Kevin Gorman Columns category, Page 14
Kevin Gorman: Pros and cons to Penguins playing playoff hockey in March
The Pittsburgh Penguins are providing a treat typically reserved for April and beyond, playing a brand of hockey over a seven-game stretch this month that has positioned them for the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Penguins are 5-1-1 since March 1, with back-to-back wins over two of the NHL’s hottest teams...
Kevin Gorman: Spotlight shines on Evgeni Malkin as Penguins star scores 1,000th pointVideo
Even after his milestone moment, Evgeni Malkin expression was more of relief than reward, more exasperation than celebration. Scoring the 1,000th point of his NHL career had become more burdensome than anything for the Pittsburgh Penguins center, who prefers to play in the shadows instead of the spotlight but was...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Two points for Penguins, 1,000 for Evgeni Malkin
The Pittsburgh Penguins made it clear every point counts. That was especially true against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night at PPG Paints Arena, where the Penguins were going for two points. Not only did they want the two points to pull within four points of the first-place Caps in...
Kevin Gorman: Antonio Brown deal a disaster for Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers allowed Antonio Brown to abandon his team, talk his way out of town, sabotage his trade value and still end up with a new contract that makes him the NFL’s highest-paid wide receiver with $30 million guaranteed. For their troubles, the Steelers got the equivalent of Martavis...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Steelers are done with Antonio Brown, for better or worse
Antonio Brown got what he wanted – a new team and a new contract – and the Pittsburgh Steelers got rid of a headache that had become a migraine for one of the NFL’s flagship franchises. The Steelers will trade the four-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver to...
Kevin Gorman: Pitt’s Jared Wilson-Frame puts punctuation on final game at PeteVideo
Jeff Capel wanted Pitt to punctuate its ACC regular-season finale by stopping its 13-game losing streak, and the first-year coach likened it to putting a period at the end of a paragraph. For Jared Wilson-Frame, it was an exclamation point. The Pitt senior got to walk off the floor at...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Pitt snaps losing streak by beating Notre Dame in home finale
Pitt needed a victory against Notre Dame on Saturday at Petersen Events Center, not just because it was the final home game for three seniors. The Panthers needed a big win so they wouldn’t be the biggest losers. A loss would have secured back-to-back 20-loss seasons for the first time...
Kevin Gorman: Jake Guentzel’s goal is to push Penguins into playoffsVideo
Jake Guentzel doesn’t deny he is goal-oriented, even if the Pittsburgh Penguins winger is focused more on the standings than his statistics as he approaches a meaningful milestone. It’s more about the race than the chase. Guentzel’s overtime winner against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night was his 33rd goal...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Penguins beat Blue Jackets for critical conference win
Only two points separated the Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets for eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings, so their Metropolitan Division game had Stanley Cup playoff implications. That their meeting Thursday night at PPG Paints Arena was the first of back-to-back games between the division rivals — they...
Kevin Gorman: Despite spring struggles, top prospect Mitch Keller hopes to be ‘big piece’ for PiratesVideo
When Mitch Keller arrived at his first big-league spring camp, the 22-year-old right-handed pitcher found his locker situated between the stalls of Jameson Taillon, Garth Brooks and Chris Archer at Pirate City. As awestruck as he was to be next to a country music legend, Keller was more enamored by...
Kevin Gorman: Baseball’s first female broadcast booth will be so Cool
Suzie Cool still can’t believe how quickly she became the center of a story that went viral on social media so fast she was soon reading about herself making history on Sports Illustrated’s website. Only a year after Cool became the Carolina League’s first female broadcaster, the Salem (Va.) Red...
Kevin Gorman: It’s time for Starling Marte to be what the Pirates need
When Starling Marte speaks of submitting to whatever ideas the Pittsburgh Pirates have for him this season, the 30-year-old centerfielder says he not only “recognized and acknowledged but embraced” that their longest-tenured player also should be one of their leaders. That might seem natural for an eighth-year veteran, but it’s...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Steelers offer no guarantees as circus leaves town
The more the Pittsburgh Steelers talk about Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell and Ben Roethlisberger, the more they deny that one of the NFL’s flagship franchises has become the NFL version of a three-ring circus. Whether it’s Art Rooney II or Kevin Colbert doing the talking, the Steelers are starting to...
Kevin Gorman: After winning Gold Glove, Pirates’ Corey Dickerson focused on what’s nextVideo
Corey Dickerson followed his first All-Star Game appearance in 2017 with his first Gold Glove last season, so it was only natural to ask the Pittsburgh Pirates leftfielder about his goals for this season. Dickerson was a step ahead of me, not just in answering the question. In nearly two...
Kevin Gorman: Erik Gudbranson the guy Penguins want in their cornerVideo
Erik Gudbranson was stranded Tuesday in Toronto’s airport for nearly five hours, plenty of time to contemplate the 11th-hour trade that sent him from the Vancouver Canucks to the Pittsburgh Penguins. While following the box score of their game at the Columbus Blue Jackets on his phone, Gudbranson saw that...
Kevin Gorman: Penguins GM Jim Rutherford keeps trading away his mistakes
With the Penguins tied for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference entering Tuesday’s game, general manager Jim Rutherford wasn’t able to make any magical trade-deadline deals. Rutherford added much-needed toughness in Erik Gudbranson, but the Penguins dealing for defensemen at the NHL trade deadline was a...
Kevin Gorman: Jung Ho Kang’s smashing spring debut a strong sign for Pirates
BRADENTON, Fla. The Pittsburgh Pirates are focused on their great unknowns, from finding a fifth starter in their rotation to an everyday shortstop to solidifying their middle infield and locating a potential power bat. Perhaps the greatest unknown is what the Pirates will get out of third baseman Jung Ho...
Kevin Gorman: Andrew McCutchen and Phillies a reminder of Pirates’ choices
CLEARWATER, Fla. Andrew McCutchen was sitting at his locker stall and twisting the locks atop his head when asked why he signed a free-agent contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. McCutchen broke into a broad smile. “See what they offered me?” McCutchen said, laughing in reference to his three-year, $50-million contract....
Kevin Gorman: Hard to embrace Bob Nutting’s spin on Pirates’ payroll
BRADENTON, Fla. — Spend an hour asking Bob Nutting questions and the first thing baseball fans want to know is whether even the Pittsburgh Pirates chairman believes his own bull. The answer is an unapologetic yes. Nutting puts a politician’s spin on his ownership, with evasive answers that tend to...
Kevin Gorman: Pirates put faith in Trevor Williams to throw first punchVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — Trevor Williams could wear his second half of last season as a badge of honor, when the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander ranked among the best pitchers in baseball. But Williams doesn’t find his identity in the game, even though he is thankful to count his blessings that he...
Kevin Gorman: Adam Frazier looks forward to starting at second for Pirates
BRADENTON, Fla. Adam Frazier has played a handful of positions for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the infield and outfield but was in danger of becoming a jack-of-all-trades and master of none. Frazier showed he could play second base, shortstop and third base, as well as all three outfield positions but...
Kevin Gorman: New hitting coach Rick Eckstein pushes Pirates to tap into powerVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. When the Pittsburgh Pirates prioritized tapping into their potential for power, they turned to a man who is small in stature but has a reputation for being big with the bat. New hitting coach Rick Eckstein, charged with changing the club’s philosophy in its preparation at the plate...
Kevin Gorman: Mobility a priority for Pirates’ Colin MoranVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. Colin Moran didn’t need an exit meeting with the Pittsburgh Pirates last fall to be told what he should work on in the offseason if he wanted to remain their starting third baseman. It was that obvious. “I was pretty honest evaluation-wise,” Moran said Friday at Pirate City....
Kevin Gorman: Pirates need to make Jameson Taillon an offerVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. Jameson Taillon follows the business side of baseball with keen interest, from free agency to arbitration, and the Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher was captivated by a trio of cases that could affect his future as the face of the franchise. Mostly, Taillon was thrilled to see Gerrit Cole win...
Kevin Gorman: Pirates feel ‘something special’ but better have a Plan BVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. The first practice for Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers and catchers was forced indoors by rain, but the cool temperatures and overcast skies didn’t dampen Clint Hurdle’s spirit. “It’s a good first day,” Hurdle said Wednesday at Pirate City. “We got the audible early from Plan A and went to...
