March 7, 2015
BY DEJAN KOVACEVIC
Getting ready for faceoff …
Game: Penguins (37-18-9) vs. Los Angeles Kings (31-21-12), 10:08 p.m., Staples Center, Los Angeles
Goaltenders: Marc-Andre Fleury (29-14-6, 2.21) vs. Jonathan Quick (27-17-10, 2.40)
TV, radio: Root Sports, 105.9 the X
Online: GameCenter / Multimedia / Official game notes
March 7, 2015
A train passes while the Riverhounds and Western Illinois scrimmage at Highmark Stadium. — DEJAN KOVACEVIC
BY DEJAN KOVACEVIC
News: After two months of training indoors and two weather-canceled scrimmages, the Riverhounds finally plowed through the snow and ice covering Highmark Stadium to get in a 2-0 victory vs. Western Illinois University today, the goals coming from Lebo Moloto and Rob Vincent.
Views: That was fun. Watching Moloto, I mean.
Signed in the past week, this South African midfielder is listed as being 24 years old, but he looks more like 12 and he performs with the maturity of someone a decade his elder. Time and again, the ball would find his foot in traffic, and each time he’d make the smartest possible play. The highlight was a ridiculous goal, the first of the match, when he danced around two defenders, then brought the keeper to his knees before softly tucking a left-footer into the vacated net.
March 7, 2015
BY DEJAN KOVACEVIC
Getting ready for tipoff …
Game: Duquesne (11-17, 6-11 Atlantic 10) vs. Davidson (22-6, 13-4), 7:05 p.m., Palumbo Center
Video, radio: American Sports Network, WJAS 1320 AM, iHeartRadio 3WS HD2
Online: GameTracker / Multimedia / Official game notes
March 7, 2015
BY DEJAN KOVACEVIC
Getting ready for first pitch …
Game: Pirates vs. Tampa Bay Rays, exhibition, 1:05 p.m., McKechnie Field, Bradenton, Fla.
Pitchers: RHP A.J. Burnett vs. RHP Alex Cobb
Radio: 93.7 The Fan
Online: Gameday / Multimedia / Official game notes
March 7, 2015
BY DEJAN KOVACEVIC
Getting ready for tipoff …
Game: Pitt (19-12, 8-9 ACC) vs. Florida State (15-15, 7-10), 12:05 p.m., Donald Tucker Center, Tallahassee, Fla.
TV, radio: ESPN2 (national), ESPN3 (online), 93.7 The Fan
Online: GameTracker / Multimedia / Official game notes
March 7, 2015
Photo-illustration — DALI KOVACEVIC
BY DEJAN KOVACEVIC
A weekly look at what’s new, what’s coming on our site …
• A strong few days for the site were capped in the biggest way possible, with a record day for our site in visitors (28,363), single post (20,774) and, best of all, 87 new subscriptions that represented our single-day high point for 2015.
So, wow. Thanks.
The post was the latest Friday Insider, headlined by items on Troy Polamalu and Simon Despres, and the non-subscriber response to it was slightly above-average on Twitter, but it went completely wild on Facebook and well above the norm on Reddit, of all places. That brought in a bunch of new eyeballs and, undoubtedly as a result, new signups.
For those who don’t know, we use a metered paywall, meaning the first couple views are free. I insisted on this at the launch because I never wanted to shut out potential new readers arriving on social media and, even though this paywall is by far the most expensive and most complicated to maintain, I’ve been absolutely thrilled with the result. This day now stands as Exhibit A.
Anyway, to all our many newcomers, welcome! Now go get the free app!
March 6, 2015
BY DEJAN KOVACEVIC
Getting ready for faceoff …
Game: Penguins (36-18-9) vs. Anaheim Ducks (41-17-7), 10:08 p.m., Honda Center, Anaheim, Calif.
Goaltenders: Thomas Greiss (7-3-3, 2.82) vs. Frederik Anderson (30-8-5, 2.34)
TV, radio: Root Sports, 105.9 the X
Online: GameCenter / Multimedia / Official game notes
March 6, 2015
BY DEJAN KOVACEVIC
Getting ready for first pitch …
Game: Pirates vs. New York Yankees, exhibition, 7:05 p.m., George M. Steinbrenner Field, Tampa, Fla.
Pitchers: LHP Jeff Locke vs. LHP Chris Capuano
Radio: 93.7 The Fan
Online: Gameday / Multimedia / Official game notes
March 6, 2015
BY DEJAN KOVACEVIC
Here’s the podcast of my weekly rapid-fire segment on 970 ESPN Pittsburgh with David Todd. We covered pretty much everything under the sun, as you’ll hear.
March 6, 2015
Tajh Boyd lasted only one preseason with the Jets after being their sixth-round draft pick. — GETTY
BY DEJAN KOVACEVIC
News: The Steelers have signed Tajh Boyd, a quarterback the Jets cut loose shortly after drafting him in the sixth round last summer, to battle for backup duty.
Views: In and of itself, this isn’t significant. If one can’t make the Jets’ QB depth chart, one might not make a CFL depth chart.
At the same time, it’s yet another sign that Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert aren’t satisfied with Bruce Gradkowski and especially Landry Jones, and would prefer better quality below Ben Roethlisberger. Gradkowski is in the final year of a three-year contract, but Jones has impressed no one and won’t simply be handed No. 3 again.
Here are Boyd’s collegiate stats at Clemson.
