Nick Kingham almost perfect in MLB debut; Pirates sweep Cardinals

By Chris Harlan

http://triblive.com/sports/pirates/13589903-74/nick-kingham-almost-perfect-in-mlb-debut-pirates-sweep-cardinals

April 29, 2018

(Christopher Horner/Tribune-Review)

The record books won't say so, but Nick Kingham's major league debut was just about perfect.

The Pirates call-up retired the first 20 batters he faced Sunday and allowed just one hit in seven spectacular innings to defeat the Cardinals, 5-0, at PNC Park. The lone hit was a two-out single in the seventh by Paul DeJong, but otherwise Kingham had the Cardinals off-balance all afternoon.

The 26-year-old right-hander struck out nine.

"It's incredible how it happened," said Kingham, who left the field to a standing ovation after the seventh with his pitch count at 98.

"It kind of started from the get-go. It went well," he said. "I kept my foot on the gas pedal and kept pushing. The defense was right there behind me every step of the way. It's just a really awesome feeling."

Kingham twice battled through 10-pitch at-bats, each time forcing a Cardinals hitter to fly out harmlessly, all the while looking calm considering the circumstance.

"Watching him, it was just his next start," manager Clint Hurdle said. "It had to be more than that, but he compartmentalized very well."

"I was nervous, no doubt," said Kingham, who had his family in the crowd. "But it's good to be nervous. That means I feel like I care."

The victory earned the Pirates (17-11) a three-game sweep of the Cardinals (15-12) and kept them alone atop the NL Central standings. It also extended the team's winning streak to five.

The series finale drew 14,378.

Catcher Elias Diaz went 3 for 4 with two RBIs and a run scored as the Pirates collected 10 hits. Diaz has played alongside Kingham in the minors since Single-A and wasn't surprised by the rookie's composure on the mound. Kingham estimated Diaz had caught him at least 20 times and maybe 40.

"The way that he acted today, he's been like that for all of his career," Diaz said. "He thinks that he's the best. He likes to look pretty. That's him."

But Diaz added he was nervous for him.

"I was thinking perfect game for him and perfect game for me," Diaz said, "because I'd never caught a perfect game or no-hitter. That's why we were aggressive."

Kingham was nearing a call-up in 2015 when elbow pain revealed a torn ulnar collateral ligament. Tommy John surgery cost him the rest of that season and delayed his arrival in Pittsburgh by three years. The 2010 fourth-round draft pick was 2-1 with a 1.59 ERA in four starts at Triple-A Indianapolis this season with 27 strikeouts in 222⁄3 innings.

He'll travel with the Pirates on a nine-game road trip that starts Monday in Washington.

With a fastball that touched 94 mph and a slider he added only recently, Kingham struck out the side in the second inning Sunday. He got Marcell Ozuna and Jedd Gyorko on four pitches apiece and needed just three to strike out Yadier Molina.

When his next two innings also were also perfect, Kingham realized this start was something special.

"When I was through with the fourth, walking off it hit me," he said. "Then every inning I was thinking about it the whole game. So I was definitely aware of it."

In the seventh, facing a 2-2 count with two outs, DeJong pulled an 85-mph slider down the third-base line. Colin Moran made a diving attempt but couldn't reach the hard-hit grounder.

"Get it, get it, get it, get it," Kingham said was his first thought, "and then I said, you know what, it was a good run, man. It was fun while it lasted."

Michael Feliz and Edgar Santana combined for two scoreless innings in relief.

Cardinals starter Luke Weaver (2-2) held the Pirates scoreless through five, but they broke through in the sixth with four runs on four singles, two walks and a hit batter.

With the bases loaded, Diaz sliced a two-run single down the right-field line, scoring Starling Marte and Josh Bell, who each had singled. The Cardinals then replaced Weaver with Jordan Hicks, and Moran followed with an RBI single that scored Corey Dickerson.

After Kingham drew a two-out walk to reload the bases, Hicks hit Adam Frazier with a pitch that forced in Moran from third to lead 4-0.

Weaver was charged with all four earned runs. The right-hander allowed six hits, four walks and struck out two.

The Pirates added a run in the eighth on an RBI single by David Freese that scored Diaz.

Kingham said his teammates were avoiding him in the dugout while the perfect game was intact but was touched by the stadium-wide response once his first start was finished.

"It was awesome," Kingham said. "This is what this city is known for. They love their sports. They support their guys. I felt it today."

Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.

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Trevor Williams sharp again as Pirates take over 1st place

Camera lies to Cardinals batters, who are befuddled by Pirates rookie

By Derrick Goold

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/

April 29, 2018

Nick Kingham of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches in his major league debut against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park on April 29, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (AFP Photo/Justin K. Aller)

PITTSBURGH • The Cardinals had three of his minor-league games on video, a breakdown of his pitches and velocity, and an idea that Pittsburgh rookie Nick Kingham would fall behind in counts with his breaking pitches, nibble at the edges and let them feast on strikes. The fifth pitch of the game Sunday proved otherwise.

Kingham started Tommy Pham off with a slider in the zone in the first inning. That same pitch Greg Garcia first saw in his second at-bat, and though he struck it, he missed driving it.

“You just hadn’t seen it,” Garcia said.

No wonder. It’s a pitch Kingham’s only had for a month.

That new pitch and his overall newness to the Cardinals amplified what was an exceptional major-league debut for the 26-year-old righthander. Kingham retired the first 20 batters he faced and piloted the Pirates to a 5-0 victory Sunday and a series sweep at PNC Park.

The win gave Pittsburgh a franchise record 17 before May 1 with one more game to go, and the three-game wash of the Cardinals moved the Pirates into first place in the bunched National League Central.

The Cardinals took a three-run lead into the ninth inning of Friday’s game, and from that moment on were outscored 15-2 by the Pirates. They didn’t get a runner on base at all during Luke Weaver’s 5 1/3 solid innings. They didn’t get a runner to second base until there was one out in the ninth inning. The Pirates got 27 outs from 30 batters.

Twenty-one belonged to Kingham (1-0).

“Kept my foot on the gas pedal and kept pushing,” said the rookie, once a top-five prospect for the Pirates who missed most of the 2015 and 2016 seasons recovering from elbow surgery. “I haven’t thrown (the slider) for very many starts. I think (it’s) right at 30 days, actually, but I love it. It’s just another tool to add.”

It proved to be another way for the Pirates to suppress the Cardinals’ offense. This early-season series offered a confluence of division rivals who had fattened their record on tanking or troubled teams. The Bucs are 10-2 against Detroit, Cincinnati and Miami so far this season; the Cardinals are 7-0 against the Reds. The test of two teams trying to establish themselves as challengers for the National League Central turned on pitching and Pittsburgh’s ability not just to calm the Cardinals’ lineup but smother it.

Between Paul DeJong’s leadoff single in the seventh inning Saturday and DeJong’s single to shatter Kingham’s perfecto Sunday in the seventh, the Cardinals went zero for 30.

The only batter in that time to reach base was on an error.

As puzzling as Kingham proved, the Pirates’ bullpen was even more dominant. In the three-game series, Bucs relievers pitched 11 2/3 shutout innings and struck out more Cardinals (11) than they allowed baserunners (eight). The 6 1/3 shutout innings Friday bought time to rally from a five-run deficit. The two scoreless Sunday just salted a series — and a trend. In the age of aggressive bullpen use, not all bullpens are as pliant as in the past.

“When their starter is gone that usually means good results are going to happen,” manager Mike Matheny said. “That’s what our offense is going to do. We grind at-bats. That was the one time we got a little something going (Sunday). Long at-bats create more opportunities. For mistakes happen. The more frequently you throw, the more pitches you have to throw, the more likelihood of making a mistake.”

Kingham made few, if any.

Garcia made the point that the righthander “definitely had more video on us than we had on him.” The three games were not from an ideal angle and didn’t give a complete picture of what Kingham could do. The jump from 2D scouting to 3D hitting is always difficult, and the slider and Kingham’s sudden willingness to throw strikes were added wrinkles. DeJong opted not to scout the video on Kingham, preferring to get his velocity, his movement and his out pitch. With that information, DeJong, batting third for the first time this season, wanted to read and react during the game. What he saw was unexpected as “he just came out pounding the zone,” Garcia said. Twenty-one of his first 25 pitches were strikes.

“I think, honestly, he didn’t pitch like we thought he was going to pitch,” DeJong said. “We were expecting him to be around the zone, fall behind early, and not have a ton of command with his offspeed (pitches). He had it. And it showed.”

He and Weaver (2-2), two young pitchers, both pitched with savvy, taking advantage of the strike zone given them. Home plate umpire Ed Hickox called a consistent strike zone for both teams that had some elasticity on each side. He gave both pitchers an avenue to the inside edge, and they accepted. Kingham caught Marcell Ozuna looking at a pitch there to open the second. On his way to nine strikeouts, he K’d all three Cardinals in the second inning and six of the first 10 he faced.

Weaver matched him zero for zero through five innings before tiptoeing into trouble in the sixth. Four consecutive batters reached base against Weaver, though that included an infield hit and a bloop hit. Weaver smartly pitched around lefthanded hitter Corey Dickerson to face backup catcher Elias Diaz. He upped his average to .484 (15 for 31) with three hits Sunday, and he broke a scoreless tie with a two-run single against Weaver.

The Cardinals’ righthander was pleased with his pitch and its location. He was able to spot a curveball low and bending away. Diaz reached over the plate and poked it to right field for a bases-loaded, two-run single. Add that detail to his scouting report. Four runs would count against Weaver from that inning. Diaz would also score in the ninth on David Freese’s pinch-hit RBI single off Greg Holland.

“They’re a hot team right now, and they’re finding that momentum and going with it,” Weaver said. “I can walk off the mound knowing I threw a good pitch, and it got hit. I have to take that same mentality out there the next time — be aggressive — and know that it will work out.”

Latest Penguins injury more proof NHL must punish head shots

By Kevin Gorman

http://triblive.com/sports/

April 29, 2018

Brian Dumoulin was knocked out of Sunday's game by this hit from Tom Wilson. (NBC Sports)

WASHINGTON — The Penguins have to be dumbfounded with how they lost Brian Dumoulin against the Washington Capitals, which is exactly how you would expect it.

It wasn't just a hit to the head from Tom Wilson in the Capitals' 4-1 victory Sunday, but a slap to the face of the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions.

As Dumoulin braced for a head-on collision with Capitals star Alex Ovechkin, Wilson came from behind and hit the defenseman's head at 4 minutes, 26 seconds of the second period.

It wasn't just a dirty hit but the kind the NHL should have addressed after Sidney Crosby was concussed on a cross-check in this second-round series last year.

"The league is fair. They look at everything," said Capitals coach Barry Trotz, who called the hit on Crosby a hockey play. "This was this year, and that was last year."

That's garbage, and so is the NHL if it doesn't take any action. Not only is Wilson the league's most penalized player over the past five years — his 806 penalty minutes are 85 more than the next player — but his explanation alone for the hit deserves a fine.

Wilson said he was just doing his job on the back-check and wasn't targeting Dumoulin's head.

"I'm at no point trying to target the head at all," Wilson told the Washington Post about the collision. "I've watched it briefly, and I don't realize what I can really do any different.

"At the last second, I see 'Ovi' coming in and you can see me bracing, too, as well, and I end up getting kind of taken out as well.

"It wasn't a body check to the head. I think I graze his head as I'm skating by him and as he's getting hit by Ovi. If you watch it from multiple angles, you don't see me like lunge into his head or anything."

Actually, that's exactly what you see. Wilson went so far as to raise his left shoulder, grazing Dumoulin's head the way a hammer grazes a nail.

"We all know who he is and what he does on the ice," said Penguins defenseman Kris Letang, Dumoulin's partner. "Like, we expect that."

Except for Dumoulin, who didn't see it coming. He lifted his gloves to his helmet as he fell to the ice, eventually skating off but never returning.

That was a bad break for the Penguins, who were trailing 2-0. Dumoulin was averaging 22:42 of ice time in the playoffs, second only to Letang, and often draws the opponents' top line. Dumoulin also was the Penguins' fifth-leading scorer, with six points, and a key to their penalty-kill unit.

"Anytime you go down to five 'D,' it's tough, but especially when losing 'Dumo,' " Penguins defenseman Justin Schultz said. "He's such an important piece to our back end. He plays against the other team's top lines all the time. He plays hard minutes. It's tough losing him.

"Hopefully, he's all right."

Don't hold your breath holding out hope. This isn't about whether Wilson is right or wrong, whether his hit was intentional or accidental. It's about the NHL's need to start treating head shots the way it does high sticking and fighting: with punishment.

"He made contact with his head. That was the first point of contact," Crosby said of Wilson. "Given his history and things like that, I'm sure they'll take a good look at it."

The NHL also took a good look at Crosby's wraparound that Patric Hornqvist tapped in — still photos show the puck behind the goal line — and let the call on the ice stand.

The Penguins also expected the league to look at Ovechkin and Matt Niskanen's one-two shot on Crosby in Game 3 last season. The NHL did nothing: No penalty. No fines. No suspensions.

That Mike Sullivan refuses to share his thoughts about the officiating or league disciplinary matters is part of the problem. The Penguins coach finds no point in criticizing things he can't control but is failing to use his platform to draw national attention to the NHL's need to protect its players, whether they are superstars or not.

The Penguins lost Dumoulin for nearly two-thirds of one game and possibly more if the injury is as serious as it appeared.

That shouldn't be summarily dismissed as playoff hockey.

"It's tough. He's one of our best defensemen," Sullivan said. "When you lose a guy that early in the game, you've got to find ways to make up for the contribution that he makes. He's an important player for us, so it presents a big challenge for the rest of the defensemen."

It presents a bigger challenge for the NHL, which needs to take a long look at everything to ensure that the "hockey play" head shots that injured Crosby last year and Dumoulin this year won't happen again next year.

The NHL shouldn't turn a blind eye to a blindside hit to the head during the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Kevin Gorman is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at kgorman@tribweb.com or via Twitter @KGorman_Trib.

MORE PENGUINS/NHL

Penguins drop Game 2 against Capitals; series tied heading to Pittsburgh 

Three things we learned from Penguins-Capitals Game 2

Penguins notebook: Evgeni Malkin missed in Game 2

Kevin Gorman's Take 5 on Game 2: Five thoughts on Capitals 4, Penguins 1

Penguins aware of need for better starts 

Penguins have plenty to be mad about in Game 2 loss to Capitals

By Kevin Allen
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/columnist/allen/2018/04/29/penguins-mad-game-2-loss-capitals-nhl-playoffs-dumoulin-wilson-hornqvist/563354002/
April 29, 2018


The NHL ruled that replay was inconclusive on Hornqvist's goal. (Photo: Geoff Burke, USA TODAY Sports)

Injuries. Anger. Controversy. Hard feelings. One win for each team. The Pittsburgh Penguins-Washington Capitals series is as competitive as we expected it to be.

The Capitals raised their level of play to post a 4-1 win against Pittsburgh in Game 2 and the Penguins had their ire raised by events in that game.

In the second period, Washington hard-hitting forward Tom Wilson, who has been suspended by the NHL multiple times, struck Pittsburgh top-pairing defenseman Brian Dumoulin with a blow to the head that knocked Dumoulin out of the game.

Wilson was pursuing Dumoulin and his shoulder came up a split second before Alex Ovechkin also struck Dumoulin.

No penalty was called on the play. It was clearly a shot to the head, but the NHL will be looking at whether Wilson had committed to the hit before Dumoulin turned his head into it. Could Wilson have avoided the blow?



The Penguins were miffed about that play, and then were irate in the third period when Patric Hornqvist believed he banged home a rebound after a Sidney Crosby wrap-around try.

Officials did not signal a goal on the ice, but went to video review.

“From my angle, it looked in,” Hornqvist said.

Crosby said from the angle he saw, “it looked pretty clear that it had to be a goal.”

NBC showed the play from several angles before zooming in on one shot that seemed to show white space between the goal line and the puck behind it.

Was it conclusive? The NHL situation room in Toronto ruled the video was inconclusive.

“It’s 100 percent a goal,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “When you blow it up, you can see the white. It’s behind the post. That’s how we saw it. We respectfully disagree with the league. But that’s not anything we can control." 

NBC’s Pierre McGuire, stationed between the benches, reported Penguins captain Crosby was fuming at the time of the decision.

It was a key ruling because if it had been ruled a goal, the Penguins would have trailed 3-2 with about half of the third period remaining. Remember that the Penguins erased a two-goal third period lead to win Game 1.

Had Hornqvist been credited with that goal, it would have given the Penguins a major lift.

The potential loss of Dumoulin is a major concern. The Penguins are already playing without injured center Evgeni Malkin, although he is skating in practice and seems close to being ready.

Dumoulin is Kris Letang’s partner, and they are often matched up against Washington’s best players.

The Penguins didn’t say what Dumoulin’s injury is, but when a player is struck in the head, he usually is checked for a concussion.

The Capitals clearly have demonstrated they're capable of winning this series, and their start and ability to hold the lead in the third period surely gives them a confidence boost.

Sometimes the frustrations of bad luck, controversial calls and injuries can overrun a hockey team. But that won’t happen to the Penguins. As a two-time defending champion, they have ample experience in setting aside frustration and anger in the name of fixing the problem.

After the game, they had already moved forward and were talking about improving their starts and playing a more complete game.

“We have to do a better job of being a little harder to play against,” Sullivan said.

Spoken like a coach who fully understand you have leave behind the anger from this game or you will also lose the next game.

Washington ties series after replay controversy ends in Caps' favor

By Isabelle Khurshudyan

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/?utm_term=.220aa4096169

April 29, 2018

Goalie Braden Holtby #70 of the Washington Capitals makes a save on a shot by Patric Hornqvist #72 of the Pittsburgh Penguins during the third period in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Capital One Arena on April 29, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON - Amid the cheers, the whipping towels and dinging cowbells at Capital One Arena, there was also an exhale. Washington Capitals forward Brett Connolly scored on a partial breakaway, and the sight of the puck in the net and a red goal light brought both joy and relief. Washington wouldn't be squandering a two-goal lead, because the team now was up three.

The Capitals ultimately won by that margin, 4-1, and with the next two games in Pittsburgh, Washington has tied the second-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Penguins at one game apiece, in large part thanks to goaltender Braden Holtby's 32 saves and some good fortune with video reviews. Most importantly, the Capitals continued to build on their lead rather than cling to it.

"You can see what happen last game when we get the lead 2-0, and they come back and win the game," captain Alex Ovechkin said. "They're experienced team.

"They're not going to give up and they're not going to give easy play for us. We have to earn it. Today I think we play a solid game. Everybody was in, and we get the result."

After 20 minutes, the Capitals found themselves in a familiar, uneasy position. For the second straight game, Washington was up 2-0, but the team had squandered that kind of cushion three times in its previous seven playoff games, including Game 1 against the Penguins.

The postseason had been miserable for Connolly a year ago. He played in just seven games, a healthy scratch for the other six as Washington opted to play seven defensemen with 11 forwards. When Connolly did play, his ice time was limited. This playoff run has taken an opposite arc. He has gotten more responsibility with a promotion to the third line. He had been unable to convert on numerous chances in past games, but with the partial breakaway in the second period Sunday he didn't miss, and his wrist shot lifted the Capitals to a 3-0 lead 2:08 into the second period.

"Even when we go up three, you've got to keep playing against this team because they can hurt you in a lot of different ways," Connolly said.

Pittsburgh's Kris Letang scored roughly 11 minutes later with a point shot while Holtby had two layers of screens in front of him. The Penguins seemed to score again midway through the third period, when Patric Hornqvist jammed in a wraparound attempt by Sidney Crosby. But the officials didn't call it a goal on the ice, and a long video review followed. Holtby had stopped the puck with his pad, but it was unclear whether it had managed to cross the goal line anyway. The video review didn't provide a definitive replay, so the Penguins didn't receive the tally, another break for Washington in a game of them.

"Sometimes it goes your way, sometimes not," center Nicklas Backstrom said. "We got lucky there."

The Capitals had caught one break before the game even started. With Penguins center Evgeni Malkin and winger Carl Hagelin both out with injuries in Game 1, Washington didn't take advantage of the opportunity, a theme in past postseason series between the teams. A year ago, the Capitals lost the game Crosby missed with a concussion. The year before that, top defenseman Letang was suspended for a game, and the Capitals didn't win then, either.

Malkin was Pittsburgh's leading scorer this season with 42 goals and 56 assists in 78 games, and Washington got another opportunity when Malkin's undisclosed lower-body injury kept him out of Game 2, too. With Crosby and Malkin on the team, the Penguins have never lost a playoff series in which they took a two-games-to-none lead.

"Obviously, he's a top player. There's no question about it," Capitals Coach Barry Trotz said before the game. "But at the same time, it doesn't really matter. We've just got to win the game."

Washington again got the strong start it wanted; the team has scored first in all but one of its eight playoff games. Less than two minutes into the game, Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov and Hornqvist raced for a puck that had slid into Pittsburgh's zone. Hornqvist got his stick on it, but he inadvertently passed it to Ovechkin, who quickly shot it past Matt Murray's glove for the first goal of the game. That was Ovechkin's second goal in as many games and his third point.

Then, with five seconds left in a power play, rookie Jakub Vrana maneuvered through three Pittsburgh sticks to get to the front of the net and beat Murray glove side. That seemed like a target for Washington; Connolly's goal also was to Murray's glove side. The Penguins challenged for goaltender interference because Connolly's stick had made contact with Murray's leg before Vrana's goal, but the league determined that Connolly's actions didn't impair Murray from making the save, so the goal stood.

"Honestly, I didn't really even know that I did that," Connolly said. "I was shocked. It's just a quick reaction. You're kind of being intense, but it was way before. . . . We deserved that break. We've been playing so well. We deserved a break tonight."

And then the Capitals made their own break, with Connolly getting the all-important third goal, insurance the series would be tied.

Steelers stick to their guns as 2018 NFL Draft concludes

By Joe Rutter

http://triblive.com/sports/

April 28, 2018

Marcus Allen (Matthew O'Haren/USA Today Sports)

This was supposed to be the draft in which the Steelers added the final pieces to a Super Bowl contender. Not one aimed at restocking for the future.

Although he didn't get an inside linebacker to replace Ryan Shazier, general manager Kevin Colbert kept one eye on 2018 and the other on the future when he made his seven draft selections.

And he didn't apologize one bit Saturday for taking that tactic.

“Since I've been a part of this thing, we've had one losing season,” said Colbert, who joined the Steelers in 2000. “That's one too many.”

Colbert has presided over two Super Bowl championship teams and another that played in the NFL's biggest game. With the Steelers coming off a 13-3 season, he wasn't about to deter from his plan for building his roster.

“This is the challenge — 2018, win the Super Bowl,” Colbert said. “But we're never going to lose sight of making sure we can compete each and every year.”

Which is why for every draft pick who can contribute in 2018 — second-round wide receiver James Washington is the most noteworthy — Colbert selected others who don't project to be starters until future seasons. In that category are third-round quarterback Mason Rudolph, third-round tackle Chuks Okorafor and seventh-round defensive lineman Joshua Frazier.

Skeptics would say with the window to win another Super Bowl still open, the Steelers didn't go all in during the draft. After all, they ignored both linebacker spots and used only three of seven picks to address a defense that yielded 45 points in a home playoff loss to Jacksonville. And two of those defensive draftees occupy the same position.

Again, Colbert begs to differ.

“We go all in every year,” he said. “We want to win it every year. I'll never support mortgaging the future to sell out to win.”

After the Steelers surprisingly used all three selections Friday night on offensive players, it stood to reason they would address the void at inside linebacker Saturday. In the fifth round, Colbert did turn back to defense, but it was to add a second safety, Penn State's Marcus Allen, who will join first-rounder Terrell Edmunds in the secondary.

With the second pick of the fifth round, it was back to offense. Jaylen Samuels, an H-back at N.C. State, was the choice. He will move to running back full-time with the Steelers and could be used as a change-of-pace runner to complement All-Pro Le'Veon Bell this season.

With their final pick, the Steelers took another raw talent — Alabama defensive tackle Joshua Frazier, who in 2017 played mostly as a reserve behind first-round pick Da'Ron Payne.

“We believe that these guys can not only help us in the future, but they also are capable of helping us this year — if the earn it,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “We don't discount any contributions or make any assumptions regarding division of labor or roles.

“These guys will be given an opportunity to carve out roles for themselves this year. If they do and it's significant, great. If they don't, we've got quality people that are working, and they're in an environment that's conducive to them growing.”

Colbert said the absence of an inside linebacker in the draft class is softened by the signing of Jon Bostic in free agency. He will start alongside Vince Williams with Tyler Matakevich in reserve.

The Steelers wanted to take Alabama linebacker Rashaan Evans with the No. 28 overall pick, but the Tennessee Titans traded up to select him at No. 22. Edmunds was chosen instead.

“We're not going to reach,” Colbert said.

In this era when sub-package defenses are on the field for 75 percent of the snaps, the Steelers can use any of the three safeties they have added since March (free agent Morgan Burnett being the other) to play the hybrid linebacker spot.

“Several of these guys have had that in their past,” Tomlin said, “and we are excited about looking at that as a potential component of our play.”

The Steelers also passed on an outside linebacker and have just one player (Anthony Chickillo) with NFL experience behind starters Bud Dupree and T.J. Watt, Colbert reminded that 2017 seventh-round pick Keion Adams will return after missing his rookie season with a shoulder injury.

“You always had him in the bank,” Colbert said. “He's really another seventh-round pick in our eyes for this season.”

Rudolph, who was drafted after the Steelers traded up three spots in the third round, might not see the field for two more seasons, when Ben Roethlisberger's contract expires. Or maybe longer, if Roethlisberger makes good on his wish to play three seasons.

Rudolph, though, was too enticing for the Steelers to pass up.

“He was with the group of the top quarterbacks,” Colbert said. “That was a really good position.”

Rudolph was available in the second round when the Steelers had the No. 60 overall pick. After trading Martavis Bryant to Oakland, Colbert filled the void at wide receiver when he selected Rudolph's favorite target in Washington.

“Some positions you're helping right now,” Colbert said. “We think James Washington … probably is going to help more immediately than, obviously, Mason Rudolph. He'll help more in '18, but you have to protect the future as well. … We have a pretty good team.”

MORE STEELERS/NFL

LSU's Gilmore, FSU's Thomas among 13 undrafted free agents joining Steelers

Steelers conclude draft by selecting Alabama DT Joshua Frazier 

Pitt's Ryan Winslow relieves parents' stress, signs with Bears

Steelers draft capsules: Marcus Allen, Jaylen Samuels, Joshua Frazier

Steelers add running back in fifth round, draft N.C. State's Samuels 

Alex Ovechkin, Capitals Hope This Time Is Different Against Sidney Crosby, Penguins

By MICHAEL ROSENBERG
https://www.si.com/nhl/2018/04/25/sidney-crosby-alex-ovechkin-penguins-capitals-stanley-cup-playoffs
April 25, 2018


(Getty Images)

There may be scrums in this Penguins-Capitals series that make Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin look like they are tied at the hip, which is fitting. They can’t escape each other, on the ice or as conversation pieces. Sid and Ovi entered the league together in 2005. They are very different players and have had very different Hall of Fame careers, but in some ways they are inseparable.

Ovechkin has 1,122 career points (1003 games); Crosby has 1,116 (864 games).

Since they arrived in the league, Crosby’s Penguins have accumulated 1,273 points in the regular-season standings; Ovechkin’s Capitals have accumulated 1,253.

And yet, there is this one glaring difference, and of course you know what it is. Crosby has won the Stanley Cup three times with Pittsburgh. He is this hockey generation’s greatest winner, which makes him its best player. Ovechkin has never made it past the second round, and his Caps have never beaten the Pens in three tries.

It is tempting to blame the Capitals’ postseason failures all on Ovechkin (“he’s a loser!”) and tempting to absolve him completely. Both would be reductive and lazy. But there is a fundamental difference between Crosby and Ovechkin, and it has shown up in the spring.

Crosby is a hockey sponge. He watches games all the time. He stays after practice, at all times of the year, to turn his weaknesses into strengths—even when nobody else saw the weaknesses. He loves the game like a toddler loves his favorite toy. He takes it everywhere. He touches all parts of it. He cannot imagine a day without it.

Ovechkin is not like that. He is quite competitive on the ice but can seem indifferent off it. He has never been known as a great practice player. He often shows up to the Caps’ facility with no idea what happened in the league the night before.

Every time the Penguins take the ice, they know their captain has done everything. Crosby is not just the most complete player of his generation; he is the most complete player he could possibly be. He is his sport’s Tim Duncan, its Tom Brady. His attitude shapes his whole franchise.

Every time the Capitals take the ice, they know Ovechkin has not done everything. Now, they also know he is an unparalleled goal scorer, that he really wants to win, and that they are always much better off with him on their side. But they don’t get the confidence injection that comes when your best player is your best worker. They have to import leadership from other teams, with trades and free-agent signings, because their captain is not really a captain in the traditional sense. He is just their best player.

The Penguins fall in line behind Crosby. The Capitals have to fall in line around Ovechkin. This does not keep the Capitals from winning the Cup, but it makes it harder for them. In the playoffs, the margin between victory and defeat is so thin. An entire series can end on a shot off a rebound on a two-on-one that only happened because somebody finished a check and the puck squirted in the right direction, and even the winning team doesn’t know exactly why it won. But it sure helps to know you did everything you could leading up to that moment.

When a team loses repeatedly in the postseason, we often say—or imply—that they are chokers: the pressure got to them. Sometimes, that’s true, and the Capitals’ postseason history is filled with so many collapses that it is easy to label them chokers.

More often, though, there are other reasons for repeated postseason failures, across sports: Injuries, luck, a hot goalie, repeatedly running into a super-team. And sometimes, what seems like choking is actually a team getting exposed. This, as much as anything, is what has happened to Ovechkin and the Capitals. The Caps have been a lot like their star: good enough to dominate in the winter, but not complete enough to win in the spring.

And this brings us to this year’s Caps-Pens series. The Capitals are in a rare position: they have postseason experience and home-ice advantage but are still the underdog. Maybe that puts them in the right mental place to finally beat the Penguins. Maybe those other factors—injuries, luck, a hot goalie—are finally on their side. Maybe Ovechkin has changed, slightly, or maybe it won’t matter. Maybe the Capitals can make this their year. Many stranger things have happened, especially in the hockey playoffs. I’m sure Ovechkin’s team believes it can win. But Crosby’s team knows that it can.

Can potential alone carry WMU’s Chukwuma Okorafor?

Western Michigan’s Chukwuma Okorafor offers much potential as an NFL starter, but will that be enough to earn him an early selection in the2018 NFL Draft?

More: 2018 NFL Draft preview, player profiles and latest mock drafts

By Jacob Wilson 

https://saturdayblitz.com/2018/04/25/2018-nfl-draft-can-potential-alone-carry-wmus-chukwuma-okorafor/

April 26, 2018

(Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Okorafor, a former three-star prospect out of Southfield, Michigan, has perhaps one of the most inspiring stories of all 2018 draftees. After immigrating from Botswana to the United States in 2010, Okorafor’s potential and physical attributes were immediately noted by his high school coaches. However, that potential would manifest itself into reality as Okorafor began receiving calls from some of the nation’s top programs.

Despite receiving offers from the likes of Ohio State, Oklahoma, Michigan State, Florida, and others, Okorafor committed to Western Michigan University, a school just two hours away from his hometown. During his time with the Broncos, Okorafor would start in every game from his sophomore season onward.

Strengths

As one could infer from his participation at Western Michigan, Okorafor is extremely consistent in his ability to stay on the field. Outside of his starts throughout his sophomore through senior years, Okorafor played in all but one game as a freshman. His health and resiliency alone should make him a fine backup in the NFL, at the least.

Outside of his size (6-foot-6, 330 pounds), Okorafor boasts many other skills. His strength alone allows for him to handle most bull-rushers, but he also has the quickness to gain an extra step when run blocking. Okorafor holds his blocks well, and has had success at both left and right tackle.

Weaknesses

One of the aspects of Okorafor’s game that is critiqued the most is his football IQ, along with his instincts. Due in part to him starting the game of football at a later age than most, it would be expected that Okorafor struggle in terms of intangibles. However, it’s yet to be seen if his instincts will develop, making him a gamble in the early rounds.

In terms of his physical abilities, Okorafor’s stature naturally inhibits some of his speed. While he is fairly quick for his size, a tackle is much more likely to face speed rushers than a guard. Understandably so, there is reasonable concern that Okorafor will struggle greatly against those who can use his size against him.