, June 2nd, 2011 – 9:34 am

How does one grade the Pittsburgh Pirates in their performance over 26 games in the month of May? The team went 13-13; 4-5 at home and 9-8 on the road. The starting rotation went 12 consecutive games of allowing 2 runs or less while the offense remained inconsistent. In April, the Pirates batted .230/.303/.340 while striking out 226 times and drawing a putrid 91 walks while the the pitching staff combined for a 3.64 ERA. After the first month, the Pirates were 12-15 as most figured the hitting would improve while the pitching would tail off.

That never happened.

Instead, the pitching continued to get better, posting a 3.26 ERA in May while the hitting improved on a minuscule level. The team batting average rose a mere 6 points from .230 to .236 and the strike out totals lowered from 226 to 203. The batting average is based on a couple of blowout games. Two weeks ago, the Pirates crushed the Tigers 10-1, belting out 10 hits, and last Saturday they blew out the Cubs 10-0 with 10 more hits. Other than that, the Pirates have been pretty bad at the plate.

Nevertheless, the Pirates were .500 in the month of May with a chance to start June on a good note against a Mets' team that is in shambles. Pittsburgh's media and fans have expressed great concern of two things: 1) The pitching staff cannot continue to be this effective 2) Are the Pirates ever going to hit as well as they should? Call me an optimist, but why can't the Pirates pitch as effectively as they have all season while the bats start to heat up? Because they're the Pirates? That may be true but this team has already shown it is a much improved team from last year, maybe the last few years. A slight regression in the rotation is predictable as the Pirates are the only team to have 3 starters ranked in the top 20 in ERA in the National League (Morton, Maholm, Correia). But a minor drop off in the rotation would be welcomed if it meant the Pirates could start hitting consistently.

June could be the major turning point in this season. By win %, the Pirates play 4 of the top 6 teams in Major League Baseball (Indians, Phillies, Red Sox, Diamondbacks) and they'll have to do it without a hot-hitting Ryan Doumit who batted .283/.365/.500 in May. With Doumit out 4-6 weeks, the Pirates could turn things around if Pedro Alvarez comes off the DL hitting. But that really seems to be reaching, based on this season so far for Pedro. Regardless, this team, as it will all season, falls on the pitching staff. With a healthy Evan Meek, combined with a highly effective Jose Veras and dominant Joel Hanrahan, the Pirates have shortened the game considerably. It will be the starters' job to eat up 6+ innings each start.

The good news is that the remaining teams on the schedule in June are extremely beatable. The Pirates play 4 games against the Mets and 3 games a piece against the Astros, Orioles and Blue Jays. If the Pirates can survive against the good teams, as they have all year, while winning series against the beatable teams, they can look forward to an interesting July, where the team may have to own up to their promise of being buyers instead of sellers at the trade deadline. Still, the team needs to play well in June, something they failed to do in recent years.

Posted in Pittsburgh Pirates

 



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