Posts Tagged ‘pittsburgh pirates’
Saturday, March 30th, 2013
We’re coming to the second busiest sports month of the year. April. Where has March gone? I know.
Anyways. It is a huge weekend for the Edmonton Oilers as they will be hosting their two western Canadian foes– the Vancouver Canucks tonight (CBC, 8:00 p.m.) and the Calgary Flames on Easter Monday (Sportsnet, 7:30 p.m.).
With 15 games left on the schedule, the Oilers are three points back of the St. Louis Blues for a playoff spot. That means every five games, they will have to pick up a point on the Blues, and hope they are slightly better than three other teams that are in front of them– the Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators.
Here are the other events I’ll be watching this weekend:
(more…)
Tags: 2013 world men's curling championship, aku koste, andrew mccutchen, andy murray, boston bruins, brady clark, buffalo sabres, c.j. fair, calgary flames, carl hall, carmelo anthony, chicago cubs, christian laetner, cleanthony hall, david ferrer, david murdoch, dell curry, deshaun thomas, Edmonton Oilers, erik murphy, garrett jones, glenn robinson iii, grant hill, houston astros, jarome iginla, jim boeheim, junior cadougan, Kobe Bryant, los angeles lakers, malcolm armstead, maria sharapova, mike krzyzewski, nik stauskas, pedro alvarez, pittsburgh pirates, rick pitino, ron baker, russ smith, sacramento kings, serena williams, seth curry, sven michel, texas rangers, thomas vanek, tommy haas, trey burke, university of duke blue devils, university of florida gators, university of marquette golden eagles, university of michigan state spartans, university of michigan wolverines, university of ohio state buckeyes, university of syracuse orangemen, university of wichita state shockers, Vancouver Canucks, vander blue
Posted in Amateur Sports, ATP World Tour, Curling, MLB, More, NBA, NHL, University Sports |
Wednesday, December 26th, 2012
Joel Hanrahan (Shaun Ganley, Wikimedia Commons)
The Boston Red Sox made a trade on Boxing Day by acquiring closer Joel Hanrahan from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Hanrahan had 36 saves and an earned run average of 2.72 in 63 games last year. The reliever was traded with infielder Brock Holt for first baseman Jerry Sands, reliever Mark Melancon and two prospects.
Hanrahan will probably take over from Alfredo Aceves, who had 25 saves for Boston last year, but had a poor earned run average of 5.36.
Once again this is an example of a high market team in Major League Baseball getting significantly stronger at the expense of a small market team.
With all of the news of the Blue Jays getting stronger, what Boston has been able to do in the offseason is nothing to sniff at either. After going 69-93 last season, Boston has acquired catcher David Ross from the Atlanta Braves, starting pitcher Ryan Dempster from the Texas Rangers, outfielder Shane Victorino from the Los Angeles Dodgers and shortstop Stephen Drew from the Oakland Athletics.
Tags: boston red sox, brock holt, david ross, jerry sands, joel hanrahan, mark melancon, pittsburgh pirates, ryan dempster, shane victorino, stephen drew
Posted in MLB |
Saturday, December 1st, 2012
Russell Martin (Keith Allison, Wikimedia Commons)
The Pittsburgh Pirates are hoping that Russell Martin of Toronto, Ontario is able to duplicate his all-star seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2007 and 2008.
On Friday, the Pirates signed Martin to a two year contract worth $17 million, significant when you take a look at the Canadian’s poor performances the last two seasons with the New York Yankees. He only batted .237 in 2011 and .211 in 2012.
The Pirates are trying to upgrade a position from last season where former Blue Jay Rod Barajas only batted .206. Still even though Martin was extremely inconsistent, he did hit 21 home runs this season and had a big home run late in a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Divisional Series.
In other baseball news, the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals acquired centerfielders over the last two days. The Braves acquired B.J. Upton (.246, 28 HR, 78 RBIs) from the Tampa Bay Rays and the Nationals acquired Denard Span (.283, 4 HR, 41 RBIs) from the Minnesota Twins. Upton’s contract is for five years where he will make $75.5 million.
(more…)
Tags: atlanta braves, b.j. upton, denard span, jordan walden, los angeles angels of anaheim, New York Yankees, pittsburgh pirates, russell martin, tampa bay rays, tommy hanson
Posted in MLB |
Thursday, July 26th, 2012
Hanley Ramirez (S.D. Dirk, Wikimedia Commons)
The last time the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired a Ramirez it didn’t turn out so well.
In 2008, the Dodgers acquired Manny Ramirez from the Boston Red Sox, and he even though he put up great numbers on the west coast, he was suspended in 2009 for violating baseball’s drug policy.
This week the Dodgers acquired another Ramirez (Hanley from the Marlins, no relation) in an attempt to beat the San Francisco Giants and win the National League West.
Ramirez, who is a natural shortstop, moved over to third base when the Florida Marlins acquired Jose Reyes from the New York Mets in the offseason. The experiment that worked great for the Yankees a few years ago (with the acquisition of shortstop Alex Rodriguez, who moved to third base) didn’t work in Florida.
(more…)
Tags: florida marlins, hanley ramirez, houston astros, los angeles dodgers, luis cruz, manny ramirez, pittsburgh pirates, wandy rodriguez
Posted in MLB |
Saturday, April 14th, 2012
Meghan Agosta (Wikimedia Commons)
Team Canada is back in the final of the Women’s World Hockey Championship. Friday afternoon in Burlington, Vermont, Meghan Agosta, Laura Fortino and Marie-Philip Poulin each scored a goal and an assist as Canada beat Finland 5-1 in the semi-final game.
Agosta, was a huge force on the Canadian side, notching nine shots on goal. Canada’s opponent tonight is once again the United States, who hammered Switzerland 10-0 in the other semi-final. The game can be seen live on TSN at 5pm.
Here are the other events I’ll be watching this weekend:
Saturday–NHL Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Game 2–Washington Capitals @ Boston Bruins–NBC–1pm–The Capitals lost game 1 despite a brilliant goaltending performance by Braden Holtby. The Bruins meanwhile got a stingy defensive effort Thursday night as they only allowed 17 Washington shots in 61:18 of action. The Capitals simply won’t win many games in the series if Alexander Ovechkin only gets one shot. The Capitals sniper did record seven hits, but needs to find the offensive side of his game again. Tim Thomas is the only goaltender in the playoffs so far to get a shutout.
(more…)
Tags: adam jones, albert pujols, baltimore orioles, boston bruins, Braden Holtby, c.j. wilson, Chicago Blackhawks, claude giroux, cory emmerton, dainius zubrus, dave taylor, detroit red wings, drew miller, dustin brown, florida panthers, henrik lundqvist, laura fortino, los angeles angels of anaheim, los angeles kings, marie-philip poulin, matt cain, meghan agosta, nashville predators, new jersey devils, new york rangers, New York Yankees, nolan reimold, Ottawa Senators, phoenix coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, pittsburgh pirates, ryan carter, san francisco giants, Sean Couturier, tim thomas, tomas sandstrom, tony granato, toronto blue jays, Vancouver Canucks, washington capitals, women's world hockey championship
Posted in Amateur Sports, MLB, NHL |
Saturday, February 18th, 2012
Tim Wakefield (Wikimedia Commons)
One of Major League Baseball’s most unique pitchers announced his retirement on Friday.
The Associated Press reported that Tim Wakefield would be leaving the game at age 45.
Wakefield, a knuckleballer, was 7-8 with 93 strikeouts and a 5.12 earned run average last season. Twice in his career he won 17 baseball games, in 1998 and 2007, both times with the Red Sox. Throughout his career, Wakefield won 200 baseball games and 2156 strikeouts.
Wakefield began his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1992 before joining the Red Sox in 1995. He was an all-star at age 42 in 2009 and won two World Series with the Red Sox in 2004 and 2007.
But the bottom line with the retirement of Wakefield is, we might have seen the last of a legendary pitch– the knuckleball. For decades the pitch has been used in baseball as a quirky way to fool hitters. The unpredictable pitch may not go fast, but dances in the air as it is released from the pitcher. With the retirement of Wakefield, the only current knuckleballer today is R.A. Dickey of the New York Mets.
Tags: boston red sox, new york mets, pittsburgh pirates, r.a. dickey, tim wakefield
Posted in MLB |
Saturday, February 18th, 2012
A.J. Burnett (Keith Allison, Wikimedia Commons)
You don’t see these moves very often. But on Friday, it became reality.
The New York Yankees, Major League Baseball’s highest market team, traded starting pitcher A.J. Burnett to the Pittsburgh Pirates, one of Major League Baseball’s lowest market teams, for pitching prospect Diego Moreno and outfielder prospect Exicardo Cayones.
The major reason the Yankees made the move, according to the Associated Press is because they wanted to clear up some space to sign outfielder Raul Ibanez and infielder Eric Chavez.
The bottom line is that the Yankees would have had financial room to have all three players on the roster because the Yankees are the Yankees and the financial system in baseball is a joke, but there wasn’t room for Burnett in the rotation when they acquired Hiroki Kuroda from Los Angeles and Michael Pineda from Seattle earlier in the offseason.
Burnett, a former Blue Jay, was 11-11 and 173 strikeouts and a 5.15 earned run average for the Yankees in 2011. Burnett, who also played for the Florida Marlins in his career, won a World Series with the Yankees in 2009.
Tags: a.j. burnett, diego moreno, eric chavez, exicardo cayons, florida marlins, hiroki kuroda, los angeles dodgers, michael pineda, New York Yankees, pittsburgh pirates, raul ibanez, seattle mariners, toronto blue jays
Posted in MLB |
Monday, December 19th, 2011
Yu Darvish (Wikimedia Commons)
We now know that Yu Darvish is off to the Texas Rangers and is not going to Toronto.
One could argue that Christmas just did not come for Toronto Blue Jay fans, but if you take a look at the grand scheme of things, is Darvish going to Texas instead of Toronto really that bad?
I say it’s not. Thumbs up for the Blue Jays for finally willing to spend a lot of money in an effort to acquire a key free agent. But, as I wrote last week, Darvish is simply not the biggest fish in the pond.
That my friends continues to be Cecil Fielder. So my question for Blue Jays General Manager Alex Anthopoulos is why would you be willing to spend upwards of $50 million on just Darvish’s negotiating rights, when you could spend half of that on one of the best power hitters in the game? Fielder wants to come to Toronto. His pops played there. Anthopoulos needs to show some compassion now and go after Fielder. Then take a look at a starting pitcher.
The one I like the most that is still a free agent, is ironically also from Japan. Hiroki Kuroda, who has played the last three years with the Dodgers, and had a solid 3.07 earned run average in 2011, is still available. He should be in the $6-$7 million price range. The other two I am very high on are Paul Maholm, who is a solid pitcher despite his poor won-loss record in Pittsburgh and Chris Young, who can be very strong on the mound and could be a solid no.2 or no.3 guy in the rotation, if healthy.
Tags: Alex Anthopoulos, cecil fielder, chris young, hiroki kuroda, los angeles dodgers, new york mets, paul maholm, pittsburgh pirates, texas rangers, toronto blue jays, yu darvish
Posted in MLB |
Monday, December 12th, 2011
Erik Bedard (Keith Allison, Wikimedia Commons)
The Pittsburgh Pirates are taking their chances on Canadian left-hander Erik Bedard.
The Pirates confirmed the signing of the southpaw from Navan, Ontario to a one year deal worth $4.5 million on the weekend. Last year, Bedard went 5-9 with 125 strikeouts and a 3.62 earned run average with Seattle and Boston. The Pirates are hoping Bedard can rekindle his magic with the Baltimore Orioles, where he won a combined total of 28 games in 2006 and 2007. Unfortunately, he has ran into an abundance of arm issues since, but can be a productive pitcher if healthy.
In other moves, the Toronto Blue Jays acquired outfielder Ben Francisco (.244, 6 HR, 34 RBIs) from the Philadelphia Phillies for a minor leaguer. Don’t expect Francisco to be in the Blue Jays’ lineup everyday.
The Milwaukee Brewers, who lost Ryan Braun for fifty games to steroid use and are expected to lose Prince Fielder to free agency, signed Aramis Ramirez to a 3 year deal worth $37 million. Ramirez, a third baseman, batted .306 with 26 home runs and 93 runs batted in with the Chicago Cubs in 2011.
Also on the weekend, the Oakland Athletics traded starting pitcher Trevor Cahill (12-14, 147 K, 4.16 ERA) and reliever Craig Breslow (67 G, 0-2, 3.79 ERA) to the Arizona Diamondbacks for three minor leaguers who are expected to play a key role in Oakland in 2012.
Tags: aramis ramirez, arizona diamondbacks, baltimore orioles, ben francisco, boston red sox, chicago cubs, craig breslow, erik bedard, milwaukee brewers, oakland athletics, philadelphia phillies, pittsburgh pirates, seattle mariners, toronto blue jays, trevor cahill
Posted in MLB |
Thursday, November 3rd, 2011
Matty Alou (Wikimedia Commons)
One of baseball’s all-time most consistent hitters has passed away today due to complications connected to diabetes.
Matty Alou passed away today at the age of 72 in Miami, Florida.
Alou was part of a great baseball family. His brothers Felipe and Jesus, and nephew Moises all played Major League Baseball. They were considered among the very best Dominicans to ever play professional baseball.
Matty played in the outfield with the San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees and San Diego Padres from 1960-1974.
In 1966 with the Pirates, he led the National League in batting with a .342 average. He had 1,777 hits throughout his career. In 1969, while still with the Pirates he led the National League with 231 hits and 41 doubles.
In the 1972 playoffs, Alou had a great American League Championship Series for the Oakland Athletics. He batted .381 in five games against the Detroit Tigers as Oakland advanced to the World Series, where they defeated the Cincinnati Reds in seven games.
Canadian baseball fans would remember Matty’s brother Felipe every well, as he managed the Montreal Expos from 1992-2001.
Tags: felipe alou, jesus alou, matty alou, moises alou, New York Yankees, oakland athletics, pittsburgh pirates, saint louis cardinals, san diego padres, san francisco giants
Posted in MLB |
Friday, October 28th, 2011
World Series Trophy (Matthew Sheppard, Wikimedia Commons)
Tonight is literally one of the greatest nights in sports. It’s Game 7. Winner takes all. For some reason, Game 7 of the World Series and Stanley Cup means more than Game 7 of the NBA Finals. But tonight either the St. Louis Cardinals or Texas Rangers will come away with a Championship.
I thought it would be a good time to take a look back in Major League Baseball online archives and look back at the previous game sevens in World Series history.
1909– Pittsburgh Pirates def. Detroit Tigers– Honus Wagner collected six stolen bases and six runs batted in during the Series. Pirates’ starting pitcher Babe Adams won three of the World Series Games, including game seven, where he threw a six hitter as Pittsburgh won 8-0. The Pirates won the 1909 World Series despite poor defense. They committed 12 errors in seven games.
1924–Washington Senators def. New York Giants–The Giants played in a record fourth consecutive World Series. In game seven, and the score 3-3 in the 12th inning, Giants third baseman Freddie Lidstrom had the ball go over his head and allowed Muddy Ruel to score the winning run. Washington won 4-3.
1925–Pittsburgh Pirates def. Washington Senators–In their first World Series win since 1909, the Pirates outslugged the Senators 9-7 in the deciding game. Played in pouring rain, this Game 7 was considered by many as the worst conditions ever for any World Series game. According to www.baseballlibrary.com, there are rumors that Kiki Cuyler’s game winning two run double in the eighth inning was foul, but the umpires couldn’t see it properly because of the heavy fog. Cuyler would later be inducted into Cooperstown in 1968. The Pirates also were the first team in baseball history to come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the World Series.
(more…)
Tags: arizona diamondbacks, babe adams, bill mazeroski, bill skowron, billy martin, billy myers, bob gibson, bob turley, bobby richardson, bret saberhagen, brooklyn dodgers, bucky walters, carlton fisk, casey stengel, cincinnati reds, craig counsell, curt schilling, daffy dean, danny gladden, detroit tigers, dizzy dean, don larsen, edgar renteria, enos slaughter, felipe alou, florida marlins, frank viola, frankie frisch, garret anderson, gene larkin, gene tenace, george brett, george watkins, hank aaron, honus wagner, jack morris, jackie robinson, jay bell, jeff reardon, jim kaat, joe morgan, john lackey, johnny keane, johnny kucks, johnny podres, kansas city royals, ken boyer, ken griffey, kiki cuyler, lew burdette, los angeles angels of anaheim, los angeles dodgers, lou brock, lou johnson, luis gonzalez, michael ferraro, mickey lolich, mickey mantle, milwaukee braves, minnesota twins, muddy ruel, new york mets, New York Yankees, oakland athletics, paul richards, pepper martin, pete rose, phil rizzuto, pittsburgh pirates, ralph terry, randy johnson, ray knight, reggie jackson, roberto clemente, rollie fingers, ron fairly, saint louis cardinals, sandy koufax, steve blass, tony kubek, washington senators, wes parker, willie stargell, yogi berra
Posted in Home |
Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011
Mark Teixeira (Keith Allison, Wikimedia Commons)
Records in baseball are few and far between because of the rich history of Major League Baseball dating back to 1869.
But on Tuesday night, New York Yankees’ first baseman Mark Teixeira got into the record books and is now all alone in first place.
Teixeira hit a home run from both sides of the plate in the same game for a record twelfth time in Major League Baseball history as the New York Yankees shut out the Chicago White Sox 6-0.
He passes long time switch hitter Eddie Murray (who played eleven seasons with the Baltimore Orioles in his 20 year career) and Chilli Davis who played the majority of his career with the San Francisco Giants and California Angels.
In other baseball news, Canadian Matt Stairs of Saint John, New Brunswick has decided to retire after a 19 year career that started in 1992 with the Montreal Expos. Over time, Stairs was known as one of the best pinch hitters the game has ever seen. His 23 pinch hit home runs is a Major League Baseball record. Since starting with the Expos, Stairs has been a Major League Baseball journeyman, having also played with the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres and Washington Nationals. In 2008, he won a World Series with the Phillies, and hit a key home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game four of the National League Championship Series.
Tags: baltimore orioles, boston red sox, california angels, chicago cubs, chili davis, detroit tigers, eddie murray, kansas city royals, mark teixeira, matt stairs, milwaukee brewers, montreal expos, New York Yankees, oakland athletics, philadelphia phillies, pittsburgh pirates, san diego padres, san francisco giants, texas rangers, toronto blue jays, washington nationals
Posted in MLB |
Sunday, July 31st, 2011
Erik Bedard (Keith Allison, Wikimedia Commons)
Canadian left-hander Erik Bedard of Navan, Ontario, has been traded to the Boston Red Sox.
Just a day after the Red Sox acquired fellow Canadian Rich Harden of Victoria, British Columbia from the Oakland Athletics but changed their mind because they didn’t like Harden’s medical report, they acquired Bedard from the Seattle Mariners for outfield prospects Trayvon Robinson and Chih-Hsein Chiang.
Bedard, who has had a history of shoulder trouble, was 4-7 with 87 strikeouts and a 3.45 earned run average for the Mariners in 2011. His best years in the Majors came with Baltimore in 2006 and 2007, where he had a combined total of 28 wins over those two years. The 4-7 record this season is deceiving because the Mariners provide so little offense each time they take to the field.
In Boston, Bedard will replace the injured Clay Buchholz in the starting rotation for the time being, but don’t be surprised if there is room for him in the rotation when Buchholz gets back, because when healthy, Bedard has been better than Tim Wakefield and John Lackey this season.
In other significant moves over the last two days, the Seattle Mariners also traded starting pitcher Doug Fister and setup man David Pauley to the Detroit Tigers for outfielder Casper Wells, pitcher Charlie Furbush, prospect Francisco Martinez and a player to be named later.
(more…)
Tags: aaron baker, alex castellanos, andrew mccutchen, arizona diamondbacks, baltimore orioles, boston red sox, brad ziegler, brandon allen, casper wells, charlie furbush, chih-hsein chiang, chris davis, clay buchholz, daniel hudson, david pauley, derrek lee, detroit tigers, doug fister, erik bedard, erik komatsu, francisco martinez, ian kennedy, jason marquis, jerry hairston jr., joe saunders, joe wieland, jordan norberto, jose valverde, koji uehara, los angeles dodgers, mike adams, milwaukee brewers, neftali feliz, neil walker, New York Yankees, oakland athletics, pittsburgh pirates, rich harden, rickie weeks, robbie erlin, ryan ludwick, ryan theriot, san diego padres, skip schumaker, st. louis cardinals, texas rangers, tommy hunter, trayvon robinson, washington nationals, zach walters
Posted in Home |
Wednesday, July 27th, 2011
Julio Lugo (Getty Images)
Last night the Atlanta Braves defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 in the longest game of the 2011 Major League Baseball season.
The game lasted 19 innings and took seven hours to complete.
But it was the final play of the game that was controversial. Braves’ third baseman Julio Lugo was called safe by home plate umpire Jerry Meals, who ruled that Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Mike McKenry had missed tagging him.
However, the replays clearly showed McKenry tagged Lugo on the pants.
In reviewing the replay himself after the game, Meals admitted that Lugo’s pants indeed moved. Major League Baseball Executive Vice-President for Baseball Operations Joe Torre agreed that Meals missed the call.
This is where professional sports is so old-fashioned, it is ridiculous. I think fans wouldn’t complain whatsoever with a better procedure put in place to make the calls right. We have technology in place to deal with controversies and they should simply be used more frequently, especially on the final play of a game that deserves the ultimate outcome.
(more…)
Tags: atlanta braves, julio lugo, pittsburgh pirates, saint louis cardinals
Posted in MLB |
We’re coming to the second busiest sports month of the year. April. Where has March gone? I know.
Loading ...
