The Quips have arrived. Darrelle Revis took it upon himself to send the entire Aliquippa High School football team to his enshrinement. They’ll be seated right in front of the stage for his speech. A very cool gesture.
You guys ever go to your buddy’s house to watch football on a nice Sunday afternoon just to have it interrupted by his ex-girlfriend who drove 90 minutes to demand he lets her spend time with his cats?
Because I have.
Multiple sources have informed the Post-Gazette that Phil Jurkovec is changing his position. The sixth year senior will now play tight end. Jurkovec began working out at his new spot during today’s practice.
My only question about the Rudolph incident: If he did indeed drop a racial slur, why didn't Myles tell me directly after the game when I asked him? Not saying it did or didn't happen. I'm just curious as to why he waited a week to explain what caused him to react the way he did.
One of the many cool parts of my job is getting to meet people I grew up admiring. I’ll never forget the feeling that came when I received this text during last year’s Backyard Brawl. It was always a pleasure to be a guest of the God Father. RIP, Stan. Loved the show ❤️
Here are the luckiest fans of the day. Vinay Mehta and his son Toren were the ones who caught Cutch’s 300th homer. Hear what they had to say as they waited to hand Cutch the ball.
Lots of stuff to takeaway from Pitt's postgame locker room availability. Perhaps the biggest note: Bub Carrington said he plans to return to Pitt next season.
Per this report from
@AidanKasner
of the Pitt news, Toren Mehta, the 9-year old by who caught Cutch's 300th homer, is battling cancer. His family withheld this information on Sunday, to "keep the moment about [McCutchen]."
A truly remarkable story. Read it here:
I’ve seen a ton of people tweeting this video today. Regardless of the current state the Pirates are in, this home run will always be special to me. Something I’ll tell my kids about.
Benches clear between he Pirates and Reds after Archer throws inside to Dietrich after serving him a homer in the first at bat.
Fast forward to the 1:30 mark to see Puig and Cervelli throw down.
I apologize for the commentary/ language!
It’s getting dusty in here. Watch this one until the end. Mr. Abanikanda is elated.
“He’s staying home! He’s the Jets running back. He’s staying home!”
Jeff Capel said on his radio show this evening that Aidan Fisch (
@fischtank13
) is now on scholarship. He surprised the former walk-on with the news recently, in front of the entire team, after a meeting. Really cool stuff.
Hubert Davis when asked about Pitt's status on the NCAA tournament bubble:
“Just personally, that just doesn't make sense at all. I don't care what metric, whatever you look at. There's no way that you can look at this game and look at Pitt and not say it's definitely an NCAA…
I sarcastically asked Fede Federiko if he was worried Guillermo Diaz Graham stole his starting spot.
His response with a big smile:
"I don't mind. He's playing great. If I'm his backup, I'm his backup. It is what it is. I'm happy with that."
Jared Jones: “It was predetermined that I was going five innings today, no matter what happened. Do you want to see me down the road, or do you want to see me get shut down? That’s what I think of it.”
Some quick career news to start the morning:
Rather than returning home from Wake Forest, I am instead heading further south to Bradenton. I’m excited to announce that I’ll be a part of the Post-Gazette’s Pirates coverage this season and I’ll be using the next week to get a…
I’m sorry but playing the state football championships at a high school venue is whack. Especially in Pennsylvania. We have NFL stadiums, iconic college stadiums and instead the PIAA chose Cumberland Valley. What a lame decision.
Update on Damar:
His vitals are back to normal and they have put him to sleep to put a breathing tube down his throat. They are currently running tests.
We will provide updates as we have them.
“I love this program. I love this city and I love being a Pitt man.”
This week Gavin Bartholomew (
@GavinBartholom6
) gave me an inside look at his decision to remain a Panther. I feel like this is a story every
#Pitt
fan will enjoy. Read it here:
Just in:
#Pitt
has finally cracked the AP top 25, coming in at No. 25 in this week's poll. This marks the first time the Panthers have been ranked in the AP poll since Jan. 11, 2016.
Final score:
Pitt — 80
No. 7 Duke — 76
Panthers get their first win in Durham since 1979. Watch this one until the end to see Blake Hinson wish the Cameron Crazies a good evening. He had 24 points in the win.
This is why you have to love Beaver County football. Before heading into the locker room to celebrate, a few Central Valley players go out of their way to wish Aliquippa good luck in the 4A title game, which is up next.
Update on mom: She is completely off the vent & breathing entirely on her own. She’s awake & responsive. Nurses say she will be out of the ICU in a few days. Incredible news to hear following a very stressful week. Thank you to everyone for the support. Today is a huge day. ❤️
Narduzzi says he regrets not taking a knee at the end of the first half, which was the play that resulted in Slovis' injury.
"I'm a dumb ass," is what he said to a reporter.
We talked down on Kedon Slovis all offseason. What we are seeing right now from Jurkovec is much, much worse. If this doesn't warrant a change, then what will?
This must be very tough to watch if you’re a JCU fan. Minding your own business and then ESPN comes out of nowhere and reminds you that you’ll always be Mount Union’s little brother. Just horrible to see. Tragic, honesty.
Sometimes misunderstood — and admittedly arrogant during other periods of his life — Blake Hinson found himself on and off the court while in Pittsburgh. Earlier this week, he sat down with the Post-Gazette to reflect upon his journey.
My story:
Pitt needs to retire DeJuan Blair's number. I don't care if he was only here for two years. He was the best talent the program had in its most successful era.
“It’s not about starting. It’s not about none of that. At the end of the day, it’s about winning.”
@sibande_nike
explains why he told Capel to stick with Greg Elliott over himself to start the second half:
Source: "With the discontinuation of the annual series following the 2012 season, a mutual decision was made prior to this year’s matchup to no longer present the [Paddlewheel] trophy to the winning team."
Crushing news to break. The River City Rivalry just won't be the same.
Pretty cool career moment: I woke up this morning and submitted my first ever vote for the Heisman Trophy. An absolute honor to be included in deciding one of the top individual awards in American sports.
Life update, part 2: I’m incredibly excited to announce that I’ve accepted a position covering Pitt athletics for
@PGSportsNow
. I’m thrilled to be joining such a wildly talented staff, where together, we can provide the best sports coverage in the city. Time to get to work.
Doing some exploring today before the game. Starting things off at the College football HOF. One of the first things I see? The gloves
@Mjdevonshirejr
was wearing in Pitt’s win over WVU in the 2022 Backyard Brawl.
The bad news: I’m in the hospital with COVID-19
The good news: There is plenty of afternoon baseball to watch over the next few days
The great news: The nurses & doctors are taking tremendous care of me.
Thanks to all who have reached out. I should be home in no time.
That’s a wrap on year one of covering Pitt football. Thank you to everyone who followed along. Can’t imagine having a better job than this one. I’m going to enjoy this postgame beer, along with a few more back at the hotel. Cheers, folks.
Want to give a quick shoutout to the
@Yankees
organization.
Last weekend I left my notepad at Yankee Stadium. On top of losing valuable notes for future stories, my notepad sits in a leather casing that was gifted to me by my dad when I started my career in sports journalism.…
When I was covering Duquesne in 2020-21, I remember asking Keith if he was going to invite LeBron to a practice. He told me he wouldn’t have him visit until his team reached the NCAA Tournament. Looks like the King will be headed to Pittsburgh sometime soon.
"I'm not coming home to mess around and party. I'm coming home to work and win."
Phil Jurkovec (
@pjurkovec
) will play his final collegiate season for the Panthers. Read what the former WPIAL star had to say about his opportunity at Pitt here:
Notre Dame press box food review:
Hot dogs and chips were a bit of a disappointment but chicken noodle soup hits with this weather. Cherry Coke also provides a boost. Not great, but no means terrible.
My score: 6.3
2023 season rankings:
1. West Virginia — 8.6
2. Wake…
A woman outside of PNC Park is being very vocal about her anger toward the team store for not having a single Steven Brault shirt available to purchase. This season just keeps delivering.