-
Revisiting The Last Time The Penguins Beat The Oilers
Well, last night was another ugly loss, as the Penguins fell to the Oilers in Edmonton 4-0. Oilers netminder Stuart Skinner pitched his first shutout of the season against an uninspired Penguins team that was thoroughly outplayed in every facet of the game. It was Pittsburgh’s seventh loss in a row against Edmonton, with the…
-
Steelers Should Be Aggressive In Cooper Kupp Sweepstakes
The Steelers have to make a move at wide receiver. It’s something that literally all of us have been pounding the table for before the season even began. It has been an endless cycle of receivers that we have glommed onto and hoped that they could come to Pittsburgh and help solve our offensive problems.…
-
Beanie Baby: Five Thoughts On Steelers’ Week 7 Win
A primetime matchup. A halftime ceremony. Steeler legends in town. A former president in a suite. Career firsts on the offense and the defense. And the biggest decision of the season looming over the dark Pittsburgh sky. This game truly had everything. And at the end of the night, it had Najee Harris celebrating in…
-
Why Sending Rutger McGroarty To The AHL Will Benefit Him In The Long Run
When Rutger McGroarty was in a dispute with his draft team, the Winnipeg Jets, he made his beliefs very clear. McGroarty believed he had the ability and the skill set to make the jump from college hockey straight to the National Hockey League. McGroarty wanted to follow the same path that several of his University…
-
Jesse Puljujärvi Making A Strong Early Impression
Last week, in one of my Take Four appearances for The Pitt News, I wrote that this is a make or break year for Jesse Puljujärvi. I very much believe that. The 26-year-old is heading into his eighth NHL year, and in the second of a two year contract he signed with the Penguins last…
-
Miracle In The Desert: Five Thoughts On Steelers’ Week 6 Win
After tough losses in back to back games, the Steelers rebounded yesterday in Vegas with their biggest win of the season. The Steelers hung 32 points on the Raiders, their biggest offensive output since Week 16 of last year. In many ways, this game was an anomaly: the Steelers defense was over-delivering for even fans…
-
After Solid NHL Debut, Penguins Should Get Joel Blomqvist More Involved
The only positive to come out of last night’s 6-0 shellacking at the hands of the New York Rangers was that it was the first of a back-to-back. There was no time to dwell on a nightmare start to the season (one that tied the worst home opener loss in franchise history), because the Penguins…
-
Uninspired Penguins Get Shelled In Home Opener
Opening Night is awesome. It’s a new season, played on the ultimate fresh sheet of ice. The excitement and energy of the upcoming campaign always has the building buzzing. If only that energy was seen on the ice… As soon as the puck dropped on the new season for the hometown team and the visiting…
-
Ghosts: Five Thoughts On Steelers’ Week 5 Loss
That’s the longest we’ve stayed up to watch a Steelers game in…well I don’t even know how long. But we probably would have been better off just going to sleep before 1AM anyways. After a late game drive that saw the Steelers go on top 17-13 in the fourth quarter, the defense could not hold…
-
A Primer To Follow Pirates Prospects In The Arizona Fall League
Fall ball is officially here! Action in the Arizona Fall League kicks off today, as some of baseball’s best prospects meet out west in the sport’s off-season showcase. The Pittsburgh Pirates will have a big presence in Arizona this year, as some of their most discussed prospects will be suiting up and getting reps in…
-
Penguins Lose John Ludvig On Waivers
It was a busy day on the waiver wire yesterday. In a day where 25 players were placed on waivers, the Pittsburgh Penguins made sweeping cuts to their preseason roster, waiving 6 players in the hopes of assigning them to their American Hockey League affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. That list coming out of Pittsburgh was headlined…
-
The Only ‘Clear Evidence’ That Ben Cherington Has Is That He Has Failed
Though I’m sure there can always be some eleventh hour change of heart by the very top of Pirates brass, it sure seems as though both general manager Ben Cherington and manager Derek Shelton are staying. At least, that’s the outlook that was given by the Pirates today at Cherington’s end of year press conference.…
-
Giving Out 2024 Pittsburgh Pirates Awards
A few days ago, I listed out my five contenders for the most random Pittsburgh Pirate of the 2024 season. There’s a pretty good list this year on tap for this award, which you can read all about here. But now that the season is officially over, I want to give out some much more…
-
Inept In Indy: Five Thoughts On Steelers’ Week 4 Loss
This was a game of endless miscues. Frustrating, inexcusable, game-deciding miscues, and as a result, the Steelers will lose their first game of the season, falling to 3-1. The failed comeback attempt, led by Justin Fields and a surging offense, was admirable, but it quite frankly did not need to happen. Pittsburgh’s prized defense folded…
-
Who Was The Most Random Pirate In 2024?
Random and obscure players have always been some of my favorite athletes to discuss. To me, part of the joy in writing about sports is getting to explore and cover the careers of the players who aren’t the biggest names on any given roster. If you’ve followed the Pirates for a while, you’ve been subjected…
-
Whatever You Think About The Rowdy Tellez Situation, The Fallout Was Entirely Avoidable…And That’s The Real Issue
Yesterday was quite the day to be on Pirates Twitter/X, as the fallout from a shocking decision left this fanbase and the media very divided. The Pirates had announced that they were designating center fielder Michael A. Taylor and first baseman Rowdy Tellez for assignment. The minor league season is over, which means their seasons…
-
This Is Justin’s Job Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers are 3-0. They sit atop the AFC North and have won all three games in a variety of different ways. Though their defense has been the dominating factor in all three, their offensive work has varied. Week 1 saw Chris Boswell turn into Superman and go 6/6 on field goals, half of…
-
Electric Feel: Five Thoughts On Steelers’ Week 3 Win
What. A. Win. Though the final score only shows a 20-10 win for the Steelers in their home opener against the Los Angeles Chargers, this was an amazing win by Pittsburgh to improve to 3-0 on the season. Yesterday might not have been the “breakout” game for the offense as a whole that Arthur Smith…
-
Five Bold Penguins Predictions For The 2024-25 Season
Hockey is almost back! The preseason for the Pittsburgh Penguins got underway last night, with the Penguins sending a chunk of their training camp roster up to Buffalo for the first preseason game of the year. It’s been a long offseason, and a very interesting one for the Penguins. They were busy in the trade…
-
Pirates Recall Triple-A Team’s Pitcher Of The Year
It’s another moving day for Jake Woodford, who found himself designated for assignment again by the Pirates before tonight’s game. Woodford was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis after his previous DFA’ing to pitch last night’s affair in St. Louis, where inn 4.2 innings he surrendered 4 earned runs and a homer. In his place, the team…
-
Would The Pirates Try Henry Davis In Right Field Again?
It’s becoming a big question as we start to figure out what this Pittsburgh Pirates roster looks like in 2025. Where is Henry Davis going to play? Though Davis has been largely awful, especially in the batting department, during his brief stints as a big leaguer, there’s no doubt that the former first overall pick…
-
Mile High Mania: Five Thoughts On Steelers’ Week 2 Win
In a sloppy, gritty, penalty-filled affair in the Mile High City, the Steelers should consider themselves lucky to have escaped with a 13-6 win against the Broncos. It wasn’t the Russell Wilson revenge game we all had circled on our calendars, as he was hampered by that calf injury and was declared the emergency third…
-
If Billy Cook Isn’t Playing Every Day, What Was The Point?
Friday night is always a good night for a visit to the ballpark. No matter how good the team is performing…and they aren’t performing well. The Pirates fell to 70-77 in their series opener against the Kansas City Royals. Luis Ortiz was lit up in the second inning as the Royals hung 6 on the…
-
Comparing Corliss Waitman To Pressley Harvin
Corliss Waitman is back for another round with the Pittsburgh Steelers. After suffering three seasons of subpar performances at the punting position, the Steelers finally believed they had shored up that spot on special teams when they signed Cameron Johnston out of free agency. They may still have the answer for the future, but the…
-
Looking At Penguins PTOs From Last Year
Fall is here, and the hockey season is right around the corner. Training camps around the NHL will be opening up in just a few weeks, and we are getting into an interesting point in the offseason. A lot of veteran players are still unsigned, and teams will be handing out some professional try outs…
-
King Boswell: Five Thoughts On Steelers’ Week 1 Win
It certainly wasn’t the way that the Steelers drew it up…like, at all, but the Steelers picked up a Week 1 win in Atlanta against the Falcons. Led by Justin Fields, who was confirmed to be taking over for an injured Russell Wilson just a few hours before kickoff, the Steelers strung together just enough…
-
Billy Cook Makes Immediate Impact In His Pirates Debut
There was a ton of questioning going on yesterday when the Pirates played both games of a double header without having Henry Davis even make an appearance. As it turned out, Davis couldn’t. This morning, the team placed him on the 10-Day Injured List, retroactive to an injury suffered Thursday. In his place, however, we…
-
Naming New Penguin Captains
As I admittedly do too often, I found myself scrolling down Twitter/X and came across a snippet of an article that mentioned Marcus Pettersson. I tracked this article down and found it in The Athletic. It was part of a larger state of the team-style piece written by Josh Yohe, which you can find here…
-
The Domingo Germán Experiment Is, Was, And Always Will Be A Ben Cherington Disaster
Heading into his fifth year on the job, Ben Cherington was facing a media nightmare before the season began. The general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates had done his best to defend his highly controversial signing of pitcher Domingo Germán to a one year deal in free agency. Germán’s extremely concerning past had included a…
-
Pirates Claim A Lefty Off Waivers; A Quick Intro To Joey Wentz
There’s a new arm in town. Well, he’ll be here eventually. The Pirates announced earlier today that they have claimed pitcher Joey Wentz off waivers from the Detroit Tigers. Since he has no options, the Pirates will be forced to make a corresponding move to their 28-man roster, but we’ll all have to be in…
-
Derek Shelton Is Merely Rearranging The Deck Chairs With David Bednar Decision
Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton made a decision that many fans have been wanting, or have at least been open to, for months. A few days ago, he told Pirates reporters that the team would be moving David Bednar out of the closer role, at least for the short term. Shelton didn’t commit to a…
-
Dennis Santana Has Been Lights Out Post-All Star Break
Though the Pittsburgh Pirates are still mostly in a tailspin, and the calendar turning to September kicks off the final month of the season, one of the few still inspiring stories of this Pirates team is Dennis Santana. Santana, who was claimed off waivers from the New York Yankees back on June 11th, was coming…
-
Will Kyle Dubas Try And Swing A Deal For RFA Nick Robertson?
It was a pretty underwhelming offseason in Toronto for the Maple Leafs. The changes that fans were yearning for, after yet another first round playoff exit, did not come. The Leafs are trying it at least one more time with their core four that accounts for over $45 million. The biggest stories of the hockey…
-
Week 1 Steelers Starters You Might Have Forgot About
NFL rosters are changing all the time. The last few days have been crazy. With the NFL regular season about to get underway, the most stressful time of year for fringe and unproven players is over. Training camp and preseason roster cuts are over, and teams have officially established their 53-man rosters. Every year’s new…
-
Pirates Announce A Stunner: Oneil Cruz Will Become A Center Fielder
Pirates manager Derek Shelton made some big headlines today when he told reporters that the team plans to move shortstop Oneil Cruz to the outfield. With Nick Gonzales returning to the active roster today (along with Jared Jones), he will reclaim the second base spot, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa will take over at shortstop. Cruz, meanwhile,…
-
One Key Difference That Henry Davis Needs To Build Upon In Latest Recall
Folks, he’s back. Per Andrew Destin, the Pirates are recalling former first overall pick Henry Davis in the wake of Joey Bart’s hamstring injury. Bart will go on the Injured List in a corresponding move. Davis was expected to be one of several players called up by the Pirates once the calendar flipped to September,…
-
The Writing Is On The Wall For Michael A. Taylor
The Pirates made a LOT of player moves yesterday, at multiple levels of their organization. At the major league level, the team selected the contract of Brady Feigl, recalled Henry Davis from Triple-A, and placed veteran outfielder Michael A. Taylor on outright waivers. None of these moves were things anyone saw coming (except for maybe…
-
A Grand Old Time: Yasmani Grandal Is Secretly On A Tear Right Now
If you take a look at his season long stat line, or if you polled the Pirates fanbase about their feelings on him, you wouldn’t believe the incredible hot streak that Yasmani Grandal is on. But the veteran catcher has been one of this team’s best bats in recent weeks, providing some offense from the…
-
Brady Feigl, 33, Set To Soon Make Major League Debut
Though perhaps not having as many minor and foreign league games under his belt as Drew Maggi from last year, the Pirates about to promote a veteran player who has played 277 games before making the major leagues. Brady Feigl, 33 years old, had his contract selected this afternoon after the team placed Hunter Stratton…
-
Trying To Rank Every Penguins Trade This Offseason
It’s been a very interesting offseason for the Pittsburgh Penguins. In his first true summer on the job as a general manager (with a season of him in charge to better evaluate), Kyle Dubas led a very uncharacteristic offseason for the Penguins. He made multiple deals to acquire undesirable contracts, getting draft picks in the…
-
The Jake Woodford Experiment Is About To End, Rightfully So
Jake Woodford has traveled many places this season. A former four year big leaguer with the St. Louis Cardinals, the 27-year old started his 2024 baseball season with the Charlotte Knights, the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. In 10 starts for the Knights, he went 1-3 with a 5.26 ERA, 1.389 WHIP, and…
-
Penguins Extend PTO To Nikolai Knyzhov
The Penguins made headlines yesterday when they swapped forward prospect Brayden Yager for Rutger McGroarty, but that wasn’t the only personnel move the team made. Earlier in the day, the team had announced that they signed defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov to a professional try out. Knyzhov is the first player that the Penguins have signed to…
-
What Are The Penguins Getting In Rutger McGroarty?
This was certainly not a deal anyone was expecting. Th Penguins and Winnipeg Jets have completed a deal that sent Pittsburgh’s top forward prospect for Winnipeg’s top forward prospect. The trade is one for one. The Penguins and general manager Kyle Dubas acquired forward Rutger McGroarty from the Jets, giving up Brayden Yager to do…
-
Pirates To Use Domingo Germán As A Starter In Latest Experimental Role
During last night’s game, as Mitch Keller was dominating on the mound for the Pittsburgh Pirates, it was unclear who would be following him up the next day. The Pirates had not yet confirmed who would start for the club in a game that now will decide the winner of Pittsburgh’s series in Texas against…
-
Jared Jones Looks Much Better In Third Rehab Start
Jared Jones has not pitched for the Pirates in over a month and a half, but earlier in August it looked like we were getting pretty close to seeing Jones get activated off the Injured List. All that he had to do was get back on track in a rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis, and…
-
Aw, Shucks: Remembering When The Pirates Tried To Create Their Own Two-Way Player
A two-way player would be the dream for any Major League Baseball team. Even if they were never able to reach the stardom that Shohei Ohtani has, having somebody who could take to the mound and also to the plate would be an invaluable addition. That was especially the case for National League teams all…
-
Billy McKinney Is Deserving Of This Call Up
All reports indicate that the Pirates plan on meeting Billy McKinney in Texas when the Pirates travel there for a series against the Rangers. Pirates reporter Noah Hiles posted that McKinney is expected to be with the team and officially added to the 40-man roster before Pittsburgh’s game against the Rangers. As for who is…
-
Breaking Down One Of Baseball’s Most Insane Splits
Yasmani Grandal has been a frequent topic of conversation around Pirates fans and online circles. Grandal’s defensive work behind the plate as catcher has been incredibly spotty over the year, from dropping pitches to failing to come up with big-time tags at home. His bat has also been the subject of a lot of criticism.…
-
Talking About JuJu Smith-Schuster And A Potential Steelers Return
It’s a sort of natural way of thinking here in Pittsburgh, that wherever an ex-Steeler, Penguin, or Pirate are released/have left a new team, we talk about a potential reunion. For many, I know that those discussions have become a nuisance, and so when I suggest that there’s a real potential for the Steelers to…
-
Four Under The Radar New Penguins To Keep An Eye On
We’re one day closer to hockey season, and that also means we’re one day closer to training camp for the Penguins. This year will be extremely interesting to watch, given how many depth players will be competing for a finite amount of roster spots. Last year, I made a list of five under the radar…
-
Ex-Pirate Martín Pérez Carves Up His Former Team As Pirates Lose 10th Straight
Things can’t possibly be going any worse for the Pittsburgh Pirates right now. Coming into this afternoon’s tilt with the San Diego Padres, the Pirates were looking to avoid losing their tenth straight loss. Having been swept by the Padres back at home, then on the road vs the Dodgers, the Pirates were also looking…
-
Discussing The Cody Glass Deal
Kyle Dubas has had one busy day today. After swinging a pick swap deal with the St. Louis Blues, he has also brought a new face to town by the name of Cody Glass. The Penguins acquired the forward, along with two draft picks, from the Nashville Predators in exchange for a minor league forward.…
-
Explaining The Pick Swap Deal Between The Penguins And Blues
The Penguins made a bit of an odd announcement this morning, when they published a trade between themselves and the St. Louis Blues. In this deal, the Penguins acquired a 2026 second round pick and a 2025 third round pick, in exchange for a 2025 second round pick and a 2026 fifth round pick. If…
-
The Marco Gonzales Experiment Is Over…And It Didn’t Work
Well, it’s going to be very interesting at the end of this season when we have to evaluate this Pittsburgh Pirates roster. But one player we already can take a final look at is Marco Gonzales. Ahead of the team’s eighth straight loss, this time in heartbreaking fashion to the Padres in San Diego, the…
-
Allegheny City’s Bids Fall Short In 1889
By the time 1889 rolled around, ownership of the Allegheny City ballclub, which included William A. Nimick, was eager to put a winning team on the field. The Alleghenys had just one winning season, coming back in 1886, and had none since jumping ship from the American Association to the National League. Last season, in…
-
Ben Heller’s Wild Ride
Folks, I’m not going to lie to you. I feel like I owe a little something to Ben Heller. Fifth Avenue Sports got a major spike in views back when Ben Heller earned his first promotion from Triple-A to the major leagues. My article on Heller back when he was still appearing in Indianapolis on…
-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Fifth Avenue Sports 