Kevin Gorman stories, Page 126
For John Wehner, final game for Pirates at Three Rivers Stadium was ‘most amazing thing’
From the first time he set foot inside Three Rivers Stadium to the last, the memories are as clear for John Wehner of taking the 51C bus from Carrick to baseball games as a young fan as they were of playing third base for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The final game...
Before Jay Buhner became a ‘Seinfeld’ storyline, the Pirates traded him to the Yankees
If you think Frank Costanza was livid with New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner for trading Jay Buhner, he would have had a lot of problems with the Pittsburgh Pirates, too. Not to, you know, air any grievances. The death of actor Jerry Stiller on Monday brought back memories of...
Pirates farm director Larry Broadway calls 5-round MLB draft ‘a challenge’ for club
Pittsburgh Pirates senior director of minor league operations Larry Broadway called reports the 2020 MLB Draft will be reduced to five rounds “a challenge” Saturday morning in an interview on 93.7 FM. MLB and the MLB Players Association agreed in March to allow the league to reduce the draft from...
WVU athletic director Shane Lyons calls pay cuts, furloughs ‘absolutely necessary’
Facing a projected $5 million budget shortfall after the coronavirus pandemic wiped out the NCAA Tournament and spring sports, West Virginia University on Friday implemented pay cuts and furloughs in its athletic department. WVU athletic director Shane Lyons called the moves “absolutely necessary” in a video conference call Friday afternoon....
Pirates bench coach Don Kelly distributes food to Pittsburgh’s homeless at Light of Life
Pittsburgh Pirates bench coach Don Kelly and his wife Carrie volunteered with Pirates Charities and Silver Star Meats to distribute meals to the city’s homeless Friday. More than 500 boxed meals were scheduled to be distributed by the Kellys and staff members from Pirates Charities at Light of Life Rescue...
For Pirates, no minor league season could become major problem for top prospects
There are so many unknowns surrounding major issues in baseball — from setting a spring training start date to what an adjusted season would look like — that the Pittsburgh Pirates haven’t had many conversations about the minor ones. When it comes to the minor leagues, MLB teams could have...
Pirates player rep Jameson Taillon weighs in on MLB’s possible start datesVideo
Jameson Taillon was caught off guard when he learned of reports that MLB is preparing a return-to-play proposal to present to the MLB Players Association, but the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander and player representative found it refreshing to hear possible dates for the start of spring training and the season. Taillon...
As MLB prepares return-to-play proposal with start dates, Pirates staying in ready state
As baseball prepares for the possibility of a return, with reports of target dates in early June to start spring training and early July to start playing games, the Pittsburgh Pirates are attempting to be in a sweet spot. That’s what Pirates general manager Ben Cherington called the “ready state”...
If MLB uses the DH in a shortened season, these five Pirates could be candidates
The Pittsburgh Pirates don’t know if or when they will play this summer, let alone what types of rule changes baseball will implement for a season shortened by the coronavirus crisis. MLB already plans to implement two major changes: Starting and relief pitchers must face a three-batter minimum; and rosters...
Pirates’ Derek Shelton: Watching KBO games get ‘juices flowing’
When it comes to watching baseball, Derek Shelton doesn’t care who is playing, let alone whether the players in the game speak the same language. The Pittsburgh Pirates manager jokes he has been known to watch the Caribbean World Series on ESPN, not that he can comprehend the majority of...
Pirates manager Derek Shelton: ‘Getting back to baseball is going to help us on a larger scale’
Derek Shelton considers himself an optimist by nature, so the Pittsburgh Pirates manager is pushing a positive narrative that baseball will be back this summer. No matter what it takes. As MLB examines safe ways to play the 2020 season amid the coronavirus crisis, Shelton believes finding a way to...
Pirates GM Ben Cherington: Team is going to be ‘flexible’ about spring training site
General manager Ben Cherington said the Pittsburgh Pirates are going to be “flexible” about the site of a potential spring training and are “comforted” by the level of attention state government officials are giving toward plans to reopen businesses. Cherington made the comments during a 22-minute guest appearance with Bucco...
Retired Pirates broadcaster Steve Blass learning to adjust to life without baseball
Steve Blass retired from the Pittsburgh Pirates broadcast booth to enjoy life away from baseball. What Blass wasn’t expecting is life without baseball. Blass, 78, had no way of knowing or preparing for the MLB season to be suspended amid the coronavirus crisis, let alone that he and his wife,...
Pittsburgh sports remain weeks away from playing in front of fans under state’s reopening plan
The return of the Penguins and Pirates playing before fans in Pittsburgh remains at least weeks away after state officals announced that Allegheny County and most of Southwestern Pennsylvania will remain in the red phase of the reopening process. Although two dozen northern counties will move to the yellow phase...
In downtime before MLB Draft, more Pirates scouts are getting a long look at prospects
Ben Cherington doesn’t know the exact date of the 2020 MLB Draft, how many rounds it will last or what a virtual draft will look like. One thing the Pittsburgh Pirates general manager knows for sure, however, is his scouting department has prepared for it like never before. With the...
Pirates GM Ben Cherington plans to seek out Steelers for tips on conducting virtual draftVideo
Ben Cherington watched the NFL Draft with keen interest, not because of his football fandom but rather to “get a flavor” for the setting for a virtual draft. The Pittsburgh Pirates general manager hopes to pick the brains of the Steelers’ front office personnel sometime before the MLB Draft in...
Pirates offer refund options for tickets
In a letter to season and individual ticket holders, Pittsburgh Pirates president Travis Williams offered optimism baseball will return this summer and that the club will play home games in its own stadium. “We feel strongly that we will play games this season,” Williams wrote in a letter released by...
Steel City Brand to launch T-shirt collection celebrating legacy of Roberto Clemente
A Pittsburgh-based clothing company will be honoring Roberto Clemente next month with a collection of T-shirts featuring artwork images of the Pittsburgh Pirates great. Steel City Brand collaborated with Roberto Clemente Jr. and his wife, Kailee, on the clothing line. The coronavirus crisis slowed production, so the company is planning...
MLB-proposed East division could be daunting for Pirates but preferable to playing in Florida
Baseball is contemplating a comeback, one that would scrap the traditional American and National leagues for the 2020 season in favor of a more geographical and travel-friendly setup. The new normal is anything but. MLB has explored multiple options, with the latest splitting teams into three 10-team divisions for a...
Pirates GM Ben Cherington: ‘I wake up every day believing we are going to play games’Video
Ben Cherington is planning for the possibility that MLB will play a regular season in 2020. What the Pittsburgh Pirates general manager doesn’t know is when, where or how. One thing is certain: He isn’t dwelling on doomsday scenarios. “I wake up every day believing we are going to play...
Pirates become 1st MLB team to suspend retirement benefits for baseball operation staffVideo
The Pittsburgh Pirates became the first known MLB team to suspend retirement benefits for baseball operations employees in a cost-cutting reaction to save jobs amid the coronavirus crisis. Pirates general manager Ben Cherington confirmed Tuesday afternoon a report by The Athletic that the club has suspended 401(k) contributions in an...
Trevor Williams teams up with Pirates Charities for $30,000 donation for Food Bank drive
Pirates pitcher Trevor Williams is teaming up with Pirates Charities for a $30,000 contribution to fund a drive-up food distribution with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. The donation is being made through the Home Plate Project, an MLB-wide initiative in partnership with Garth Brooks’ Teammates for Kids Foundation and...
Pirates find welcome distraction in communicating through social media videosVideo
During the downtime of quarantine amid the coronavirus crisis, Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton has taken a deep dive into the rabbit hole of watching videos on social media. Granted, many of them are of major league baseball players showing ingenuity in practicing their craft, from one hitter taking batting...
David ‘Rooster’ Fleming: Hazelwood legend, CFL star signed with Steelers out of high school
Rooster Fleming would have been a Hazelwood legend — if not for his cocksure nickname then for signing straight out of Gladstone High School to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rooster befriended Paul Martha and roomed with Joe Namath, scored on a record 108-yard touchdown and won weightlifting competitions into...
If and when baseball returns, Pirates manager Derek Shelton plans to ‘cherish’ his debut
As MLB contemplates ideas of how to conduct its 2020 season, the Pittsburgh Pirates are preparing for the possibility of playing games sometime this summer. Even if that means Pirates manager Derek Shelton’s major-league regular-season managerial debut could come in an otherwise empty stadium instead of before baseball fans. “Honestly,...
