Kevin Gorman Columns category, Page 2

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88

Kevin Gorman: Pulse of Pirates can beat with Bryan Reynolds, his big bat

BRADENTON, Fla. There’s an expression baseball coaches have for hitters like Bryan Reynolds, a compliment as much for his approach to the plate as for the simplicity of his swing. When talking about Reynolds, Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton borrowed a phrase his predecessor, Clint Hurdle, liked to use: Slow...

Kevin Gorman's Take 5: Baseball needs its best players to speak up like LeBron on scandal

BRADENTON, Fla. — LeBron James might not play baseball but the NBA icon has earned the respect of professional athletes for using his platform to speak up on social issues. When the Los Angeles Lakers star called out MLB commissioner Rob Manfred on Twitter for his handling of the Houston...

Kevin Gorman: Joe Musgrove suffers in silence amid talk of Houston Astros' tainted title

BRADENTON, Fla. Jameson Taillon held court with reporters Wednesday inside the clubhouse at Pirate City about MLB commissioner Rob Manfred’s handling of the Houston Astros’ cheating scheme that led to a World Series championship. Joe Musgrove stood in silence at the next locker. It was indicative of how tricky the...

Kevin Gorman's Take 5: For Derek Shelton, having Pirates alums at spring training is 'awesome'

BRADENTON, Fla. — A trio of World Series champions for the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates are familiar faces around Pirate City but their presence is profound for Derek Shelton. The new Pirates manager had one word for alums John Candelaria, Omar Moreno and Manny Sanguillen serving as special instructors at spring...

Kevin Gorman: Miserable major-league debut fuels Mitch Keller to live up to expectations

BRADENTON, Fla. Mitch Keller can’t put his finger on what went wrong in a miserable major league debut when he gave up six hits, including a grand slam, and surrendered six runs in the first inning of a Memorial Day massacre at Cincinnati. It was painful to watch, even more...

Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Pirates willing to give Erik Gonzalez a long look at third base

The Pittsburgh Pirates have failed to find a full-time starter at third base since Pedro Alvarez left the hot corner, trying Jung Ho Kang, David Freese and Colin Moran there to no avail. Where Freese was sent to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the 2018 trade deadline, Kang bombed out...

Kevin Gorman: Derek Shelton's intentions get Pirates' attention for first full-squad workout

RADENTON, Fla. Derek Shelton understood the magnitude of the moment for his speech before the first full-squad workout of his first spring training as manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Now that he had their attention, he wanted their intentions. Shelton is sending a new, player-centric message to the team: He...

Kevin Gorman: Making the majors a tall order for Pirates shortstop prospect Oneil Cruz

BRADENTON, Fla. – Things are looking up at shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates, as top prospect Oneil Cruz is officially listed at 6-foot-7 after being measured at his physical exam. Cruz is the tallest position player at the major-league camp in spring training at Pirate City, and hopes to become...

Kevin Gorman: Jarrod Dyson is nothing if not completely candid when it comes to the Pirates

BRADENTON, Fla. — Jarrod Dyson was with the Pittsburgh Pirates for all of a day when he had the clubhouse cracking up, pulling a stack of scratch-off lottery tickets out of his leather backpack that fell to the floor like a Slinky. “I’m messing around, trying to hit the lotto...

Pirates' Trevor Williams works on building strong foundation, adds new pitch

BRADENTON, Fla. — Trevor Williams dropped weight and got a new delivery in the offseason, a development he deadpanned had nothing to do with baseball. Instead, it was pure exhaustion. “It’s stress that’s taking the pounds off,” Williams said with a laugh, as his family expanded from three...

Kevin Gorman: Oscar Marin on mission to help Pirates pitchers understand analytics

BRADENTON, Fla. Oscar Marin is a man on a mission, one that looked impossible last summer: rescue and revive the pitching staff of the Pittsburgh Pirates. As pitching coach, the 37-year-old Marin has brought old-school values and new-age ideas to the Pirates in ways Ray Searage either couldn’t or wouldn’t....

Kevin Gorman: Pirates' search for shortstop of future starts with Kevin Newman, Cole Tucker

BRADENTON, Fla. Kevin Newman and Cole Tucker are former first-round picks who play the same position for the Pittsburgh Pirates. When it comes to their performance, the shortstops are more opposites than anything. Where Newman had a nondescript debut in the major leagues in August 2018, Tucker made an unforgettable...

Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Are you ready for some Pirates spring training football?

BRADENTON, Fla. – When Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers started to activate for workouts – a fancy way of saying to warm up – they found a football on the half-fields at Pirate City. Soon enough, Derek Holland had it in his hands. The left-hander got Kyle Crick, Keone Kela, Mitch Keller,...

Kevin Gorman: Adjusted arm angle has Pirates first baseman Josh Bell throwing like Teke

BRADENTON, Fla. — When Josh Bell fielded the grounder at first base and spun for the throw to second, he did so in a way that should draw the instant attention of Pittsburgh Pirates fans. The short-arm throw that made you cringe every time he tried to turn two? Now,...

Kevin Gorman's Take 5: Signing Jarrod Dyson will force Pirates to make an interesting move

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Pittsburgh Pirates declared one important move Wednesday when manager Derek Shelton named Keone Kela the closer but are waiting to make a formal announcement on another. Their search for a center fielder to replace Starling Marte brought about an agreement to sign Jarrod Dyson, whose one-year,...

Kevin Gorman: A special start for new Pirates manager Derek Shelton

BRADENTON, Fla. This was the first workout for Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers and catchers, so full uniforms were required for the first time in spring training at Pirate City. That meant something special to Derek Shelton, as it marked the first time he wore a black Pirates jersey and gray uniform...

Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Pirates players weigh pros, cons of MLB plotting playoff expansion

The playoff picture is the furthest thing from the minds of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who started spring training without their best all-around player, ace pitcher and All-Star closer on a roster with a projected payroll around $50 million. That didn’t stop us from asking Pirates players about a New York...

Kevin Gorman: Pirates pitchers hope Tommy John recovery becomes 'instant classic'

BRADENTON, Fla. What began as a friendly, one-on-one basketball game between a pair of pitchers at Pirate City turned into a tug-of-war that left Jameson Taillon and Chad Kuhl physically spent — all because of three words. No, not Tommy John surgery. Win. By. Two. The winner would be whoever...

Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: New-look Pirates back to being all about baseball

The first sign that things are different with the Pittsburgh Pirates this spring training was the missing signs. The hallway outside the clubhouse at Pirate City didn’t have any of the inspirational messages and mottos posted on the walls that were hallmarks of the previous regime. Hanging in their place...

Kevin Gorman: Keone Kela wants to become something bigger than Pirates closer

BRADENTON, Fla. The least surprising storyline of spring training for the Pittsburgh Pirates is Keone Kela enters it with every intention of claiming the closer’s role. Kela is the front-runner to go from setup man to stopper to replace jailed two-time All-Star Felipe Vazquez, given the effectiveness Kela showed in...

Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Position battles take center stage at Pirates spring training

If there is optimism surrounding the Pittsburgh Pirates entering spring training, it’s with the change in leadership. The starting lineup is another story. New Pirates manager Derek Shelton inherits a 93-loss team minus its ace pitcher, All-Star closer, veteran catcher and best all-around player when pitchers and catchers report to...

Kevin Gorman: New Pirates manager Derek Shelton's short, sweet message: Have fun

The Pittsburgh Pirates wanted a new voice with a new message, and they got their wish when Clint Hurdle was fired after his was tuned out too often over the last of his nine seasons. Derek Shelton is preparing for his first spring training as a major-league manager by practicing...

Kevin Gorman: Can Joe Musgrove become the leader the Pirates need? Maybe he already has

Joe Musgrove wasn’t showing a gap-toothed smile when he talked about “taking it in the teeth” and how the Pittsburgh Pirates’ season went south amid clubhouse chaos. But Musgrove knew what was missing. “We had a lot of internal problems going and some issues getting things together on the field,”...

Kevin Gorman: Timing would be terrible for Pitt's Pat Narduzzi to leave for Michigan State

We’ve always known it was only a matter of time before Mark Dantonio would leave Michigan State and speculation would surround Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi’s name to surface as successor. That countdown started only seconds after the news broke. And the timing is terrible. When Dantonio abruptly retired Tuesday —...

Kevin Gorman: Pitt proves wins don't need to be pretty

Jeff Capel was trying to tell his Pitt players to shoot less with hesitation and more with conviction, no small feat in a game where you wouldn’t hesitate to convict the Panthers for their putrid performance from the perimeter. Miami abandoned its man-to-man defense and packed the paint with a...

‹ Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next ›

Pittsburgh local music spotlight: Mellowscape

Front Porch Theatricals' musical 'Baby' is a labor of love

Washington townhouse on the market for $1,225,000

Folk legend Bruce Cockburn gives uplifting performance at City Winery

‘Champagne & Chapeaux’: Westmoreland Symphony's annual soiree for a good cause

More Editor's Picks >