Chris Stewart, the Pirates' backup catcher, is one of many tireless workers on the team. -- GETTY
August 14, 2015
NEW YORK — Greetings from the place they seriously call Flushing.
Durka: My boss says he has no sympathy for baseball players when they need a day off. He doesn’t think three hours a day is that grueling. What’s your perspective?
DK: Ha! Perfect question on a day like this. Really.
August 13, 2015
It’s happy hour, which means it’s time for five answers to your questions. Away we go …
Dave: Josh, the recent Geno Smith incident brought this to mind. Can you tell me the real reason that Evgeni Malkin jacked up Craig Adams last year in practice? Was Adams just not a well liked guy in the room?
JY: Many in the organization immediately tried to downplay this situation by saying things like, “That kind of stuff happens in hockey all the time. It was just a scuffle.”
August 12, 2015
Round 2 … let’s dance.
Brian: How does Jung Ho Kang rate as a rookie of the year candidate?
MG: JHK is no longer Pittsburgh’s little secret. Not only have analytically-minded outlets like FanGraphs and Beyond the Box Score produced features on the Korean rookie this week, but MLB Network and ESPN also recently brought up his name on this very topic.
August 10, 2015
If it’s Monday, it’s my turn again, so here we go …
JeffAbe57: With all the questions about what happens when Jordy Mercer and Josh Harrison return, how is it not obvious that Aramis Ramirez sits? He has been an absolute ZERO in all phases since his return to the Bucs. Jung Ho Kang has to play every day. You absolutely can’t sit Kang under any circumstance.
DK: You actually can. And the Pirates will. And they’ll be right.
Kent Tekulve, the last man to throw a championship pitch for the Pirates, 36 years ago. -- GETTY
August 7, 2015
If it’s Friday, it’s my turn again, so here we go …
dariusm11: Do you remember another time when all three Pittsburgh professional sports teams have had so much team success, a horizon of potential success 3-5 years into the future and so many individual great players or MVP candidates such as Andrew McCutchen, Gerrit Cole, Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell, Antonio Brown, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin?
DK: Oh, my. Guess I shouldn’t assume your age in one direction or the other, but the 1970s were only about a billion times better than this, and I say that from the perspective of someone who was a child then but still totally into all three teams.
Will Jason Botterill someday replace Jim Rutherford as Penguins general manager? -- GETTY
August 6, 2015
It’s Thursday, which means it’s my turn on the five questions cycle. As a reminder, I know most of you associate me with hockey — and I’m cool with that — but feel free to ask any questions about anything pertaining to Pittsburgh sports. I received all kinds of great questions this week. I picked a few of the best. And away we go …
Dave in Ross Twp: Josh, who is the GM of the Pens in three years?
JY: I don’t even know what I’m having for dinner, Dave. But I appreciate the question. The best answer I can muster right now? Um, how about Jim Rutherford?
The Downtown view -- behind the Riverhounds' Rob Vincent -- is a huge asset for Highmark Stadium -- RIVERHOUNDS
August 5, 2015
Before I get going today, I have to address how surreal this is. I started following Dejan Kovacevic‘s work when he was with the Post-Gazette, and his regular Penguins mailbag feature was what drew me in.
Now here I am, about 15 years later, writing something similar on Dejan’s own site. Follow your dreams, kids.
E: What sports venue (not necessarily in Pittsburgh) do you most enjoy as a fan? As a writer?
MG: I’m starting with an “easy” one to get warmed up. Don’t judge.
Sammie Coates gestures across the field during a break in the Steelers' drills. -- DAVE DiCELLO
August 4, 2015
Five bells means 5 Qs, so let’s get after it.
jimmy streich: How hard is it trying to be objective covering a sport and team you love? You really have to root for a guy like Alejandro Villanueva, don’t you?
NC: An interesting question. It’s a pet peeve of mine to have questions answered with questions, but I can’t avoid it here. What is objectivity in sports writing? I don’t mean this to sound defensive, but I’ve always been a fan of this team, and I’ve worked in newspapers and journalism previously. I didn’t get this job because I’m a fan.
Helmets get tossed into the end zone during the Steelers' opening stretch. -- DAVE DiCELLO
August 3, 2015
LATROBE, Pa. — Kicking off the very first of our new reader-chat format …
Damon: After one week of camp, is there any visible difference between the Dick LeBeau defense and the Keith Butler defense?
DK: That’s a difficult read only a week into the process, but from what I’ve seen and from talking to Jarvis Jones out here today, a few things are clear:
August 17, 2015
Five Qs at 5: Polanco, Gonchar, Beachum
9by Dejan Kovacevic • Five Qs at 5 • Penguins, Pirates, Steelers
Back home after a week, not yet unpacked, but no less prepared for your Qs …
Brian: When Gregory Polanco was not getting hits early this season, we were focusing on his seeing lots of pitches. Now that he is getting hits, it seems that he is doing a lot more first-pitch swinging. Is this just a result of his success and comfort level currently, or is he just getting away with it?
DK: Rather than analyze or dissect, I’ll just share what Polanco is feeling at the moment, which might mean more than any hard data.
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