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  • The Argument For And Against Retaining Mason Rudolph

    As the countdown to the kickoff of the NFL regular season continues to tick, the Pittsburgh Steelers are approaching a deadline to make some tough roster decisions. The Steelers still have their third and final preseason game to play on Thursday, but they won’t have much time after that to finalize their initial 53-man roster…

  • Pirates And Islanders Split As Hawaii Lives Out Final Baseball Days

    And so, the finale to this year’s Summer Series comes to an end. A year after the Hawaii Islanders opened the season as home to future Pittsburgh Pirates legend, seven-time MVP, 14-time All Star, 12-time Silver Slugger, and two-time batting title winner Barry Bonds (as well as other future Pirates), the relationship between the two…

  • The Fate Of The David Bednar Trade Hangs On Rafael Flores Jr.

    When the Pittsburgh Pirates conducted their sale at last year’s trade deadline, their collection of new assets was boosted by a relatively unknown catcher by the name of Rafael Flores Jr. Flores, 24 at the time of the trade, had played just 10 games for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the Triple-A affiliate of the New York…

  • Hawaii Hosts The Barry Bonds Show, But Takes Big Step Back In 1986

    Coming off two of the winningest seasons in team history, the Pacific Coast League’s Hawaii Islanders had big hopes heading into the 1986 season. After winning 87 games in 1984 and making it to the PCL finals, Hawaii followed it up with an 84-win campaign the next year and another trip to the playoffs. Even…

  • Hawaii Shines Despite Dreadful Year For Pirates Organization

    Whether you’re a prospect, journeyman, or recently-demoted player, the dream of nearly everyone playing Triple-A ball is to get the call to the major leagues. And even in years where the big-league club is terrible, players still want that promotion, that paycheck, and that path to proving or re-proving themselves on baseball’s biggest stage. However,…

  • Three Thoughts On Steelers’ Preseason Win Over Packers

    The NFL preseason is officially upon us. Last night, the Pittsburgh Steelers played the first of three preseason matchups, cruising to a comfortable 28-9 win over the Green Bay Packers in the first game action of the Mike McCarthy era in Pittsburgh. Three quarterbacks took snaps for the Steelers, and several names made their opening…

  • Ville Koivunen’s Shocking Contract Isn’t As Big A Risk As You Might Think

    Last week, the Pittsburgh Penguins made some big headlines in the National Hockey League when they announced a new contract for forward Ville Koivunen.  Koivunen was a restricted free agent, and one of the last pieces of unfinished business for general manager Kyle Dubas before training camp opens in September. But the deal is gaining…

  • Alfonso Pulido And The Story Of A Forgotten Hawaiian Hurler

    It’s safe to say when Alfonso Pulido stepped onto the field to make his Major League Baseball debut, there was some pressure. Not only was Pulido taking to an MLB mound for the first time in his life, he was hoping to live up to the high hopes the Pittsburgh Pirates had invested into him,…

  • Islanders Dominate Pacific Coast League En Route To 1984 Finals Appearance

    After a middling 1983 season where the Islanders go 72-71, Hawaii made some changes before swinging back into the 1984 season. Tom Trebelhorn was out as manager, taking the year off after two seasons managing minor league affiliates of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Stepping into his place was Tommy Sandt, manager of the organization’s Double-A affiliate…

  • An Intro To The Pacific Coast League Playoffs

    When we look at minor league standings and records, we tend to look at them with major-league eyes. Your season record is what it is, and the top clubs by winning percentage at the end of the year battle it out in the playoffs. But one of the wrinkles in minor league baseball’s history is…

  • Hawaii Provides Landing Spot For Old-School Manager

    Following their middling 1983 season which saw the Islanders finish just one game above .500 at 72-71, Tom Trebelhorn was out as Hawaii’s manager in 1984. It ended a rather underwhelming stint as a minor league manager in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. The former catcher and infielder had managed Pittsburgh’s Triple-A affiliate in 1982 in…

  • Don Kelly’s First True Test Comes After Pirates Re-Work Bullpen At Deadline

    The home stretch in baseball is here, and the Pittsburgh Pirates are hoping to make a run for the playoffs after they went on a bit of a shopping spree.  After a 4-3 win to reach .500 last night, the Pirates and manager Don Kelly are hoping the new additions can help propel the Pittsburgh…

  • Hawaii Survives Organizational Shift After 1983 Season

    Pittsburgh’s affiliate history in the early 1980s was a little all over the place. While the Pirates had their Triple-A affiliate in Portland, Oregon to start the 1980 season, the remainder of their affiliates were a lot closer to the team. The road to Pittsburgh started in either Shelby, North Carolina or Salem, Virginia where…

  • Islanders Battle For Winning Record In 1983

    One year after celebrating their centennial anniversary as a franchise, the Pittsburgh Pirates officially began their partnership with the Hawaii Islanders. Still managed by Tom Trebelhorn, the Pirates had shifted most of their Triple-A talent from the Portland Beavers, their previous affiliate. Over a dozen players who suited up for Portland in 1982 found themselves…

  • Revisiting Ben Cherington’s 2024 Trade Deadline Purchases

    While there’s plenty of speculation as to what (if anything) the Pittsburgh Pirates will do at the upcoming trade deadline, general manager Ben Cherington is facing the prospect of his best chance yet to snap the postseason drought in Pittsburgh slip through his fingers. After salvaging the third game of the team’s Yinzerpalooza series at…

  • Pirates Pull Up To Shores Of Honolulu For 1983 Partnership

    The ladder of minor league baseball within the Pittsburgh Pirates organization has been steady for several years now. Pittsburgh’s current Triple-A affiliate, the Indianapolis Indians, has kept a partnership with the parent club since the 2005 season, celebrating 20 years reunited last summer. That affiliation is only predated by the Pirates’ presence in Altoona, where…

  • Hawaiian Baseball Spans Decades Before Pirates Arrive

    Call-ups, demotions, and roster shuffling can happen in the blink of an idea in present-day Major League Baseball. It’s both a beauty and a curse of the sport. One day, you can be receiving that life-changing call that the dream you’ve spent your whole life working towards is finally happening. Then, you can find yourself…

  • Three Former Pirates Combine To Field One Of The Craziest Triple-A Lineups

    The world of minor league baseball is crazy, with a fast-paced lifestyle and an incredibly crowded schedule. It’s the home of baseball’s best young prospects, most traveled journeymen, and the hopes and dreams of hundreds upon hundreds of ballplayers. But for all the stories that come from the rungs of minor league baseball, it’s certainly…

  • Pacific Coast League Shows An Independent Streak In Late 1940s And 1950s

    The Pacific Coast League has one of the more interesting arcs in the minor league baseball circuit. In operation since 1903, the PCL has undergone a host of classifications over their existence, all the way from a Low-A designation to the top of the minor league ladder in Triple-A. And once upon a time, the…

  • Islanders’ Baseball Lineage Originates From California Capital

    The Hawaii Islanders represented the Aloha State for a quarter century, and brought an exciting new wrinkle to the realm of organized baseball starting in 1961. But for all the interesting and underrated baseball lore that comes from the 50th and most recent state admitted into the union, it’s important to realize that the biggest…

  • The Mason Miller Debate

    As the Pittsburgh Pirates enjoy a winning record at the All Star Break for the first time since 2016, all attention will soon turn to returning Buctober to PNC Park for the first time in over a decade. Only once during the reign of general manager Ben Cherington have the Pirates “bought” at the trade…

  • Hawaiian Pirates: Introducing The Island Affiliate Of Pittsburgh’s Ballclub

    Over the course of this beautiful sport’s history, baseball’s minor league circuit has taken on many different forms. In the early days, affiliation took on a wild west-type form, with big-league clubs picking up and dropping smaller teams with ease. It wasn’t unheard of for major-league teams to have partnerships with well over a dozen…

  • Looking Back On Recent Pirates Representatives In The Futures Game

    Tonight, right-handed pitcher Seth Hernandez and outfielder Edward Florentino will represent the Pittsburgh Pirates at the All-Star Futures Game at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. A collection of some of the best young talent in the game, the Futures Game has hosted some eventual stars in Major League Baseball and gives the chance for prospects…

  • Recent Pirates You Maybe Forgot Were All Stars

    In less than a week, baseball’s best will arrive in Philadelphia for the 2026 MLB All Star Game. Originally named as the representative of the Pittsburgh Pirates, starting pitcher Paul Skenes earned his third straight All Star nod. Though, in the first year of his MLB career where he is not starting for the National…

  • A Perfect Start Was Exactly What Jared Jones Needed

    The rotation of the Pittsburgh Pirates has seen some real struggles this season. Paul Skenes has headlined that discussion, as his departure from the Cy Young, NL Rookie of the Year award-winning pitcher into a slightly more average arm has troubled some fans. Mitch Keller, the team’s most struggling starter, has also garnered discussion as…

  • Pirates Can Survive Konnor Griffin Injury

    I don’t know if you know this or not, but there’s a little stipulation in Major League Baseball’s Collective Bargaining Agreement which stipulates that fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates are barred from ever feeling joy. Ok fine, that technically isn’t true. But it certainly feels true. Yesterday, news broke that shortstop Konnor Griffin went down…

  • Presenting The Fifth Avenue Sports Prospect Tournament Awards

    Yesterday, development camp for the Pittsburgh Penguins wrapped up with the highly-anticipated prospect tournament. The event featured a round-robin tournament which consisting of three teams: Team Barrasso (wearing yellow), Team Rutherford (wearing white), and Team Murphy (wearing black). It culminated in a 4-3 win for Team Barrasso over Team Rutherford in the final. You can…

  • Development Camp Wraps Up With Barrasso Win In Prospect Tournament

    The 2026 development camp for the Pittsburgh Penguins wrapped up Friday with the highly-anticipated prospect tournament, featuring over a dozen Penguin draft picks and some very interesting free agent invitees. Headlining this year’s development camp were Liam and Markus Ruck, Pittsburgh’s first two selections in last week’s NHL Entry Draft in Buffalo. The Penguins selected…

  • Recapping The Penguins’ First Day Of Free Agency

    On the official start of free agency in the National Hockey League, the Pittsburgh Penguins and general manager Kyle Dubas worked the phones to bring several new names to town. This year’s free agent class was hardly the star-studded lineup of years past, but tons of interesting players were still auctioning off their services in…

  • Ok, Let’s Talk About Paul Skenes

    Last night was a pivotal game for Paul Skenes. The ace of the pitching staff in Pittsburgh has come under scrutiny over the last few months as some of his numbers have slipped. Debate as to whether to worry about Skenes is only growing within the team’s fan base. By major league standards, Skenes had…

  • Jack Johnson’s Contract Is Finally Off The Books In Pittsburgh

    The first day of July marks the beginning of free agency in the National Hockey League, and the start of the official new league year. But this year, July 1st represents something else for the hometown Pittsburgh Penguins. A journey eight years in the making is finally coming to an end. On noon today, the…

  • Trying To Make Sense Of The Parker Wotherspoon Trade

    On the eve of NHL free agency, the Pittsburgh Penguins swung a deal to acquire defenseman Kaedan Korczak from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for defenseman Parker Wotherspoon. Unlike some of the trades made earlier this offseason, like picking up forward Hendrix Lapierre for a few mid-round picks and swapping depth defenseman Jack St.…

  • Three Non-Tendered RFAs Who Penguins Could Seek Out In Free Agency

    With the official start of free agency in the National Hockey League just a day away, a fresh new wave of players just hit the market to try and find a buyer for their services. Yesterday was the deadline for teams to tender qualifying offers for their pending restricted free agents. While most pending RFAs…

  • Breaking Down The Penguins’ 2026 Development Camp Roster

    This morning, the Pittsburgh Penguins finalized their development camp roster. A group of over 30 players will take to the ice in three teams at the team’s practice facility up in Cranberry. Development camp starts today and runs through Friday at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. Four days of skating, practice, and goaltending sessions all…

  • Son Of Manon Rhéaume, First Woman To Play In NHL, Joins Penguins For Development Camp

    As development camp opens for the Pittsburgh Penguins at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, Pennsylvania, dozens of draftees, prospects, and hopefuls will take to the ice for a five-day camp which culminates with the prospect tournament at noon on Friday. This year’s camp roster is headlined by first-round picks like Will Horcoff (though…

  • Opinion: Pirates Have No Choice But To Buy At Deadline

    Last night was the same movie fans in Pittsburgh have seen time and time again: a rollercoaster, back-and-forth game that ultimately ended in heart break, the same way so many others have. The pitching was rocky; starter Jared Jones had another subpar start, giving up four runs (three earned) in less than five innings of…

  • Penguins Pick Up Interesting Bottom-Six Forward In Hendrix Lapierre

    Though it’s not quite on the level of a Brady Tkachuk, William Eklund, or Jordan Kyrou, the Pittsburgh Penguins did make an addition to their forward corps yesterday. General manager Kyle Dubas dealt some of his team’s extra draft capital to acquire forward Hendrix Lapierre from the division-rival Capitals yesterday, sending a 2027 third-round pick…

  • Pirates Reach Halfway Point With Best Record Since 2015

    During a sunny afternoon at PNC Park, the Pittsburgh Pirates took the series from the Seattle Mariners, capping off the three-game tilt with a 5-1 win. Continuing their rebound from a frustrating series opener loss on Tuesday, Pittsburgh’s second straight win was powered by another promising pitching performance by right-hander Bubba Chandler and aided by…

  • Penguins Could Buy Low On Patrik Laine In Free Agency

    On Monday, I wrote about Eeli Tolvanen, and how the pending free agent forward coming out of Seattle is a prime target for general manager Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tolvanen is a better bet from a predictability standpoint. Based on his track record from his days in Seattle, you more or less know…

  • Connor Zary Is The Exact Archetype Kyle Dubas Acquires

    This is one of the craziest pre-draft weeks in the history of the NHL. In the last few days alone, we’ve seen Brady Tkachuk, Simon Nemec, Jordan Kyrou, Bowen Byram, William Eklund, and Alex Tuch, all moved. With two days left until the first round of the NHL Draft on Friday, who knows what other…

  • Eeli Tolvanen Fits The Bill As Penguins Free Agency Target

    The offseason in the National Hockey League is well underway. The draft is less than a week out, the trade market is already piping hot, and free agency is just around the corner. Unfortunately for the chaos agents out there, this year’s pending free agency class is rather thin. However, there are still plenty of…

  • Penguins Have Surprisingly Few Picks In Upcoming Draft

    In less than a week, the hockey world will gather at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. For the Pittsburgh Penguins, it will mark the fourth draft conducted under general manager Kyle Dubas. This summer, his team is coming into the draft following their first playoff appearance in the Dubas…

  • Joey Bart Trade Proves Endy Rodríguez Rose To The Occasion

    Just over a month ago, catcher Endy Rodríguez had his biggest chance yet. And after missing all but 36 professional games over the last two years, turning 26 years old, and in a crowded catching position, one could argue it might have been his last. Following the injury to Joey Bart back in May, the…

  • Taking On Elias Pettersson Would Be Biggest Gamble Yet

    Now that the Stanley Cup has been awarded, the offseason is officially underway. The NHL Draft is just over a week away, and the start of free agency isn’t long after that. Trade activity is already picking up, with Nashville and Colorado, and San Jose and Buffalo already making trades. And if you listen to…

  • Carolina’s Stanley Cup Win Marks Five Straight Years Where A Former Penguin Has Won

    In the sixth and deciding game of one of the most thrilling Stanley Cup Finals in recent memory, Carolina captain and Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jordan Staal was the first to hoist Lord Stanley’s fabled mug as his Hurricanes won their second title in franchise history. Staal finished the postseason run with eight goals and…

  • The Problem With Having Multiple Bulk Relievers

    The Pittsburgh Pirates are teetering on the edge of a complete spiral. Following a sweep on the road in Atlanta and dropping two of three while hosting the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Pirates opened Bucco Luau weekend with an 8-3 loss at the hands of the Miami Marlins. Stop me if you’ve heard this before,…

  • Penguins’ Lack Of Clauses Gives Them A Ton Of Flexibility In Trade Market

    Dylan Larkin is the biggest non-Stanley Cup Final storyline in the NHL right now. The disgruntled Detroit Red Wing reportedly requested a trade last week, fed up after the organization now holds the league’s longest active playoff drought. Larkin has right to feel frustrated over Detroit’s lack of success, but he’s also put the Red…

  • Pirates Have To Give Tyler Callihan An Extended Run To Step Up

    Last night was one of the most energizing, incredible, and important wins of the season for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Dare I say it was the most important win of the season for a Pirates team that desperately, bitterly needed one. Pittsburgh came into the Wednesday night on a four-game skid, having suffered a sweep in…

  • Pirates Continue To Mash Against Shohei Ohtani

    Baseball is a weird, weird sport. With the Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers splitting the first two of a three-game series, the rubber match is set for Thursday at PNC Park. This series has been bonkers so far. A ten-run seventh inning by the Dodgers powered Los Angeles to a game one win, while…

  • Carson Fulmer’s On-Again, Off-Again Relationship With Pirates Takes Another Pause

    Like that one couple you know who it seems is always breaking up, then getting back together, then breaking up again, Carson Fulmer and the Pittsburgh Pirates are taking some time apart. News broke yesterday that the Pirates had traded the right-hander to the Seattle Mariners organization. Fulmer is the second pitcher the Pirates have…

  • Regarding The Pirates And Tarik Skubal

    Tarik Skubal’s time in Detroit might be coming to an end soon. The left-handed ace is in the final year of his contract, and with the Tigers staring down a 27-39 record and a fourth-place spot in the AL Central. His résumé speaks for itself. Skubal is a two-time Cy Young winner, two-time ERA leader,…

  • Can The Penguins Get Involved For Dylan Larkin?

    Hours before the puck dropped for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, news broke out of Detroit regarding their longtime captain Dylan Larkin. Per reporting from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Larkin has requested a trade from the Red Wings. This is all still very new, and according to Friedman’s original report no one involved…

  • Pirates Have To Hope Losing Joe La Sorsa Doesn’t Haunt Them

    The Pittsburgh Pirates desperately need bullpen help, but if they are looking to their Triple-A affiliate for answers, they will have to cross a name off that list. The team is reportedly trading reliever Joe La Sorsa to the Boston Red Sox. In exchange, the Pirates are getting everyone’s s favorite: cash considerations. The move…

  • It’s Time For A Bullpen Trade

    Wednesday night was nothing short of a disaster for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Leading 8-3 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, the Pirates would walk out of Daikin Park with their heads hung low, having blown a five-run lead and eventually losing 11-9. It was yet another loss attributed to the bullpen, an issue…

  • How The Garrett Trade And Herbig Extension Could Influence The Steelers

    It’s been a busy few days in the world of the NFL. On Monday, Pittsburgh’s divisional rivals over in Cleveland made the biggest deal of the offseason, trading the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams for outside linebacker Jared Verse (a first-round selection back in 2024), a…

  • Ex-Penguins In The Stanley Cup Final

    We started with 16 teams. Now, we’re down to two. After one of the shorter Conference Finals rounds in recent NHL history, the Vegas Golden Knights will meet the Carolina Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup Final, with puck drop for Game 1 tonight at 8pm in Raleigh. Vegas pulled off an incredible upset over Colorado,…

  • What A Difference A Year Makes

    On May 31st, 2025, the Pittsburgh Pirates secured an upset 5-0 win on the road in San Diego against the Padres. Andrew McCutchen hit a home run, four Pirates had multi-hit games, and a trio of bullpen arms helped keep the slate clean after left-handed starter Bailey Falter went over six strong innings. It was…

  • Who Is Tyler Callihan? How An Unknown Pirate Has Appeared In Three Straight Games

    Thursday night at PNC Park, Nick Gonzales opened the third of a four-game series against the Chicago Cubs batting seventh and playing third base. He flied out to center in his first at-bat of the game, and had a quiet three innings over on the hot corner. But Gonzales, who was dealing with left knee…

  • Taking A Look At The Rehab Stint Of Jared Jones Ahead Of MLB Return

    It’s official. Tonight, Jared Jones takes the mound for the Pittsburgh Pirates for the first time in 20 months, returning to Major League Baseball after recovering from UCL surgery. The 24-year-old, who made 22 starts in his rookie year, pitched to a 4.14 ERA, 1.192 WHIP, and 3.38 strikeout-to-walk ratio with a 6-8 record. Following…

  • How A Brisbane Big Leaguer Is Making An Impact In The Bullpen

    On Sunday, I wrote about the incredible rise of Esmerlyn Valdez, the 22-year-old power hitter who was playing in High-A ball a year ago at this time and now finds himself earning a major league salary. Valdez, by the way, hit his second home run of the season and first at PNC Park in front…