Column: Let’s see Kapanen’s best shot 62

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DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS

“We’ve been waiting for someone like him to arrive for a while.”

The scene was Sochi’s Bolshoy Ice Dome, site of the recent Olympics, and the speaker was Sami Salo, the well-traveled NHL veteran defenseman. Team Finland had just skated through its first training session, and Salo had just been paired with Olli Maatta, a partner 20 years his younger.

One set of drills was all it took. Salo felt so strongly about the kid that the above quote was his response to my fairly innocuous question about his first impression of the Penguins’ prized rookie.

“He’s that good,” Salo would say.

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Final: Pirates 7, Rockies 5 181

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DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS

Game: Pirates (54-49) vs. Colorado Rockies (43-60)

Pitchers: RHP Edinson Volquez (8-7, 3.86) vs. LHP Franklin Morales (5-5, 5.21)

Time: 4:10 p.m.

Site: Coors Field, Denver

TV, radio: Root Sports, 93.7 The Fan

Live box score: MLB.com

Below is a video interview I did earlier in the week at PNC Park with Volquez, one that’s a bit outside the norm. We focused solely on one day in spring training, where he probably should have been a wreck but was anything but. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did …

Column: Ben smiles through another snub 58

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DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS

LATROBE, Pa. – Ben Roethlisberger looks and sounds fantastic, but don’t take my word for it.

“This is the most excited I’ve been about any offense I’ve had,” Todd Haley was telling me as he walked down the winding path to Chuck Noll Field for the Steelers’ first formal practice Saturday at Saint Vincent College. “Seriously, I mean any offense.”

Wow. And what, apart from the standard summer optimism, would prompt that sentiment?

“Have you seen Ben?”

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A little look through the window ahead 56

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DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS

LATROBE, Pa. — Just to share some plans for the next handful of days as we build the site in the background: I’m heading right back to Latrobe today to cover the Steelers’ practice. That will result in a full Sunday column, topic of which is not yet known. I’ll have the site’s first Penguins column Monday, head right back out to Latrobe later that day. After that, we’ll have some focus on the Pirates at the trading deadline, then follow up on a possible Pitt surprise here.

I’ve also booked the first couple of flights out of the travel budget, thanks to your overwhelming early response to the site, both Steelers-related. That was fun.

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