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    Two outs! Two!

    June 19th, 2007

    SEATTLE — With two outs in the fourth inning tonight, Ronny Paulino doubled hard to left field. Jack Wilson then flied out to center field, ending the inning. Routine stuff, right? Not quite. What you probably did not see on your TV screen was Paulino tagging up at second base — on what was the [...]

    SEATTLE — With Matt Capps out of the picture the next three days, Shawn Chacon should have no problem stepping in as the Pirates’ closer. Chacon has performed ably in two jobs already this season. He was excellent in middle relief, the only consistent middle-innings guy in the bullpen. He had less success as a [...]

    East meets West

    June 13th, 2007

    Welcome to PNC Park. Have a pierogi. The flock of Japanese media that’s here to cover Masumi Kuwata got a taste of Pittsburgh tonight, as it was kielbasa-and-pierogi night in the press dining room. The hometown grub wasn’t as good as what you’ll find during Nationality Days on Merchant Street in Ambridge — I still [...]

    Whiff!

    June 7th, 2007

    WASHINGTON — The Pirates used their first-round draft pick, the fourth overall selection, on Daniel Moskos, a left-hander from Clemson. Poor kid. I wonder if his first move after getting the call from GM Dave Littlefield was to set up his obligatory appointment for surgery with Dr. James Andrews. Considering the near-total lack of impact [...]

    A tribute to ugliness

    June 5th, 2007

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Spend five minutes inside RFK Stadium, and any nostalgia you might have for Three Rivers Stadium will evaporate. In a city with monuments to the Father of Our Country and the Great Emancipator, perhaps it’s only fitting there be a memorial for Great Mistakes in Sports Architecture. There are red and yellow [...]