Blogs

CINCINNATI — When the Pirates hired Jeff Andrews as pitching coach, I said it might be the most important offseason move the team made — bigger than bringing in John Russell, more crucial than any free-agent signing they made or could have made. The consensus about Andrews was that his familiarity with most of the [...]

My furnace kicked on at 7 o’clock this morning as the kids were getting ready for school. Cripes, I thought, I hate still having to throw money at Dominion Peoples to pay a heating bill in mid-May. It was a balmy 60 degrees tonight at PNC Park when Paul Maholm threw the first pitch against [...]

CHICAGO — At Penn State, I majored in journalism with a minor in political science. I took enough math courses to ensure I’d get my degree, but certainly no more than were necessary. And I have never read one of Bill James’ books cover to cover. I’m not a numbers guy. That all being said, [...]

ST. LOUIS — While covering last night’s Pirates-Cardinals game at Busch Stadium, I also was sneaking peeks at the Penguins-Flyers playoff game on my laptop — no need for Versus; I managed to tap into an Internet video stream of the CBC’s “Hockey Night in Canada” broadcast. The best of both worlds! Last night, fireworks [...]

Xavier Nady’s sore groin is not stopping him from going all-out when the Pirates need a big play. Friday night, Nady turned in two top-notch defensive efforts in right field and hustled for an extra-base hit to help the Pirates slip past the Braves, 3-2. The injury slowed Nady early last week, but hasn’t kept [...]

Is the arrival of Jason Michaels, who was acquired Thursday in a trade for next to nothing, a signal of Jason Bay’s departure? Probably … but not right away. It’s no secret the Pirates were shopping Bay over the winter but were far less than impressed by the offers they received. Bay’s been hitting well [...]

Probably the biggest letdown of the Pirates’ season so far is the starting rotation. Over the past week or so, the two most reliable members of the rotation have been a guy who until Tuesday hadn’t won a game in nearly a year (Zach Duke) and a guy who owns exactly one victory in the [...]