Ben Roethlisberger eyes prize above deal

By Ron Cook / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports

July 25, 2014

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger takes part in minicamp on the South Side.(Matt Freed, Post-Gazette)

In Ben Roethlisberger's perfect world, he gets a rich contract extension before the NFL season opens Sept. 7 at Heinz Field against the Cleveland Browns and another world championship when it ends Feb. 1 in Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Ariz. But if he had to choose between the two, he would take another ring, No. 3, for his big right hand. That is the competitor inside him. Roethlisberger reports today to Saint Vincent College for Steelers training camp and the start of his second decade as the team's quarterback. If that doesn't make you feel old, nothing will. Roethlisberger knows he's fairly deep into the back nine of his football career. Now, more than ever, he is driven by wins and championships. The money is going to come, anyway.

"I like where we are as a team. I really do," Roethlisberger said. "I have a really good feeling about this season."

OK, so Roethlisberger isn't going to say he expects the Steelers to stink. There's just no way. But they went 8-8 and missed the playoffs each of the past two seasons. So is Roethlisberger dreaming or is his optimism legitimate? The opinion here is it's completely legitimate. The Steelers are capable of going 11-5 -- maybe better -- and winning the AFC North Division.

Although the defense is young in spots, it also is much quicker and should be much better than the overmatched unit that last season, on its worst day and the worst in franchise history, gave up 55 points and 610 yards in an embarrassing loss against the New England Patriots. The offense -- Roethlisberger's no-huddle offense -- has a chance to be dynamite. It was fairly explosive in the second half of last season when it helped the team average more than 28 points per game. Who knows what would have happened if Kansas City kicker Ryan Succop had made the 41-yard field goal to beat the San Diego Chargers on the final Sunday and nudge the Steelers into the postseason? Their offense was good enough to win a playoff game, maybe two. It should be even better this season.

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Makeover complete, Steelers ready for resurgence

The Associated Press

http://sports.yahoo.com/

July 24, 2014

Ike Taylor

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The faces Ike Taylor grew so accustomed to seeing line up alongside him over the past decade have disappeared.

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Ryan Clark? Gone. Ditto Brett Keisel. And LaMarr Woodley. Larry Foote too.

All Pittsburgh Steelers veterans with Super Bowl rings.

All now are a part of the team's past after another offseason purge, part of the inevitable churn from which no franchise - not even the one with more Lombardi Trophies than any other - is immune.

Of the 90 players who will report to Saint Vincent College on Friday when the Steelers open training camp, only seven stood on the field in Tampa on that cool February night five years ago when Pittsburgh beat the Arizona Cardinals for its sixth championship.

The 34-year-old Taylor knows he may be part of the next wave out the door. He's just trying to keep it propped open as long as he can, even if it means the longtime court jester has suddenly become one of the de-facto elder statesmen.

''There are a whole lot of new faces,'' the cornerback said with a laugh. ''That's a good and bad thing. It's a good thing that I am still here. I'll give a shout out to everybody who left. But football is football. Football, you have to understand as a player, is a business.''

And business wasn't so hot for the Steelers in 2013. Only a resurgent 6-2 second half allowed Pittsburgh to avoid its first losing season since 2003. The Steelers haven't missed the playoffs three consecutive years this millennium. To keep that streak alive, they spent the long winter and spring giving the defense a needed jolt of speed and youth.

The early returns are promising. Cornerback William Gay likened practice during organized team activities to a track meet. One in which the defense that finished 13th in the league in yards allowed last year did less chasing and more catching.

''These boys are running,''' Taylor said. ''When you look at it on the field and you actually play with them, you can see that they are running.''

Perhaps, all the way back to the postseason. Here's what to look for as Pittsburgh begins its 47th summer at Saint Vincent.

SLIM SHAZIER: Rookie linebacker Ryan Shazier runs like a safety and hits as if he's a linebacker. The Steelers can deal with the 6-foot-1, 237-pound Shazier's relative lack of size if it means he can move sideline to sideline as quickly as he did in three standout years at Ohio State. On a defense where youngsters typically only start when necessary, Shazier could be the exception as the Steelers search for someone to replace Foote.

LOADED BACKFIELD: Le'Veon Bell put together the best rookie season by a Steelers running back since Franco Harris in 1972, with 1,259 yards from scrimmage. He'll have plenty of help this fall from beefy LeGarrette Blount, who signed after spending last year in New England and rookie Dri Archer, whose 4.27 40-yard dash time at the draft combine has offensive coordinator Todd Haley dreaming of ways to use him.

OUT OF THIS WORILDS: Pittsburgh liked enough of what it saw from outside linebacker Jason Worilds and his team-high eight sacks in 2013 to hand him the transitional player tag and cut ties with the oft-injured Woodley. Worilds and the Steelers, however, have not yet agreed to a long-term deal and the 26-year-old missed most of the offseason workouts because of a nagging leg injury.

NO HUDDLE HYPE: The Steelers rallied from a miserable 2-6 start in 2013 thanks in large part to an uptick in offensive production due to an increased reliance on the no-huddle. Expect quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to be given even more freedom in 2014. Pittsburgh averaged 28 points a game during its 5-2 run to close 2013. Roethlisberger expects the offense to be even more productive with the addition of wide receiver Lance Moore and the potential of 6-foot-4 rookie wideout Martavis Bryant, who gives Roethlisberger the big red zone target he's lacked since Plaxico Burress left town the first time nearly a decade ago.

HEALTHY LINE: Who knows what 2013 would have looked like in Pittsburgh if center Maurkice Pouncey hadn't torn up his right knee eight plays into the season? It took the line weeks to stabilize, and by then it was too late. Pouncey is healthy and happy after signing a contract extension in June. His return buoys a group of youngsters - including rapidly improving guard David DeCastro - that was one of the better units in the league by the end of last year even with Pouncey on the sideline in sweatpants.

---

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL

Johnston must reach Malkin in Moscow

By Rob Rossi

http://triblive.com/sports/

Wednesday, July 23, 2014, 9:50 p.m.

 

Evgeni Malkin finally is ready to listen, so new Penguins coach Mike Johnston better say all the right words. The season could be at stake.

Johnston leaves this weekend for Moscow, where he will spend four days with his most important player.

Win over Malkin, and Johnston would take the biggest step toward turning the Penguins back into Stanley Cup contenders. Leaving Moscow without Malkin's support would prove disastrous.

The Penguins are captain Sidney Crosby's franchise, but they must become Malkin's team.

This is no knock on Crosby, the face of hockey in North America. He just can't do what Malkin can for the Penguins' dressing room dynamic. Crosby's calling is bigger, no matter what management might think. His responsibility is to help the Penguins win and the game grow.

Malkin never has done anything but play, and playtime is over because the Penguins need more from their other future Hall of Fame center.

Malkin must take ownership of the dressing room. A coach implored him to do that once. It was Michel Therrien, and over the next two seasons, the Penguins belonged to Malkin as much as, if not more, than Crosby.

He was hockey's dominant force from January 2008 through June 2009. The Penguins won seven of eight playoff series over that span. The one they lost was the 2008 Cup Final, and Malkin melted in it until the last two games. A year later, he was the playoff MVP of a championship team.

Johnston will have about eight hours to think during his travels from Pittsburgh to Moscow. He should think hard about the best months of Malkin's career and the Crosby-Malkin era, those 18 months after Therrien challenged Malkin to become “The Man.”

There isn't a lot to love about playing for the Penguins right now.

Does anyone remember laughter?

That had disappeared in the final days — if not seasons — of coach Dan Bylsma's tenure. A few more jokes in November would do them better than a video session.

Nobody jokes better than Malkin, as wingers from Ryan Malone to James Neal learned the hard way. Malkin uses humor to disarm and distinguish himself. He can use it to help melt the cold that has crept into the room.

Johnston must convince Malkin to earn his “A” as Crosby's top alternate. Malkin will do that by accepting that he needs to have Crosby's back by imposing his will — and personality — on the team.

Now is the only time for Johnston to deliver that message to Malkin. Training camp will be too late.

Malkin's dearest friend, Sergei Gonchar, leaves for Moscow on Friday. That same day, Penguins strength coach Mike Kadar will make his third trip in four years to work over Malkin at the Red Army training facility.

Not many people in Pittsburgh have seen what Malkin is like while in Moscow, the city he has adopted, the one to which he briefly fled to find comfort after an emotionally crippling Winter Olympics in February.

Having seen it two years ago, it's enlightening.

Malkin always is himself, but in Moscow, he is most at ease and reachable, Gonchar said.

That is why Malkin extends invitations — to Kadar, his agent, asset manager and select others — in late July and early August.

The time to get to Malkin is now or never.

“He's more relaxed there,” Gonchar said. “I would say it's good to meet him in this environment.”

Malkin is famously inaccessible during the summer. He shelves his iPhone. He does not check email. He's at the beach or his apartment or in a club with friends or eating cake at Café Pushkin.

Johnston is about to meet a Malkin so few have, and he has to deliver a hard sell on the culture change that ownership mandated after firing the former general manager and coach in the wake of another playoff flameout.

Malkin turns 28 next week. He is old enough, experienced enough and has seen enough disappointment to realize he must be more than just a great player going forward.

The Penguins believe they are a Cup contender, but title-threatening teams don't make the changes they have this offseason.

The biggest problem is the dressing room. Johnston, a first-time NHL head coach at 57, has to fix it before he can fix anything else.

He needs help.

He needs to leave Moscow knowing he will have it from Malkin.

Rob Rossi is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at rrossi@tribweb.com or via Twitter @RobRossi_Trib.

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Pirates, Burnett could work again

By Joe Starkey

http://triblive.com/sports/

Tuesday, July 22, 2014, 10:10 p.m.

 

A.J. Burnett #34 of the Philadelphia Phillies acknowledges the crowd in his first appearance against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning on July 6, 2014 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

(Joe Sargent/Getty Images North America)

The question isn't whether the Pirates should pursue A.J. Burnett at any cost. It's whether they should pursue him at all. It's whether they should be open to the idea of reclaiming him.

The answer, to any rational thinker, would be a firm yes.

Forget about Burnett's temper tantrum in October, when he learned he wouldn't pitch Game 5 of the NL Division Series. Who cares? Forget about whatever he said or didn't say on his way out of town. Who even remembers?

The fact of the matter is Burnett can still pitch. He can still “shove it,” as he likes to say, and he appears to be heating up at the ideal time.

Burnett's numbers have dipped in Philadelphia this season. That is a fact. Walks are up. Strikeouts are down. But he started the year with a sports hernia — he'll eventually need an operation — and, after blowing up Francisco Liriano-style in several games, has managed to pitch through it quite effectively.

For seven straight starts in June and July, the 37-year-old Burnett pretty much shoved it, not allowing more than three earned runs in any of those outings before a bad one Friday against the Atlanta Braves.

Two numbers from this month that are eminently likable: 42 ground balls and 28 strikeouts in 252⁄3 innings.

So I'll be watching closely when Burnett goes against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night. I want to see if that Atlanta game was a post All-Star-break blip or a pattern.

I would imagine the Pirates will be watching, too. Perhaps in person. They should be. If Burnett is right, he can help them.

Surely, general manager Neal Huntington cannot feel totally comfortable with his rotation going into the stretch run.

Questions abound.

Will Gerrit Cole return to his form of last September and October? Will he even be healthy enough to pitch two full months? Will Liriano rebound? Does this version of Jeff Locke have staying power? Is Vance Worley a viable option?

And can you fully trust Edinson Volquez, even if he has been better than Burnett for much of the season?

Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported Tuesday that Pirates players have “lobbied” management to bring back Burnett. I don't know about that, but it's easy to believe.

I'm convinced the men in that clubhouse would ride with Burnett any day. They know his act and aren't put off in the least. They know he can be a jerk on a given day. But he's their jerk. He's a harmless jerk who takes the ball every fifth day and pitches his butt off.

Part of the attraction of acquiring Burnett as opposed to, say, Ian Kennedy or a bigger name, would be that he presumably could be had for less. If the Pirates could avoid surrendering an elite prospect and get the Phillies to eat a significant portion of Burnett's contract, then the idea obviously becomes that much more enticing.

Would it happen? Not likely. But who's to say the Pirates wouldn't be the last team standing in pursuit of Burnett? Who's to say a few mid-level prospects wouldn't do the trick?

Still, complications arise with Burnett's contract. He is owed about $7.5 million in salary this season, plus deferred bonus payments of $2.75 million in January and $3.75 million in June. He will get $1.75 million in bonuses if he makes nine more starts this season.

His contract also has a $15 million mutual option for 2015 that becomes an expensive player option if the team doesn't trigger its half. That option can rise to $12.75 million if Burnett reaches 32 starts this season. He already has 21.

There is a $1 million buyout clause for next season, but that is only usable if Burnett makes fewer than 30 starts this year.

The Trib's Rob Biertempfel cited a source saying Burnett would welcome a return to Pittsburgh, though he has not demanded a trade or requested a specific destination. Obviously, the fan base would welcome him with open arms. Can you imagine the atmosphere for his first start at PNC Park? The place would light itself.

So, yes, you better believe I'll be watching Burnett's start against the Giants. If he shoves it, things could get a bit more interesting around here.

Joe Starkey co-hosts a show 2 to 6 p.m. weekdays on 93.7 FM. Reach him at jraystarkey@gmail.com.

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Sorry Crosby, but Penguins' lines need some juggling

By Mark Madden 

Special to The Beaver County Times 

http://www.timesonline.com/sports/

July 22, 2014

Kasperi Kapanen

It’s July. But it’s never too early to think about the Penguins’ lines, especially when Kasperi Kapanen showed at prospects camp that he’s got the goods.

The Penguins’ most recent first-round choice has the skating and skill to play in the NHL at 18. Kapanen's class went unmatched in the Penguins’ prospect scrimmage Saturday. Kapanen didn’t produce. That’s because his teammates just weren’t at his level. The varsity will provide Kapanen quality linemates.

But ...

Sidney Crosby’s preferred linemates are left wing Chris Kunitz and right wing Pascal Dupuis. If new coach Mike Johnston adheres to that combination, a right wing will have to switch left.

Some can. Some can’t.

Jarome Iginla couldn’t. Beau Bennett has struggled in that regard. Dupuis plays either wing well, but Crosby likes him on the right.

But where will Johnston want Dupuis? What combinations are best for the team?

Dupuis and Kunitz should play left wing on the top two lines. Patric Hornqvist and either Kapanen or Bennett should play right wing on the top two lines. Steve Downie would be a top-six option on the right side.

That puts everybody in proper position, but doesn’t give Crosby what he wants.

To be clear, I’ve never heard that Crosby picked his linemates. He has made his preferences public. Dan Bylsma, the previous coach, acted accordingly.

After Dupuis got hurt last season, Crosby spoke of the advantages that playing with a right-handed shot affords. He should consider those again. Besides Dupuis, every top-six right wing candidate shoots right.

Pair the top-six wings thusly: Kunitz on the left, Bennett on the right. If Bennett’s injured wrist isn’t ready, give Kapanen a chance. Pair Dupuis on the left with Hornqvist on the right. Each line has balance in talent and style.

Neither of the Penguins’ top two lines would be great. Too bad. The highly-paid superstar centers must do their best to elevate. It’s not fair. The Penguins haven’t done right by either when it comes to linemates and protection.

But, after last season, the Penguins are a stink sandwich. Crosby and Malkin must take a bigger bite than most. Big salary, big responsibility.

If Crosby is left in his comfort zone, Malkin goes from skating with James Neal and Jussi Jokinen to skating with Hornqvist and either Bennett or Kapanen, with somebody playing his bad wing. What about Malkin’s comfort zone? One good thing: Malkin should be inclined to shoot more.

Johnston will soon go to Russia to meet with Malkin. I wonder how Malkin reacted when both his linemates departed?

The get-along gang is dead. Johnston has to do what he thinks is right, not what he thinks certain players want.

It won’t be easy. But the Penguins are in flux. Everyone should experience some portion of that change. Past combinations certainly didn’t get the Penguins as far as they were expected to go.

Crosby can handle it. He’s the best hockey player in the world.

But Kapanen may currently have the most intriguing prospects. The son of former NHL player Sami, the Penguins rookie has been around the big time most of his life. Kasperi Kapanen played with and against men in Finland’s top league last season, and has a swagger that may initially rub veterans the wrong way.

Until he scores. And Kapanen will do plenty of that. But will it be sooner, or later?

Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9).

Liriano no ace, but he's Bucs' key

By Rob Rossi

http://triblive.com/sports/

Monday, July 21, 2014, 11:32 p.m.

(Getty Images) 

Francisco Liriano has one win. The Pirates have a whole bunch more, but given Liriano's struggles, how?

Clearly, the Pirates are pretty good.

How good they can be, though, depends mostly on what becomes of Liriano the rest of this season.

He has to be the best pitcher on a staff of some pretty good ones. He has to be the ace, even if he probably isn't one.

“I don't throw ‘ace' around too much,” Pirates catcher Russell Martin said Monday. “There aren't that many in the league.”

Clayton Kershaw is an ace, Martin said.

Kershaw, whose Los Angeles Dodgers opened a series Monday at PNC Park, has surrendered 73 hits and 22 earned runs in 1031⁄3 innings, and his WHIP is 0.84. Seriously, somebody need not know what WHIP is to get the idea that Kershaw is wow-gosh great when going after batters from within 60 feet, 6 inches.

Martin said there are “maybe” six aces in baseball, but there aren't six pitchers like Kershaw.

Of course, there weren't six better pitchers than Liriano last season, at least when he pitched at PNC Park as he will against the Dodgers on Wednesday night.

Remember the playoffs? Cincinnati and St. Louis combined over two games for three runs and seven hits off Liriano, who in addition to wins provided the Pirates a swagger not befitting a franchise without a playoff appearance since 1992.

Even if they haven't seen much of it from him this season, the Pirates know what they potentially have in Liriano — and it's something they probably can't acquire (without great cost) before the nonwaiver trade deadline July 31.

“When Frankie is hitting it, not many are better,” said Charlie Morton, who owns a claim to being the Pirates' best starter this season.

Still, even if Morton continues his consistent ground-ball befuddlement, Gerrit Cole returns from injury to recapture his sterling form from the second half a year ago and Edinson Volquez and Jeff Locke keep defying reasonable expectations … nothing is going to hit big for the Pirates like another comeback by Liriano.

He has pitched at least six full innings only once since April 21 and just six times overall compared to 19 times last season, and his pitch counts have been super-sized.

After a groin injury in spring training and a recent oblique strain that shelved him from June 10 to July 13, Liriano recently told the Trib's Rob Biertempfel he finally is feeling good. Still, because he will make only his third start since about a month off, Liriano should not be expected to dominate deep into the game Wednesday, pitching coach Ray Searage said.

There are indicators those types of performances will return this season, however. In his last start, Liriano beat the strike zone with fastballs during the third, fourth and fifth innings. He racked up six strikeouts and two ground-ball outs.

“All his other pitches work off the fastball,” Martin said. “We need that pitch.”

How the Pirates are chasing a playoff spot is remarkable considering that pitch hasn't been a weapon to fire all season.

The Pirates are in this National League Central race. A return to form by Liriano, even for only a couple of months, would be aces.

Rob Rossi is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at rrossi@tribweb.com or via Twitter @RobRossi_Trib.

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Pirates stealing runs and wins

By Bill Allmann 

Beaver County Times Sports Correspondent 

http://www.timesonline.com/sports/

July 21, 2014

Josh Harrison #5 of the Pittsburgh Pirates steals second base on Vinny Castilla #9 of the Colorado Rockies in the seventh inning during the game at PNC Park on July 20, 2014 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

PITTSBURGH — The traditional power positions of the corner outfield and first base haven’t provided the output for the Pirates that most would expect from a contender.

But the Pirates are still in the race for the National League Central title and the wildcard. Some of that has been because centerfielder Andrew McCutchen (17 home runs) and second baseman Neil Walker (14) have made up some of the gap. Pedro Alvarez has hit 15 home runs at the traditional power spot of third base.

Much of the time, though, the Pirates move around the bases one at a time.

“The 90s are something we talk about,” said manager Clint Hurdle, referring to the distance between bases. “The free 90s are something we talk about, but they’re certainly not easy.”

Three times Sunday afternoon, the Pirates turned one of those “free” 90s into runs and, in a 5-3 win over the Rockies, three runs spells the difference between winning and losing.

Down 3-0 in the third, Gaby Sanchez led off with a single and Neil Walker lined a single to right. Colorado right fielder Carlos Gonzalez threw to third, Walker moved up to second and scored on Jordy Mercer’s single.

“I knew he was going to third,” Walker said. “If he goes to second, I’m out. It’s aggressive and we’ve been heckled about that. We can look stupid at times but we’re aggressive.”

They didn’t look stupid on Sunday.

In the sixth inning, Mercer walked, stole second and scored on Chris Stewart’s double to tie the game at 3-3.

In the seventh, Josh Harrison walked, stole second and scored on McCutchen’s single on the next pitch to give the Pirates the lead. It was only the second stolen base both Mercer and Harrison. It’s not that the Pirates are taking an exceptional number of chances, they’re just taking advantages of opportunities.

“We know if we get a chance to get to second, we have a chance to score,” Harrison said. “It adds pressure on the pitcher.”

Walker later added a solo home run to make the final score 5-3, but that was insurance. The work on the basepaths laid the groundwork and put the club right in the thick of the pennant race.

“We’ve been playing our best baseball since May,” Hurdle said. “We’ve gotten incrementally better.

“You need good effort from your starters and your bullpen but it’s our offense that has improved more collectively.

“Our on base percentage is at an all-time high and we’ve been working the counts, getting starters out earlier and we’ve been getting to the bullpen before they reach that bridge to the closer.”

So far that has worked. The Pirates have won 42 of 70 games since May 2, a winning percentage of .600. Their current record of 52-46 matches their high water mark of the season at six games over .500.

“We feel good about this team,” said general manager Neal Huntington when asked about trading deadline issues.

“We felt less comfortable last year with a better record.”

One man's cause to canonize Roberto Clemente

By Rob Biertempfel

http://triblive.com/sports/

Saturday, July 19, 2014, 9:10 p.m.

 

Oct 1971, Baltimore, Maryland — Roberto Clemente sharpens his timing in the batting cage at Memorial Stadium, October 15. — Image by © Bettmann/Corbis

As a 9-year-old Pirates fan in West View, Richard Rossi cried on that bleak New Year's morning in 1973 when he heard Roberto Clemente was dead.

Decades later, Rossi sat with his son in their home in Los Angeles and watched footage of a long-ago Pirates game. Clemente flashed on the television screen, slashing a hit and galloping around the bases.

“I started to weep again,” Rossi said.

Rossi explained to his son how Clemente was more than a Hall of Fame baseball player. Clemente died when his plane plunged into the Atlantic Ocean as he tried to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Rossi told other stories he'd heard of how Clemente touched ordinary folks throughout his life.

“This guy cared about other people,” Rossi said. “This guy was a Christ-like guy.”

Although he moved across the country, Rossi, 51, never stopped rooting for the Pirates. He produced the independent film, “Baseball's Last Hero: 21 Clemente Stories,” which was released last summer.

Now Rossi is trying to get Clemente into a different kind of hall of fame. He wants the Roman Catholic Church to canonize Clemente as a saint.

“Clemente had the ability to impact people spiritually,” said Rossi, a former evangelical minister. “The timing is right because Pope Francis is Latin American.

“Saints are people who gave back. That's what Roberto Clemente did. He was a great ballplayer, but he was also so much more than that.”

A few weeks ago, Rossi stated his case in letters to Pope Francis and the Most Rev. Roberto Gonzalez Nieves, archbishop of San Juan, Puerto Rico. He has not gotten a response.

The first step in the canonization process is beatification, which requires a miracle caused by the intercession of the candidate. To achieve sainthood, a second miracle also must be proven.

Rossi is trying to collect stories about what he called a “healing touch” attributed to Clemente.

“We're getting more and more of them,” Rossi said.

Such as?

“I want to wait for more evidence before I get into more detail,” Rossi said. “Some people say the miraculous requirement should be overshadowed by the fact that his life was so Christ-like.”

Rossi said he has received several messages of support since he began his campaign, including a letter from Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

“And there also are some people who think it's some kind of joke,” Rossi said.

If nothing else, Rossi's efforts will bring to light a personal side of Clemente that often is overlooked. Clemente was a deeply religious man whose humanitarian works extended beyond the final one that led to his death.

“I've never thought of him in terms of being a saint,” said Pirates second baseman Neil Walker, a devout Catholic whose father knew Clemente. “But he's somebody who lived his life serving others, really. So if it would happen, I wouldn't be terribly surprised by it.”

Rob Biertempfel is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at rbiertempfel@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BiertempfelTrib.

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When do Bucs go for it? Probably never

By Mark Madden 

Special to The Beaver County Times

http://www.timesonline.com/sports/

July 18, 2014

Ike Davis #15 of the Pittsburgh Pirates celebrates after hitting a grand slam home run in the fourth inning against the Cincinnati Reds during the game at PNC Park April 21, 2014 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

(Justin K. Aller/Getty Images North America)

As the Pirates consider trade-deadline options, the general consensus of the brainwashed seems to be: Don’t give up too much. Don’t mortgage your future.

But when do you go for it? When do the Pirates decide, “This is the year”?

When is the window of opportunity to make the World Series?

Second baseman Neil Walker is arbitration-eligible in 2015 and ’16. He can be a free agent in ’17. Walker could be traded before then.

Third baseman Pedro Alvarez is arbitration-eligible in ’15 and ’16. He can be a free agent in ’17. Alvarez could be traded before then, and likely will be.

Catcher Russell Martin is a free agent after the current season. He is the guiding light of the pitching staff. He has thrown out 36 percent of those attempting to steal, the fourth-best mark in MLB for catchers starting 50 or more games. Martin bats fifth and gets big hits. His OPS of .807 ranks second on the Pirates.

There is zero chance Martin will be re-signed. It would cost too much. Class AAA catcher Tony Sanchez will be the starter, as preordained.

Francisco Liriano and Edinson Volquez will also be free agents at season’s end. Unless Liriano rallies, the Pirates might not want him back. Volquez is excelling, and might make himself unaffordable by the Pirates’ standard.

Who replaces all those guys? How quickly? How much worse do the Pirates get?

Isn’t it just possible that the window is right now?

Andrew McCutchen becomes a free agent in 2019. McCutchen isn’t staying. He’s especially not staying if owner Bob Nutting keeps reneging on his promise to have payroll keep pace with profits.

Ah, who’s kidding who? McCutchen isn’t staying no matter what. When McCutchen’s free agency arrives, he’ll be 32. That’s his only chance to really cash in. Barring injury, McCutchen will get crazy money. To even speculate that McCutchen might re-up in Pittsburgh is incredibly naïve.

This season, next season and 2016 seem to provide the best chances to win. That’s the window.

When McCutchen leaves, it’s over. Never mind Walker, Alvarez, Martin, etc. Who replaces McCutchen?

Cockeyed optimists talk about the prospects: Jameson Taillon. Nick Kingham. Josh Bell. Tyler Glasnow. Austin Meadows. Alen Hanson. You know the names. It’s an impressive array of talent.

Those prospects offer a lot of potential. They don’t offer any guarantees.

So ... when do you go for it? If you never do, what’s the point? If you let the Pirates evolve into a continuous semi-contender that sells tickets and merchandise but never makes a serious grab for the brass ring, isn’t that exploiting the fans?

Of course it is.

Do you really think it’s inevitable that the Pirates evolve into a championship team without making a few bold moves and increasing payroll? Do you even think it’s remotely possible once McCutchen moves on?

Meantime, Pirates fans call for the following policy to be implemented: Trade all our bad players for all their good players. “If you can trade Brandon Cumpton for Huston Street, you should do that.” A radio guy who should know better said that. Yeah, if you can do that, you really should. If you can trade Chris Stewart for Mike Trout, you really ought to do that, too.

What’s the end game?

The Pirates won’t even pay for your train ride to the ballpark. Follow the money. Maximizing profits is all that matters to Nutting.

You might be tired of hearing it. But you won’t listen. So it needs to be said again and again.

The Pirates have Walker and Alvarez for two more years, maybe less. That’s your window. Use common sense.

Polanco and absurd expectations

By Joe Starkey

http://triblive.com/sports

Wednesday, July 16, 2014, 9:00 p.m.

 

It's just not that easy. Gregory Polanco is learning as much. The rest of us should have known better.

There was palpable discontent when Polanco, with all of nine Triple-A at-bats on his resume, did not travel north with the Pirates out of spring training. That turned to simmering hostility when they did not call him up May 1 and to full-blown rage when June hit with still no sight of the man.

The common refrain at the time: How many more games would the Pirates have won with Polanco in the lineup?

We rolled our eyes when general manager Neal Huntington tried to temper expectations upon Polanco's June 10 arrival.

“There were still some things we were hoping to get accomplished at Triple-A,” Huntington said.

OK, Neal. Sure there were.

Wait, were there?

I ask because even if it seems Polanco has established himself as an immediate star and the Pirates' version of last year's Yasiel Puig, the reality is that he is not close on either front. Not yet.

The inconvenient truth is that Polanco is a slumping rookie hitting .260 through 127 at-bats, showing scant power and posing little threat against lefties.

It looked for a bit as if Polanco would shred major league pitching like it was Triple-A. He found out fast that major leaguers make adjustments. Major leaguers throw knee-buckling, 3-1 breaking balls for strikes. Major league lefties have a way of crippling even the best left-handed hitters.

The Puig comparison always was insane. Do you know what Puig was doing after his first 127 big league at-bats, after skipping Triple-A altogether? Try a .409 batting average, .677 slugging percentage, 1.114 OPS and eight home runs.

It's not crazy to think Polanco could rebound quickly, rake from here on out and be named National League Rookie of the Year. He has flashed that kind of talent. At the moment, though, there are significant challenges.

Against left-handers, Polanco is hitting .133 with one extra-base hit (a game-winning home run) and 11 strikeouts in 30 at-bats. He has a good-but-not-great on-base percentage of .352, tied with Ike Davis for third on the team and not much beyond Jose Tabata territory of last season. His slugging percentage of .346 is ninth on the team and 36 points below what Travis Ishakawa provided when he was here.

In terms of OPS (combined on-base and slugging percentages) — perhaps the best measurement of a hitter — Polanco is seventh on the team and just a point above Gaby Sanchez at .698.

Since June 27, Polanco is batting .169 (10 for 59) with eight singles, a double and a home run.

None of which is a criticism of Polanco. These are the struggles one should expect with a 22-year-old who had all of 257 Triple-A at-bats and has yet to fill out.

It's more of a statement on the rest of us, and I'll put myself at the front of the line. It might also be a teachable moment, as Pirates manager Clint Hurdle likes to say.

So how about we take an El Coffee break and reassess the Polanco odyssey?

It is possible the Pirates would have recalled Polanco earlier had he signed their long-term contract offer. I'm not naive to that. But it's also likely they would have kept him in the minors for several more days, if not weeks, had Neil Walker not suffered an appendix attack.

Can you imagine the outrage had Polanco spent, say, three more weeks at Triple-A? PNC Park might have been burned to the ground.

Looking back, the lesson could be this: It's never a bad thing for a prospect to rack up at-bats in the upper minors (Double-A and Triple-A). Andrew McCutchen had 1,304 of them. Polanco had just 500.

It's also never a bad thing to temper expectations on prospects, no matter the sport. You only get so many Sidney Crosbys and Yasiel Puigs, guys who step up to the highest level of their sport and immediately start dominating.

The Pirates' mission now is figuring out how to utilize Polanco best in the second half. Does he still bat leadoff? Does he start against left-handed pitchers such as Colorado's Jorge De La Rosa (slated to start Friday), who kills lefties, or does Josh Harrison get those at-bats?

Experience is the best teaching tool. If you're going to learn to hit lefties, you have to play against them. But at what price? Do the Pirates prioritize Polanco's development over winning games? Or is it a reasonable bet that he'll figure it out faster than most? Thirty at-bats, after all, is a tiny sampling.

Everything we've seen from Polanco is a tiny sampling, and a tantalizing one at that. But it's best to remember that his development, like that of most others, will take time.

It's just not that easy.

Joe Starkey co-hosts a show 2 to 6 p.m. weekdays on 93.7 FM. Reach him at jraystarkey@gmail.com.

Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/joestarkey/6444941-74/polanco-bats-pirates#ixzz37iwAkeK4 
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McCutchen's star shines brighest in Pittsburgh

By Chris Mueller 

Special to The Beaver County Times 

http://www.timesonline.com/sports/

July 16, 2014

National League outfielder Andrew McCutchen, of the Pittsburgh Pirates, steals third base as American League Josh Donaldson, of the Oakland Athletics, tries to make the tag during the first inning of the MLB All-Star baseball game, Tuesday, July 15, 2014, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)  

In sports, the tragedy of greatness is that it is often not appreciated while it is being achieved. Too often, even the greatest individual talents are swallowed up by a focus on the day-to-day grind.

Fortunately, it seems Pirates fans know what they’re watching in Andrew McCutchen. They are seeing the best years of a possible Hall of Fame career, years that may well yield consecutive MVP awards.

McCutchen’s stock has risen dramatically over the last few years. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say his star is burning brightest in a town packed with luminaries.

That’s right. In a city that Sidney Crosby and Ben Roethlisberger now call home, McCutchen may be the biggest star.

Yes, Crosby and Roethlisberger have delivered championships. They have met and exceeded incredibly high expectations. They have overcome career threatening injuries. Suggesting that McCutchen has currently eclipsed them does not mean that they have diminished at all.

The idea of McCutchen as this city’s preeminent sports star is more about his meteoric rise than anything else.

Major League Baseball draft picks are not sure things. Even first-round picks often fail to make more than a passing appearance in the big leagues. High school players are especially high risk/reward choices.

A realistic hope for McCutchen would have been that he become a steady, solid contributor for the Pirates. In baseball, even five-tool talents are hemmed in with tempered expectations.

The Pirates would have been happy with a good ballplayer, maybe a possible All-Star. They got an earth-scorching beast instead.

McCutchen has every quality fans and management hope for in a star athlete. He has improved steadily on the field every season and currently leads the league in walks, hits and total bases. He can hit for power to all fields and yet has not sacrificed batting average to do so.

His speed makes him dangerous not only on the bases, but allows him to run down almost any fly ball. He appears by all accounts to be the consummate teammate, well-liked and well-respected by his peers.

Perhaps most impressively, he possesses the “it” quality that is mentioned whenever the best of the best are discussed. That was never more on display than this past Saturday in Cincinnati, when his game-tying and game-winning home runs salvaged what could have been a disastrous road trip.

McCutchen seems unfazed by the prospect of carrying the Pirates for long stretches. That is important, because such play has been necessary on a pretty regular basis.

Off the field, McCutchen is never seen doing anything untoward, says all the right things and embraces the attention that his charisma naturally attracts. He’s a great ambassador for the city and seems to actually enjoy playing here.

Perhaps most impressively, McCutchen has made the Pirates cool and relevant again. The cool factor is easy to understand. He has style and swagger and backs up every ounce of it with his play.

Bringing the Pirates back to relevance was a tougher task. In 2009, McCutchen came into a situation that seemed hopeless. He didn’t blink. In 2012, he was borderline herculean in June and July, but the team collapsed in spectacular fashion all around him.

Last season, he was nearly as good statistically and led the Pirates to an unthinkable 94-win season and a postseason berth. Championships are the gold standard for any athlete, but being the primary force that pulled the Pirates out of a two-decade abyss is just as impressive.

The scary thing about McCutchen is that he has room to get better. The even scarier thing for the rest of baseball is that he probably will.

Players of McCutchen’s caliber hardly ever come along. Anyone that can elevate himself on or above the level of Crosby and Roethlisberger in this town is special.

Pirates fans, make sure to occasionally stop and appreciate what you’re seeing. It is a career that as of now seems destined for Cooperstown.

Chris Mueller is the co-host of The Starkey & Mueller Show weekdays from 2-6 p.m. on 93.7 The Fan.