Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 153
Pirates notebook: Clint Hurdle mum about Wednesday’s starter
Clint Hurdle was unclear on the identity of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ starting pitcher Wednesday night against the Colorado Rockies. “That’s for me to know,” he said. What is clear is that the Pirates rotation doesn’t appear as solid as it did early this season. Chris Archer started Tuesday, and Jordan...
Pirates hope time off benefits Francisco Cervelli
Starting pitcher Chris Archer wasn’t the only player management was watching closely Tuesday night when the Pittsburgh Pirates opened a six-game homestand at PNC Park. Veteran catcher Francisco Cervelli was in the starting lineup against the Colorado Rockies in his first appearance since May 15. His batting average had fallen...
Karim Coulibaly signs with Pitt, becomes 4th member of Jeff Capel’s class
Forward Karim Coulibaly, who verbally committed to Pitt on Feb. 15, signed his scholarship agreement Tuesday and will join the team this season. Coulibaly (6-foot-8, 220 pounds) is the fourth member of coach Jeff Capel’s 2019 recruiting class to sign. All four members of Pitt’s 2019 class have signed with...
Josh Bell slugs his way to National League Player of the Week honor
First baseman Josh Bell, whose 14 home runs in the first 44 games of the season are the most by a Pittsburgh Pirates player since Hall of Famer Willie Stargell hit 15 in 1973, was named National League Player of the Week. It is the first such honor for a...
On the heels of a successful road trip, here’s why the Pirates might be for realVideo
The Pittsburgh Pirates did their part in trying to solve the PNC Park attendance question, winning seven of 11 games on the longest road trip of the season. If it seems like the Pirates haven’t been around town much, it’s probably because they haven’t been. They have played the second-fewest...
Pirates’ Jim Leyland used a reliever as a starter long before Clint HurdleVideo
When Clint Hurdle called on relief pitcher Montana DuRapau to start for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday night, Hurdle, a baseball lifer, displayed his willingness to — in words he likes to use — adapt, improvise and overcome. But he wasn’t breaking new ground as a Pirates manager. Jim Leyland...
Pirates place Trevor Williams on 10-day injured list
Trevor Williams, who left Thursday’s game in San Diego in the fourth inning with right side strain, became the fourth member of the Pittsburgh Pirates starting rotation to go on the 10-day injured list Friday this season. Williams has been the team’s most reliable starter, leading the Pirates with 54...
Junior college guard signs papers to join Pitt basketball
Ryan Murphy made his commitment to Pitt official Friday when the former junior college guard signed his aid agreement. He had verbally committed to the Panthers on May 8. Murphy, who has played at Charlotte and New Mexico Junior College, will get an opportunity to become the 3-point shooter Pitt...
Pitt isn’t only school with a morning kickoff
Tailgaters may have to rise a bit earlier than they might like on a Saturday morning, but Pitt won’t be the only school with an 11 a.m. start time this season. The newly formed ACC Network, which will launch Aug. 29 with a telecast of Georgia Tech’s game at defending...
ESPN puts Pitt football under the lights for 2 more games
Pitt will play at least three of its 12 regular-season games under the lights after ESPN announced Thursday it will televise Panthers games nationally Oct. 18 (Friday) and Nov. 14 (Thursday). Pitt will play at Syracuse’s Carrier Dome on Oct. 18 with a 7 p.m. kickoff and against North Carolina...
How does start to Josh Bell’s career compare to other Pirates greats?
Here’s a concept to ponder Friday night while watching the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres and wondering what additional damage Josh Bell can inflict on a baseball: Compared to the five greatest Pirates hitters of the past 71 years — Ralph Kiner, Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Dave Parker and...
Morning and night, Pitt goes nearly round the clock for is first two games
The ACC has announced start times for Pitt’s first two football games — one late, one early. Pitt goes under the lights at Heinz Field for its opener Aug. 31 vs. Virginia. 7:30 p.m. kick. Also, there's an 11 a.m. kick for the Ohio game Sept. 7, also at HF....
Duquesne athletics changes its image
With renovation of the re-named UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse underway and a new football surface planned for Rooney Field, Duquesne University decided to go all the way and change its logo. University officials unveiled Wednesday what they are calling “a bold, revitalized visual identity for its 17 athletics programs.” The change...
Pirates’ Chris Archer returns to start against Diamondbacks
The way was cleared Wednesday for Pittsburgh Pirates veteran pitcher Chris Archer to make his first start since April 26 when he was reinstated from the 10-day injured list. Archer, who had right thumb irritation, was scheduled to start the third and final game of the Pirates’ series in Arizona...
West Virginia’s Randy Mazey beating drum for summertime baseball
To Randy Mazey, it only makes sense: Baseball was meant to played in the summertime. Or, at least, college baseball, which is the sport that matters most to West Virginia’s coach. Four years ago, Mazey was advocating moving the college season from its late winter/spring season to later spring/summer. Baseball...
Pirates’ Josh Bell adds 2 more HRs to his list of tape-measure blasts
When measuring the home-run power of a Pittsburgh Pirates slugger, Bob Prince used to say (stealing from others, no doubt), “He could hit it out of any park, including Yellowstone.” Oh, if Prince were alive today. Josh Bell might be limited by Yellowstone National Park’s 3,500 square miles of wilderness...
West Virginia’s victory at PNC Park suggests Mountaineers well-armed for Big 12 Tournament
Randy Mazey doesn’t have trouble remembering what was said about his program when West Virginia joined the Big 12 from the Big East seven years ago. The words come back to him all too easily. “The common theme was, `Football’s going to be fine. Basketball’s going to be fine. Poor...
Pitt coach Mike Bell finds hope in 9-4 loss to West Virginia at PNC ParkVideo
Pitt’s game with West Virginia on Tuesday night had been all but officially decided by the eighth inning when catcher Cole MacLaren came to the plate. The Panthers were on their way to a 9-4 loss to the Mountaineers in the baseball version of the Backyard Brawl, but the significance...
Pirates may be forced to find alternatives to Steven Brault, Nick Kingham
When the Pittsburgh Pirates put Jameson Taillon on the 10-day injured list May 4 with an elbow flexor tendon strain, it sounded serious. There was no way he could return in 10 days, or even a month. The worst fears were realized Monday when Taillon was moved to the 60-day...
Pitt basketball loses out on juco big man Khadim Sy
Pitt coach Jeff Capel missed on landing a desperately needed big man Monday night when Khadim Sy, a 6-foot-10 power forward from Daytona (Fla.) Community College, announced on his Twitter account he plans to enroll at Ole Miss. He chose from three finalists, the others being Pitt and East Carolina....
Pitt baseball readies for 1st game at PNC Park in 10 years
Mike Bell, Pitt’s first-year baseball coach, was pleased to see his team rise up and win a weekend series against then-No. 14 North Carolina. But he wasn’t surprised. That emotion would go against everything he has preached since the first day he met with his team a year ago. “It...
Pirates send Jung Ho Kang to IL, call up Jake Elmore
Jung Ho Kang’s recovery from his season-long slump must wait for at least 10 more days after he was placed on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ injured list with a left side strain. The Pirates called up infielder/outfielder Jake Elmore from Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday to replace Kang, who hasn’t started a...
5 players who could help make the Pirates contenders this summer
What you are about to read means next to nothing in the context of the entire baseball season. Yet, it’s still worth noting the Pirates have endured injuries to several key players — Jameson Taillon, Chris Archer, Gregory Polanco. Starling Marte and Corey Dickerson, among them — and were still...
Pirates’ Josh Bell taking place alongside league’s best hitters
After 37 games, the Pittsburgh Pirates (20-17) are three games over .500 and owners of an 8-3 record after ending an eight-game losing streak April 30. One of the big reasons is the emergence of Josh Bell as one of the game’s top hitters. Bell tied a career high with...
South Carolina newspaper ranks Pitt’s Narduzzi 9th among 28 ACC, SEC coaches
When you consider he’s competing against three coaches who have won nine national championships, Pat Narduzzi’s ninth-place finish in the Charleston (S.C.) Post and Courier’s ranking of all 28 SEC and ACC coaches shows a measure of respect for the Pitt coach. Among ACC coaches, he was fourth behind only...
