Column: Ben smiles through another snub

by • Columns •

photo_2

Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers’ coaches talk during drills at Saint Vincent College. — DEJAN KOVACEVIC

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?”

MORE

News/views: Steelers’ reporting day

by • News/views •

10564687_1477075852533517_1380044486_n

DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS

LATROBE, Pa. — “This team, as far as energy and all the young guys, it feels like ’04-’05.”

That was Ike Taylor, among the handful of veterans who held court with the media on the Steelers’ reporting day at Saint Vincent College on Friday afternoon. And for better or worse, he was making that statement from experience.

I’m not sure if Ike is right. He can’t be sure, either. But I know that his statement seemed to sum up the sentiment of a whole lot of folks up here in the rolling green hills of Westmoreland County. The talk is of speed. Of energy. Of fun.

MORE

Column: From Dri to D, Steelers set camp stage

by • Columns •

Screen Shot 2014-07-25 at 12.09.26 PM

DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS

LATROBE, Pa. — The Steelers, who I’ve heard hail from the town with the great football team, have been anything but great of late as they embark on their 82nd season Friday at Saint Vincent College with an 8-8-is-enough mindset.

Ramon Foster put it best at minicamp last month: “That’s enough. Seriously.”

It really is. But before anyone can chase Johnny High Society back to the  nightclubs of Cleveland or Vegas or College Station or wherever TMZ cameras roam, Mike Tomlin, Kevin Colbert, the rest of the staff and all 90 players who will report to Saint Vincent College on Friday come with some compelling concerns.

MORE

Column: What’s not to like about Ike?

by • Columns •

DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS

The simplest way to dissect these Pirates’ needs leading up to Major League Baseball’s trading deadline is to point to the pitching: If one or both of Francisco Liriano and Gerrit Cole is at peak form, then there’s no need — emphasis on need — to acquire a starter.

To look at Liriano in Wednesday’s 6-1 slapdown of the Los Angeles Dodgers at PNC Park, it’s eminently clear he’s at least close. One run, four hits over seven innings tell part of the tale. Vastly improved fastball command, the result of Ray Searage stressing keeping his shoulder from flying open, tells a lot more of it.

MORE

Column: That’s baseball, man

by • Columns •

DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS

Here’s a story I’ve never told publicly, but hey, if not here, if not now, then when?

It’s about the Pirates and Dodgers, but about a very different group of Pirates in a very different place: It was the first of May, 2010, at Dodger Stadium, and Ramon Ortiz of the Dodgers threw high at Andrew McCutchen. Cutch was a promising player at the time, not yet a star but by far the best of a train-wreck roster well on its way to 105 losses.

See, Cutch had homered in the opening inning, and the Dodgers thought they saw him make some celebratory gesture rounding second base. I was there. No such thing occurred. But perception can be reality, and reality in baseball can be retaliatory. Some Rule 5 scrub named Carlos Monasterios started for L.A. that night, and he went high and tight at Lastings Milledge and Ronny Cedeno in the next inning.

MORE

«< 76 77 78 79 80