In defense of Jamie Dixon

We've all heard the whispers... "He can't win the big one" "So what if he wins the regular season, it's what a coach does in March that matters!", "Jamie Dixon is overrated". The head coach of the Pittsburgh Panthers has taken some flack these last few weeks after being bounced in the second round by Bulter. Although I may not agree with his coaching choices at the end of that particular game, I still think Dixon is a fantastic coach and would like him the be our head coach for a long time!

Fleury for MVP!

Turnaround stories and sports go hand and hand. Pittsburgh Penguins starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is having a great turnaround story himself this year. 

A Fresh Start

Coming off the heels of their 18th consecutive losing season, the Pittsburgh Pirates are less than a week away from beginning their 2011 campaign. With several key off-season acquisitions and the growth of their young talent, the Pirates plan on being more competitive in the NL Central this season.

And Now There Are Two

Since the day after the 2010 MLB Draft last June, the baseball world had unanimously pinned Anthony Rendon as the future first overall pick.  When the college baseball season opened last month, Rendon was, again, the consensus number 1 who could only be knocked down if he suffered another major injury.  Since then, Rendon has hit well, batting .341/.517/.565.  And yet, there has been something off about Rendon's season. 

Ian Snell Retires; Trades of Bucco Past

During the Pirates 18 season losing streak, the Pirates have been criticized for poor draft choices, frugal financial decisions, and horrible trades or "salary dumps".  While that has been true for the first decade, or so, making that determination to the Pirates' trade moves in the last few years is incorrect.  I hear it all the time: "the Pirates are bad because they trade away all their good players for bums."  I challenge any Pirate fan to give me five players the Pirates have traded that went on to have excellent careers since 2007.  Heck, I'll throw in the last 10 years; 2001.   

Sweet 16 Picks by Emily Mallon

Pens catching up to Flyers: Can they catch them?

Pittsburgh entered the night needing a win against Philadelphia, not only to gain points but also to boost confidence in their ability to catch up to the Flyers and hopefully overtake the top spot in the eastern conference.  It was a must win.  The Penguins pulled it off and came across as the more put together team in a well played game. 

Pittsburgh Steelers: Backup QB Charlie Batch Bankrupt, Super Bowl Rings For Sale

Most people in the Pittsburgh area, and fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers, know Charlie Batch as a great person and a decent backup quarterback. You usually hear stories of all of the charitable work that Batch does for the Pittsburgh community, most notably his hometown of Homestead, a suburb of Pittsburgh.

Why Dan Bylsma of the Pittsburgh Penguins Should Be Coach of the Year in the NHL

I want to start by saying that I know ESPN isn't the best place to go for hockey news and analysis, but I went to their NHL page anyway.


On there they have a page called "Trophy Tracker" that shows their front runners for all of the awards in the NHL, such as the Hart Trophy (MVP). They show the top five candidates in order for each award but only offer analysis for the Hart Trophy.

412 sportstalk's Sweet 16 Picks by Emily Mallon

The Sweet Sixteen kicks off tonight. By the end of the weekend, we'll have our Final Four. Here are my picks for games being played on Thursday:

Pittsburgh Penguins' Center Jordan Staal Is Stepping His Game Up for the Team

Pittsburgh sports fan are very passionate about their teams. However, sometimes this passion gets in the way of how they should actually view and criticize their team and the players that play for their team, especially when the Penguins lose.

Charlie Batch declares bankruptcy; could lose super bowl rings

One may ask themselves, “How in the world could a professional athlete ever be in position to declare bankruptcy?” It sounds crazy, right?


Well believe it or not, it happens quite often.

Matt Cooke's Punishment raises questoins

Matt Cooke put the Penguins organization in a really tough spot, with the playoffs looming right around the corner, with his latest calamity against Ryan McDonagh of the New York Rangers. Cooke's cheap shot to McDonagh's head has gotten him in a heap of trouble, again. All involved with the Penguins agree with the NHL's severe punishment to Cooke, who was suspended for the remainder of the regular season (10 games) and the first round in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Matt Cooke suspended for rest of the season. Time for him to go?

It's official, Pittsburgh Penguins' winger Matt Cooke has been suspended for the rest of the season and the first round of the playoffs by the NHL. Cooke has been suspended for his flying elbow that he delivered to defenseman Ryan McDonagh of the New York Rangers in the head one day earlier.

Matt Cooke does something stupid again. Time for him to go?

As a Pittsburgh Penguin fan, I'm finding it harder and harder to defend Pens' winger Matt Cooke. Not only has the NHL been meeting to discuss how to protect their players better recently, but Cooke's boss, Mario Lemieux, had recently wrote a letter to the NHL, saying that the league should discipline players more severely, and the teams that the guilty player plays for.

Pitt loses to Butler in the 2nd round

Pitt lost a heart breaker to Butler on Saturday night 71-70. Losing in the tournament always stings, but this one hurt worse for me than any other loss in Pitt history. Sure, Villanova was tough 2 years ago. They were the better team and made a great play to win the game. That's not what happened Saturday night. 

NL Central Preview

By, Mike Asti

Continuing my MLB division break downs heading into the 2011 season, I now move over to the National League and will cover the Central. This division was owned by the Cardinals over the last decade thanks mostly to Pujols. Phat Albert put together literally the best first 10 years to start a career in baseball history (I could probably argue sports). That hot opening act to his earned St. Louis multiple division titles, 2 NL pennants, and even a World Series crown in 2006. Is the Cards strangle hold on this division coming to an end? Will they officially pass the torch to the incumbent winners in Cincinnati? Will the new look Brewers and Cubs compete ALL season long? Will Pittsburgh extend their unfortunate record? These are some of the many questions as we move towards opening day.

News and notes from Friday's games

Pitt alum Sean Miller can flat out coach. His Arizona team faced a tough game against Memphis yesterday and walked away with the W. He's a young coaching talent that's starting to get the respect he deserves. (Remember the outstanding job he did at Xavier before leaving for Arizona).




Thursdays games were more exciting. Yesterday was full of blowouts and sloppy play.



Ohio State and Duke look like 2 teams ready to square off in the Final Four. Kansas struggled in the first half much like Pitt did on Thursday, but the Jayhawks pulled away in the second half.



Big East fans weren't surprised to see Marquette demolish Xavier. They're a tough team that never quits and many of their loses in the Big East were only by a few points.



Georgetown has seen better days. Their last win was on February 19th against South Florida.



Speaking of better days, Tennessee quit playing and let themselves get embarrassed by Michigan. In what could have been Bruce Pearls last time coaching the Volunteers, his kids stopped trying.



This weekend should be full of close games as teams compete to make it to the Sweet Sixteen! Happy watching!

written by Emily Mallon

Thoughts on the First Day of March Madness

Big East finished the day 4-2 with Pitt, WVU, UConn, and Cincinnati winning. Louisville and St. John's quick exits were shocking as both teams came into the tournament playing well.

Pitt to face Butler in NCAA Second Round

The Panthers beat UNC-Asheville 74-51 on Thursday afternoon. They will face the Butler Bulldogs on Saturday night at 7:10pm on TBS. Butler went to the championship game just one year ago and lost to Duke. This will not be an easy out for Pitt. Butler has experience, shooting, and intelligent guard play.

Rashard Mendenhall backs up Adrian Peterson. Says NFL players "parallel" to slaves

Apparently the way the NFL operates is "parallel"  to the way slaves were treated in America. Minnesota Vikings' running back Adrian Peterson made headlines the other day by saying that the players' place in the game to "modern-day slavery,"

The Pens best line: Staal, Cooke, and Kennedy

The Penguins as a whole have stepped up in a huge way in the absence of fellow teammates Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.  Dare I say that the Cooke, Staal, Kennedy line is the most noticeable with the media and out on the ice?  The most consistent?  I do. 

The Situation bombs at the Donald Trump Roast on Comedy Central

I watched the Roast of Donald Trump on Comedy Central last night and was in for a great surprise. Mike "The Situation" from MTV's "Jersey Shore" was asked to be a roaster of Trump. Why? Why the hell would he even be invited, let alone asked to do 10 minutes on stand-up comedy?

Pirates ongoing struggle: Lack of Chemistry

It has been 18 years since the Bucs last winning season, and although it’s been nice watching what the Steelers, and Penguins become two dominate franchises’, there’s still that baseball atmosphere that we all miss.  There are several possible reasons to why the Pirates have become such a poor franchise, but bad ownership has been the most discussed factor. 

Pens on a roll. Beat the Senators 5-1

The Pittsburgh Penguins looked great on Sunday against a depleted, bottom of the barrel Edmonton Oilers team, beating them 5-1.

Pittsburgh Penguins' Owner Mario Lemieux Calls out Gary Bettman and the NHL

Pittsburgh Penguins owner Mario Lemieux rarely speaks to the media, but when he does, it sure makes the headlines.

On Monday, Penguin fans were thrilled to learn that Sidney Crosby participated in a 15 minute skate and felt fine afterwords.

Sidney Crosby skates for the 1st time. Feels fine. Return likely

Pittsburgh Penguins fans are getting ready to explode in excitement, as it is now more and more likely that Sidney Crosby will be making a return this season.

Pitt gets a 1 seed

Pittsburgh Panther basketball fans know all too well about the men's team disappointing in tournaments. 

Which is why I don't think anyone was shocked or surprised when Pitt lost to UCONN in their first game in the Big East tournament.  I still believe Pitt is the better team, but that loss is just one of many that can be determined as disappointing. 

Pitt earns #1 seed

The Pittsburgh Panthers earned a #1 seed in Southeast region of the 2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Pitt kicks off the tournament on Thursday, March 17th at 3:10pm. The Panthers will face UNC-Asheville or Arkansas-Little Rock. (The play-in game will be played on Tuesday night on TruTV).

Is It Time for Hines Ward to Take the Backseat in the receiving corps?

by DJ Vasil

Hines Ward is a Steelers legend. Hines will go down as one of the greatest Steelers to ever play and can be considered the greatest Steelers receiver in History. Hines has been a Steelers receiver since 1998 and year in and year out Hines has been the man the Steelers quarterback has looked for whether it was Kordell Stewart, Tommy Maddox or Ben Roethlisberger; all have looked Hine's way when they needed a big catch.

Pittsburgh Pirates news and notes.

Hurdle Still Tinkering with Lineup

In an effort to be more productive on offense, Clint Hurdle has been mixing up the lineup on a daily basis since the start of Spring Training; specifically hitters 1-4.  Although star centerfielder Andrew McCutchen is the fastest player on the team (and maybe the entire league), Hurdle may use him in the three spot considering his projection to hit for more power as well as Jose Tabata's ability to get on base.  If I had to guess, I would project the line up to go Tabata, Walker, McCutchen and Alvarez.  At this point, it is impossible to tell.  Today, against the Red Sox, McCutchen sat out while Tabata moved to center and batted leadoff. Yesterday had a different look as players were engaged in split-squad games between the Phillies and Blue Jays.

What Wrist Injury?

After coming out early on Friday with a supposed wrist injury, Andrew McCutchen returned to the lineup Saturday to go 2-3 with a double and a homerun.  The Pirates, however, lost both games yesterday in split-squad play.  In 11 games this Spring, McCutchen is batting .321 with 2 homeruns, 6 RBI's and a .424 OBP.  He appears to be ready for April. 



Nothing oK with Offense

Against the Phillies yesterday, the Pirates struck out 11 times while against the Blue Jays, they struck out 7 times.  So far, the Pirates lead the Majors in strike outs with 138.  Their fielding percentage, however, is 7th in the league, a stat which may have to do with Manager Clint Hurdle's attention to detail and fundamentals.  Last year the Pirates were tied at the bottom of the league with the Nationals in errors with 127.


by Jon Pennline

Pens vs Sabers: Recap

by Lori Pometo

A lively game it was as the Penguins and Sabres faced off in Pittsburgh last night. It was a night of firsts. Both James Neal and Zbynek Michalek scored their first goals as Penguins. Chris Kunitz, made his first game appearance since being out with a lower body injury on February 4th. Kunitz replaced Cooke in the Cooke-Kennedy-Staal line and Cooke took Connor's spot for the night. There was a total of ten power plays throughout the game. The Pens had seven power plays, one of their all time highs but failed to score in any of the seven.

2011 MLB Division Preview: AL West

Congratulations to the Pitt Basketball team

Coach Dixon and Wanamaker set Records as Pitt Crushes South Florida

by Emily Mallon
Pitt needed to beat South Florida last night to hold onto their lead in the Big East. They also needed to show the rest of the country that they're the real deal and deserve a #1 seed. The Panthers got the memo.

They came out a little lethargic in the first half, but the second half everything was working and the Panthers won 66-50. Nasir Robinson had 18 points and Ashton Gibbs contributed 16 on Wednesday night. The Bulls didn't have an answer for Gary McGhee in the second half.
by Emily Mallon

Gilbert Brown looked great at the beginning of the game but it appears that an injury kept him away from most of the action. Here's hoping his injury is nothing major. Brown has been playing with a new fire the last few games.

He Cares About Winning: A Defense of Bob Nutting

by  Jon Pennline
After, quite possibly, the worst season (in a string of 18 losing seasons in a row) in franchise history which included a last place offense, defense and pitching staff that collected 57 wins in 162 chances, it appears Pirates fans are fed up with owner Bob Nutting.  On the outskirts, it is easy to see why.  Since becoming the owner in 2007, the Pirates have amassed a 254-393 record.  Couple that with the fact the Pirates will most likely finish under .500 again this year and it becomes all too apparent Nutting has not worked at making this a competitive team.

Steelers 2011 Draft Preview

by DJ Vasil

The 2011 NFL draft is fast approaching and sooner rather than later the Steelers will be on the clock with the 31^st pick in the draft.  There are a few areas the Steelers need to address in this upcoming draft. The two most important areas are the secondary mainly corner and the offensive line whether it would be a starter or just depth. 

Hines Ward Being on Dancing with the Stars Is Laughable

So Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward is going to be on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars". Ward will become the third active player in NFL history to join the show's cast. To me, this is completely laughable.  

I have to ask how would Hines Ward react if a teammate followed a subpar season by appearing on

Big East Race Close as Pitt Heads to USF

by Emily Mallon


Pitt heads to South Florida this evening to take on the Bulls. At their last meeting, USF gave Pitt all they could handle bringing the game within 2 points in the second half. This is a MUST WIN for the Panthers. 

2011 NFL Mock Draft 1st round

by Alex Muchnok

The 2010 NFL season was an exciting year to kick off the new decade. Rookies such as Lions defensive tackle, Ndamokung Suh, Rams quarterback Sam Bradford, and Steelers All-pro center, Maurkice Pouncey are proving to be potentially dominant players.  Rising stars like Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles, Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace, and Packers linebacker Clay Matthews took huge steps in becoming “household names”.